<p>It’s funny (sad) if Zimmerman was black and martin white we wouldn’t even hear of this trial. </p>
<p>He’ll probably get manslaughter. Basically, to me, he provoked Martin into a fight then shot him once he got beat up.</p>
<p>Racial profiling exists you can justify the reason for it anyway you want but it exists and if it happened to white people as often as it happens to minorities because of the action of some other white people there would be universal outrage.</p>
<p>Well Geeps. Maybe you are afraid of African American men. I am not. I’m particularly not afraid of the ones with skittles and iced tea. More importantly, if an individual chooses to follow somebody, of whatever color, of whatever sex, they are exhibiting aggressive behavior. This is why the new concealed carry craze is so dangerous. The defendant never would have followed his victim if he hadn’t had a loaded weapon. Clearly he was not the type to handle or diffuse a situation without a gun. </p>
<p>No matter what, he followed Trayvon Martin. He may not be “guilty”. But he will have always needlessly taken the life of an innocent teenager. If nothing else, he owes a life to the world, in my opinion.</p>
<p>CuriousJane, I’m not so sure there is evidence that TM was leaning over GZ at the time he was shot. We know that most likely TM was on top at some point - but not necessarily when he was shot. </p>
<p>If I were a juror I’d be very frustrated that the prosecution never asks the questions I have. Look at it this way: you’re wearing a loose sweatshirt. It’s 2" away from my skin. The bullet hits it. Wouldn’t the bullet, with no resistance from the shirt, just take the shirt along with it, and push the fabric against the body? I can’t envision a bullet going through unresisting fabric and the fabric not moving. </p>
<p>If there is forensic evidence that the fabric offered enough resistance to have the bullet go through it without pushing it back, I would think (in an uneducated, layman way) that there was some drag on it. Either it was being held down, or it was weighted down. For example, get a sweatshirt with a front pocket and put a can of soda in the pocket. The sweatshirt is pulled down by exactly the same amount, and out from the body, the same distance as the forensics indicated. </p>
<p>I just find it frustrating that the prosecution never asks the questions I want answers to. I’m sure they know what they’re doing though. I guess.</p>
<p>[Mob</a> beats man on his own front porch ?for Trayvon??press ignores - Norfolk Crime | Examiner.com](<a href=“http://www.examiner.com/article/mob-beats-man-on-his-own-front-porch-for-trayvon-press-ignores]Mob”>http://www.examiner.com/article/mob-beats-man-on-his-own-front-porch-for-trayvon-press-ignores)</p>
<p>Well this is BS. Similarly disgusting is how the media has been portraying Trayvon Martin and Zimmerman since the onset.</p>
<p>I have a bit of a hard time swallowing the idea that someone robbed a guy for Trayvon.</p>
<p>Riprorin stated,
"This is a quote from Jesse Jackson. Is Jesse Jackson racist towards blacks? "</p>
<p>actually this is an important point that is raised. One can be any race and hold prejudicial views toward their own race or religion. which is why I don’t agree when people say, well GZ is Hispanic so he wouldn’t profile another minority. not true.</p>
<p>hayden
I’m no expert but A bullet is like a piece of hot shrapnel. It doesn’t just push against fabric, it pushes and burns. I suspect it could very well incinerate hanging fabric before pushing it very far. Plus I believe there are other hot gases and things coming out of the muzzle of a gun when it contacts fabric. That’s why people spend years studying stippling and burn patterns and become experts and make conclusions. </p>
<p>I don’t think the prosecution is stupid. I’m certain if the prosecution thought there was value in those questions they would have asked. The expert stated his opinion that it was consistent with GZ story but that was not the only possible story it was consistent with. I doubt you’re going to get much more than that.</p>
<p>Plus I’m not exactly sure why you think the fabric didn’t contact the body anyway. What would you expect to see from a loose hanging shirt after a shot like that?</p>
<p>bovertine, I just want to say that I am really appreciating your posts. You have made me think of a lot of things I hadn’t considered before.</p>
<p>Thanks. Very civil of you 
I don’t have any real expertise just giving the prosecutoon the benefit of the doubt.</p>
<p>I don’t think the prosecution is stupid, but there was a lot of pressure brought to bear in this case and they may not have the best charges against this defendant for the facts.</p>
<p>Well a lot of people are acquitted of criminal behavior. And I prefer the onus be on the state to prove the crime. This seems right to me. Zoosermom I think you bring up an important point about the pressure to prosecute. I hope for manslaughter since I don’t want emboldened gun carrying vigilantes out there making the world more dangerous. But it may be an impossible case to win. I can’t tell. There is so much we know out here that the sequestered jury will not hear. This is also right. But complicated. Imho</p>
<p>“I have a bit of a hard time swallowing the idea that someone robbed a guy for Trayvon.”</p>
<p>I’m not so sure. Remember Rodney King and the riots that followed…</p>
<p>Hopefully there won’t be any violence when this trial is over.</p>
<p>There might be. I’ve heard people commenting that the jury is five white women and one Hispanic woman. Is it near a major city?</p>
<p>Bovertine, I do assume the prosecution knows what they’re doing, as I indicated in my post. Part of the problem though is that it seems to me part of a prosecutors job is to present a case for jurors, and to address obvious questions. </p>
<p>Prosecutors aren’t perfect either. I remember seeing part of the OJ trial with my mother. They were doing that whole “try on the glove” bit. As OJ was beginning to put the glove on, my mother said If he’s guilty, it would be exactly 1 size too small. So OJ put it on and it was too small. When the defense said If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit, my mother just snorted that the fact that it was one size too small was evidence it did fit. I thought she was confused. She said Well the glove was covered in blood, right? That means it would shrink 1 size. </p>
<p>She said the problem with the OJ trial was the jurors and the prosecution understood synthetics - they weren’t old enough to understand what happens to leather when it gets wet blood on it. I thought that was fascinating. Sometimes it’s the obvious things that we miss.</p>
<p>I don’t think following someone is aggressive behaviour. I don’t think following someone forfeits your right to shoot someone if your head is being beaten into the pavement. I don’t think it should be legal to carry concealed handguns but it is. And given that it is, and that it’s legal to follow someone, to confront someone and to shoot someone in self defense I see very little evidence that Zimmerman did anything illegal, which should be the only thing that matters. Yes in hindsight he shouldn’t have followed him but that doesn’t make him guilty of a crime.</p>
<p>There’s a huuuuuge difference between the Rodney King trial and this one. There’s really no comparison. I don’t have problems accepting jury verdicts even when I totally disagree with them, and even I had a problem accepting the King verdict. So I can only imagine how people who had adversarial relationships themselves with the police reacted.</p>
<p>I don’t think there will be violence . Plus I think he will be comvicted of something. According to CNn there is a potpourri of lesser charges including ms and aggravated assault. Not sure thats true (calmom?) But given miltiple choices I bet they convict on something.</p>
<p>Jono- I fear you are right, though I can’t help thinking concealed carry should have extra responsibilities attached to it. We have very strong rules about law enforcement use of weapons for a reason.</p>
<p>nysmile, sounds like the cops in our town. My son is very disillusioned about them. And it’s always worse when he’s with any of his friends of color.</p>