[quote]zecarlo wrote:
Trayvon was a kid so to expect him to think like an adult is silly. [/quote]
I expected him to act with some sense, given he was 17 fucking years old. Within a year he would have been able to vote and a plethora of other things that adults do. If someone is following me, I either confront them or I start running like hell.
So what would you have done, as a 17 year old? Jump Mr. Zimmerman?
[quote]zecarlo wrote:
Yes, by carrying a gun you need to be more aware of your actions and behaviors. When you carry you look to avoid situations in which you might end up using it rather than invite those situations.[/quote]
Is this your personal opinion, or the law? I’m pretty sure following someone isn’t illegal, if you think they’re up to no good. Nor is asking them what they’re doing illegal.
Martin has a long history of violent crime/behaviour.
Irrelevant.
Baseless assumption.
More baseless assumptions. Read the following CAREFULLY:
From the wiki (Killing of Trayvon Martin - Wikipedia):
-Statements then read that Zimmerman then called the Sanford Police Department to report Martin’s behavior as suspicious, stating “This guy looks like he’s up to no good, or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about” and “looking at all the houses”
-The Retreat at Twin Lakes is a 260-unit gated townhome community in Sanford, Florida.[84][85] The population in the development at the time of the shooting, was about 49% non-Hispanic white, 23% Hispanic(of any race), 20% black, and 5% Asian, according to Census figures.
-From January 1, 2011 through February 26, 2012, police were called to The Retreat at Twin Lakes 402 times.[72] During the 18 months preceding the February 26 shooting, Zimmerman called the non-emergency police line seven times. On five of those calls, Zimmerman reported suspicious looking men in the area, but never offered the men’s race without first being asked by the dispatcher.[87][88][89]
-In September 2011, the Twin Lakes residents held an organizational meeting to create a neighborhood watch program. Zimmerman was selected by neighbors as the program’s coordinator, according to Wendy Dorival, Neighborhood Watch organizer for the Sanford Police Department.[6][6][91]
-Zimmerman had been licensed to carry a firearm since November 2009. In response to Zimmerman’s multiple reports regarding a loose pit bull in the Twin Lakes neighborhood, a Seminole County Animal Services officer advised Zimmerman to “get a gun”, according to a friend, rather than rely on pepper spray to fend off the pit bull, which on one occasion had cornered his wife.[64] Although neighborhood watch volunteers are not encouraged to carry weapons, Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee acknowledged that Zimmerman had a legal right to carry his firearm on the night of the shooting.[72]
-Zimmerman was accused of being motivated by racism[4][170] and of having racially profiled Martin.[4][129][282][307] During early media coverage of the incident, Zimmerman’s call to the police dispatcher was edited by NBC, shortened such that it appeared that Zimmerman had volunteered Martin’s race. The unedited audio recording proved that the police dispatcher specifically asked about Martin’s race, and only then did Zimmerman reveal that Martin was black.
-According to his family, some of Zimmerman’s relatives are black.[57] Zimmerman’s former lawyer Craig Sonner stated that Zimmerman is not a racist, and that he had mentored black youths in the past.[309] Joe Oliver, a former television news reporter who is acquainted with Zimmerman,[310] noted “I’m a black male and all that I know is that George has never given me any reason whatsoever to believe he has anything against people of color.”[311]
-In early April, an anonymous letter to the NAACP, which was signed “A Concerned Zimmerman Family Member,” said Zimmerman had been one of the few to take any action to protest the 2010 beating of Sherman Ware, a black homeless man, by the son of a Sanford police officer. Zimmerman reportedly distributed fliers in the black community trying to get others involved too, and helped organize a January 8, 2011, Sanford City Hall community forum to protest the incident.[312] Zimmerman’s father confirmed his son’s efforts on Ware’s behalf.[313]
-In the course of Zimmerman’s recorded interviews, Detective Chris Serino questioned aspects of Zimmerman’s account, such as Zimmerman’s statement that he didn’t know the name of a street in the Twin Lakes community where he had lived for three years. Zimmerman said in response that he had a bad memory and takes medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.[190] Investigators also questioned the extent of his injuries and why he didn’t identify himself to Martin as a Neighborhood Watch coordinator. Zimmerman said he didn’t want to confront Martin.[190][193]
What we get from this:
- Of the 402 calls to the police by residents of The Retreat at Twin Lakes, 7 of them were by Mr. Zimmerman. That means less than 2 percent of all calls were Mr. Zimmerman. This shows he is not a wanna-be-cop/vigilante.
-Mr. Zimmerman acquired a handgun due to a pitbull that had been loose, after being suggested to do so, by Seminole County Animal Services officer. Again, not a wanna-be-cop/vigilante.
-Thinking Mr. Zimmerman racially profiled Martin is bullshit because: 20% of the gated community is black, Mr. Zimmerman has black relatives, has mentored black individuals; and was among the few that protested the beating of a black homeless man by police. For the calls he made concerning suspicious behaviour/individuals, he never gave the person’s ethnicity/race, unless asked by the dispatcher.
Your main arguments, that of racism and vigilantism, have been utterly destroyed.
pics:
