Exactly. It's his word against the guy who physically attacked him, and that guy isn't talking. To sum up the case, 1. Martin attacks Zimmerman in a manner that suggests attempted murder (bashing head on concrete), Zimmerman shoots Martin while Martin is on top of him bashing his head on the concrete. That is the sum total of evidence presented in this case. If anyone besides Travon Martin is to held accountable for Martin's death, it should be the family that raised him to be a violent and hateful thug.
Nobody's suggesting the self defense laws be changed, just the "I can shoot the black kid who's reaching into his pocket for a box of skittles and get away with it" law.
He would have been justifiably convicted of murder since he attacked Zimmerman and was on top of him and punching him.
stand your ground without that, you'd have to try to avoid confrontation with the kid reaching into his pocket for a box of skittles instead of standing your ground and "fearing imminent danger," shoot.
err, Why should a neighborhood watch guy have to avoid anyone in the neighborhood? Why do you find Black needing special consideration?
Why should a 17 year old have to be followed for walking in his neighborhood? Why should he not be able to defend himself against an armed assailant who follows him, despite police telling him to not follow?
I think the laws George is not guilty, but I think the law is bad. The only racism, was in George following Treyvon(sp) but not in shooting. That's my piece and i'm stepping away from the argument.
They also said they didn't need him to follow him. That is not the same thing as telling him not to follow him.
Because the guy was the neighborhood watch. If you live there then you ought to know he is on your team, unless of course you have real bad attitude and near stupid.
That may not be its intention, but it is clearly its effect. I'm as pro gun rights, pro 2nd amendment as anyone can be. That doesn't mean you don't hold people responsible for their actions when they're carrying a gun.
He called the police, fine. At that point, he did the most he should have done. To do more, which he did, was to be a vigilante. He took the law into his own hands. Gee, there's only been almost a hundred fifty years of history of free black people being beaten, tortured, intimidated, their businesses burned to the ground, treatment as 2nd class citizens, Jim Crow laws deliberately designed to oppress these people, and institutionalized racism (like banks redlining black neighborhoods). They absolutely need special consideration.
