Trayvon Martin tragedy strikes again

BondBomb

What happened to Trayshon was terrible and it needs to stop. I don't understand why some people are so full of hate that they want to kill somebody based on their skin color. The same applies to racial profiling, the kid had skittles and a pop I believe. What was Zimmerman so afraid of? The kid didn't do anything, I hope Zimmerman gets an extensive prison sentence where he can discover just how painful his butt can feel.

Trouble with that is, the police report, Zimmerman's injuries, AND a witness all agreed with his testimony that he, a 5'3" Hispanic guy on neighborhood watch, was punched and knocked to the ground by a 6'2" black teen in a hoodie. In his shoes I would have felt seriously endangered, too! He'd reported Martin as being suspicious, walking through a gated community where he didn't normally live. I can see why he'd have been concerned, and it would have been the right response to report it to police... where he went wrong was in following after he was told not to. The whole thing is a tragedy, to be sure, but I don't really think there was any racial motivation to the shooting. Neither one of them was white.

But if they're going to make it a racial issue, then why is no one protesting on behalf of the white kid who was lit on fire, the two English guys who were shot and their pants stripped off, the young white couple who were brutalized and murdered, or the elderly white couple who were horribly murdered, all by black teens and young adults? I live in an area that is surprisingly multicultural considering its size, and the racism I see every day makes me sick. I would love to see everyone just accept each other, and am looking forward to the day when skin color doesn't matter anymore. But the kind of racism being shown by Sharpton and Jackon and even Pres Obama right now is not helping things, it's just making it all worse and dividing people around the world.

Except the surveillance video of Zimmerman AFTER the shooting show he has no injuries.

blueeyedcristi

I know this won't be a popular view...but I think they are different. One is a guy on a neighborhood watch. No training. No certification. Certainly not law enforcement. Admittedly I have not read the facts, but they certainly don't look good in his case and he deserves what he gets.

But the second is police acting on what they believe is a crime. Yeah, it's easy to judge later when we find out it is bogus, but that doesn't change the fact that at the time they believed it was a legitimate crime. The story says he reached for waistband. Now unless there is video, we'll never truly know what happened. But if he did, you don't reach for pepper spray or a taser. You meet deadly force with the same. They are trained to make split decisions. Frankly it's a job I wouldn't want and it is easy for people to armchair quarterback.

The fact there are 2 black teens is a tragedy. I don't agree with lumping them together.

^^^^this

_binary_jester_

<snip>
Except the surveillance video of Zimmerman AFTER the shooting show he has no injuries.

And I hear the 911 tppe of the operator telling Zimmerman NOT to follow Trayshon. Then he shoots him.

NU2U

<snip>
Except the surveillance video of Zimmerman AFTER the shooting show he has no injuries.

And I hear the 911 tppe of the operator telling Zimmerman NOT to follow Trayshon. Then he shoots him.

^^^ This

EmpressOfJudgment

Anyone saying that Obama's comments are dividing the country needs to rethink that statement. Dividing it how? Dividing the racists from the non-racists? It's a fact that black people, hispanics, Muslim and "Muslim looking" people are still discriminated against every day. To say "what about white people?" is completely ignorant. We have no idea what it's like to have to sit down our 13 year old son and give him a talk about not talking back to police men and not to run in public because someone will think you just did something awful. We don't understand what it's like to get pulled over and interrogated just because of the color of our skin. We don't know what it's like to see fear from people simply passing you innocently on the sidewalk.

This is probably the last thing I'll say in this thread because I don't like to get my heart racing and my blood boiling over ignorant comments people make over this topic.

KareninCanada

Except the surveillance video of Zimmerman AFTER the shooting show he has no injuries.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/george-zimmerman-enhanced-video-shows-injury-trayvon-martin-16053206

BEERRUNNER

Let me sum it up for you people...........this is what happens when a Wanna-be Gangzta and a Wanna-be cop encounter each other in the night...nothing good comes out of this scenario.

Im sure you all have seen the pictures of Trayvon in full gangzta mode (from his now inactive twitter) with gold teeth etc.......

http://www.wagist.com/2012/dan-linehan/was-trayvon-martin-a-drug-dealer

I eint pickin sides

DataBased

Let me preface this by saying that yes discrimination against blacks and hispanics still exists in this country and as a Latino raised in this country I can attest to that, however, the case you are referencing differs to that of Trayvon's death in that an alleged altercation occurred with Trayvon. Not enough information has been disclosed regarding Trayvon's case to say whether or not the actions of the shooter were justified. It may very well be that the shooter was not justified, however, before convicting him in the court of public opinion, allow the investigation to continue and see what additional information is presented regarding the shooter's rational in the shooting.

^^^ This.

Really people, the media are not our friends. They jerk our strings, we convict people before they have their day in court. Let's be mindful that a rush to judgement hurts us as a society. We tend to want instant everything. Justice can and should be a long and careful process. Let's get facts - and urge our law enforcement and court officials to let the facts lead the case to justice, not the media.

EmCarroll1990

Anyone saying that Obama's comments are dividing the country needs to rethink that statement. Dividing it how? Dividing the racists from the non-racists? It's a fact that black people, hispanics, Muslim and "Muslim looking" people are still discriminated against every day. To say "what about white people?" is completely ignorant. We have no idea what it's like to have to sit down our 13 year old son and give him a talk about not talking back to police men and not to run in public because someone will think you just did something awful. We don't understand what it's like to get pulled over and interrogated just because of the color of our skin. We don't know what it's like to see fear from people simply passing you innocently on the sidewalk.

This is probably the last thing I'll say in this thread because I don't like to get my heart racing and my blood boiling over ignorant comments people make over this topic.

Let's be realistic here, no matter your colour, EVERY ONE gets discriminated against. Hell, if I'm around lesbians, I get discriminated against because I'm in a straight relationship. I get discriminated against by people without tattoos because I have them - it happens. You're going to get discriminated regardless of what race, nationality or whatever because everyone walks around with this attitude that they're better than the next person and it's pathetic.

Regarding both kids, it's a terrible thing when kids are killed. And a shame that due to your race, you are in fear. It's too bad we can't live in a world where people are judged by who they are not what they are.

sassyshook

What happened to Trayshon was terrible and it needs to stop. I don't understand why some people are so full of hate that they want to kill somebody based on their skin color. The same applies to racial profiling, the kid had skittles and a pop I believe. What was Zimmerman so afraid of? The kid didn't do anything, I hope Zimmerman gets an extensive prison sentence where he can discover just how painful his butt can feel.

Trouble with that is, the police report, Zimmerman's injuries, AND a witness all agreed with his testimony that he, a 5'3" Hispanic guy on neighborhood watch, was punched and knocked to the ground by a 6'2" black teen in a hoodie. In his shoes I would have felt seriously endangered, too! He'd reported Martin as being suspicious, walking through a gated community where he didn't normally live. I can see why he'd have been concerned, and it would have been the right response to report it to police... where he went wrong was in following after he was told not to. The whole thing is a tragedy, to be sure, but I don't really think there was any racial motivation to the shooting. Neither one of them was white.

But if they're going to make it a racial issue, then why is no one protesting on behalf of the white kid who was lit on fire, the two English guys who were shot and their pants stripped off, the young white couple who were brutalized and murdered, or the elderly white couple who were horribly murdered, all by black teens and young adults? I live in an area that is surprisingly multicultural considering its size, and the racism I see every day makes me sick. I would love to see everyone just accept each other, and am looking forward to the day when skin color doesn't matter anymore. But the kind of racism being shown by Sharpton and Jackon and even Pres Obama right now is not helping things, it's just making it all worse and dividing people around the world.

I agree totally^^^^

BEERRUNNER

Let me preface this by saying that yes discrimination against blacks and hispanics still exists in this country and as a Latino raised in this country I can attest to that, however, the case you are referencing differs to that of Trayvon's death in that an alleged altercation occurred with Trayvon. Not enough information has been disclosed regarding Trayvon's case to say whether or not the actions of the shooter were justified. It may very well be that the shooter was not justified, however, before convicting him in the court of public opinion, allow the investigation to continue and see what additional information is presented regarding the shooter's rational in the shooting.

^^^ This.

Really people, the media are not our friends. They jerk our strings, we convict people before they have their day in court. Let's be mindful that a rush to judgement hurts us as a society. We tend to want instant everything. Justice can and should be a long and careful process. Let's get facts - and urge our law enforcement and court officials to let the facts lead the case to justice, not the media.

I toally agree!! Peopl are judging too quickly based on what the media has fed them....dance puppets dance hahahaha

DataBased

It's a fact that black people, hispanics, Muslim and "Muslim looking" people are still discriminated against every day. To say "what about white people?" is completely ignorant. We have no idea what it's like to have to sit down our 13 year old son and give him a talk about not talking back to police men and not to run in public because someone will think you just did something awful.

I agree that black, hispanic. and middle-eastern profiling exists, but I respectfully disagree that white people don't have to worry about it. Look at the 3 white kids convicted of killing that little boy in Arkansas, and that white teenaged kid that spent so much time in jail, convicted of killing a woman whose body was found in a field next to his dad's house. Look at Michael Morton and so many others. So yes, I agree that race can and does influence police activity.

But I also hold that whites, too, have much to worry about from lawmakers more interested in their own careers than in justice. My husband and I are the cleanest living people I know, but if we are *ever* interrogated by police, we will say nothing without legal representation. We don't have a thing in the world to hide, but that doesn't matter. The cops and the district attorneys twist everything, no matter how innocent, and all they're interested in is another conviction - even if it isn't supported by the facts.

We need to work together to change it - focus on our commonalities and not who has things worse. It's ALL bad when anything like this happens. It's bad for all of us.

MrsLVF

Killing kids of any race is a tragedy.

Killing ANYONE is a tragedy!!!!!

JennedyJLD

[/quote]
Except the surveillance video of Zimmerman AFTER the shooting show he has no injuries.
[/quote]

No, the (very grainy, poor quality) video shows that his head wasn't completely bashed in. it is absolutely impossible to tell if he had bruises or cuts that had been cleaned off.

I'm certainly not saying race wasn't a factor. But I am saying we *don't know* what happened yet. People on both sides are trying to manipulate this very sad case to suit their own agendas, and I'm becoming increasingly frustrated by it. If Zimmerman did profile Trayvon Martin and shoot him simply for being black, then that's obviously a terrible thing. However, the case isn't as simple as we were first told. Zimmerman is not white, but Hispanic. This was not a "white community," but a racially mixed one. It was gated only in a very loose sense - there had apparently been eight home break-ins and several car break-ins in the past month or so. Trayvon Martin was currently on suspension from school after authorities found several pieces of women's jewelry and a screwdriver, which many use to break into cars, in his backpack. He was NOT the innocent little angel certain folks want us to believe he was. That said, none of that means he was up to no good that night, and none of that means he deserved to be shot to death. What it DOES mean, to me anyway, is that we should not rush to judgment and assume this case is as simple as "Zimmerman shot Martin because Martin was black." And I'm truly sickened by what has amounted to little more than calls to lynch Zimmerman because folks would love to believe the story really is that simple (i.e., the "bounty" for Zimmerman's "capture," Spike Lee tweeting his home address - which turned out to be the wrong address, etc.) Can we not just relax and let justice be done in court and stop pretending we know what happened that night? We don't.

EmCarroll1990

Killing kids of any race is a tragedy.

Killing ANYONE is a tragedy!!!!!

Not true. Killing INNOCENT people is a tragedy. Killing murderers, rapists, child molesters, abusive spouses, animal abusers; is not a tragedy.

Caged_Heat

The guilt or innocence of these tragedies aside, according to FBI statistics for 2010, there were 12,996 homicides. Of those homicides, 6,470 of the victims were black. How many of those were murdered by blacks? Yet Sharpton and Jackson still manage to blame "white America" for this too.

Now, for the first time we have heard the biased press use the term "white Hispanic" when describing Zimmerman. And they continue to post side by side pictures of a mean looking adult Zimmerman next to a schoolboyish Martin to frame the debate as a white on black issue of an adult killing a child. Apparently it has worked.

Drunk drivers were not placed front and center until mothers of victims united and formed MADD - and they found legislators to support them. This is what the black community, IMHO, needs to do to help lift their children up and turn them away from drugs & violence. They need legislators who can help, not just give it lip service while they enjoy the perks of Washington and state & local government.

Face it: Democrats and the Black Caucus have used the black community for over 50 years with little or nothing to show for it, yet they continue to portray themselves as the saviours of the black community. The President was right when he said we needed to do some soul searching. Just not the way he meant it.

BEERRUNNER

Except the surveillance video of Zimmerman AFTER the shooting show he has no injuries.
[/quote]

No, the (very grainy, poor quality) video shows that his head wasn't completely bashed in. it is absolutely impossible to tell if he had bruises or cuts that had been cleaned off.

I'm certainly not saying race wasn't a factor. But I am saying we *don't know* what happened yet. People on both sides are trying to manipulate this very sad case to suit their own agendas, and I'm becoming increasingly frustrated by it. If Zimmerman did profile Trayvon Martin and shoot him simply for being black, then that's obviously a terrible thing. However, the case isn't as simple as we were first told. Zimmerman is not white, but Hispanic. This was not a "white community," but a racially mixed one. It was gated only in a very loose sense - there had apparently been eight home break-ins and several car break-ins in the past month or so. Trayvon Martin was currently on suspension from school after authorities found several pieces of women's jewelry and a screwdriver, which many use to break into cars, in his backpack. He was NOT the innocent little angel certain folks want us to believe he was. That said, none of that means he was up to no good that night, and none of that means he deserved to be shot to death. What it DOES mean, to me anyway, is that we should not rush to judgment and assume this case is as simple as "Zimmerman shot Martin because Martin was black." And I'm truly sickened by what has amounted to little more than calls to lynch Zimmerman because folks would love to believe the story really is that simple (i.e., the "bounty" for Zimmerman's "capture," Spike Lee tweeting his home address - which turned out to be the wrong address, etc.) Can we not just relax and let justice be done in court and stop pretending we know what happened that night? We don't.
[/quote]

JENNEDYJLD nailed it!!! ding ding ding. People need to stop jumping to conclusions based on what the media or clowns like Sharpton and Spike Lee tell them......

grinch031

I actually though the Trayvon Martin case was likely a case of murder due to race when the media first started discussing the case. Then after the actual details came out I realized there are two sides to this story which obviously don't match up very well. Rather then assume a young, innocent kid died simply because of his race, I think we need to let the facts and courts decide what really happened.

BEERRUNNER

The guilt or innocence of these tragedies aside, according to FBI statistics for 2010, there were 12,996 homicides. Of those homicides, 6,470 of the victims were black. How many of those were murdered by blacks? Yet Sharpton and Jackson still manage to blame "white America" for this too.

Now, for the first time we have heard the biased press use the term "white Hispanic" when describing Zimmerman. And they continue to post side by side pictures of a mean looking adult Zimmerman next to a schoolboyish Martin to frame the debate as a white on black issue of an adult killing a child. Apparently it has worked.

Drunk drivers were not placed front and center until mothers of victims united and formed MADD - and they found legislators to support them. This is what the black community, IMHO, needs to do to help lift their children up and turn them away from drugs & violence. They need legislators who can help, not just give it lip service while they enjoy the perks of Washington and state & local government.

Face it: Democrats and the Black Caucus have used the black community for over 50 years with little or nothing to show for it, yet they continue to portray themselves as the saviours of the black community. The President was right when he said we needed to do some soul searching. Just not the way he meant it.

YESSSS Awesome post! I agree entirely!!!

grinch031

Killing kids of any race is a tragedy.

Killing ANYONE is a tragedy!!!!!

Not true. Killing INNOCENT people is a tragedy. Killing murderers, rapists, child molesters, abusive spouses, animal abusers; is not a tragedy.

Killing the bad people is a tragedy too. Everyone is a product of their genetics and their environment, there is no inherent evil. It is also a tragedy for the family of these perpetrators who had nothing to do with their crimes. I don't understand people who get satisfaction over the death of anyone. I remember when Bin Laden was killed I didn't jump for joy because we finally got revenge, I was saddened that things led down this path such that he needed to be killed.