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The Curious Case of Trayvon Martin

Fuck Your Couch

Fuck Your Couch

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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/17/opinion/blow-the-curious-case-of-trayvon-martin.html

This is a nightmare scenario for any parent, and the events leading to Trayvon’s death offer little comfort — and pose many questions.

Trayvon had left the house he and his father were visiting to walk to the local 7-Eleven. On his way back, he caught the attention of George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old neighborhood watch captain, who was in a sport-utility vehicle. Zimmerman called the police because the boy looked “real suspicious,” according to a 911 call released late Friday. The operator told Zimmerman that officers were being dispatched and not to pursue the boy.

Zimmerman apparently pursued him anyway, at some point getting out of his car and confronting the boy. Trayvon had a bag of Skittles and a can of iced tea. Zimmerman had a 9 millimeter handgun.
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Stories like this pop up every now and then, but this one seems particularly terrible.

George Zimmerman 911 call

Neighbor 911 call
 
I'm pretty shocked this happened in FL and not someplace like the back woods of Alabama or Mississippi.
 
Sad story. Definitely "curious". Reminds me a little bit of the murder of Henry Morrow, which was the focus of the book "Blood Done Sign My Name". Not the same kind of case, just the first thought that came to mind.
 
Obviously I have no idea what happened when the guy got out of the car to "talk" to the kid, but its pretty clear that the police told him to wait for them to confront the kid and he didn't. That to me sounds like the dude picked the fight.
 
Liquid Karma said:
I'm pretty shocked this happened in FL and not someplace like the back woods of Alabama or Mississippi.
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I'm shocked anybody is shocked about anything that happens in FL. Sadly, this could happen anywhere.

I'd be surprised if anything happened to Zimmerman. He's white in a state that is very pro-2nd amendment rights. Many folks in FL would probably say he didn't do anything wrong except maybe not wait, but the whole purpose of having a gun is to not wait for the cops, so I don't think that matters.

Any black male between the ages of 12-50 looks suspicious in the wrong situation to the wrong people. It's a sad reality of being an American. It's something I've grown up aware of and something I'll teach my son.
 
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PhDeac said:
Any black male between the ages of 12-50 looks suspicious in the wrong situation to the wrong people. It's a sad reality of being an American. It's something I've grown up aware of and something I'll teach my son.
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it's sad to me that this is a good idea
 
PhDeac said:
I'm shocked anybody is shocked about anything that happens in FL. Sadly, this could happen anywhere.

I'd be surprised if anything happened to Zimmerman. He's white in a state that is very pro-2nd amendment rights. Many folks in FL would probably say he didn't do anything wrong except maybe not wait, but the whole purpose of having a gun is to not wait for the cops, so I don't think that matters.

Any black male between the ages of 12-50 looks suspicious in the wrong situation to the wrong people. It's a sad reality of being an American. It's something I've grown up aware of and something I'll teach my son.
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I think Zimmerman is actually Hispanic but thats beside the point.

Maybe I am some kind of idealist, but I think most (like 80+%) people under the age of 30 are race blind so I think a lot of these racially driven conflicts will disipate over the coming years as older generations die off.
 
Zimmerman is 28.
 
george-martin.jpg


Zimmerman has a Hispanic background. I don't think that is very relevant.

I find more troubling that the police seem to have made a concerted effort to NOT arrest someone for the use of deadly force. The police chief said that Zimmerman had a clean record when he was arrested for assault against a law enforcement official in 2005. The police chief also said that during the 911 call Zimmerman had said he didn't know if Martin was white or black. Zimmerman clearly states Martin is black twice. And at the scene witnesses were being corrected that the screams for help came from Zimmerman, not Martin, despite what sounded like the "wails of a child". Why does a man with a 9mm scream for help against someone unarmed? Especially when Zimmerman initiated the confrontation?
 
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Fuck Your Couch said:
george-martin.jpg


Zimmerman has a Hispanic background. I don't think that is very relevant.

I find more troubling that the police seem to have made a concerted effort to NOT arrest someone for the use of deadly force. The police chief said that Zimmerman had a clean record when he was arrested for assault against a law enforcement official in 2005. The police chief also said that during the 911 call Zimmerman had said he didn't know if Martin was white or black. Zimmerman clearly states Martin is black twice. And at the scene witnesses were being corrected that the screams for help came from Zimmerman, not Martin, despite what sounded like the "wails of a child". Why does a man with a 9mm scream for help against someone unarmed? Especially when Zimmerman initiated the confrontation?
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great post. this is how i feel about the situation.
 
The guy should be in jail. He didn't listen to the police. he initiated the contact.

If it was the other way around, you can bet your ass a black guy would be in jail.
 
Dented said:
I think Zimmerman is actually Hispanic but thats beside the point.

Maybe I am some kind of idealist, but I think most (like 80+%) people under the age of 30 are race blind so I think a lot of these racially driven conflicts will disipate over the coming years as older generations die off.
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Zimmerman is under 30.
 
Exactly, 724. The problem isn't that someone is acknowledged to be black.

Zimmerman would likely be classified on the census as White Hispanic by the way. Race and Hispanicity are two separate questions.
 
No matter how you look at it this guy was the aggressor. He should be in jail.
 
FWIW, he didn't listen to dispatch. I don't think that's the same thing as ignoring a request from an actual police officer (since I don't believe you're under any obligation to follow orders from a dispatch person). But I could be wrong.


Either way, this guy should be in jail for this. Totally ridiculous.
 
seventwofour said:
No way, not a chance. Nor should they be. What's wrong with acknowledging race?
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I didnt mean race blind as in they don't acknowledge race, I mean race blind in that if they see a sketchy looking person who is white walking down the street, most of them (not including zimmerman based on what I consider racial profiling on his part) will react the same way they do to an equally sketchy looking black person walking down the same street.

like fuck your couch so eloquently stated earlier, the police departments handling of this situation is all wrong and shows potential racism by the police department.

and to ph's most recent point, thanks for continuing to do a great job of belaboring minutia.
 
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