FL - 17-yo Teen Shot to Death by Neighborhood Watch Captain #3

[rotterdam]

I KNOW he was not humble and friendly because his girlfriend has said he was the first to engage in a verbal discussion, and it wasn't friendly.

I believe her, with what she said happened. He shouted why are you following me, and GZ answered what are you doing here.

And then there was physical combat.

Had he said, right then, my stepmother lives here. That would have been that. End of story, no more drama. We would never have heard this boy's name.

Maybe we should all teach society civility. Just be civil. I am actually teaching my kids that. Lead with a smile and civility.

BTW, internet polling petitions mean zero to anyone. It takes less than 5 seconds to click. As a member of a couple of political action committees, we don't use internet click to agree polls, because it means nothing. Someone who is willing to come to the protests, as they are doing, means a LOT, or someone who picks up the phone and calls or sends a letter also means a lot. People who are sitting in their chairs clicking on a poll means zero.

He was a 17 year old black kid who just hit 17, followed by an older and much bigger white guy for apparently no reason whatsoever. He was scared and was in an unfamiliar neighborhood. He reacted like many a 17 year old BLACK kid would, stalked by a white guy in regular street clothes.
ZG was the one not civil.

 

[Nat]

A young black male acting suspicious in a neighborhood where there have been crimes committed by young black males, in a suburb of Orlando, FL, which has the THIRD HIGHEST crime rate of US cities.

So it's okay to make assumptions based on the colour of one's skintone?

 

[LambChop]

I agree 100%. Earlier, on google images, there were recent pics of Martin, dressed, for a lack of better words, a . Pants down around his knees, underwear showing, giving gang signs. As of now, those pics seem to have disappeared. Only showing pics of him from several years ago is inflammatory. Lets see pics of him as he was when Zimmerman saw him.

Oh dear....my grandson is white, he's 6'6" and has no hips so for the most part his pants often slip down further than I care to mention. While he does not wear them like that usually it does happen and he's not always diligent about hiking them back up but I would hate to think someone judged him by his clothes just because it resembles a gang's attire. They are kids and do kidlike things. Some kids wear all black, girls with black nail polish and look ghoulish but that does not mean they go out and kill people. It's a phase and kids do things like that.

I think LE described what TM was wearing and it's sounds like something any typical kid would wear to run to the store on a rainy night. If TM had a suit on do we think it would have saved his life?????? jmo

 

[Horace Finklestein]

The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled that a 17 year old is a child, developmentally and not on the same level as an adult. Please see Roper v. Simmons (2005) for more information.

I have a Bachelor's degree in psychology, does that count?

(not responding to you necessarily flourish, but the person you quoted)

The Supreme Court has gotten plenty wrong in the past, and I don't personally look to them as the final authority on who is a child and who isn't.

 

[Boytwnmom]

to be anything to some creep stalking him. Civil, really, that's the problem? If the uppity black boy had just been civil the poor white guy who had already determined he was a dangerous criminal wouldn't have had to shoot him? Sometimes I'm ashamed to be a white person. Should we start telling our children to just get in the car with their would be molesters so as to be civil and not cause a scene? I teach my kids to fight, run, yell, don't submit to some creep who accosts you. And, fortunately, decent people of all races and colors see this for what it is and are upset and determined that justice be served.

I KNOW he was not humble and friendly because his girlfriend has said he was the first to engage in a verbal discussion, and it wasn't friendly.

I believe her, with what she said happened. He shouted why are you following me, and GZ answered what are you doing here.

And then there was physical combat.

Had he said, right then, my stepmother lives here. That would have been that. End of story, no more drama. We would never have heard this boy's name.

Maybe we should all teach society civility. Just be civil. I am actually teaching my kids that. Lead with a smile and civility.

BTW, internet polling petitions mean zero to anyone. It takes less than 5 seconds to click. As a member of a couple of political action committees, we don't use internet click to agree polls, because it means nothing. Someone who is willing to come to the protests, as they are doing, means a LOT, or someone who picks up the phone and calls or sends a letter also means a lot. People who are sitting in their chairs clicking on a poll means zero.

 

[flourish]

I agree 100%. Earlier, on google images, there were recent pics of Martin, dressed, for a lack of better words, a . Pants down around his knees, underwear showing, giving gang signs. As of now, those pics seem to have disappeared. Only showing pics of him from several years ago is inflammatory. Lets see pics of him as he was when Zimmerman saw him.

Even IF he was dressed like a , he was not doing anything "thuggish" by walking home talking to his girlfriend while carrying a bag of skittles and an iced tea.

You want to see how Zimmerman saw him? Then stop ignoring the fact that Zimmerman said he was in his late teens. He looked suspicious because of the hoodie. Zimmerman described a "button" on Trayvon's shirt. How many "thugs" wear buttons on their shirts?

I think some people in this thread are going WAY too far, especially on a victim friendly forum.

BBM=total agreement

So now we're profiling by clothes. Fabulous.
As a "goth chick" in high school, I know how fun and ever-so accurate that can be. :what::what::banghead::banghead::banghead:

 

[ScubaTwinn]

I'm really tired of Trayvon being blamed for his own death. Maybe if Trayvon had done this, he'd be alive; maybe if Trayvon done that, he'd be alive. Why is it so hard to understand that Trayvon was an innocent young man who was minding his own business walking home when he was viciously murdered? I really don't understand.

The thanks button was not enough.

 

[Krisy]

And your assumption that GZ started the altercation does not make it true. Getting out of a truck is not starting an altercation and neither is asking someone a question. Not sure what education has to do with this but I have a Masters as well, so good for us.

Actually when you are pursuing someone who is afraid of you IMO it is starting the altercation.

 

[Salem]

I KNOW he was not humble and friendly because his girlfriend has said he was the first to engage in a verbal discussion, and it wasn't friendly.

I believe her, with what she said happened. He shouted why are you following me, and GZ answered what are you doing here.

And then there was physical combat.

<modsnip>.

Maybe we should all teach society civility. Just be civil. I am actually teaching my kids that. Lead with a smile and civility.

BTW, internet polling petitions mean zero to anyone. It takes less than 5 seconds to click. As a member of a couple of political action committees, we don't use internet click to agree polls, because it means nothing. Someone who is willing to come to the protests, as they are doing, means a LOT, or someone who picks up the phone and calls or sends a letter also means a lot. People who are sitting in their chairs clicking on a poll means zero.

You need to link this up. IIRC the girlfriend said Trayvon asked "why are you following." She made no mention of "yelling."

Thanks,

Salem

 

[MicciStella]

It has been reported that Trayvon had an iPhone. Anyone with an iPhone can attest to the fact that you simply "slide to answer" no lock code required.

Unless you set it up with a code as I know a friend of mine does ....

 

[flourish]

And your assumption that GZ started the altercation does not make it true. Getting out of a truck is not starting an altercation and neither is asking someone a question. Not sure what education has to do with this but I have a Masters as well, so good for us.

Getting out a truck with a gun after admitting to 911 you have been following someone and then continuing to follow them knowing police are on their way, then going even a step further an CONFRONTING them sure doesn't mean you were on your way to invite them to a freaking tea party.

And let's not be rude, please. You stated you don't think a 17 year old is developmentally a child. I'm saying yes it is and why and how I know that.

 

[Adrienne37]

What in the world is going on here? Websleuths is a victim friendly forum and does not tolerate bashing of the victim. Trayvon Martin is the victim whether anyone likes it or not and as such, according to the TOS on this board, he is not to be bashed or blamed. Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old child, is dead because of George Zimmerman, that is an undisputed fact.

 

[HiHater]

Unless you set it up with a code as I know a friend of mine does ....

Even with a code. I am sitting here with my iPhone right now. If someone calls me, I do not have to enter the lock code to answer it. I just slide the green bar. I have a lock code on it, because my children like to play on it...

 

[Boytwnmom]

and I took it at face value although I was thinking that it didn't make sense. I hadn't heard any of Treyvons supporters be anything but gracious and civil despite their obvious pain. I don't think it's helpful to try and stoke racial tensions when, to me, all of the evidence seems to be that most of us, regardless of race, are all on the same side.

The only Caucasian I saw booed was the Mayor. There were a few Caucasian pastors that spoke after him that were not booed nor treated disrespectfully.

 

[curl_in_progress]

Even IF he was dressed like a , he was not doing anything "thuggish" by walking home talking to his girlfriend while carrying a bag of skittles and an iced tea.

You want to see how Zimmerman saw him? Then stop ignoring the fact that Zimmerman said he was in his late teens. He looked suspicious because of the hoodie. Zimmerman described a "button" on Trayvon's shirt. How many "thugs" wear buttons on their shirts?

I think some people in this thread are going WAY too far, especially on a victim friendly forum.

His mother did an interview stating that the button was in remembrance of a family member who had passed away. I believe his grandmother. I can't remember exactly who. She said he wore it often.

It really saddens me that from the moment George Zimmerman laid eyes on Trayvon on Feb 26th and until this very second, that he is being viewed as a criminal and a troublemaker by some people. It's disgusting.

MOO

 

[annalia]

BBM=total agreement

So now we're profiling by clothes. Fabulous.
As a "goth chick" in high school, I know how fun and ever-so accurate that can be. :what::what::banghead::banghead::banghead:

My daughter's boyfriend wears his jeans really low. I always tell her I'm going to buy him a belt. Maybe I should tell her that he might get shot, but then again, he's a white, suburban, college kid though so he should be ok.

I never knew that jeans and a hoodie were thugwear, that's what GZ saw that night.

Jmho

 

[rossva]

Not flawed stats. I have 6 of 6 calls. The original poster mentioned six calls.

Do you know what was mentioned in the other 40 calls? How many mentioned blacks, or did not mention blacks? With out that info, your stats are flawed. You can not include calls you have no knowledge of what was said. By your reasoning, I could assume blacks were not mentioned in any of the remaining calls, giving him 86% of his calls not doing so,

Very flawed statistics, because you have 6 of 46 calls. I'm not good with math, but I think that's about 13% of calls.

ETA: The only reason race wasn't mentioned in the other calls is because garage doors aren't black or white. It's about context.

 

[StrayKat]

They told him to stop pursuit... he didn't.

 

[Sensei]

The thanks button was not enough.

I'll second that....

 

[Salem]

IMO there are just as many people using reverse racism to assume because Trayvon was black, he couldn't have been agressive, and did absolutely nothing to instigate/escalate the encounter.

In my opinion this is not an accurate description of the issue. The issue is not that Trayvon could never be aggressive - the issue is that someone followed Trayvon, scared him, confronted him and then shot him.

According to Florida's Stand Your Ground Statute - Trayvon had very right to stand his ground for being where he was lawfully allowed to be, without interference from a neighborhood watch person, that was told to stop following Trayvon and that UNITS were on the way. GZ had NO authority to confront Trayvon in ANY manner. That is the issue. If GZ would have stayed in his truck and waited for the POLICE that were ON THEIR WAY - this would not have happened. That is the bottom line. When GZ stepped out of his truck, HE esculated this situation.

All my opinion,

Salem