17 yo Trayvon Martin Shot to Death by Neighborhood Watch Captain #35

[katydid23]

WHY not? Did you see her face or learn her identity in that interview? She was comfortable in her surrounding obviously, and her parents were probably present. This is a non-starter for me, I'm not going to try to find a way to villify a 15 year old child or decisions made about her.

Who is trying to VILLIFY a 15 yr old child? Why even say that?

The question is a valid one. Why did Crump choose to have tv news cameras present when he is so worried about her identity being leaked?

It seems that there must be some positive reward that would compel him, in spite of the obvious danger involved.JMO

 

[m00c0w]

First of all, GZ told the 911 dispatcher he was following the boy.

Second, This was a child. He is was on public property.

As to 'merely following', it was more than that clearly. He was on the phone with 911 while he was following. It wasn't without purpose. It was not 'merely following".

It doesn't matter if you're on the phone with the Pope with a bible in your hand. You're still just following someone until you make contact with them. Then, depending on what is said, you may nor may not be considered harassing them. So far, "What are you doing here?" is the only thing we can safely assume Zimmerman said before the affray. That is hardly a threat or an unlawful question.

Finally, I will use your post. "Laws don't normally permit". Show me where he had permission or authority.

Huh? You're the one saying you don't think it's lawful. Show me the law restricting his actions. You're asking me to prove a negative. It doesn't work like that.

 

[Velouria]

WHY would they put a shy, secret, anonymous minor in front of a news crew?

Because it's not just any news crew, it's the biased, liberal media and it's all part of Crump's evil plan. Seriously though, how else were they going to get her statement recorded and out there? It's not as though they splashed her name and face and phone number across the screen.

 

[katydid23]

Maybe because discussing it in the media would bring more attention to an error/mistake/misjudgment or purposeful statement that should really just be forgotten?

I get why we discuss it, but why would the media?

Or maybe it never happened. I think it is much more likely that he never uttered her name, than it is likely that ALL of the reporters and bloggers decided to ignore it, except for us here at WS. JMO

 

[katydid23]

Because it's not just any news crew, it's the biased, liberal media and it's all part of Crump's evil plan. Seriously though, how else were they going to get her statement recorded and out there? It's not as though they splashed her name and face and phone number across the screen.

Why not just have her deposed by the state attorneys office?

 

[Gwen]

It doesn't matter if you're on the phone with the Pope with a bible in your hand. You're still just following someone until you make contact with them. Then, depending on what is said, you may nor may not be considered harassing them. So far, "What are you doing here?" is the only thing we can safely assume Zimmerman said before the affray. That is hardly a threat or an unlawful question.


Huh? You're the one saying you don't think it's lawful. Show me the law restricting his actions. You're asking me to prove a negative. It doesn't work like that.

I am not asking for anything other than a law or statute that made it legal for GZ to follow Trayvon. That is all. I think Trayvon was within his rights to walk the streets and as far as I know there is no law that allows a private citizen to approach him for any reason. There is not any evidence that Trayvon had done anything wrong.

 

[vlpate]

And, his MS page eludes to a few times where his friends have had a part in helping out of some pretty sticky jams.

He did?

 

[LynnM]

I realize this is your opinion, and I respect that, but if you believe the g/f, and what she said was going on at the time, how can you believe this is what happened? TM didn't say he was being "chased", he allegedly said, "followed". He didn't tell her he saw a gun, and the altercation happened after TM allegedly asked GZ why he was following him. Then GZ says, "I'm not", or "what are you doing here", and then he reaches for his phone while trying to hold onto someone 7"'s taller, who is an athlete? I don't buy it.

I missed this, he came up to his vehicle? GZ said he was coming toward him, staring at him, and then within a second, was running -- was GZ supposed to roll the window down and yell at him at a distance? He didn't come up to his vehicle. JMO

All he had to do was go 70 yards home. He had two minutes, it would have taken him less than a minute, IMO.

<snipped by me to address the points above.>

Good post and I appreciate the response!

On the non-emergency call, at 47 seconds in he says Trayvon is staring at hin, at one minute he says that Trayvon was coming toward him, then he answers dispatcher questions about him and volunteers info. At one minute 23 seconds he says Trayvon is checking him out. At one minute 36 seconds it sounds like Zimmerman begins running and then he makes the *advertiser censored**holes always getting away remark. I think there was time for him to speak to Trayvon from his vehicle.

Yes, I believe Trayvon did tell his friend he was being followed and he said he would walk fast. We hear Zimmerman tell the dispatcher that he was following Trayvon and as I said it sounded like he was running to me. I think that he stopped running, finished his call with the dispatcher, and then ran to catch up with Trayvon at the cut off and surprised him. The friend hears the brief exchance and nothing more. I don't know what happened next but I believe that GZ attempted to detain Trayvon and that when the scuffle ensued. I don't think Trayvon saw the gun until after the call disconnected.

Yes, it would have been better for Trayvon to run home but he didn't, he probably had decided that he had been mistaken and once he was out of sight, I think he walked slowly again, preoccupied with the call.

I don't know how much of an athlete Trayvon was. He played football with a fraternal club in middle school and continued to volunteer at the concession stand but I haven't read anything about him playing high school sports.

 

[Velouria]

Why not just have her deposed by the state attorneys office?

Right. The same State Attorney who couldn't be bothered to file charges against GZ in the first place. Sounds good.

 

[Ambrosia]

Let's go by some of the scant evidence we do have. Zimmerman on the tape. One - Let me ask those who hear the 'cocking sound' and think it could be GZ cocking his pistol. First I ask this. Why would a person *advertiser censored* his gun then the very next thing say "sh** no!" Why do we next hear tapping or what sounds like someone knocking on a screen door. Someone suggested that it was the sound of the dispatchers keyboard of all things. I have been around long enough to recognize what a keyboard sounds like. Has anyone heard keystrokes that sound like someone knocking on a screen door? Two - Didn't the police say "ONE shot was fired" AND the magazine was FULL?" If the magazine was full that would be 7. So this would mean that PRIOR to the shooting GZ cocked the pistol putting one in the chamber. Took the magazine out. Found an extra bullet and put it in the magazine then inserted the magazine allowing to hold a maxim of 8 shots. This would also indicate that there was a FTF -failure to feed bullet to the chamber, which could happen during a struggle over the pistol. Now back to those who think this was a cocking sound just before the knocking sound. Are we to conclude that GZ carried the extra bullet in his pocket and went through all that fidgeting while he was walking, talking to dispatch and looking for Martin? IMO no. and all that was done and planned prior to him going after Martin with a loaded gun that already had one bullet in the chamber and ready. This could not be the cocking of the pistol as that round in the chamber would be ejected.

 

[CathyinTexas]

Just because you belong to a certain ethnic group does not mean you can't be racist. I know Brazilians who hate Cubans. Puerto Ricans who hate Mexicans. Jamaicans who hate Haitians. Cubans who hate Afro-Cubans. Irish who hate Italian. Chinese who hate Japanese. Czechs who hate Russians.

I do agree that GZ did seem like quite the /punk himself when he was younger and it seems to me that he hasn't changed that much either.

MOO

Which is why I can't understand Francis Taffee's loyalty and identifying with GZ. They say birds of a feather flock together so maybe he has past. jmo

 

[Just K]

GZ never identified exactly what TM was doing that's suspicious. Walking and looking around isn't suspicious behaviour on the part of the one doing it, it's in the eye of the beholder. Saying TM looked like he was on drugs on something is ridiculous unless GZ was close enough to smell marijuana on TM, which I highly doubt.

We can't live in a free society if any dufus can call 911 and claim some other dufus is acting suspiciously. I won't even address the fact the SPD was on their way and could have determined if TM was suspicious.

And, as has been noted before, if the SPD had come upon a physical fight they would not have shot Trayvon as a way to end any altercation. If anyone might have ended up shot by the police it would have been the one with the gun.

 

[BiancaS]

Which is why I can't understand Francis Taffee's loyalty and identifying with GZ. They say birds of a feather flock together so maybe he has past. jmo

Don't want to get in trouble, but let's just say they have very similar pasts. In case you are looking, it is spelled Taaffe.

 

[m00c0w]

I am not asking for anything other than a law or statute that made it legal for GZ to follow Trayvon. That is all. I think Trayvon was within his rights to walk the streets and as far as I know there is no law that allows a private citizen to approach him for any reason. There is not any evidence that Trayvon had done anything wrong.

:banghead:

Laws restrict activities. There does not have to be a law in place to allow someone to do something. If there is no law restricting it, it is lawful. In order for something to be unlawful, there must be a law restricting the activity. If there is no such law (and I have not seen you provide one), then the activity is not restricted and is legal.

 

[vlpate]

Why not just have her deposed by the state attorneys office?

They did it, IMO, because they needed a media boost at the time - the 911 calls being released two days before wasn't enough.

The 911 calls and the g/f's information should have gone to the SP. They are now blaming the SPD for a botched investigation, yet they did not have the g/f's information which is part of the charging document. I think it's pretty clear why they went public first.

 

[Just K]

Why not just have her deposed by the state attorneys office?

It has been reported by MSM, that she gave her testimony before the SP and prosecutors.

 

[BiancaS]

I saw this and heard part of a name. How in the world can it not be in the video?

I would hope it was edited out.

 

[Just K]

He did?

It is in the sections titled "blogs" and "About Me."

 

[katydid23]

Right. The same State Attorney who couldn't be bothered to file charges against GZ in the first place. Sounds good.

The state did not have the girls testimony earlier. Why assume they are going to discount it? I would go the the proper channels first,and the press last.

Now that process order has been reversed, and so some of the authenticity MAY come into question as it may have been tainted. imo

 

[Gwen]

:banghead:

Laws restrict activities. There does not have to be a law in place to allow someone to do something. If there is no law restricting it, it is lawful. In order for something to be unlawful, there must be a law restricting the activity. If there is no such law (and I have not seen you provide one), then the activity is not restricted and is legal.

I will not concede GZ was within his authority to follow anyone. I would think that an innocent child walking a public street being followed by an adult with a gun is illegal.

I can't imagine why anyone would just follow someone. There is always a purpose to every action. What was GZ's purpose? Therein lies the problem for me. Saying he was just following him innocently doesn't make a lick of sense. GZ clearly had his purpose and hasn't denied it.

Think GZ would have quietly observed if he had attempted to rob a home? I think not. GZ was on a mission to get this boy arrested/questioned. He was not innocently following him (even if you think he legally could).

At the end of this innocent surveillance done by Mr. Zimmerman, there is a dead child. At the least, his following a minor child in a public place for no reason is harrassing the minor.

I suppose it is all the fault of Trayvon that he was killed walking home with candy and a sugary drink. There is no law to permit GZ to follow no more than there is to allow him to take the law into his own hands, or shoot a child.

Trayvons' mistake was he didn't call police and say 'there's a dude stalking me". I maybe wrong but it looks like that to me. Like a hunter stalking his prey.

I have things to do. Enjoyed the exchange and I will check back in the morning for your reply.