Neighbourhood Watch Kills Unarmed Black Kid

[Andara Bledin]

I think it quite relevant if Martin was defending himself from Zimmerman when he was shot and killed. Since we only have Zimmerman's word for what happened, proving it gets much harder, though.

When the entire case hinges on the prosecution proving that Zimmerman was not defending himself, whether Martin was justified in attacking him is, criminally speaking, irrelevant.

The way the law is written, there is no burden for Zimmerman to prove that his word is accurate when there is no dissenting argument presented by the other side.

Apparently, Florida's law is written such that so long as you make sure any witnesses are dead, you don't have to prove a damn thing.

Then again, this is also the state where they recently wrote a law to ban Internet cafes and managed to screw it up so badly that they inadvertently outlawed all computer use to access the Internet. >_<

[Panacea]

As for the talk of riots -- a number of which were openly planned in advance, I don't know how many have actually taken place (I am hoping very few) -- it occurs to me that some of them would have taken place no matter what the verdict. Some people, as they say, just wanna watch the world burn, so any excuse will do.

Yeah, I don't get this, either. We are protesting against violence . . . with more violence?

When the entire case hinges on the prosecution proving that Zimmerman was not defending himself, whether Martin was justified in attacking him is, criminally speaking, irrelevant.

Possibly. I think the prosecution just didn't think of this angle; I wasn't particularly impressed by the job they did. Then again, they managed to fuck up the Casey Anthony case as well.

It just seems to me that unless you hand prosecutors in that state evidence on a gold platter, they just don't seem to give a damn.

Apparently, Florida's law is written such that so long as you make sure any witnesses are dead, you don't have to prove a damn thing.

Well, that's a true statement if ever I heard one. And it's sick: anytime someone ends up dead due to a deliberate act, you should have to answer hard questions about that act . . . even if you are completely justified, to make sure sun shines in on what happened. Which didn't happen in this case.

Then again, this is also the state where they recently wrote a law to ban Internet cafes and managed to screw it up so badly that they inadvertently outlawed all computer use to access the Internet. >_<

Yeah, gotta love that one

[Gravekeeper]

I'm still really struggling with how someone can initiate, against all professional advice, a situation that results in shooting of an innocent person to death ( a minor at that ) and have it not be a problem in any legal sense. Never mind in Zimmerman's case with all of the inconsistencies and what not in his statements.

The whole trial seemed like a circus. All female, 5 white, 1 Hispanic jury. Judge forbidding the prosecution from saying anything about racial profiling and not allowing the prosecution's audio experts to testify.

The defense opening with a fucking knock knock joke. -.-

[Panacea]

I know. I don't get it either. I do get the bit about the audio testimony; the science is not proven, and didn't meet legal tests for validity.

And the audio did matter; the jury is saying they believed the voice was Zimmerman, and that was the deciding factor for them.

But Florida's Stand your Ground law is a fucked up piece of horse shit. It basically means who ever is left alive at the end has the last word . . . literally.

It's a terrible law. It's a license to kill.

[mikoyan29]

We'll see what happens when a black person decides to hide behind this law.

[Greenday]

We'll see what happens when a black person decides to hide behind this law.

Oh please. Get off your high horse. You act like only white people have used this.

http://www.tampabay.com/stand-your-g...aw/fatal-cases

There have been 35 cases in Florida so far where a black person has claimed SYG. 24 have been deemed justified. That's a 69% success rate. White people have had a 62% success rate.

These claims of racism are only setting us back in the real fight against racism.

[Nekojin]

But Florida's Stand your Ground law is a fucked up piece of horse shit. It basically means who ever is left alive at the end has the last word . . . literally.

It's a terrible law. It's a license to kill.

To be completely accurate, the law that's turning this around, and forcing the Prosecution to prove that it WASN'T self-defense, predates the SYG law by over a decade. It's just that it's never really been challenged.

[Gravekeeper]

Oh god, juror interview.

The juror said she found the testimony of Rachel Jeantel unconvincing, in part because of what she perceived as Jeantel's poor education and “her [lack of] communication skills." When Cooper asked if the juror had trouble understanding Jeantel, she said, “A lot of the time. Because she was using phrases I had never heard before, and what they meant."

- Asked by George Zimmerman's attorney to describe Trayvon Martin, she said, "He was a boy of color."

- During questioning, she referred multiple times to "riots" in Sanford after Trayvon Martin was killed. "I knew there was rioting, but I guess [the authorities] had it pretty well organized," she says at one point. In fact, despite a great deal of salivating anticipation by the media both before and after the trial, there were no riots in Sanford, Florida.

"I don't listen to the radio" or read the internet, she said. Her only news about the case came from the Today show. "Newspapers are used in the parrot's cage. Not even read," she said. "It's been so long since I even read one. The only time I see em is when I'm putting them down on the floor."

and she got on the jury how? >.>

[Kheldarson]

and she got on the jury how? >.>

By being not apparently biased by the news?


ETA: Slate did some interviews with other lawyers on their take: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_a...on_martin.html

Might give some insight. Or not.

[Gravekeeper]

It sounds like her attorney husband coached her on what to say/not say to get onto the jury so they could run for a book deal after the trial.

[Greenday]

Oh god, juror interview.

and she got on the jury how? >.>

Because...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LRSJGFoXEY - Just start at 0:40.

[Panacea]

It sounds like her attorney husband coached her on what to say/not say to get onto the jury so they could run for a book deal after the trial.

My very thought.

[Andara Bledin]

It sounds like her attorney husband coached her on what to say/not say to get onto the jury so they could run for a book deal after the trial.

If this is the case, and it comes out, would that be grounds to declare the whole thing a mistrial and force it back into court?

[Nekojin]

Edit: Old news, sorry. Not something new since the end of the trial. Nothing to see here, move along...

[Kheldarson]

Juror B37 will not be publishing a book.

That's good, at least.