George Zimmerman found not guilty

[Sierra]

You want to try some of the smaller places in Scotland then - they are unviable unless the army of community volunteers helps out.

 

I can see how this might be necessary in a a small Scottish town, but American pharmacies don't use volunteers. Their insurance doesn't cover non employees and it's a huge liability risk, not to mention the potential for theft and abuse.

 

Trayvon Martin's parents settle wrongful death suit against Sanford HOA.

 

Young Master Trayvon had in his possession that night, two of the three ingredients necessary to make something called lean. I recall something similar made with Pez and rum. Or Jolly Ranchers?

[natjack]

...

Trayvon Martin's parents settle wrongful death suit against Sanford HOA.

That leaves a somewhat bitter taste, grieving parents becoming millionaires on the body of their dead child. I can see that funeral expenses might be something they might need to be compensated for, as he was probably too young to have been insured, but a possible $1m? Not nice.

[Sierra]

That leaves a somewhat bitter taste, grieving parents becoming millionaires on the body of their dead child. I can see that funeral expenses might be something they might need to be compensated for, as he was probably too young to have been insured, but a possible $1m? Not nice.

 

I also don't know how I feel about this, but believe me, this is by no means an isolated case. I'm sure the Martin family will file a civil suit against George Zimmerman.

 

True story, 20 years ago, my mother and law and I were involved in a traffic accident. I was driving. My car was totalled but thank God minor injuries all around. The woman who hit us was insane, but wasn't hurt at all.

 

My mother in law sued me. Not me personally (though I'm sure she considered it), but my insurance company. My agent called me screaming that my MIL wasn't a nice person. I told him I already knew that, but that being married to her awesome son was worth having to tolerate her. The insurance company gave her a decent settlement, and I got a new car. That she never rode in.

 

It actually got to be a family joke. Remember the time you SUED ME?! If you don't laugh, you'll cry.

 

---------- Post added 18-07-2013 at 08:06 ----------

 

That leaves a somewhat bitter taste, grieving parents becoming millionaires on the body of their dead child. I can see that funeral expenses might be something they might need to be compensated for, as he was probably too young to have been insured, but a possible $1m? Not nice.

 

I'm sure their lawyer took a chunk of that money as well.

[RootsBooster]

Touché. I've clearly made a schoolboy error. Do you agree with the not guilty verdict? If not, why not.

 

I agree that the verdict they reached was not guilty.

Do I think that's right?

Purely because there wasn't enough evidence I think yes, they would have to find him not guilty of murder. That doesn't make him innocent though. Nobody knows what really happened that night.

 

 

For me the problem is the "stand your ground" law.

Of the many possibilities, any of these could have happened-

 

-Things happened how Zimmerman claims

 

-Martin found himself being followed by a man larger (Zimmerman was the larger of the two, even though Martin was 3 inches taller) than himself with a shaved head facial stubble wearing bright sportswear, talking into a phone while watching Martin. Maybe Martin thought the guy looked like a gang member or a mugger and got worried so started to run.

Maybe Zimmerman (after telling the cops "these assholes always get away!") decided this one wasn't getting away and went after him, maybe grabbing him, maybe threatening him, maybe even telling him he had a gun. So a fight breaks out which Martin is winning, maybe Zimmerman shot him with every intention of killing him.

 

-The above situation exactly the same but resulting in Zimmerman realising he was losing the fight, and shooting in self defence even though he was the initial aggressor.

 

 

Maybe Martin was the one who was standing his ground in defense.

This is pretty much my opinion on the case

[natjack]

... I'm sure their lawyer took a chunk of that money as well.

Just a job to them, ambulance chasers, probably suggested it to the parents anyway. Just can't get the mindset, their child is dead, they're presumably grieving, the money can't help the kid in any way, not like he was badly injured, he's actually died. And the first thing they can think to do is sue the housing association?

 

Doesn't set right with me. Sorry.

[Suffragette1]

If you're going to paint Martin's character for him you might as well mention Zimmerman's past, like assaulting a police officer or his violent marriage.

 

Quite. Here is a great blog about this appalling case.

[Halibut]

Quite. Here is a great blog about this appalling case.

 

And here's an extract, with my bold -

 

Since 1976, 35% of people executed in the USA were black, 56% were white. Their victims were black in 15% of cases and white in 77% of cases. However, where the victim was white and the killer was black, there have been 261 executions (I prefer to see them as state sanctioned murders). Where the victim was black and the killer was white there have been only 20. What is particularly worrying is that America knows its justice is racist. The United States General Accounting Office, Death Penalty Sentencing report from February 1990 states: “In 82% of the studies [reviewed], race of the victim was found to influence the likelihood of being charged with capital murder or receiving the death penalty, i.e., those who murdered whites were found more likely to be sentenced to death than those who murdered blacks.”

 

If that's not racist 'justice' I don't know what is.

[SevenRivers]

Quite. Here is a great blog about this appalling case.

 

Nicely written if you're looking for something full of supposition with opinion presented as fact.

 

---------- Post added 18-07-2013 at 13:05 ----------

 

Maybe Martin was the one who was standing his ground in defense.

This is pretty much my opinion on the case

 

An interesting piece which I think demonstrates exactly why they could not convict.

[Jonny5]

Since 1976, 35% of people executed in the USA were black, 56% were white. Their victims were black in 15% of cases and white in 77% of cases. However, where the victim was white and the killer was black, there have been 261 executions (I prefer to see them as state sanctioned murders). Where the victim was black and the killer was white there have been only 20. What is particularly worrying is that America knows its justice is racist. The United States General Accounting Office, Death Penalty Sentencing report from February 1990 states: “In 82% of the studies [reviewed], race of the victim was found to influence the likelihood of being charged with capital murder or receiving the death penalty, i.e., those who murdered whites were found more likely to be sentenced to death than those who murdered blacks.”

 

If that's not racist 'justice' I don't know what is.

Although those stats are shocking, the US has far more creeds than black and white.

 

They have nothing to do with this case anyhow as Zimmerman was Hispanic.

Plus the weight of what little evidence there was pointed towards self-defence.

 

Granted, if Martin had been the shooter and the victim had been white it may well have been a different story.

[RootsBooster]

An interesting piece which I think demonstrates exactly why they could not convict.

 

...for murder. The "stand your ground" law would, in most cases where it's one word against the deceased's, also prevent them being found guilty of manslaughter in my opinion.