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Will George Zimmerman be Tried for the Murder of Trayvon Martin?
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by Karen Hatter | March 22, 2012 at 08:00 am
3193 views | 31 Recommendations | 123 comments
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Outrage Over Trayvon Martin Murder by Self Appointed Patroller
sourced by Karen Hatter
On the evening of February 26, 2012, 28 year old George Zimmerman, on a self appointed neighborhood patrol, pursued and killed 17 year old Trayvon Martin as he attempted to return to his father’s home to watch the end of the NBA All Stars game. He was returning from a neighborhood convenience store after purchasing a can of iced tea and a bag of Skittles candy in the small city of Sanford, Florida, population less than 54,000. Sanford is a suburb of Orlando, Florida, approximately 20 miles away.
When Sanford police arrived, George Zimmerman told them he had killed Trayvon Martin in self defense. George Zimmerman is reported to have said he shot Trayvon Martin in the chest. Trayvon Martin is lying face down in the grass. From that point on, the actions of Sanford police, under the leadership of Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee, have been called into question.
When Sanford police arrived, Trayvon Martin is lying face down in the grass, dead from a gunshot wound. Acting solely on George Zimmerman’s word that he had a squeaky clean record with police, a claim that was not investigated by the police and later found to be untrue, after a brief detention, Sanford police authorities sent George Zimmerman on his way with his licensed 9mm murder weapon and his permit to carry a concealed weapon still in his possession.
Drug and alcohol tests were performed on the body of Trayvon Martin. However, no drug or alcohol tests were performed on George Zimmerman nor were any forensics tests run on the weapon or George Zimmerman in relation to the murder of Trayvon Martin.
In addition to the can of iced tea and Skittles in Trayvon Martin’s possession at the time of his murder was his cell phone, which he had used minutes before his death. Sanford police did not make use of his cell phone to attempt to contact anyone upon their discovery of Trayvon's body nor after Sanford city morgue personnel took possession of Trayvon Martin’s body. Not until Trayvon’s father Tracy Martin contacted Sanford police regarding his missing son did he receive a visit from them more than twelve hours later. Prior to Sanford police responding to Tracy Martin's inquiry, Trayvon Martin lay in the morgue, tagged as a John Doe, for three days.
The recent release of 911 tapes from the night of Trayvon’s murder, including a tape of the call George Zimmerman made to a 911 dispatcher, reveal the dispatcher advising George Zimmerman not to follow Trayvon. The tapes also reveal that George Zimmerman proclaims, while talking to the dispatcher and pursuing Trayvon that “these assholes” always get away.
The apparent pursuit of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman tends to not support a claim of self defense. The 911 tapes of neighbors' calls, as well as George Zimmerman's call to the dispatcher that evening, were released only after Trayvon Martin's parents sued for their release.
The local community and the entire nation have been outraged that nearly a month after the murder of Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman, who has not been seen at his house in the community for some time, has not been held accountable for his actions. As a result of coverage on the internet and social media sites, international interest in the murder of Trayvon Martin is increasing.
The internet website Change.org has been hosting a petition on behalf of Trayvon Martin's parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, meant to aid them in their efforts to obtain justice for their son by calling for the arrest and trial of George Zimmerman. To date, the petition has collected over 2 1/4 million signatures.
A statement issued by Change.org notes ....
"People worldwide are shocked by Trayvon's killing, and they're turning to social media like Change.org and Twitter to turn that outrage into action," the statement said.
From the first report of this tragedy, Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee has proclaimed that due to what many consider an expansion of the Castle Doctrine, the Stand Your Ground law, with Florida being the first to adopt this controversial law in 2005, he did not have authority to arrest George Zimmerman on probable cause.
Both of the Florida legislators that authored and successfully guided the statute through the legislature have recently stated they believe the statute, in the case of the murder of Trayvon Martin, has been misapplied. Former Florida State Senator Durell Peaden stated that because George Zimmerman ignored the 911 operator’s advice not to follow Trayvon Martin, his action ....
.... disqualifies him from claiming self-defense under the law.
Rep. Dennis Baxley, Peaden's co-sponsor in the Florida House, agrees with his former colleague, telling the newspaper that the law does not license neighborhood watch or others who feel "like they have the authority to pursue and confront people. That is aggravating an incident right there."
It is worth noting that since this statute was instituted seven years ago, cases of individuals killing a second individual, with no eye witnesses to the altercation and the shooter claiming self defense, have tripled.
An unexpected effect of this law's implementation has been that ....
.... many Orlando-area cops reportedly have given up investigating "self-defense" cases as a result, referring them to the overloaded state Attorney's Office for action.
On March 21, 2012, a Sanford city commission vote resulted in a vote of no confidence in Chief Bill Lee for his handling of the investigation, or lack thereof, into the murder of Trayvon Martin. The vote is without authority for the commission to remove Chief Lee from office. Chief Lee could be removed from office by the Sanford City Manager’s office, an option that the city manager, Norton Bonaparte Jr., has stated is on the table.
Will George Zimmerman be charged and tried for the murder of Trayvon Martin or will this ultimately be prosecuted as a case where Trayvon Martin was denied his civil rights, not the prosecution for murder merited in this case?
In an interview on Saturday, March 24, 2012, Daryl Parks, the lead attorney at the firm representing the family of murdered teen Trayvon Martin ....
.... told a group of journalists that after meeting with federal authorities, he doubts the killing will be charged as a federal hate crime.However, he said he's encouraged that the state's investigation of the shooting will lead to criminal charges filed against the gunman, George Zimmerman.
The Florida State Attorney's Office has prepared a subpoena for Trayvon Martin's girlfriend, who was on the phone with him in the moments before the unarmed African American teen was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, to appear in front a grand jury that will be impaneled on April 10 ....
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is also investigating the circumstances surrounding the killing of Trayvon Martin. The inquiry is being headed by Assistant Attorney General for civil rights Thomas Perez. The DOJ's focus is on the shooting of Trayvon Martin but, requests have been made to expand their inquiry.
.... as questions continue to emerge about the Sanford police department's handling of this and other racially-charged cases, civil rights leaders have urged the feds to broaden the inquiry to include a civil investigation into possible police wrongdoing.
UPDATE:
Appearing at a press conference with Sanford City Manager Norton Bonaparte Jr., Chief Bill Lee has announced he will be stepping aside "temporarily" as the investigation into the death of Trayvon Martin continues.
The police chief at the center of a fatal neighborhood watch shooting says he is stepping down temporarily because he has become a distraction.
Governor Rick Scott of Florida has appointed a special prosecutor, State Attorney Angela Corey of Jacksonville, Florida, to investigate the murder of Trayvon Martin. His action is in response to State Attorney Norman Wolfinger of Seminole County, the jurisdictional location for Sanford, Florida, and his decision to remove himself from the process of grand jury selection, with the grand jury scheduled to convene on April 10, 2012.
The appointment came the same day Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee temporarily stepped down amid outrage over his failure to charge George Zimmerman with any crime in the Feb. 26 shooting. Wolfinger said in a letter to Scott he was stepping aside “in the interest of public safety” and to “avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest.”
Staffers for State Attorney Angela Corey told a Florida media affiliate that a grand jury may not be used in this case, with lead prosecutor Bernie De la Rionda saying they would get at the truth, "one way or another."
Jacksonville-based (State Attorney Angela) Corey replaced local prosecutor Norm Wolfinger in the case and WFTV said several sources had confirmed that police had originally recommended manslaughter charges against Zimmerman, but that Wolfinger had not acted on their advice.
Lead prosecutor De la Rionda would not confirm or deny the information provided by WFTV regarding former lead prosecutor Wolfinger's refusal to bring charges in the murder of Trayvon Martin.
While introducing his choice to head the World Bank, Dartmouth President Kim Jim, in the Rose Garden on March 23, 2012, President Obama was asked to comment on the death of Trayvon Martin. During his response, he remarked ....
"I think all of us have to do some soul searching to figure out how does something like this happen," said Obama. "And that means we examine the laws and the context for what happened, as well as the specifics of the incident."
On March 27, 2012, ABC News has reported, citing multiple sources, that the lead investigator on the night of the killing of Trayvon Martin, Investigator Chris Serino, on February 26, 2012, gave a sworn affidavit stating he did not believe George Zimmerman's version of the events surrounding the killing of Trayvon Martin. Investigator Serino wanted to charge George Zimmerman with homicide/negligent manslaughter. He was advised by Seminole County Prosecutor Norman Wolfinger not to do so.
While George Zimmerman was in Sanford police custody, ....
Police did not administer a drug and alcohol test or an immediate background check on Zimmerman, although they did both on Martin.The next day, detectives re-enacted the shooting with Zimmerman at the scene. They also discovered Zimmerman had two prior arrests: one for assaulting a cop, the other for domestic abuse.
For the next two weeks, lead investigator Chris Serino pursued a manslaughter charge against Zimmerman.
How could state attorney and county prosecutor Norman Wolfinger possibly make the determination that there was not enough evidence to lead to a conviction of George Zimmerman before law enforcement had collected physical evidence or, even more disturbing, without law enforcement collecting physical evidence from George Zimmerman? Forensics tests were not conducted on George Zimmerman nor was his clothing collected to be examined for any physical evidence.
The decision to disregard the recommendation of the lead in investigator at the scene of the Trayvon Martin murder, Chris Serino, was a collaboration, in person, between Captain Robert O'Connell, at the time of Trayvon Martin's murder, the lead investigations supervisor, who is currently serving as the acting Sanford chief of police, the former Chief of Police Bill Lee, who has temporarily stepped down from his position as head of the Sanford police department and State Attorney Norman Wolfinger, who earlier recused himself, he stated, to avoid any appearance of impropriety.
It is being reported that State Attorney Norman Wolfinger was either at the scene of the Trayvon Martin murder or Sanford police station, it being said that if he were at either location, that act ....
.... would be unusual, according to the source. On a typical case, police contact the state attorney's office and speak with an on duty assistant state attorney; they either discuss the matter by phone or the on duty assistant state attorney comes to the crime scene - but rarely the state attorney him or herself.
Had Mr. Wolfinger not removed himself from the investigation, knowing that he had been at the scene on the night of Trayvon Martin's murder, collaborating and directing the local Sanford police on the scene not to charge George Zimmerman, the appearance of impropriety could not be avoided.
March 28, 2012 - ABC News has obtained exclusive footage of Sanford police surveillance tape of George Zimmerman being escorted by Sanford police into the police station on February 26, 2012, the evening of the murder of Trayvon Martin.
In the video an officer is seen pausing to look at the back of Zimmerman's head, but no abrasions or blood can be seen in the video and he did not check into the emergency room following the police questioning.
There is no blood on George Zimmerman's nose or head visible on the police surveillance tape. Zimmerman is wearing a light colored shirt. There is no visible blood on his shirt that would support the claims of George Zimmerman attorney's that his client was savagely beaten by Trayvon Martin.
March 29, 2012 - During an interview with Washington Post staffers, Tracy Martin, father of slain Trayvon Martin, recalled the night lead investigator Chris Serino came to his home to inform him of the death of his son. Mr. Martin recounted his recollection of the story Mr. Serino relayed as the story George Zimmerman told Sanford police the night Trayvon was murdered.
According to Zimmerman, he had two encounters with Trayvon, the second encounter ending in Trayvon's death. Zimmerman stated that during his first encounter with Trayvon, Trayvon approached his vehicle, asking Zimmerman if he was following him, which Zimmerman denied, rolling up his window. Trayvon is alleged to have walked away.
Sometime after the first exchange, Zimmerman gets out of his truck. As he is walking past a building, the second encounter occurs. Trayvon is alleged to step out from behind a building, asking, "What's you're problem, homie?" Zimmerman responds he doesn't have a problem, to which it is said Trayvon responded, "You do now."
Mr. Martin describes how the detective told him Zimmerman states that after he is hit in the nose and knocked to the ground, Trayvon pins his arms with his knees, begins beating him with one hand, while reaching for Zimmerman's gun with his other hand, which is tucked in his pants waistband.
This account of the second encounter ends when ....
During the beating, Zimmerman pulled his gun and fired one shot at close range into Martin’s chest. “You got me,” the teenager said, falling backward.
If, according to the account of events attributed to Zimmerman, after Zimmerman shot Trayvon, Trayvon fell backward, why was Trayvon's body found lying face down in the grass when Sanford police arrived?
The Sanford Police Department said in a statement Wednesday that it will no longer answer questions from the news media.
With no official comment from Sanford police planned for now, only time will reveal if unnamed police sources will cease leaking information.
Mr. Martin said he was told by Mr. Serino he did not believe Zimmerman's claim of self defense. Mr. Serino gave a sworn affidavit to that effect the night of Trayvon Martin's death, February 26, 2012.
Several of the attorneys representing the parents of Trayvon Martin have stated that the story that has been alleged to be Zimmerman's story conflicts with the time sequence of the 911 call he made to Sanford police, as well as the phone logs of the cell phone call Trayvon was on with his friend identified only as Dee Dee.
Part time Sanford Mayor Jeff Triplett has been speaking out on the media maelstrom in which he has found himself after the Trayvon Martin murder brought national focus on his town. He has discussed his struggle with Sanford police over the 911 tapes of the night of Trayvon's murder, with the police being inclined not to make them public. Mayor Triplett said he wanted the parents of Trayvon Martin to hear what had happened on the night their son was killed.
(Mayor) Triplett said he and (Sanford City Manager) Bonaparte became "joined at the hip" at City Hall trying to ascertain the facts surrounding Martin's death and look into accusations about police conduct."My question immediately was the same as everybody else's," Triplett said. "How is there somebody that has been killed, and we can't make an arrest or we didn't make an arrest?"
Triplett had difficulty getting a handle on the case. Information would be relayed only to be corrected, he said, and police were generally reluctant to reveal too much about the investigation.
March 30, 2012 - Family members of George Zimmerman, his brother Robert Zimmerman Jr. and most notably his father, Robert Zimmerman, have begun coming forward, articulating and expanding upon the story that has been attributed to Zimmerman, essentially very similar to the basic information that has been leaked by unofficial police sources.
Robert Zimmerman Jr. appeared on CNN in an interview with Piers Morgan, offering, in the most graphic detail to date, another retelling of George Zimmerman's account of his version of what happened the night of Trayvon Martin's death.
MSNBC is reporting that Craig Sonner, an attorney for George Zimmerman, has stated that Robert Jr., George's brother, has not seen his brother for years and has come forward seeking media attention.
George Zimmerman's father Robert Zimmerman has lashed out at President Obama, the Congressional Black Caucus and the NAACP, claiming there has been hatred emanating from all those named. All mentioned in Robert Zimmerman's comments, including President Obama, have called for an investigation into the events that happened to bring about Trayvon Martin's untimely death.
Mr. Zimmerman is a retired magistrate, having served in the state of Virginia, now living approximately a 20 minute car ride away from Sanford in the small Florida town Lake Mary.
"Robert J. Zimmerman served as a full-time magistrate from 2000-2006. Please be advised that in Virginia magistrates are judicial officers, but they are not considered "judges" and do not possess trial jurisdiction. More detailed information on the role of the magistrate in Virginia is available on Virginia's Judicial System Website."
A compelling procedural fact was raised on MSNBC's Politics Nation with Al Sharpton by former Florida prosecutor Ken Padowitz, who was a Homicide Prosecutor with the Broward County States Attorneys office for 16 years. He made note that contrary to the current talking points, because Zimmerman was handcuffed, he had been arrested. Mr. Padowitz stated that under Florida law, there is no way to un-arrest someone.
According to the Florida rules of criminal procedure, IF George Zimmerman is not re-arrested within 175 days of when he was first arrest, he can never be charged in connection with the murder of Trayvon Martin.
The Sanford Police Department report, generated on the evening of the murder of Trayvon Martin, with a time of 19:17, lists a charge of Homicide/Negligent Manslaughter/Unnecessary Killing to Prevent Unlawful Act, which affirms George Zimmerman had indeed been placed under arrest and charged.
This raises the crucial question, since George Zimmerman was initially arrested and charged in the death of Trayvon Martin, under what statute or law was George Zimmerman's initial charge handled?
At no time has it been reported that any charges were dropped in relation to George Zimmerman. Whatever procedural activity is responsible for the release of George Zimmerman, it was orchestrated and overseen by all of the higher officials named here previously, former Police Chief Bill Lee, current acting Police Chief Robert O'Donnell and State Attorney Prosecutor Norman Wolfinger.
It is imperative the arrest of George Zimmerman is made before time runs out for him to ever be charged, as he is the self identified shooter of Trayvon Martin.
March 31, 2012 - Forensics experts, after analyzing copies of the 911 tapes from February 26, 2012 that contain screaming, which George Zimmerman and his surrogates have alleged are his screams and not the screams of Trayvon Martin, have concluded that the screams are not the screams of George Zimmerman.
Tom Owen is a forensic consultant for Owen Forensic Services LLC. He is also chair emeritus for the American Board of Recorded Evidence. He used voice recognition software to arrive at his conclusion.
"I took all of the screams and put those together, and cut out everything else," Owen says.The software compared that audio to Zimmerman's voice. It returned a 48 percent match. Owen said to reach a positive match with audio of this quality, he'd expect higher than 90 percent.
"As a result of that, you can say with reasonable scientific certainty that it's not Zimmerman," Owen says ....
Another forensics expert and audio engineer, Ed Primeau, using human voice enhancement has determined the tone of the voice is of a young man screaming.
April 1, 2012 - The New York Daily News has obtained information that would appear to refute the claims of Robert Zimmerman Jr., the brother of George Zimmerman, who declared during a CNN interview that medical records would support the claims offered by Sanford police by George Zimmerman that he was involved in a life threatening struggle the night he shot and killed Trayvon Martin.
On Friday, the Daily News obtained EMS documents suggesting (George) Zimmerman, who an ex-colleague said was fired from a security job for being too aggressive, did not sustain serious injuries in the fatal encounter.
In London, England, hundreds of protestors gathered outside of the U.S. embassy, demonstrating and demanding justice for Trayvon Martin.
The protest, organised by Campaign 4 Justice, Tottenham Defence Campaign, comedienne Ava Vidal, and supported by Defend the Right to Protest, comes alongside similar demonstrations held in Manchester, UK and in towns across around America.Demonstrators were asked to wear hoodies and bring a packet of skittles, which is what Trayvon Martin was wearing and carrying in his pocket when he was shot.
April 2, 2012 - Attorneys for the family of Trayvon Martin, in a letter written to Roy Austin of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, are asking for an investigation into concerns the attorneys have regarding the impartiality of the Sanford police department during the investigation of the death of Trayvon Martin.
In part, the letter states:
.... "we learned that on the night of February 26, 2012, within hours of the shooting in which Trayvon Martin was killed, Sanford Chief of Police Bill Lee met with State Attorney Norm Wolfinger. We also believe that family members of shooter George Zimmerman were present at the police department."
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (123)
at 16:46 on April 2nd, 2012
Obviously, you have nothing intellectually substantive to contribute to the discussion, CL(not verified).
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John Doe (not verified)at 08:36 on March 28th, 2012
The issue ultimately is not racial but political. Trayvon's death illustrates the increasing death grip of America's burgeoning Secret Gestapo on Americans. This is the US Gangstalking and Genocide network -- NSA, CIA, FBI, DHS, ONI, SS, FEMA, AF -- and ALL Americans are targeted. The goal of the Surveillance State is to keep raising taxes and fleecing the taxpayer for our Corporate Masters and Congressional Accomplices. Americans who protect this fleecing by the Federal Reserve and its Gang of 635 will be attacked by directed energy weapons and hounded by thousands of duped jailers -- firemen, local police, emergency personnel, county employees, freelancing drivers of UPS, FedEx, pizza companies, cab drivers, you name it. The average media-brainwashed American jumps at the chance to follow the orders of his oppressors and be his own jailer.
at 09:26 on March 28th, 2012
Sure, everyone's in on the grand conspiracy... but YOU. The reason you accuse everyone is because you have evidence on no one. Please do not pollute discussion about the truly serious matter of Trayvon Martin's unfortunate death with your comedic paranoid rants. You've been trolling these articles under dozens of different pseudonyms for several years now, why don't you grow up, sign off of mommy and daddy's AOL, and register a now public account?
George Zimmerman is not part of any vast gov't conspiracy, he appears to be a bonehead without a life who thought he owned the neighborhood.
hounded by thousands of duped jailers -- firemen, local police, emergency personnel, county employees, freelancing drivers of UPS, FedEx, pizza companies, cab drivers, you name it.
what a tortured way to live your life. you really need professional help and meds. but tell me how pizza drivers hound you? they sneak anchovies on your pie?
at 06:43 on March 31st, 2012
George Zimmerman was a "bonehead" with some sort of personal relationship to local Sanford police, most likely having some status, minimally, recognition, within their ranks and was allowed to roam the neighborhood, as has been reported, because he was viewed by some in the neighborhood as 'doing a service' for the neighborhood.
An interesting connection between George Zimmerman and the former, stepping aside temporarily, police chief Bill Lee:
Source: thegrio.com
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Anonymous comment (not verified)at 09:58 on March 28th, 2012
batvette to John Doe: "you really need professional help and meds." --- That old, canned response? You know batvette, you really need to take a good, long, hard look at yourself. But guys like you rarely do.
at 10:18 on March 28th, 2012
Who is this? Elizabeth Blandra again, pretending to be a dozen people?
Forget about me, defend that post as sane. I dare you. Or DON'T. This article is about Trayvor Martin, not the silly paranoid claims you anonymous trolls make. Why would I entertain personal attacks by someone with the credibility of "anonymous"?
at 11:14 on March 28th, 2012
Batvette, no personal attacks appear at any of the posts written by the anonymous poster using the name Elizabeth Blandra.
None of the posts under that name have directed any personal attacks at you, batvette, nor have they violated NowPublic's Code of Conduct in anyway. It is unclear how you arrived at the conclusion that any of the other posters are the same poster identified as Elizabeth Blandra.
Since the poster identified as Elizabeth Blandra has been posting comments acceptable within the site's guidelines, I welcome any additional posts at this thread from that poster.
at 11:33 on March 28th, 2012
I merely asked a question, call it a hunch based on previous discussions, I have my reasons.
Based upon the way she went out of her way to say she recommended my comment by mistake, despite our differences in the topical issue, I think you'd have to concede she's got a chip on her shoulder she wants to introduce here, not me.
This is the inherent risk people run when refusing to register accounts, I encourage everyone to register and there are a few trolls on the site who do use dozens of identities, often mocking registered users' names, to post back biting personal attacks.
Of course I'm not telling anyone who can post in your articles, just that I'm not interested i n them bringing their tiresome off topic personal attacks here- and the post I responded to was just that. (note my comment about "meds" concerns the content of the claims within the post. I don't add needless flames.)
at 11:52 on March 28th, 2012
Batvette, whomever it was that commented that they recommended your comment by mistake does not use the name Elizabeth Blandra.
I myself have issues with anonymous posters that are rude and bullying.
I have been here for 5 years and anonymous posters have always been a challenge for the NP Staffers and it's a bit of a judgement call.
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John Doe (not verified)at 19:47 on March 28th, 2012
Notice how easily battyvette managed to draw Karen's focus from the discussion to himself and his childish accusations; he successfully deflected the discussion from the crux of the matter. The crux of the matter is the fact that the Federal District of Criminals has established a nationwide network of vigilantes who are being trained and managed by local police as lynch mobs (aka gangstalkers). These groups can be turned against individuals or targeted ethnic groups at the whim of the Federal District of Criminals.
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anonacom (not verified)at 20:23 on March 28th, 2012
OK, let's go over this, yet one more time.
Batvette *is* "full of shit."
He *is* a disinformation agent.
Got it? Let's move on.
But please keep hacking on his worthless ass, he deserves it, like nobody else.
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anonacom (not verified)at 20:25 on March 28th, 2012
Please excuse the correction.
He *is* most likely a (Government paid) disinformation agent.
at 03:06 on March 30th, 2012
Batvette *is* "full of shit."
Sure, which is why in the several years of my posting here, not a single intentionally untruthful statement has ever been made by myself, if I did you are invited to produce it now- let alone the absurdity of having to prove who I am to some hit and run anonymous pseudonym.
I would note if NowPublic took its "code of conduct" with the slightest bit of seriousness, this blatant personal attack, with no content of topical relevance, including vulgarity would see the poster's ISP indefinately blocked for such trolling. Why is this behavior consistently allowed? Is it time for me to close my account and start posting anonymously under multiple pseudonyms as these people do to stack personal attacks in articles?
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ananacom (not verified)at 18:05 on March 31st, 2012
Hey BV, nice CAPS dude!
But most everybody knows by now, that your convoluted job and history is a self-imposed persistent amnesia, that precludes factual accounts and includes elaborate nonsense about anything of substance.
I'm sorry Karen, for going off thread on your account. Please forgive me.
I have read many of your articles and comments and thank you for your intelligent and thoughtful writing.
at 18:48 on March 31st, 2012
I thank you for your praise of my work, ananacom. It's nice to be appreciated!
Apology accepted. I want to assure that you can continue to participate. You can't go wrong critiquing positions and opinions, not posters.
Again, thanks!
at 12:07 on March 30th, 2012
I welcome any comments regarding the topic being discussed, anonacom however, please confine your remarks to the subject and not other posters, as in accordance with the Code of Conduct here at NowPublic. Thank you.
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Elizabeth Blandra (not verified)at 09:38 on March 30th, 2012
I agree, Karen. As you've said, the case was initially "botched", and any Zimmerman ties to the Sanford PD must be vigorously and thoroughly investigated.
at 19:55 on March 30th, 2012
Elizabeth, while I understand the Zimmerman family and their strong desire to 'help' and come to the aid of their relative, in this case, their son and brother, it might be best if they just keep quiet since, after all, all they are doing is repeating the claims of George Zimmerman over and over, details they cannot shed personal light upon with independent personal knowledge, with their statements only being valid IF they are deposed and asked to discuss what George Zimmerman told them.
All that have considered speaking out, drawing attention to inconsistencies and Trayvon's murder are discussing physical things that are contradictory to George Zimmerman's account of events, i.e., the 911 tapes, the condition of Trayvon's body, etc.
All surrogates for George Zimmerman, including acquaintance Joe Oliver, retell Zimmerman's version of events, adding nothing subjective to the discussion.
Unless given the okay by legal representation FOR George Zimmerman, all surrogates might want to allow his attorney to be the only authorized person to speak for the family, ESPECIALLY since he is saying that the brother who gave the interview on CNN hasn't seen George in years and is seeking attention.
Robert Zimmerman, George's father, in his interview with a FOX affiliate, stated he didn't believe that there was a phone call between Travyon and his female friend when those representing Trayvon's parents stated authorities have the cell phone records with the date and time of the call.
Why didn't the former magistrate know that? There seems to be a lack of coordination between the known attorney for George Zimmerman, Craig Sonner, and those acting as surrogates FOR George Zimmerman, who are making appearances, offering statements, merely retelling and embellishing the account already attributed to George Zimmerman.
This may come back to haunt all those thinking they are acting on Zimmerman's behalf, as they possibly go farther and farther off script, muddying the issue with extraneous minutia that may or may not be true representations of George Zimmerman's words.
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Elizabeth Blandra (not verified)at 09:58 on March 30th, 2012
An interesting piece in the New York Times, if you haven't seen it, Karen.----------www.nytimes.com/2012/03/30/opinion/the-gated-community-mentality.html?_r=1
at 08:18 on March 31st, 2012
Thanks, Elizabeth, I'll try to squeeze it in for a read!
Thanks for suggesting the article. That was an interesting piece that causes reflection on the hunker down, fear everyone outside of the gated community mentality that has come to be the norm since the advent of gated communities.
Have you ever seen this?
Featured cartoon in Michael Moore's film, Bowling for Columbine, ending with comments about gated communities.
A comment that needs to be made, as there continues to be discussion regarding the murder of Trayvon Martin.
There have been calls for a presumption of innocence in relation to George Zimmerman but, in this case, this specific presumption or concept does not apply since he has NOT been charged WITH a crime in relation to Trayvon Martin's death.
George Zimmerman is the SELF CONFESSED shooter of Trayvon Martin. He told police he shot Trayvon. That fact is not in dispute. There is no search to find the killer. It is known who the killer of Trayvon Martin is.
Any assumed presumption of innocence will only apply when and IF George Zimmerman is ever charged for the murder of Trayvon Martin or whatever charge that may be filed in relation to the murder of Trayvon Martin.
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Bastet (not verified)at 07:49 on March 31st, 2012
Thank you for another one of your fine, informative articles. I appreciate your work. The situation with Zimmerman is one that must be brought to justice. Whether it will happen or not is up to question. Our country is facing precarious times. We are regressing on numerous levels, yet wanting simultaneous forward motion and rebirth. Until America owns up to its history in racism, and current fear of karmic reprisal, it will continue to repeat the same negative patterns based upon denial, sabotage, and oppression.
at 09:47 on March 31st, 2012
Bastet, thank for your praise and sharing your observations in relation to karma.
Sadly, as a number motions have been made to 'acknowledge' past wrongs that blot American history, i.e. apologies often through official governmental, individual state and congressional resolutions, for the enslavement of people of African descent for nearly 400 years and in the case of the U.S. Senate's apology in 2005 for the Senate's refusal to act on the more than 100 anti-lynching bills that miraculously made it through the U.S. House of Representatives, only to be killed on the floor of the Senate by Southern senators, the pain and residual effects of all the misery, physical and karmic pain, as you point out, has not been effectively addressed, which must begin with acknowledgement of the existence OF that pain.
at 13:28 on March 31st, 2012
Surrogates for George Zimmerman, repeatedly speaking about what they were told by ZIMMERMAN, does not add anything to any discussion. They are alleged to be repeating what has been told to them BY Zimmerman.
What must be uncovered is why it is, AFTER GEORGE ZIMMERMAN WAS ARRESTED AND CHARGED with Homicide/Negligent Manslaugter/Unnecessary Killing During an Unlawful Act, according to Sanford police reports, with it NEVER being reported that charges were dropped, exactly WHAT procedural activity was employed by Sanford police officials AND the Seminole State Attorneys office to essentially UNarrest George Zimmerman?
At no time has ANYone from the Sanford police department OR the State Attorney's office declared that the INITIAL charges had been dropped BY the police. The narrative has been that the Sanford police Chief Bill Lee was UNABLE to arrest George Zimmerman. George Zimmerman had ALREADY BEEN arrested.
It needs to be revealed what statute there is within Florida law that would allow someone to be released AFTER being charged WITHOUT the INITIAL charges being dropped.
WHATEVER action occurred most likely involved former Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee, CURRENT acting Sanford Police Chief Robert O'Donnell and Seminole County State Attorney Prosecutor Norman Wolfinger, in conjunction with another possible person or persons unknown.
at 05:12 on April 1st, 2012
at 05:19 on April 1st, 2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/31/trayvon-martin-shooting-911-call-screams_n_1394224.html?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl1|sec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D148255
TWO INDEPENDENT, EXPERT VOICE ANALYSTS CONFIRM THE VOICE ON THE 911 TAPE IS TRAYVON MARTIN AND NOT ZIMMERMAN.
at 05:45 on April 1st, 2012
Thanks, Peacefrog. I had previously updated with this information in the body of my article from another source.
What I am most focused on now, in terms what I think is an extremely important issue and that is since George Zimmerman WAS ARRESTED AND CHARGED (I linked a copy of the Sanford police report in the article), how did or the Sanford police or/and any of those higher officials somehow override/overrule the initial arrest and charges somehow, stated what rule or statute was used.
As I point out in the body of the article, the former 16 year Florida prosecutor says you can't UNarrest someone so, WHY has former Sanford police chief Bill Lee been saying over and over that he couldn't arrest Zimmerman when ZIMMERMAN HAD ALREADY BEEN ARRESTED?
Since Zimmerman had been arrested, with THREE CHARGES LISTED ON THE REPORT, it would seem the only way for that to be dealt with, would be for those SPECIFIC charges that had been listed be dismissed or dropped.
NO one in authority, associated with the Trayvon Martin murder case has stated either way what was done to make the arrest and initial charges go away.
That reality needs to be explained in great detail.
at 23:53 on April 8th, 2012
AFAIK he was taken into custody (arrested) for questioning. After which he could have been:
(a) booked into a jail facility and held for up to 72 hours without charges pending a decision by the DA
(b) booked into a jail facility on charges quickly filed by the DA
(c) released with no charges, which is apparently what happened.
It should be noted that the police do not file charges, they would book him and see if the DA thought charges were appropriate. An investigating officer might want charges to be filed on a suspect initially, but he's not going to make that decision and is not a lawyer. A supervisor will confer with the DA's office over that.
I haven't seen this report you mention with the arrest and three charges, if you have a link to such information I'd certainly appreciate it. It's not on the SPD link page here:
http://sanfordfl.gov/investigation/trayvon_martin.html
Which to my disappointment has pulled its initial on scene report, the 911 calls, Zimmerman's previous police calls, etc.Pretty stupid of them at this point, they'd already published them and plenty of people saw them, this does not fare well for transparency.
Perhaps this does indicate charges are forthcoming, depends on if the reason is to stifle an ongoing circus or keep any trrial verdict from being thrown out because of pre-trial publicity.
All of the above is strictly factual observations, my personal opinion on the facts as now available is he's got a good case for self defense based on what I understand is the only adult eyewitness to the fight, and the officer reporting him bleeding from the nose and back of head, with his back wet and covered with grass.
If the facts change so may that opinion.
at 20:01 on April 9th, 2012
Bavette, as I have stated, the majority of the self defense argument is Right Wing blogosphere nonsense. Zimmerman stalked Trayvon Martin and killed him.
IF THERE WAS ANY ALTERCATION, it was PROVOKED BY ZIMMERMMAN BY FOLLOWING TRAYVON MARTIN.
The report is linked in my latest articles. It's labeled:
Copy of Homicide/Negligent Manslaughter/Unnecessary Killing to Prevent Unlawful Act.
at 02:40 on April 11th, 2012
That's the report I saw.
Did the "right wing blogosphere" add the following "nonsense:"
"While I was in such close contact with Zimmerman, I could observe his back was wet and covered with grass, as if he had been laying on his back on the ground. Zimmerman was also bleeding from the nose and the back of his head."
Which are confirmed by:
"Zimmerman was placed in the back of my police car and given first aid by SFD".
Which make it near impossible the injuries were a fabrication by police to provide cover for Zimmerman.
So this is evidence that the shooting was in self defense.
It is sheer speculation that any action of Zimmerman could be construed by Martin as cause to commit assault and battery on Zimmerman, there is no evidence to support such claims.
Since the beginning there have been references made by some comparing this to the Emmit
Till case many years ago, I first thought that was pretty absurd. Since it's being revealed the primary evidence used to of convict Zimmerman of murdering Martin without just cause is simply because Zimmerman is white and Martin is black maybe there are more similarities there than first appeared.
Zimmerman is white, which means he has a predisposed nature to hate blacks and hunt them down like animals and if he called police to invite them to witness this that's because he knew they'd doctor the reports for him and maybe they wanted to join in too.
It's all becoming clear now and I see where I've been wrong and frankly I'm disappointed in all my fellow whites that I wasn't let in on all the fun, I've got years of catching up to do.
One thing, Karen, this report is titled.... "copy of... ....killing to prevent unlawful act...."
What unlawful act was that? Since whites get licenses to shoot blacks from their local PD's, wasn't Martin fully justified in assault and battery upon Zimmerman because he was following him, which always should be assumed to be a life threatening situation?
at 04:23 on April 13th, 2012
Batvette, find somewhere else to post your racist nonsense.