Trayvon Martin

[cincybearcat]

This is so sad.

I'm hoping new information becomes available and illuminates exactly what happened (it's a long shot, I know).

The above article is the first I've read that mentions the injuries to Zimmerman.

He's neighborhood watch, not Wyatt Earp. He called the police, they told him to back off and that they would handle it. Minutes later, an unarmed teenager is dead.

it seemed like he's been looking for this all along.

How do you know that?

[Godfather.]

very sad but I don't see the racism issue.


Godfather.

A W.M.A. was involved so it must be racist or sexist. Duh.

A W.M.A. ? I read the artical and must of missed that..who or what is that ?

Godfather.

[polaris_x]

very sad but I don't see the racism issue.


Godfather.

it is indeed a racist issue because from what evidence is available - the shooter acted against the advice of authorities ... the victim was not caught in the act of any crime whatsoever ... and the initial response from authorities was this investigation was near complete and that the shooter acted in self defense ...

so, in my opinion ... the issue reeks of racism because the victim was black ... if it had been a black neighbourhood watch man shooting a white innocent pedestrian ... there is no way in hell the investigation would have been completed so fast ... sure, we are speculating that zimmerman acted based on some prejudice ... could be race ... maybe not ... but the response by the authorities is what is most troubling ... all evidence that we have from people hearing the altercation to the 911 calls does not point to an aggressive victim ... yet, the police were quick to call it an act of self-defense ... and that is likely because the victim was black ... do we have instances of white people getting the same kind of treatment in reverse!?

[Godfather.]

very sad but I don't see the racism issue.


Godfather.

it is indeed a racist issue because from what evidence is available - the shooter acted against the advice of authorities ... the victim was not caught in the act of any crime whatsoever ... and the initial response from authorities was this investigation was near complete and that the shooter acted in self defense ...

so, in my opinion ... the issue reeks of racism because the victim was black ... if it had been a black neighbourhood watch man shooting a white innocent pedestrian ... there is no way in hell the investigation would have been completed so fast ... sure, we are speculating that zimmerman acted based on some prejudice ... could be race ... maybe not ... but the response by the authorities is what is most troubling ... all evidence that we have from people hearing the altercation to the 911 calls does not point to an aggressive victim ... yet, the police were quick to call it an act of self-defense ... and that is likely because the victim was black ... do we have instances of white people getting the same kind of treatment in reverse!?

no offense man but that's weak
[qoute] it is indeed a racist issue because from what evidence is available - the shooter acted against the advice of authorities ... the victim was not caught in the act of any crime whatsoever ... and the initial response from authorities was this investigation was near complete and that the shooter acted in self defense ...

and if a black cop shoots a white kid or a white bad guy it wouldn't even make a minor bleep in the news but if a white guy shoots a black guy it's racism...

Godfather.

[cincybearcat]

... the issue reeks of racism because the victim was black ...

I have no idea if it had any bearing on this situation. But your comment is part of the problem. That is the bottom line anymore isn't it?

It's funny, people talk all day about innocent until proven guilty. Then if a black man/woman is the victim of a crime by a white man/woman, instantly it's racial. It may be, but it also may not have a thing to do with it at all.

[polaris_x]

I have no idea if it had any bearing on this situation. But your comment is part of the problem. That is the bottom line anymore isn't it?

It's funny, people talk all day about innocent until proven guilty. Then if a black man/woman is the victim of a crime by a white man/woman, instantly it's racial. It may be, but it also may not have a thing to do with it at all.

well ... you and godfather can come to your own conclusions ... you guys think racism is but a little nuisance that exists in small isolated incidents ... when the reality is that it is widespread ...

and again - i didn't say zimmerman acted on race ... he may or may not ... my accusation on racism is based on the police response despite what evidence i heard so far ... there should have been a thorough investigation of this incident before quickly calling it self-defense ... they had access to those 911 calls ... but yet, they quickly came to this guy's defense ... why?

[cincybearcat]

I have no idea if it had any bearing on this situation. But your comment is part of the problem. That is the bottom line anymore isn't it?

It's funny, people talk all day about innocent until proven guilty. Then if a black man/woman is the victim of a crime by a white man/woman, instantly it's racial. It may be, but it also may not have a thing to do with it at all.

well ... you and godfather can come to your own conclusions ... you guys think racism is but a little nuisance that exists in small isolated incidents ... when the reality is that it is widespread ...

and again - i didn't say zimmerman acted on race ... he may or may not ... my accusation on racism is based on the police response despite what evidence i heard so far ... there should have been a thorough investigation of this incident before quickly calling it self-defense ... they had access to those 911 calls ... but yet, they quickly came to this guy's defense ... why?

Now you are pretending to know me and what I think? Nice.

Again, I didn't even say racism wasn't a factor. I'm just not willing to throw it out there instantly like others always do.

[polaris_x]

Now you are pretending to know me and what I think? Nice.

Again, I didn't even say racism wasn't a factor. I'm just not willing to throw it out there instantly like others always do.

dude ... we've had this conversation many times over ... i'm not gonna go searching to show you that you've said numerous times that racism is not that big a deal in the US ...

also - i'm not saying its for sure racism ... i said it "reeks of racism" ... and if racism is a potential motive here (which you admit to above) then it can be brought up ... which is all we are doing ...

if an ex-boyfriend is charged with murdering his ex-girlfriend ... we can speculate that jealousy played a role ... should we not bring it up unless we know for sure!?

[Jason P]

Now you are pretending to know me and what I think? Nice.

Again, I didn't even say racism wasn't a factor. I'm just not willing to throw it out there instantly like others always do.

dude ... we've had this conversation many times over ... i'm not gonna go searching to show you that you've said numerous times that racism is not that big a deal in the US ...

also - i'm not saying its for sure racism ... i said it "reeks of racism" ... and if racism is a potential motive here (which you admit to above) then it can be brought up ... which is all we are doing ...

if an ex-boyfriend is charged with murdering his ex-girlfriend ... we can speculate that jealousy played a role ... should we not bring it up unless we know for sure!?

So you believe in stereotyping then! Welcome to the club!

[cincybearcat]

dude ... we've had this conversation many times over ... i'm not gonna go searching to show you that you've said numerous times that racism is not that big a deal in the US ...

That is utter bullshit.

[cincybearcat]

also - i'm not saying its for sure racism ... i said it "reeks of racism" ... and if racism is a potential motive here (which you admit to above) then it can be brought up ... which is all we are doing ...

if an ex-boyfriend is charged with murdering his ex-girlfriend ... we can speculate that jealousy played a role ... should we not bring it up unless we know for sure!?

This is a valid point.

However, you said it reeks of racism because the victim was black. I took that to mean, if the victim was white, no matter the color of anyone involved, racism would not cross your mind.

Regardless, it very well could involve racism, but just because it involves people of different colors doesn't make it so.

[gimmesometruth27]

i just listened to the 911 tapes.

this kid was murdered.

he did not commit a crime. the shooter had utter disdain in his voice while saying "these assholes always get away..." that was a general statement saying these assholes, who were doing nothing wrong, always get away. away from what??

another thing, this shooter has called 911 over 40 times. doesn't that seem abnormally high to anyone else? for a neighborhood to have that many 911 calls it must be a pretty sketchy area, or people are hyperparanoid, right?

this man was advised to not follow trayvon, yet he did. and he shot him. he HUNTED him down, had a confrontation, and shot him...if a dispatcher tells me to not pursue someone i am going to let them go and hope that the cops get him.

the witnesses 911 calls are telling. they all say they heard a young man cryout for help and then heard the gunshot and saw the shooter standing over him. if this kid was restrained or taken down by the shooter, he should not have used deadly force. if trayvon cried out for help, he was clearly in a bad position. if trayvon was beating this guy's ass, or had a physical advantage over him in some way, why would trayvon have cried out for help? trayvon was clearly in a very vulnerable position and cried out in desperation. this kid was murdered...

fucking rent a cop....

[ComeToTX]

Too bad this guy was armed with a Tek 9 and not a taser. You can hear him screaming for help in the 911 call right before he's shot. Doesn't sound like the aggressor to me.

[brandon10]

This is exactly what you get in a state with extremely relaxed gun laws, neighborhood watch rent-a-cop clowns shooting innocent children with skittles and pop in their pockets. And according to Jeremy Toobin it happens all the time in Florida without anyone getting arrested. This must be that great American nation people like Rick Santorum rave about. Sounds like an amazing place to live.

[Godfather.]

Now you are pretending to know me and what I think? Nice.

Again, I didn't even say racism wasn't a factor. I'm just not willing to throw it out there instantly like others always do.

dude ... we've had this conversation many times over ... i'm not gonna go searching to show you that you've said numerous times that racism is not that big a deal in the US ...

also - i'm not saying its for sure racism ... i said it "reeks of racism" ... and if racism is a potential motive here (which you admit to above) then it can be brought up ... which is all we are doing ...

if an ex-boyfriend is charged with murdering his ex-girlfriend ... we can speculate that jealousy played a role ... should we not bring it up unless we know for sure!?

you're back peddling now but still screaming racism, this should make you happy....

Breaking News from ABCNEWS.com:

FBI, Justice Department to Investigate Fla. Neighborhood Watch Killing [10:30 p.m. ET]

For more on this and other breaking news go to ABCNews.com: http://abcnews.go.com?nwltr=bn


Godfather.