Neighborhood Crime Watch

[dales]

Zimmerman will be made the "sacrificial lamb" to appese the howling mobs. Anything less than an outright plea to murder will not be enough to quell the outrage.

[BoSoxGal]

He's not saying 'fucking coons'; he's just saying 'hey kid, get off my lawn!'

[Scooter]

I realize that I have given short shrift to the video "evidence" of Zimmerman's alleged injuries. Meade has kindly provided still images from a video taken, as the narrative goes

minutes after the shooting of Trayvon Martin

in which we see the back of Zimmerman's head on which there are some unidentifiable markings, supposedly some of his alleged "injuries" at the hands of Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman claims that Martin was beating his head repeatedly against the ground, and yet, mere minutes after the incident, there is no bleeding, no need for any sort of dressing, not even a shot of Zimmerman rubbing his allegedly sore head. So either Zimmerman is some medical miracle of blood clotting and tissue regeneration, or this

a police surveillance video on which Zimmerman appears to have suffered none of the injuries he claims.

represents an accurate assessment of Zimmerman's claims in light of the video evidence.

Thanks to Meade for making my point for me; I couldn't have done it as well without him.

[loCAtek]

Witnesses in the Twin Lakes development

A witness to the confrontation just prior to the shooting stated that Martin was on top of Zimmerman and punching him, while Zimmerman was yelling for help. This witness, who identified himself as "John", stated that "the guy on the bottom, who had a red sweater on, was yelling to me, 'Help! Help!' and I told him to stop, and I was calling 911".[119]

After the prosecutors made some discovery information available, the Orlando Sentinel quoted an eye witness statement which said a man had "witnessed a black male, wearing a dark colored 'hoodie' on top of a white or Hispanic male who was yelling for help." The witness said the black male was throwing punches "MMA [mixed martial arts] style."


...

Screams for help on 911 recordings

The discovery documents include FBI reports stating that analysts were unable to determine whose voice is heard crying out for help in 911 calls, citing poor audio quality and the “extreme emotional state” of the person screaming. [226][227]

According to police reports included in the discovery documents, after listening to audio recordings of the 911 calls, Martin's father, Tracy Martin, told police investigators that it was not Trayvon Martin's voice calling for help.[226] Martin has since told reporters he was uncertain at that time, but that when he heard an enhanced recording on March 16 he was convinced it was his son calling for help.[228] In an interview with prosecutors on March 19, Zimmerman's father identified the screams as George Zimmerman's, stating, "There is no doubt who is yelling for help. It is absolutely my son." [228]

Zimmerman's injuries

The first round of discovery documents included police reports that state Zimmerman "appeared to have a broken and a bloody nose and swelling of his face". According to police reports, Zimmerman was offered three chances to be taken to the hospital, but Zimmerman declined each time.[226] ABC News reported that a medical report compiled by the family physician of George Zimmerman showed that, following the altercation with Martin, Zimmerman was diagnosed with a closed fracture of his nose, two black eyes, lacerations to the back of his head, a minor back injury, and bruising in his upper lip and cheek. [229]


...

Martin's autopsy report

The Volusia County medical examiner found that Martin was killed by an injury resulting from a single gunshot fired at "intermediate range," between 1 and 18 inches according to a forensic expert. [222] The autopsy also found that Martin had one small abrasion on his left ring finger below the knuckle. No other injuries were found on Martin's body at the time of his death. [222]



sometime after 11:21 AM Crime Scene Tech D. Smith photographed his injuries and hands and used a Gunshot Residue Kit to collect GSR. Zimmerman's clothes were taken as evidence after his wife arrived with a change of clothes.[145]
Wiki

I recommend reading the Wiki page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Trayvon_Martin

It appears, Zimmerman's motive was to not let another 'suspect' get away before the police arrived, and not racially motivated.
So far, the evidence of violence is of Martin being physically aggressive to Zimmerman.

To add:

Three weeks prior to the shooting, on February 2, 2012, Zimmerman called police to report a young man peering into the windows of an empty Twin Lakes home. Zimmerman was told a police car was on the way, and he followed protocol, awaiting their arrival. By the time police arrived, the suspect had fled. On February 6, 2012, workers witnessed two young black men lingering in the yard of a Twin Lakes resident around the same time her home was burglarized. A new laptop and some gold jewelry were stolen. The next day police discovered the stolen laptop in the backpack of a young black man, which led to his arrest. Zimmerman identified this young man as the same person he had spotted peering into windows on February 2.[58]

I think Zimmerman's comment was in reference to black men who steal, not black men in general.

[Scooter]

So using the term "fucking coons" is acceptable provided it is being applied only to a subset of black men, rather than black men in general?

[Big RR]

Maybe it was only a reference to the bandit like mask a raccoon naturally has? Nah, I don't think so either.

[Crackpot]

I can attest to head wounds not bleeding long (thought they too bleed a lot initially) from experience.

which does addresses the major facts concerning this case. only the recent speculation in this thread.

[loCAtek]

So using the term "fucking coons" is acceptable provided it is being applied only to a subset of black men, rather than black men in general?

Vulgar terms aren't usually acceptable in polite society, but this wasn't your usual social interaction, with polite manners. In fact, it wasn't social at all, Zimmerman did not direct his comment at Martin, nor at anyone specific intentionally.
His first frustrated vulgarity was '...assholes always get away.' Prior to that, his direct observation of Martin was polite and professional.


Zimmerman was following a suspect, who matched previous descriptions. and his motive for tailing Martin was not racism, but suspicious behavior.
It was Martin evading questioning, that caused the frustrated Zimmerman to elaborate that a black man, who is acting like an asshole = a fucking coon.

You know, I watch enough NatesVlogs by Nathan Fisher, to know that he gets frustrated by the bad behavior of his fellow African Americans to the point that he calls them 'niggahs', non-affectionately. He has recorded on YouTube video, that he does not use it as a 'term of endearment'; but to Nate, a black man being an asshole, is a niggah AKA Dumb Mutha-fukah;


N**** please @ 2:00


His subset of Dumb, mutha-fuckin' blacks, are what Nate will refer to as niggahs.
Your mileage may vary.
Everyone has their own limit of frustration, at which they will use vulgar terms to describe anti-social individuals; in these cases, it isn't necessarily motivated by racism, but the individual's assholery.

[Scooter]

It was Martin evading questioning, that caused the frustrated Zimmerman to elaborate that a black man, who is acting like an asshole = a fucking coon

I share Martin's position that I am under absolutely no obligation to submit to interrogation by strangers with an exaggerated sense of their own self-importance who accost me in a public place. I guess that makes me a "fucking coon" as well.

[RayThom]

... drawing attention to himself by compounding his problems by being stupid with his post arraignment antics. I can't see him being guilty of anything worse than involuntary manslaughter. Unfortunately, I feel he has been over-charged with second degree murder. As such, I also feel he has a good chance to be proven not guilty. Certainly not innocent, merely not guilty due to the charges and evidence presented.

The prosecution may very well find themselves making a similar mistake like that of charging Casey Anthony with only first degree murder. We all know what happened there. Oops! And the public outrage still resonates. Let the chips fall where they may.

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.c ... martin.php

[loCAtek]

Well, asshole is, as asshole does....

[Scooter]

If not responding to random strangers with a Napoleon complex who accost me on the street makes me an asshole, then I'll wear the label proudly. I don't happen to believe that minding my own business on a public street requires me to submit to intimidatory interrogations by complete strangers possessing no police powers except in their own minds. Those who think otherwise should state so plainly, or else stop trying to defend Zimmerman's behaviour on the basis that he had some sort of God given right to accost perfect strangers in public and subject them to interrogation for no good reason.

[Lord Jim]

Unfortunately, I feel he has been over-charged with second degree murder. As such, I also feel he has a good chance to be proven not guilty.

I don't see anyway he can get convicted of second degree murder either....

I used to think that this would be largely because of the incompetence of the initial investigation; but as more has come out, it seems to me that the known facts make this pretty much impossible.

Yes, he may be a racist asshole. Yes, he shouldn't have been following the guy, especially after the dispatcher told him not to.. But my understanding is that the standard for second degree murder is that he acted with a "depraved indifference to human life", and I don't see how you prove that beyond a reasonable doubt, when the evidence indicates that when Martin physically attacked him he had stopped following Martin and was heading back to his car, and he didn't discharge the gun until he was well into the receiving end of a beat down and getting his head slammed into the concrete....

[dgs49]

There is no indication whatsoever that he is a "racist asshole." His personal history runs 180 degrees counter to that characterization.

Z's role as a neighborhood watch volunteer was not God-given, but given by the neighbors, with the full concurrence of the police. He was performing that function EXACTLY the way that the neighbors and police wished him to. He saw a suspicious, unfamiliar person, who fit the profile of the perpetrators of a series of recent burglaries, and he accosted that person as he should have.

Maybe in Toronto, being asked to identify yourself is grounds for a felonious assault, but I don't think that principle applies in Florida.

[Scooter]

I never said anything about being asked to identifying oneself being grounds for felonious assault. I was responding to the notion that refusing to submit to interrogation by complete strangers who accost you on the street was justification for being called a "fucking coon".

[Grim Reaper]

with the full concurrence of the police.

Minus the part where they told him to stop following Mr. Martin.

[Lord Jim]

Well, that wasn't the police, it was a civilian 911 dispatcher, and there's no legal requirement for anyone to follow their instructions...

However, I question the central claim being made here:

He was performing that function EXACTLY the way that the neighbors and police wished him to. He saw a suspicious, unfamiliar person, who fit the profile of the perpetrators of a series of recent burglaries, and he accosted that person as he should have.

Dave, do you have a link substantiating the claim that the police actually wanted the members of the Neighborhood Watch to "accost" "suspicious persons"?

That would be contrary to everything I have ever heard or read on the subject; my understanding is the way that Neighborhood Watch is supposed to work is that if suspicious looking persons or activities are observed, the Neighborhood Watch participants are supposed to phone it in for the police to pursue, NOT initiate a confrontation.

All my life whenever I have seen or heard police officers talk about it, in print, in the media, or in public meetings, they uniformly advise members of the public not to accost suspicious persons, because they have no idea what they might be getting into, and have no training or authority to deal with it.

But if you have some authoritative source which indicates that in this municipality the police department told the members of this neighborhood watch committee to do the exact opposite of what police have been advising people to do everywhere else in this country for decades, I'll stand corrected.

[loCAtek]

I'm not convinced, Zimmerman was racist, by just that one comment. By that logic, any one who calls someone a 'cunt' does so because they're sexist.

From dsg49's link;

The 28-year-old insurance-fraud investigator comes from a deeply Catholic background and was taught in his early years to do right by those less fortunate. He was raised in a racially integrated household and himself has black roots through an Afro-Peruvian great-grandfather - the father of the maternal grandmother who helped raise him.

This is good investigative work;

"Are you following him?" asks the police dispatcher at 7:11:56 p.m., evidently picking up on the wind noise and Zimmerman's slightly labored breathing. "We don't need you to do that."

"OK," says Zimmerman at 7:12:02 p.m.

Online, the audio of this call has become to the killing of Trayvon Martin what the Zapruder film was to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy — a fragmentary record subjected to endless close analysis by those looking for clues or support for their theories.

Does Zimmerman break off the chase?

By 7:12:15 p.m., the wind noises have stopped and his breathing has returned to normal as he discusses with the police dispatcher where responding officers should meet him. At 7:13:12 p.m. he interjects, "I don't know where this kid is."

Where is Martin? At just a normal walking pace of three miles per hour, he would be home by the time Zimmerman hangs up with police at 7:13:41 p.m.

He isn't. In fact, the fatal altercation between Zimmerman and Martin takes place only about 80 yards from Zimmerman's vehicle — 100 yards from the home where Martin was staying. And the first 911 emergency calls from neighbors reporting their fight don't come in until 7:16:11 p.m., 21/2 minutes after Zimmerman hung up.

The 'Girlfriend' in interviews also says "[Martin] said he lost the man." and "He said he ain’t gonna run, 'cause he said he's right by his father’s house."

If Martin were that close to home, and Zimmerman was following him, wouldn't the fatal fight have taken place much closer to the house Martin was staying at?
Zimmerman had told the dispatcher that he wanted to meet with the police and indicated would meet them where his truck was parked. Why would Zimmerman be trying to start anything with Martin, at the same time he was expecting the police to arrive?

Next the girlfriend alleges: "So, and in a couple minutes, he said the man’s following him again, he’s behind him."

Now, this is an interview- so far there is no audio, nor transcript of the actual call. It's been established that Martin could have been home by 7:13:41 p.m, but instead an altercation, closer to Zimmerman's truck, started at ~7:16:11 p.m.

This is beginning to make Zimmerman's account sound more plausible, that Martin choosing not to run, but to fight- back-tracked in that timeframe and confronted Zimmerman.

Is Martin that confrontational? at least in Twitter he is;

Martin tweeted under the handle “NO_LIMIT_NIGGA,” an account that was closed shortly after his death.

"A f*** nigga is FOREVER f***nigga! F*** 'em! "

"F*** these haters I'll kill em all if I could"

" killn a nigga phone life lik 4real"
Source

ETA:

UPDATE 3/29/2012: TheDC has identified a second Twitter handle associated with Trayvon Martin. Writing under the name “T33ZY TAUGHT M3” in December, Martin tweeted: “Plzz shoot da #mf dat lied 2 u!”



Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/03/26/the-d ... z1z3GcrUoY