<p>^Yes, and as I understand it, in practice that “detention” is the legal equivalent of an arrest - same procedure, same goal, just a different outcome - no charges filed due to SYG.</p>
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<p>You mean the video where you can’t really see anything because it’s not a high-quality camera?</p>
<p>If Zimmerman had been seriously injured, the police would have photographed his injuries (bruises, etc.). Given the fact that they have released the surveillance video, police reports, & 911 tapes… I’m pretty sure they would have released at least one or two representative “injury” photos if they had them.</p>
<p>Hopscout—I simply corrected YOUR misinformation about the photo. And I stated it appears he wasn’t injured. I did not say he wasnt. Please at least acknowledge your mistake before leaping to point out one I did not actually make.</p>
<p>Sent from my MB860 using CC</p>
<p>I think this is actually a ridiculous waste of time. We get so suckered in by what the press desires us to see, and our own biases. Here we go again, Casey Anthony, Duke rape case, everyone is an amateur investigator with their own opinion.</p>
<p>And the only people who win are those who make their living race baiting. Great.</p>
<p>^if you think it’s a waste of time, why are you posting? </p>
<p>the only one who wins?? who’s trying to win? a teenager is dead, and the usual process for handing a shooting was not followed. Americans are expressing their upset over this. whether race was involved or not, (and I think it was) I would be outraged at the senseless, preventable death of a young boy who could be my teenage son, who also goes out to buy skittles and iced tea.</p>
<p>Okay…how is it that this thread is not considered political in nature? Is CC allowing political content again… or only certain ideological political content?</p>
<p>calmom, I’ve been wondering about the releases from the police department. From what I’ve read, the information released has come in two ways. Some information was leaked, deliberately given to the press. This information was favorable to Zimmerman (Z’s story) or unfavorable to Trayvon (the school suspension records). Other information was released against the wishes of the police department. The 911 tapes were only made public after Trayvon’s parents took legal action. The mayor is now saying that he argued for releasing them. More recently, the video of Z at the police station was released in response to a freedom of information request from a television network. I don’t think there has been any systematic, official release of information, so if there are photos of Z’s injuries, they wouldn’t necessarily have been released yet. </p>
<p>There is some evidence that there are factions in the police department. The initial investigator did not believe Z and wanted to charge him. He was overruled by the police chief and the state attorney, but he has made his opinion known, if the mother of the 13-yo witness is telling the truth.</p>
<p>“if you think it’s a waste of time, why are you posting?
the only one who wins?? who’s trying to win?”</p>
<p>Because I can’t resist registering my disgust and the only things I have left to do tonight involve massive amounts of studying. Chore avoidance.</p>
<p>Who is trying to win? Watch your television set. The usual suspects. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, members of congress, certain media outlets. People trying to make money and gain more exposure over the tragic death of a young man. I find that sickening, apparently not everyone does.</p>
<p>^^ Making money? The only reason these laws exist at all is because the NRA wanted to sell yet more guns.</p>
<p>I just HOPE the DoJ does the right thing and fully investigate this crime. I know they sent a special prosecutor, but I fear that even then, we won’t learn what truly happened. And the SYG law better not stand in the way of justice.</p>
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If they don’t convict someone there will be hell to pay. I could never be on this guy’s jury.</p>
<p>"^^ Making money? The only reason these laws exist at all is because the NRA wanted to sell yet more guns."</p>
<p>Maybe, I don’t know. But that doesn’t have anything at all to do with why these racebaiters have decided to get involved in this issue. Think they care much about the NRA? No way. Shoot, they’d love the NRA if they were getting cash from them (forgive the pun).</p>
<p>“If they don’t convict someone there will be hell to pay. I could never be on this guy’s jury.”</p>
<p>And that’s the last reason why someone should be convicted, CYA. I wouldn’t want to be on this guy’s jury at all, but I am certain that I could do it fairly and honestly, by the law. Glad I don’t live in Florida.</p>
<p>Re post #428 – the point is that law enforcement has control over what info they release, whether officially or through leaking. They have a very strong incentive to release info that supports their decision. So I would expect that one way or another, if there was a photo of a bloody-faced Zimmerman, we would have seen it… or at least seen mention of it. </p>
<p>Similarly, Zimmerman himself has an incentive – but he has stayed in hiding while his father & brother have released unsupported statements. I mean, I understand why he wouldn’t want to be interviewed – but if his brother is going to go claim that he received treatment for a broken nose, it seems that they could also release a copy of the page of the hospital treatment record showing the diagnosis & treatment (usually there is a discharge summary with that info). Why haven’t we seen that plastered all over the internet?</p>
<p>People don’t tend to hide information that supports their version or account of events in a high profile situation. They tend to hide only that which undermines or contradicts their account.</p>
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<p>With all due respect, bus driver, you have characterized the outrage expressed at an uninvestigated shooting and killing as baiting. I would not someone with that bias on my jury if I were involved. Maybe people should examine their bias against the ‘mainstream media’, bias that is quite apparent in the way some media outlets are reporting on this.</p>
<p>Really, do we want vigilantes on our block to shoot with impunity?</p>
<p>Could someone please invent a stun gun that looks and feels like a real gun so these killers could harm instead of kill? Then amend the law to protect that instead of killings.</p>
<p>"… the only things I have left to do tonight involve massive amounts of studying. Chore avoidance."</p>
<p>Bus - Glad to be of service. The success of young people is high on the priority list of all CC parents.</p>
<p>As you establish yourself in this society, you’ll find that the quickest way for things to get “off track” is to assume that things naturally stay “on track.” Yes, that has all the trappings of a personal opinion … but you’ll find it to be true. Good luck with the studying.</p>
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<p>The media frenzy and hate speech from Sharpton, Jackson, Lee, etc. raises a question of whether Zimmerman could ever get a fair trial in the first place. I can see a potential jury member fearing having his or her address sent out over the internet and threatened with death for not convicting Zimmerman.</p>
<p>You’re absolutely right, calmom (#434). I was tired last night and not thinking clearly. I had been thinking for a couple of days about the different kinds of information coming out of the police department, and wondering whether there were two factions, one releasing information that supports Z’s story, the other releasing information that does not support it. But then I learned that the video had been obtained by a FOIA request and realized that much of the information that contradicts Z’s story had not been leaked or released voluntarily. </p>
<p>By the way, the special prosecutor is, I believe, only a different state attorney than the one who quashed the investigation in its beginning stages. She has the same job, but in a different county. I know that there is also a federal investigation of the police department (thank God!) and maybe a federal special prosecutor as well, to look into the question of whether the shooting was racially motivated?</p>
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<p>Do you have information on that? My understanding is that the feds are not looking at the PD, and are only looking at whether Trayvon’s civil rights may have been violated (aka, hate crime, I assume).</p>
<p>[Federal</a> officials detail Trayvon Martin investigation - latimes.com](<a href=“Federal officials detail Trayvon Martin investigation”>Federal officials detail Trayvon Martin investigation)</p>
<p>NewHope33: I think busdriver11 is a parent…;)</p>
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<p>Couldn’t agree more. Isn’t this why police often use taser? Seriously, the only purpose of having a gun is to be ABLE to kill - what a very sad commentary on our country that we have become so fearful to the point where vigilantism has become not only legal but socially desirable.</p>