Check in if you're a white person who thinks Zimmerman should have been convicted of something....

[senseandsensibility]

Not only am I white, I am the same sex and age as most of the women on that jury. I would have held out until there was a hung jury for at least the lesser charge. Although I am white, I also think that the jury should have been much more diverse.

I pray for peace for Trayvon and his parents.

[SirRevolutionary]

1. Second degree

but at LEAST man slaughter. He instigated the entire thing. Also, what if Martin had been a 50 yr old white lady in a hoodie, dressed and "behaving" exactly the same? Hmmmmm? Would he have bothered getting out of his car? I can't believe he walked free.

[calimary]

56. Totally. I was hoping for at least manslaughter, but second-degree murder would have been fitting.

More appropriate. And I can't believe he beat the rap. Although I'm not surprised.

[SirRevolutionary]

329. I'm actually shocked he got off scott free

At the very least, he should have received manslaughter. And I don't know why the prosecution didn't bring up race. Do they seriously believe Zimpig would have left his car packing heat and pursued a 50 yr old white lady in a hoodie, skinny jeans, walking in the rain? I just find it hard to believe.

From what I've heard, Zimpig is free to walk and get his murder weapon back so he can continue to happily prowl the streets playing cop, looking for the next "perp". The whole verdict just drains the energy out of me.

[calimary]

445. Man, no kidding.

"The whole verdict just drains the energy out of me."

I know EXACTLY how you feel. I feel just completely drained. Exhausted. Depleted. And utterly dumbfounded. I'm not surprised. But still, at the same time, I'm just dumbfounded.

[SirRevolutionary]

453. At first, I refused to watch Anderson Cooper's interview with that juror

but then I gave in, and that woman drained what little energy I had left. She seemed devoid of any logic at all and it's like she had an agenda before the trial even began.

[calimary]

454. Of course she had an agenda before the trial even began.

I'd guess she came in with an already-made-up mind, and my-my-my but that abortive book deal certainly got off to a flying start in a hurry. Initial word of it came within HOURS of the jury's being excused. Don't tell me it wasn't in the works, probably with her husband or whoever, WHILE she was still sequestered. There were six jurors and a few alternates. Why was SHE the one who had the book deal straight out of the gate?

It just REEKS.

[PDittie]

138. Spot on

Exactly what I came in to post.

[SirRevolutionary]

337. On The Cycle right now...

White people in stand your ground states are 354% more likely to walk free for shooting a black person than if they shot a white person. If those stats are true, that's just repulsive.

[KoKo]

252. I thought it would be "manslaughter" also. n/t

[roguevalley]

376. I fear for our unity and cohesion against future travails now that racists have control

of some things. I pray for the peace of the world. I am white, old and sad today.

[SirRevolutionary]

384. I agree wholeheartedly roguevalley

I can't believe we're fighting the same crap all these years later, it's like we've made little progress on some issues anyway.

[Quixote1818]

2. Yes he should have

He deserves at least a few years in prison at the very least.

[NoOneMan]

3. Yes

I thought he would at least be picking up garbage on the weekends for some lame minor offense

[MattBaggins]

4. He got away with killing an unarmed kid

[Skittles]

5. Zimmerman's reckless actions led to the death of an innocent person

he is forever guilty

[Marie Marie]

14. Yes and his acquittal forever sets a dangerous precedent.

Everything about this case stinks to high Heaven.

[DallasNE]

110. This NRA Inspired Law Is Designed

To give the gun owner immunity from prosecution. The defendant can claim self defense based on a simple fear of great bodily harm. Here a pop in the nose was a license to kill. The prosecution has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the claimed fear was not real. While justice was not served the verdict is right provided the jurists can adequately explain away the 911 call where the scream ends the millisecond the shot is fired because any reasonable person what have to conclude it is Martin screaming bases solely on this established fact.

[Skittles]

129. one of the guys was indeed in fear for his life

problem is, it was NOT ZIMMERMAN

[mountain grammy]

245. The NRA has already lobbied successfully for immunity for gun manufacturers,

immunity for the shooter is the next logical step for them.

[RobertEarl]

6. Here

I bet there was at least one bully in the jury that wanted nothing more than to see Z walk. Not many can stand up to bullies.

[senseandsensibility]

8. I also dislike bullies

Last edited Mon Jul 15, 2013, 01:02 AM - Edit history (1)

but I'm not sure I understand you. Would all five of the other jurors fall prey to a bully? Maybe, but it doesn't seem likely to me.

[kardonb]

47. here

on the jury of 6 , there were 5 white women , from Florida , arch - repug state . That verdict was totally expectable , under the circumstances .

[handmade34]

127. 6 white women

[ReRe]

74. I agree with you Robert Earl....

... and I think that is EXACTLY what the defense was banking on. Probably the foreman and maybe up to a couple others. Jury was not diverse enough. Why on earth did the prosecution team go along with that jury? I think they rushed through this trial because they just wanted it all to be over. Too much disarray on the prosecution side. It's a good thing I wasn't on that jury. It would have been a hung jury had I been on it. Or they would have come over to my side. In red states, bullies rule. Everyone goes along to get along in those places. Did you listen to the trial, the opening or closing by the defense? The whole thing they presented was nothing but a bully-bait. And it worked, unfortunately.

[defacto7]

89. "Why on earth did the prosecution team go along with that jury?"

My belief is the prosecution had no intention of prosecuting period. It was a dog and pony show to get the trial (no double jeopardy) out of the way of the state so it would look like they did the job while preserving their perverted view of public safety.

[brush]

167. And did you see the state Attorney General Corey's statement (whatever her title is) before the

microphones and cameras after the trial? She seemed gitty and smiing, like she was loving the fact the her department pulled off the trial, loving the media attention, praising her team of attorneys.

That part I didn't get at all because they lost. And she smiled all the way through without any mention of being upset about the outcome.

The thought crossed my mind that she was pleased with the outcome, that she can continue in her position in red-state Florida and hold her head high as the one who only reluctantly took zimmerman to trial but did the right thing and found him innocent.

[northoftheborder]

222. response to brush:

I heard somewhere, or read, the question asked, during the trial: Is the prosecution trying to throw this case? I wish we could know the background story behind the prosecutors, this Att. Gen, police dept., and what pressure might have been brought to bear, politically, to NOT find Z. guilty of anything. That is the real story in this racist community and nation. And to dig that up, without brave whistleblowers, I think would be impossible. That's why I don't think the Justice Dept. can, or will, get to the bottom of the misapplication of justice in this case.

[truth2power]

244. That woman, the one with all the makeup; Sorry, but I found that distracting..

I didn't know who she was, but it was like she was reading from a script.

Difficult to put my finger on it. Glossing over everything. Fake.



Edit to add> I'm white. Murder 2 would have been acceptable as far as I'm concerned. That he didn't get AT LEAST manslaughter is a travesty, IMO.

[brush]

348. Yeah the make up was too much

I can't get over how happy she seemed to be in front of the media, like this was the close-up she'd been waiting for a long time, ala Norma Desmond.

Guess she's thinking springboard to a run for governor because she sure did her duty to the reddest of red states.

[Rebl]

392. I saw

Little of that news conference and wondered who that grinning idiot was. Just figured she was part of the defense team the way she was acting. Disgusted to find she was part of the prosecution.

[bushisanidiot]

256. I agree!

The prosecution missed so many points they should have made.
Police officers never testify in favor f the killer,
Especially without cross examination by the prosecution.
They did it to protect the police who immediately assumed trayvon was guilty when they saw he was black.

[etherealtruth]

375. Whatever their reason ... it certainly did look purposeful n/t

[ellenfl]

302. what defacto7 said. eom

[Rebl]

394. I've

wondered that myself. I agree with everything you say. Most prosecutors would have objected to the make-up of this jury. It's like they didn't care. I'd also never heard of only six on a jury for a murder trial. Seems odd to me.

[RobertEarl]

101. I did not pay much attention before

I am not surprised it was a sham. Officials just never cared from the night of, all the way to now. It should have been a jury of 12, I can't ever recall a 6 person jury. And all 6 were women?

[ReRe]

112. All the same irregularities...

... I, too, had never ever seen a trial with only 6 jurors. But what can you say? Florida is like a foreign country. Nothing is usual and customary down there. Florida IS the Father of the "Stand-Your-Ground" Law, after all.

[AAO]

153. WHITE women

[protect our future]

250. I've wondered who was in the pool to be

interviewed for that jury. I've wondered who was eliminated and why. I've wondered how many people, scheduled for jury service, had their service postponed and what were the excuses they used. I am very, very, very curious.

[tavalon]

324. 12 is for a death penalty jury in Florida

[avebury]

134. I would and I would also have no problem with

shining the light on what took place in the jury room if something inappropriate took place.

[heaven05]

191. yeah

Last edited Mon Jul 15, 2013, 09:51 AM - Edit history (1)

the third and fourth, possibly fifth juror were FIRM, loud in their not guilty. The first was quiet. Other(s) sounded, to me, unsure. But that's just my 'jaundiced' take.

[Fla Dem]

198. Had a similar thought. Someone or 2 who were very vocal or outspoken

who took control and rode roughshod over the other members. Most of them mothers, probably wanted to get home to their kids. Figured it wasn't going to change anything, so might as well go along and let him off so they could go home. It was poor jury selection, another reason I thing the fix was in by the prosecution.

[pacalo]

7. I would have held out, too.

[Triana]

9. Yo. n/t

[Tx4obama]

10. If the other jurors voted not guilty, I would have voted for manslaughter (30 years)

... and stuck to it causing a hung jury.

[calimary]

61. I found myself thinking that, too. I would have hung that jury.

I could not, for the life of me, see him excused from this having done nothing wrong. He MURDERED that kid. MURDER. And I don't care if it was a paltry four minutes as his lawyer tried to diminish things. Four minutes was plenty long enough for him to decide ahead of time that yet another "fucking punk" was going to go down, and he was gonna make sure of it, because as we all know, "they always get away." He determined the minute he spotted Trayvon that he was personally gonna make sure this "fucking punk" wasn't going to get away. There was enough time for a little premeditation before the fact, the way I see it. I don't care if you plot for two years ahead of the killing or four minutes. He decided he was gonna take this "fucking punk" down and make sure he wasn't one of those who "always get away." Open and shut.

I would not have given in. Zimmerman is a certified menace to society. He didn't just have a loaded gun. He WAS a loading gun - just itching to go off so he could be John Wayne or Clint Eastwood or Rambo. Zimbo, maybe.

[AAO]

156. Congrats, George, this one didn't get away!

YOU PIG! MURDERER! I hope you meet your just due someday soon.

[LittleGirl]

236. middle aged white lady here

I would have hung that jury too. He murdered that kid. In khaki's. And it was raining so he had his hood up. He murdered that kid and I don't care what color the kid was, Georgie boy was going to take him out no matter what the police said. He's a murderer and you can't let murderers walk away. Shame on that jury. I would not yield in a jury like that.

[Lunacee_2013]

105. Me too, k&r nt.

[Stardust]

11. Absolutely. nt

[arely staircase]

12. second degree might have been a stretch under florida law, such as it is

but I don't see how they found him not guilty of manslaughter.

says this white enough to pass DUr.

[frazzled]

13. Checking in big time

I would have hung that jury from the highest rafter. I would never, ever have capitulated to a not guilty verdict.

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

15. Checkin' in.... n/t

[PD Turk]

16. White male here, 51

I'm a grumpy old white gun owner who believes people should be able to have and use guns for self defense and I think they should have locked his ass up for a very long time. He was out there playing John Wayne and he had NO business getting out and following that boy. The kid was doing NOTHING wrong. I have zero tolerance for vigilante assholes and even less tolerance for racists.

[rufus dog]

19. Same age as you, never owned a gun

But for shits sake, I have thought about it based upon some of these loony right wingers.

[JimboBillyBubbaBob]

199. Yeah............

.................I'm a 59 year old white male (trying to be less grumpy) and I agree with your post PD. Zimmerman was a vigilante who became a murderer. It sickens me to think of it.

[rufus dog]

17. YUP!

Would have sat my white ass there for as long as it took. But then again I took my ass out of Maricopa County/Phoenix as soon as I graduated college due to the same type of ignorance that exists in Seminole County.

[rrneck]

18. He should go to jail

He failed in his responsibilities of an adult, property owner and gun owner. Not only that, but he used those advantages for his own egotistical ends, and a kid died because he didn't know how to deal with assholes like him.

[ReRe]

80. Damn right he failed as a responsible adult.

Tact and ambassadorship does not figure into GZ'x personality ANYWHERE. I bet $5 bucks he couldn't even define those two terms. If he was so damn gung-ho to kill, why didn't he join the military killing machine? He's a wimp, that's why. If you looked into his real background, I bet you wouldn't find ONE redeeming quality.

[brush]

174. You are right on all counts except

zimmerman is not a property owner. He was living with his girlfriend in her rented unit.

Amazing, right? The gall of that killer running around trying to police the place and he didn't even own a unit.

[LukeFL]

20. I am Hispanic and white . GZ should

Have been sent 30/40 years to jail- he is a murderer. I don't agree with the verdict.

[Arcanetrance]

21. It's crazy to think people could look at everything and set him free

His own defense basically admits he confronted trayvon if anything that says to me trayvon was the one who had the right to self defense when all was said and done

[Heddi]

22. I'm as white as he is guilty

I'm so white, I'm the "irish girl" in the "irish girl sunbathing" pic



I thought he'd get manslaughter. SOMETHING.

he got *nothing*

fucker.

He'll get his soon enough.

[senseandsensibility]

28. lol

The other one looks like me. Hubby and I are both transparent ( white is too dark) and we both think Z was guilty.

[laundry_queen]

73. Ditto.

I used to get asked if I felt ok when I was a kid because apparently I always looked like I was just about to faint. I have dark hair too so it adds to the contrast.

I was outside watering my new lawn for a bit yesterday (it was partly cloudy and cool) for about an hour off and on, and got a sunburn.

I absolutely think GZ was guilty of 2nd degree. I DO think the prosecution threw the case on purpose. There's something that stinks here.

[silverweb]

23. Better believe it.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]RIP Trayvon.

[JDPriestly]

24. I figured the jury would decide whatever it wanted.

And the fact that the jury was not our long tells me it was not a decision based on a really careful review of the facts.

But I think had the jury really sought justice, Zimmerman would have been found guilty at least on a manslaughter charge.

The prosecutor must have really . . . . . .

[Douglas Carpenter]

25. yeah, the acquittal really is ridiculous - I can conceive how a jury may have felt manslaughter was

the more appropriate conviction - based on the reasonable doubt principle - But the idea of someone could for no reason whatsoever cook up the thought in their head that because a black teenager is walking trough their neighborhood - they MUST be up to something because punks like that always are - and from that thought springs stalking them against police instructions then provoking of a physical confrontation ending with pulling a gun and shooting and killing them - Almost all gun related homicides have some kind of confrontational moment where the armed person feels in their own mind that they are threatened - If this same principle were applied - we would have to acquit almost 90% of people who have been convicted of homicides.

[MoonchildCA]

26. As far as I'm concerned...

...a gun-happy, neighborhood vigilante, who was sitting in wait for the first suspicious-looking (and we know what I mean by that) person to enter the neighborhood so he could take his revenge and become a "hero," is now sitting free. I believe it was second degree murder. But I also blame the prosecution. I really think they did a crappy job presenting their case. I could barely watch anymore the further in to the case it got. I was afraid this would be the outcome.

[heaven05]

207. sham

prosecution, for show only.

[gopiscrap]

27. damn right possibly second degree murder

definitely manslaughter

[snappyturtle]

29. The verdict was upside down. Terrible. nt

[arcane1]

30. Speaking as a 40-something born-&-raised-in-the-capitol-of-the-confederacy white male

I would have thought Zimmerman got away with murder if this had happened 30 years ago.

[Pholus]

31. Oh heck yes.

This is one of those trials that when the inevitable books come out you'll find out things behind the scenes that will make you rage.

[Egalitarian Thug]

32. Hi there.

[senseandsensibility]

36. Love your sig line

Edited because dig line doesn't make sense.

[Egalitarian Thug]

51. Thanks. It becomes more and more relevant every year. n/t

[Rex]

33. Yes, WSM here. If I was on the jury

I'd want to know just who was on trial here? Martin or Zimmerman? I mean, you got a smoking gun! That shot a bullet and entered into the heart of another person thus killing him. I would wonder why there was no homicide investigation and why the body stayed in the morgue for 3 days, even with the parents looking for their son. Was it really that hard for the PD to connect the dots or was something else going on?

Of course I have no idea if any of that would have been allowed for me to judge on or not. Seems the jury was told they could only rule on 3 conditions. I'm no lawyer, have no idea if that is common or not.

[TorchTheWitch]

34. He should have gotten 2nd degree

I would have been satisfied with manslaughter though... disappointed but satisfied. The jury finding him not guilty is a travesty and it has nothing to do with the jury instructions.

I also found the jurors to be extremely not diverse, and with the size of the pool they had to choose from I see no reason why they couldn't have had SOME diversity. They were pretty much all cookie cutter of each other. It could very well be though that it was exactly what the prosecution would have wanted if they couldn't have more ethnicity - female and mothers.

[mettamega]

35. I agree totally - the prosecution did not fight to WIN very very sad -

from a grieving white woman

[Punkingal]

37. I definitely think he should have been convicted..

I watched the entire trial, and I would have voted second degree murder, but I would settle for manslaughter.

[PsychGrad]

38. Checking in -

As a white female, late 30s, who has worked with hundreds of young black males (and the kids I work with are dx with SED at that) - I have NEVER had a moment where I felt threatened by them. Of course, I am respectful and don't stalk them in the dark either with a gun on my hip. The fact that Trayvon is being painted as a "thug" - well, MOST just turned 17 year old males are "thugs" - it's part of the autonomy process for young males of ALL races. *sigh*

I think premeditated murder - but probably couldn't prove it "by law". Minimum, manslaughter and stalking and something to do with provoking a confrontation when none was necessary.

[treestar]

42. Your last sentence says it all

A 17 year old boy could be continuing his young life! But for George Zimmerman being an asshole.

[postulater]

123. What I sed?

[eridani]

39. 67,white and female

I wish GZ a Hobbseian life--nasty, brutish and short.

[brush]

175. YES!

[brush]

176. YES!

[loyalsister]

40. yes I am

I was think\hoping they would. I didn't watch the trial but listened to analyses from some of the celebrity attorneys. They pointed out quite a few missed opportunities and mistakes from the prosecution. They were definitely on Trayvon's side.

I also heard one of them talking about a pattern of "overcharging" and how it is a serious problem for minorities who are charged with crimes because they are often found guilty.

Here we see the flip side. Overcharging leads to more hesitation to find a white guy (I have no doubt GZ is passing) guilty.

[treestar]

41. Yes.

It is incredible to me. Zimmerman's attitude in that tape. They always get away. He was not going to let the boy get away. How can there be any reasonable doubt about who started the fight? Zimmerman knew the cops were coming and would be there soon. He had no reason to use deadly force. He could have kept fighting the fistfight. His head was not repeatedly bashed, or he'd have more extensive injuries. There is no reasonable doubt that he was not entitled to use deadly force.

[Common Sense Party]

43. I'm a white gun owner with a CCW and I think he should have gotten manslaughter.

There was never enough evidence for 2nd-degree murder, but manslaughter should have been a slamdunk.

[bushisanidiot]

257. White mother of a white grown son

Zimmermans story never added up.
The prosecution was grossly incompetent.
Anyone watching from home could see hoe they dropped the ball over and over again
To allow the defense to get away with zs story being taken for granted as true.

[Jack Rabbit]

44. I believe he should have been charged with and convicted of murder/1

The facts supported it.

He got out of his car and pursued the victim against the directions of the 911 dispatcher, after expressing racial animus. He knew the police were on the way. I see absolutely no reasonable doubt or room for any lesser included offense.

[cynatnite]

45. Absolutely...

But I also think that it's an entirely new perspective when you're sitting on a jury. I've sat on a few and it's a very different position than being an observer on the outside.

Don't get me wrong. I do believe Zimmerman should have at the very least been convicted of manslaughter.

I do agree that this jury should have been more diverse. That stood out to me more than anything.

[Wwagsthedog]

46. At the very least, manslaughter.

[John1956PA]

224. Agree.

Z did not relate to the police everything that he was doing as he trailed Trevon on that fateful evening. I believe that Z was grasping his weapon at least part of the time as he trotted behind Trevon.

[protect our future]

262. I've been thinking that too, that Z had a

hand on his weapon and maybe even had it out and pointed Trayvon's way. If Trayvon saw it when Z got up close, that would be one way of explaining the confrontation. Trayvon was trying to save his own life.

One thing that I think is of the utmost importance: Z knew there was a tape rolling. He was "playing" for the audience. Clever liar and manipulator that he is, he knew what to say or yell, and he knew what not to say or yell. Heck, I've seen that same thing in movies on Lifetime.

[Wgles]

48. Agree....

Would have hung in... anything... something.

[calimary]

63. Welcome to DU, Wgles!

Glad you're here. As glum as we are. At least we have each other with whom to commiserate. This weekend, in between doing my work, I seriously NEEDED to come here and hang and vent and post and read, and feel some sense of solidarity. It's been good to be in this good company. You get the reassurance and validation that you're not alone in how you feel. So many of us, white, black, male, female, gay, straight - come down on the same side on this issue, among others. He's a flat-out, unrepentent, self-anointed vigilante MURDERER. Pre-determined. The instant he spotted the black kid where HE decided that black kid had no right to be - unless he was obviously up to something. Judge-jury-executioner all in one. The one-stop shopping murderer guy. Sweet. And they let him walk.

[heaven05]

211. been

a rocky weekend. WELCOME! May your stay be enriching, enlightening. maddening and fulfilling. Guaranteed on this site.

[senseandsensibility]

69. Welcome to DU

I remember when I first posted here I was so "green" that someone welcomed me and I didn't respond. Why? I'm not sure, but I appreciated their welcome . It may have been that I just wasn't sure what to do. Anyway, I hope you keep posting as I have all these years.

[Wgles]

84. Thank you to both

Thank you to both of you for welcoming me. I have been reading DU for a while (quite a while) now but was my first post.
I am very upset about the vigilant aspect of this case. I think anyone who can put themselves into the shoes of a 17 hear old who was walking alone in the dark in the rain with someone following them and I feel sick thinking of how scared he must have felt. And what makes me the most sick is I tell my kids and myself that I should not let my mind scare myself when I am afraid... that I should not let myself engage in negativity... that everything is gong to be "all right" i.e. "How bad can it be?" But for Trayvon it WAS that bad. And I am supposed to say its okay because its the law?

[mstinamotorcity2]

145. Welcome

I think you will do okay. You will learn a lot. You will get angry. But you will have a voice here at DU. Yes I like your comment. I am black. Name probably gave that away. I was wondering, there are a lot of Caucasian parents with black children and bi-racial children, did a light bulb go off when they heard the verdict. Are they now feeling the fear that a black mom has felt since the Middle Passage when our children were being thrown over the sides of ships into the ocean. Don't panic. You just now must have the "Talk" with your children. Because in the Real World they must think of their safety at all times. Then you hope and pray they don't run into a George Zimmerman. And if they do they return home alive.

[Lugnut]

49. White 67 year old grandma.....here! n/t

[47of74]

50. I'm white and the verdict just sickens me...

[pipoman]

52. Have you ever been on a jury?

In order to have gotten on this one, you would have had to lied during the selection process if that is how you feel..

[senseandsensibility]

53. During the selection process the facts were not in evidence.

Now they are.

[protect our future]

54. Angry white female checking in.

I look forward to Zimmerman becoming the most hated man in America.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

293. He and OJ can go golfing ...

"Let God sort it out."

[calimary]

349. This angry white female looks forward to him STAYING the most hated man in America.

For a LONG time.

O.J. Simpson never got free of it. Yes. Time has passed. And people forget. And they don't care anymore. And it doesn't register on a lot of them anymore. But there's still plenty of people who won't forget - and refuse to. It's almost like keeping a vigil. In a VERY small way (and I don't in ANY way mean to minimize the trauma and pain here) it's almost like the Jewish community with its "Never Forget" view of the Holocaust. If you forget, it ceases to exist. It fades away and loses its impact, importance, and relevance. And a lesson like that MUST NEVER EVER EVER be forgotten, or allowed to fade from public consciousness or become diluted into "meh, it wasn't all THAT bad..." Because if you forget a wound as grievous as the Holocaust, it will be that much easier for conditions to build back up toward allowing it to happen again.

Take a lesson from what's happening now, politically. We ARE, in actuality, seeing this play out with the CONservative and republi-CON mindset, every time one of them talks about how "we don't need Glass-Steagall..." or "we don't need the Voting Rights Act..." because some of the issues that those measures sought to remedy have, to some extent, been addressed, or corrected, or at least mitigated - lessened in their impact. But the minute you lift those restrictions, or do away with the rules and containments and restraints and checks-to-bad-behavior, then the bad behavior can, and does, resume - unchecked. We are witnessing it at this very moment with what's happened at the state level just since the recent Supreme Court disaster regarding gutting the Voting Rights Act. These things are ALWAYS needed in order to address the "if you won't behave, we're gonna have to MAKE you behave"/"they won't do it unless they're FORCED TO" part of human nature.

It's like putting up a dam or a levee to hold back the certain threat of floodwaters. After awhile, when the floodwaters don't come anymore, or they stay contained, people in the town below grow complacent and sloppy, and start wondering what that big concrete eyesore that's so expensive to maintain is still doing there, and why we can't just pull it down? "Gee, do we really need it anymore? After all, there hasn't been flooding here in 50, 60 years!" (Or MY personal favorite that I've heard some so-called "moderate" republ-CON women say about protecting the right to choose - "meh, NUTHIN'S GUNNA HAPPEN." "Not gonna happen." - calimary: "OH YEAH, WANNA MAKE A BET???&quot Okay, so go ahead then. Have it your way. Dismantle the wall. And see what happens next.

We ALL need to remember the advice Mad Eye Moody gave to Harry Potter: "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!!!!" Unfortunately, we cannot afford to drop our guard for even a nano-second, and even after we think it's slam-dunked! Look what's happened to us women when we did that regarding our right to choose - didn't stay vigilant, didn't make sure the ground we'd gained was protected, and well-guarded, and reinforced. Many of us figured it was a done deal and that was that and the problem's solved so now it's time to move on to other things. And ever since, the enemy stayed awake, and focused, plotting and strategizing and working-working-working to dismantle and do away with it, in whatever ways, methods, and strategies they could, while our movement took its collective eyes off the ball. And NOW, what we have is legions of women scratching their heads in utter bewilderment, and saying "But I thought this was SETTLED!" and "I thought we dealt with this YEARS ago! WHY do we still have to keep fighting for this?"

If you too are bewildered that this is happening, you've been asleep for too long. Or you're naive and don't really understand or appreciate the virulence of your enemy - that always lies in wait and ALWAYS is waiting for that moment when they know you're asleep and you've dropped your guard. You've taken what you've accomplished and fought for and finally won - for granted. And those against you are just gonna keep at it, against you, until they finally succeed in taking away what you fought so hard to win, and dismantling everything you fought so hard to build.

They don't post 24-hour guards and build alligator-infested moats around the castle for nothing....

[cherokeeprogressive]

55. .

[Aristus]

57. Checking in. He should have been convicted,

and thrown under the jail!

Or at least into general population with a group of fathers of teenage sons...

[Lil Missy]

58. white and 57 years old. Manslaughter at least. n/t

[Still Sensible]

59. Manslaughter at least, n/t

[Tumbulu]

60. Yes, absolutely, but am sure that the dad's CIA connection

made the verdict. No way could that verdict be actually what regular people (of any color) would come up with.

This was a jury picked by the CIA and they were going to acquit from the get go.

That is the only explanation I can believe.

[iemitsu]

114. Plus the judge made several strange calls,

for instance she dis-allowed the testimony of a voice recognition expert, a professional, while allowing the defense to call every member of Zimmerman's family to swear it was "Georgie's voice on the tape". Hum? No expert testimony but plenty of biased, non-expert testimony.
She also allowed the defense attorney to sway the jury with exaggerated theatrics and language when describing injuries, that medical experts testified were the result of Zimmerman's head being hit once, perhaps twice on the ground.
I was disappointed in the prosecution and felt they missed a number of opportunities to clarify, for the jury, what happened. They should have never let go of Trayvon's right to stand his ground. Zimmerman was not the only one who had a right to defend himself that night. He was probably not the only one, who was afraid either. Every time Zimmerman's team accused Trayvon of being the aggressor, that should have been brought up.
It felt as if the trial was rigged in favor of Zimmerman, and I don't get it. There is nothing about Zimmerman that anyone would want included in their community. He is a liar and a child killer. He is a vigilante. He is a chicken. He is a burden. Others have to clean up his messes. I sense this has been characteristic of his whole life. Zimmerman is a loser.
Who knows what or who Trayvon Martin might have been or accomplished? What are those questions that "right-to-lifers" always ask about every fetus potentially being the second coming? Those questions need to be asked about Trayvon's life being cut short.
Zimmerman is guilty of killing an innocent kid. He is guilty of stalking the kid and setting in motion the actions that led to Trayvon's death. So what if he was scared? He put himself into the scary situation, and he was afraid, afraid of black kids, afraid that another black kid would get away, afraid the cops would arrive and he would look silly (like after each other 9/11 call), afraid he wasn't really a man.
Well now he is. But next time he can't get it up he'll have to kill again. Mark my words, this chicken shit won't stay out of the news forever.

[Tumbulu]

344. Good points

The whole thing has always been way too weird and I sense that it is about far bigger things than this one murder.

[iemitsu]

402. You're probably right.

Everything, it seems is bigger than it first appears. Everything, that is, except my life.

[hack89]

135. What CIA connection? nt

[Tumbulu]

343. Well I read on DU that Zimmerman's father

worked for the CIA, or more precisely "appeared" to work for the CIA before being given a judgeship job. And perhaps's his grandfather as well. There were many discussions of this about a year ago on DU and it made sense to me at the time.

And now.....especially after this BIZARRE verdict.

[Alameda]

62. agreed....however I'm not sure if I'm White enough to be considered "white"

IOW....what does being "white" have to do with it? How white is "white"?

[Spitfire of ATJ]

75. Since you are going to go there I guess I can check in too...

Despite my Native American nose and color.

The guy should be in jail for murder.

[Ikonoklast]

136. I suppose it would be how you self-identify.

[LuckyTheDog]

64. Manslaughter -- at least (nt)

[caseymoz]

65. Yep. Manslaughter

[rustysgurl]

66. White 50 something woman here ... he should have been convicted.

Unbelievable ... I was absolutely shocked at the verdict.

[BellaKos]

67. White female here

To me, the matter was simple. You had to *believe* Z's telling of the tale to accept the premise of his defense. I, for one, could see that he was lying. And therein is the kernel of racism in this case. You had to feel (perhaps subconsciously) that Z was more credible and respectable than a black to believe Z's obvious deception.

Another thing that reveals Z's character was that he was so calm after he killed Travon. Many in law enforcement have the experience of being so upset after killing another human being for the first time that they actually become physically sick. Not our boy, Zim. In fact, he behaved as if he were merely telling the police that he had witnessed somebody shoplifting.

I feel so sad for Travon and his family. And I just hope that this ugly episode highlights in Bright Neon that the law is applied unequally in this country so that things change. Finally.

[heaven05]

216. Nah

never happen. There will be the uproar over the verdict, perfunctory attempts at finding different charges, this POS will still be walking around with a weapon, maybe the one he killed with and soon it will be business as usual. That is the amerikkkan M.O.

[delrem]

68. I won't pander to that kind of question.

The injustice done was by an individual to an individual.

I agree with the prosecutor on that essential point.
IMO Zimmerman is de facto guilty, but de jure not-guilty.

[heaven05]

218. yeah

right. probably true but right....

[MotherPetrie]

70. K&R

[AtheistCrusader]

71. I am surprised they didn't convict him of murder. SHOCKED they didn't at least find he

committed manslaughter.

On to the Civil Suit.

[hrmjustin]

72. Yep this guy should be in jail for life!!!

[HooptieWagon]

76. Either 2D or manslaughter.

[TDale313]

77. Yeah, me. n/t

[Scootaloo]

78. Absolutely

[WinstonSmith4740]

81. This is one of those times...

Of course Zimmerman should have been found guilty of at least manslaughter. I'm don't know how those jurors could have listened to the testimony, looked at the evidence, and come to a "not guilty" decision. But I thought that about the cops who beat the crap out of Rodney King, as well as OJ, and Casey Anthony, too. In a perfectly functioning system, Zimmerman would be in jail. But the system doesn't function perfectly, and personally, I think the prosecution fell down on the job.

So, at times like these, I just have to retreat to the tenets of my belief system. George Zimmerman took another life with absolutely no justification, and in doing so, has set in place a karmic reality that will follow him for many lifetimes to come. He has already punished himself more than any legal system can. He'll be in a jail of his own making for a long, long time.

[senseandsensibility]

88. Interesting reply.

Last edited Mon Jul 15, 2013, 08:44 PM - Edit history (1)

I think we all have to retreat to the tenets of our belief system at times like this. So, personally, I will continue to pray for Trayvon and his parents. I hope it brings peace to them, and I also hope that they are able to continue to seek justice through whatever legal means are available to them.

[donquijoterocket]

316. except

The sort of self-punishment you suppose requires a conscience which I don't think Zimmerman has, and a higher degree of self-awareness and introspection than I believe Zimmerman capable of. I'd like to believe you're correct but I've seen nothing from the self-satisfied pig which would lead me to assume that.

[mbperrin]

82. 61 years old.

One of the sadder things I've witnessed.

[proReality]

83. Second degree murder

But I'd settle for manslaughter because I feel he needs to sit in jail and think about what he's done for as long as possible.

[Justitia]

85. Absolutely! 45 yr old white woman from Texas here, he's guilty as hell

and he got away with the murder of a teenage boy just trying to get home from the store.

It would have been 2nd degree murder in my book & I would have held out to hang the jury - I've done it before (not murder, but another felony).

I am absolutely sick & disgusted by this.

I cannot stop thinking about Trayvon & his family.
I am a mother & it's killing me.

Thank you to all those in the streets!

[donheld]

86. 2nd Degree Murder

[sakabatou]

87. I think he should have

[tofuandbeer]

90. I said it in another post: I was on a jury and am now scared of our judicial system...

most folks on the jury, just want to get out of there in a hurry—especially if they are sequestered—and will agree with the majority (I felt it myself...but fought the feelings off).
I don't know that there can be a better system, but I certainly want to avoid ever having my life judged by a jury in the U.S.
We'd probably have to pay the jurors more...but good luck with that: the almighty GOP would never stand it.

[JeaneRaye]

91. Checking in.

This paves the way for anyone with a gun to pick a fight with anyone they want, then shoot them and claim self-defense. We should all be very nervous about the outcome of his trial, but black people should probably be even more so. This whole thing sucks.... Yep, racism is alive and well here in the good old USA.

[defacto7]

92. I'm a white male, late fifties.

I would have hung that jury to hell and back to get some sort of conviction. I am not bullied, ever.

[Kablooie]

93. His preconceptions of a complete stranger were depraved in my opinion

so I would have agreed to second degree.

If I couldn't get the others to agree I would have at least held out for manslaughter.

Even if everyone else disagreed I would have held that view and so have created a hung jury.
(Hung juries are juries that can't agree on a verdict in a criminal trials, I think)

[Ned_Devine]

94. Check

[In_The_Wind]

97. And you'll be checking out soon, I hope.

[Ken Burch]

96. Manslaughter at least...murder if at all possible.

And I think the jury could easily have concluded that Zimmerman wasn't in fear for his life froim the fact that A)he followed Trayvon even when the dispatcher told him that they didn't need him to do that and B)Zimmerman had a gun, so he always knew he had the upper hand.

[In_The_Wind]

98. I'm 64, white & against the jury findings.

[ChazII]

100. White, female

50+. Manslaughter at the very least.

[KauaiK]

102. Absolutely

I am appalled that this goon can hunt down a black teenager minding his own business and murder him - and walk free. Makes me sick.

[KauaiK]

103. He got away with murder...

I am appalled.

[ThePhilosopher04]

104. Second Degree Here ...

Still can't figure out how anyone can say the prosecution didn't prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. Not saying they did a particularly good job of presenting their case and/or tying facts together, but the elements were there to find Zimmerman guilty, unless you're just out to carry his water.

Zimmerman identified Martin as a hostile target, calling him an asshole and a fucking punk ... followed him with a loaded gun ... confronted him ... shot him dead. Those facts are not in dispute.

Zimmerman lied about why he got out of his vehicle ... admitted to following Martin ... lied about having knowledge of Stand Your Ground ... claimed Martin was smothering him yet no Zimmerman blood was found on Martin's hands or wrist sleeve ... the only possible injury Martin suffered was a scratch on his left hand, yet he was righthanded ... had he punched Zimmerman as hard as claimed, and pummeling his head on the pavement, there would likely have been some type of injury on the right hand, or some of Z's blood, not to mention he would have to have had blood on the hoodie ... claimed he pulled out his gun and shot Martin while being straddled which is highly unlikely, if not impossible ... also says Martin saw the gun and reached for it, which is highly unlikely, if impossible for the same reasons ... his injuries were greatly exaggerated and in no way life threatening ... you would have to be a moron, gullible or sympathetic to the Zimmerman cause to believe otherwise ... and the clincher of all, he showed zero remorse, had no regrets, and claimed it was God's Will, which cements the case for ill will, spite, hatred and intent.

I would also like to go back through the transcripts with the blood expert ... I may be wrong, but I seem to recall him saying some Zimmerman blood was found on the back of Martin's hoodie ... that would speak to my theory of him confronting Martin from behind and possibly breaking his nose with either a tackle or a Martin elbow as he turned around.

[DallasNE]

106. I Am Still Waiting To Hear From The Jurists On Reasoning For Verdict

One clear problem was the rotten police work at the scene of the crime which caused the evidence to be more skimpy than it should have been so I'm sure the absence of evidence factored into the verdict but it shouldn't have been primary. Still, there was some outstanding evidence available from the phone calls, especially the 911 call with the scream that ended the millisecond the shot was fired. How did the jury come to dismiss that phone call. How they define this will determine the legitimacy of the verdict -- it is that key. No reasonable person can conclude that they can't be sure it was Martin screaming. Not when the scream ended the millisecond the shot was fired. Was it the small jury or lack of diversity that lead to group think? Something is terribly wrong and we need answers.

I'm also of the school that thinks 1st degree murder would have been easier than 2nd degree because Zimmerman's phone conversation provides the basis for premedication while a "depraved mind" is actually a higher standard in so many ways, at least in this case. Whether "f-ing punks" and "these a-holes, they always get away" meets that threshold is something the prosecution must determine (and I presume they did). The prosecution clearly made a mistake with charging 2nd degree. If they could not bring themselves to charge 1st degree then they needed to drop all of the way back to manslaughter.

[kalisto2010]

107. White Men!

Last night, after the verdict I needed to blow off some steam so I went down town to have a drink. It was very heart warming (although unnecessary) to have more than one White stranger come up to me and say that they were sorry for the verdict, and that they were embarrassed. At first I was kinda taken aback then I realized I live in a predominately White town so seeing a Black person and expressing their dismay was a conduit for them to decompress (which was cool). I don't think this was Black vs White, it was right vs wrong, and most sensible people of all races realized that George at the very least should of been convicted of manslaughter.

[heaven05]

223. yeah

I did not go out yesterday, but my brother did. He came back surprised at all the waves he got from complete strangers, looks of compassion and very surprised at the extra food he did not order from the restaurant he frequents.

[FairyDust]

108. 44 Yr old Carry Concealed Permit holding White Southern Woman

Why did a Zim have a handgun permit? Kicked out of school for being dangerous. Domestic issues with Ex-wife. Who knows what else his daddy got him out of that is not on his record. Prosecution did a terrible job standing up with TM's right to stand his ground and not be targeted and harassed by this now free wanna be a cop(rearmed) lunatic. Prosecutors should have disputed the testimony that Zim was out of shape and unable to defend himself, look back and the photo's the night of his arrest, he was very fit. He was looking to throw some MMA on anyone suspicious and then shoot them. He deserved Manslaughter at the very least. Lie after lie.

[Hippo_Tron]

109. I think there ought to be laws clearly stating that he committed a crime according to his story...

I think that if you decide to stalk someone with a loaded gun and end up discharging that loaded gun against an unarmed person in a fight, you're responsible to some degree even if you didn't start the fight.

The problem isn't so much that the jury acquitted Zimmerman. The problem is that the laws as they are written open the door for a whole lot more Zimmermans.

[juajen]

111. I'm white and I totally agree. Zimmerman should not have gotten off

without at least a manslaughter conviction. I was very disappointed.

[90-percent]

113. A verse from a 1966 Mothers of Invention song

"Hey, you know something people?
I'm not black
But there's a whole lots a times
I wish I could say I'm not white"

From "trouble coming every day" about the Watts Riots

-90% Jimmy

[heaven05]

225. good one

I remember that, again.

[fadedrose]

115. Not just Zimmerman

I'm leaning towards a huge conspiracy and others are involved....in order for conspiracy to work, Zimmerman needs to never be seen again, disappear, so that others won't be involved. He's not behind it, but the cause of it unwittingly...Hope the federal trial starts soon....

[Raine]

116. ABSOLUTELY! nt

[IGoToDU]

117. Checking in.

[steve2470]

118. manslaughter, yes nt

[Quantess]

119. I'm honestly surprised and very disappointed he didn't get manslaughter.

I think manslaughter was the most anyone could realistically hope for, but it seemed clear he deserved at least that charge.

[Cha]

120. Yes, he shouldn't have been allowed to go free and get his gun back.

It's a shame on the system there in Sanford, Florida. How about some Black Women on the Jury if they had to be all women? wht.. those women may not have been racist at all but it would be only fair for a mixed race jury since the victim and the "killer" were who they were.

Something to remember..

George Zimmerman Was Not Found Innocent Tonight

With all of the disappointment in the jury's verdict, it is important to keep in mind what the jury did not find. They did not find that George Zimmerman was innocent of killing Trayvon Martin.

In our system of justice, the State cannot get a conviction unless it proves beyond a reasonable doubt that the Defendant is guilty of a crime. This means that even if the jury believes that the Defendant is probably guilty, they must find him not guilty if they have a reasonable doubt. In other words, if the jury believed that it was 75% or even 99% likely that George Zimmerman murdered Trayvon Martin, they must find George Zimmerman not guilty as long as they have a reasonable doubt that he might not be guilty.

As much as we don't like the result in this particular case, we should keep in mind that the legal principle articulated by English jurist William Blackstone is important. He stated:

"It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer",...as expressed by the English jurist William Blackstone in his seminal work, Commentaries on the Laws of England, published in the 1760s.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/07/13/1223420/-George-Zimmerman-Was-Not-Found-Innocent-Tonight#

[exboyfil]

121. White 49 year old man

Manslaughter at least (just like Trevor Dooley). My daughters and I are disgusted. It looks like open season on young black men in Florida if a 17 year old boy can't make it back from the convenience store without being accosted and eventually shot (as far as I am concerned it does not matter who threw the first punch it was manslaughter at least - just like the much smaller Dooley shooting an Iraqi war veteran after being grabbed by the throat and taken to the ground).

[Blue_Roses]

122. no doubt (nt)

[Jasana]

124. Checking in. I find this disgusting. nt

[RedCappedBandit]

125. White hispanic checking in

[dipsydoodle]

126. No doubt about it.

Allow for the fact I'm UK.

I have no knowledge of the composition of the jury and a 6 person jury wouldn't wash in the UK anyway.

Nothing changes the fact that Traynor is dead. "Stand your ground" doesn't exist here : just self defense and their are limits to that. We don't have a charge 2nd degree murder here. At the very least he would have been charged with manslaughter and "inflicting grievous bodily harm" aka GBH. And as guns happen to be illegal in the UK charges of possession of and discharging a firearm would've been defenseless anyway.

[Ruby the Liberal]

128. White and agree completely

I posted on here when the question on defining manslaughter came to the court at 6pm-ish "It could be that they need to convince a holdout" and believe now that I was sadly right. Whoever she (or shes) were, they probably just felt exhausted some 4 hours later and gave in to the will of the majority.

What a mockery of the 10-20-life "use a gun and you're done" law.

Well played, Florida.

[Jawja]

130. Manslaughter....

Just because he "thought" his life was in danger is not a reasonable and should not be a legal basis to allow him to commit murder. His actions may have met the "legal" definition in Florida, but were not MORAL. Especially since he started the whole thing. What that jury did is immoral, IMHO.

[all american girl]

131. 47 year old white woman here, and yes, he should have been found guilty.

All yesterday I was hugging my kids. It's now legal to stalk a black kid and murder them because the kid has the nerve to be afraid. I hugged my son, because even though he isn't black, he wears hoodies, skull t-shirts, and looks a bit like a stoner....he's not, but that's what he looks like...so in FL, because he could lookalike he's up to not good, he can't protect himself from a creepy guy....unbelievable.

And I'll say again....how did Zimmerman get the gun?

[distantearlywarning]

132. Middle aged white woman here

I thought it was a pretty clear case of manslaughter.

[avebury]

133. If I had been on that jury, we would have been

there until the "cows came home." I flat out would not have caved. The options would have been hung jury or conviction (at minimum for manslaughter).

[alsame]

137. Yes. At least

manslaughter.

I'm a white woman and was very troubled by the non-diversity of the jury.

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

139. K&R

[irisblue]

140. yes, I do

50s white female, family in law 2 towns over from Sanford Fla. This still hard to believe.

[AirmensMom]

141. Checking in

I am disgusted and ashamed to live in a country where there is no accountability for murder.

[reflection]

142. I don't think it, I know it. n/t

[Ghost of Tom Joad]

143. same here

those women should be ashamed of themselves

[Diclotican]

144. senseandsensibility

senseandsensibility

I believed the case against Zimmerman was a case where the evidences is clear as ice, he killed a young unarmed boy - who was on his way home after buying some soda and some candy...

I was shocked about the verdict - but after trying to following it as close as I can, I'm not really surprised it ended that way - In some states in the US, it IS dangerous to be of colour - even if you have all the right in heaven to be where you are...

And i doubt Zimmerman Will stop murdering people - My fear is that Zimmerman will believe he got all the right in the world, to do it again - and again.. He got away with murder this time - why not do it again ?

I hope the family of Trayvon can get some comfort - even as the sorrow of loosing Trayvoon will never be lost... It is a sad day for US, when a clear murder can end in he be a free man..

Diclotican

[yourout]

212. And if he does it again I hope it haunts the jurors for the rest of their days as they will be.....

accomplices in my eyes.

[Diclotican]

279. yourout

yourout

Indeed -they gave him a free pass on this one - he is a person who wil do it again - and again as long as he is not cought, arrested and given a long prison time... He IS a murder... In my opinion...

Diclotican

[Laura PourMeADrink]

146. kind of a duh

[backscatter712]

147. Oh fuck yeah! At minimum, Zimmerman should have gone to prison for manslaughter.

[beemer27]

148. Another white males opinion

Had GZ been charged with being stupid or overstepping whatever authority his neighborhood watch position gave him, the jury would have found him guilty in a few minutes. The jury was given the choice of 2nd degree murder or manslaughter. Those were the only choices they had, and they made the right call. If our laws are to mean anything, we must follow them. The prosecution presented what evidence it had, and the defense argued for acquittal. In our system, the defendant must be found guilty beyond reasonable doubt. And there was plenty of doubt here. Just read a few of the posts that have been made. It seems as if everyone has a different set of facts, and they all believe that they are the only ones with the truth. This jury did what they had sworn they would do. They listened to both sides, and made a decision based on what they heard, and what the law said. They should not be criticized for doing what they were supposed to do.

[brush]

196. Respectfully disagree. That was a racist decision. Should have been some diversity

on the jury. You may view it as the right decision but many do not, including me.

A jury with at least one black person, or at least logical, feeling people, IMHO, would have rendered a different verdict for this obviously guilty killer.

And he is a killer, I'm sure you don't disagree with that fact.

[heaven05]

226. beemer

never said that last line, so I don't believe he believes zimpig is an outright murderer.

[beemer27]

334. brush and heaven05

brush,I respect your take on the matter too. I am not sure that a persons skin color would be a reliable indicator of their honesty or judgement. We know little about the 6 women who were on the jury. Both the prosecution and defense had a chance to challenge any of the jury before the trial. We must assume that they tried to pick reliable people. Perhaps it was not a good jury, but we will never know for sure.

heaven05, GZ killed TM. Sometimes the act of killing is murder, and sometimes it is not. In this case it appears to be an act of desperation by a scared man who had got in a situation he could not handle. We haven't been given all the facts that the jury had, and I am not sure how accurate the information on internet talk forums is. There has been no talk that GZ set out that night with the intent of killing, murder or not, a human being. Had that been his intent, he certainly went about it stupidly.

This reply is not about arguing, it is about taking a step back, and looking at the facts. Just because we are not happy with the verdict does not mean that the jury was bad, the judge was incompetent, or that the system is racist. The entire trial was broadcast, and nothing went on behind closed doors.

[heaven05]

336. you

are, with all the KNOWN facts brought out in trial you still believe there was no malice or racist intent in this POS murdering an unarmed 17 year old. You don't think our justice system is not racist? You don't think the trial was a sham. I've been fighting zimpig apologist for the last two days and you are one. I'm through with you. Move on, nothing here, AT ALL!!!!!!!!

[brush]

346. A few inconsistencies in zimmerman's statements

Last edited Mon Jul 15, 2013, 11:22 PM - Edit history (1)

that any thinking juror should not have dismissed. zimmerman claimed Martin attacked and straddled him, beat him and forced him to pull his gun and shoot.

Well consider this:

Wouldn't a straddling Martin have blocked zimmy's arm from reaching for the gun under and behind his hip, because that's exactly where Martin's knee and thigh would be if he were the one doing the straddling. If what zimmerman alleges is true (not my belief), his arms may have been free to move in front of a straddler's thighs but that would be it.

He would have had to reach around and under Martin's knee and thigh and under his own hip to get to the gun tucked into the rear attached holster. That would not only take arms about a foot longer but arms of Herculean strength to lift up his big body, weighed down even more by Martin's) enough to get the gun out from under all that weight.

And wasn't wannabe boy also taking MMA classes 3 times a week for a year? Didn't he learn anything about leverage and how to use his weigh advantage instead of just allowing a teen boy who he outweighed by 40 lbs, and who he had superior adult male upper body strength over, to just pummel him like a helpless rag doll without any offering any resistance?

And after all that alleged head bashing on concrete, he just needed a band-aid for treatment, no concussion, no skull fracture, no hemotoma, no blood on the sidewalk? (and pls check out this story about heads hitting concrete just one time, not 20-30)

Sounds like he conked himself on the back of the head and nose with his own gun after he realized that he had fucked up big time by killing the kid instead of making the "heroic" citizen's arrest he had envisioned.

That would explain how it was his own blood on his own gun, not Martin's.

Sorry, zimmy's story does not compute.

These are some of the things that a thinking, just juror would not in good conscience be able to dismiss.

My opinion is these 6 women, 5 white and 1 apparently trying out for honorary whiteness, saw their duty of living in a racist city in red state Florida and did what was expected of them. They symbolically said the hell with Trayvon Martin.
We can get away with this and we will.

[Rebl]

395. Did

the prosecution bring any of that up?

[Squatchr]

426. Really? Understand the law first.

The law is for a jury of your peers pertains for the accused, not for the accuser ....duh. BTW the jury was made up with women with children. I guess the facts the of the case, not the media hysteria and obvious political BS, got in the way. Yes he killed TM but I'm sure you'd like an impartial jury to determine your fate as opposed to bending over and grabbing the ankles of a highly partisan jury?!?!

[brush]

432. Pls explain

You wrote: "The law is for a jury of your peers pertains for the accused, not for the accuser ....duh."

How were they, except any more peers of zimmerman than they were of Martin?
zimmerman is not a woman, he doesn't have kids, and he's half hispanic. He's certainly not a white woman.

So according to you, everyone should have people that look and think exactly like themselves on their jury?

And if you think that was an impartial jury, you know very little about central Florida and the racial attitudes of much of it's white population.

You've got a lot to learn.

[Squatchr]

439. Reply

What i know about C Florida is its a humid swamp and if not for a large mouse i never would have gone in the first place. And as far as the jury, they much more in common with the accuser and still got a not guilty verdict.

[brush]

441. The jury got it wrong!

The judge gave the wrong jury instruction

The Attorney General over-charged, which was wrong

The cops botched the case from the beginning by not even giving the killer a blood test — wrong


Now it's coming out that zimmerman is not just a child killer but a child molester



Defend him if you want.

[beemer27]

444. An Explantion

I don't think that anyone LIKES how this turned out. I also believe that no one in their right mind is happy that any of this affair happened at all. However, it would be wrong to say that there are no people in Central Florida that are not racist. It would also be wrong to assume that woman with children can not make a fair and impartial judgement after hearing the evidence. It would also be wrong to accuse all of the public officials (judge, prosecution, defense, police, et al) of being racist or incompetent. Both lawyers had ample chance to remove any juror who displayed signs of bias. It would be hard to believe that any of the legal professionals we saw at the trial would take a chance of losing because of poor jury selection.
I would like to know a bit about who approved GZ to be on a Neighborhood Watch patrol. These programs usually involve the local police department, and the volunteers are screened. It would also be informative to find out if there are any official written protocols for contact between volunteers and citizens.
Many of us are not happy with this whole incident, but realize that the six jurors were given specific instructions, and base their verdict on what was presented in court, and those instructions.
Emotions are running high, and now is not the time to be blaming the jury. It is also not the time to be turning on each other for having different views. If we can change the system to prevent this from happening in the future, let us know how you would do it. A lot of people are asking the same thing.

[4 more years]

335. The insurance co paid a wrongful death settlement to the parents.

However in the settlement stupid ass GZ can still be sued. The jury never got this info.i still don't think this would have made a difference.

[TBF]

149. White mid 40s mother from Texas -

GZ should have stayed in the damned car.

He didn't just get out of the car with intent to confront - he got out of that car with a weapon & intent to confront.

2nd degree murder - not manslaughter (because it wasn't an accident).

[WCLinolVir]

150. White, 50+, gun owner, female, survivor of 2 assaults.

I would have hung the jury if they couldn't convict.

[AAO]

151. Second degree MURDER!! The jury SUCKS EGGS!

Last edited Mon Jul 15, 2013, 08:53 AM - Edit history (1)

Forgot my pedigree: 58 yo pasty white guy.

[BridgeTheGap]

152. 60+ white man... Zimmerman was guilty of manslaughter, bare minimum n.t

[IdaBriggs]

154. Dead kid. Armed aggressor. I will forever say --

[jmg257]

155. Why does it matter if I am white? Can I not hold an opinion no matter what my skin color?

Or sex or age for that matter?

Anyway - yes he should have been convicted for his culpability.

[Puzzledtraveller]

171. I don't understand this, "I'm white" thing here either.

Like that gives a different weight to your feelings on the matter.

[jmg257]

180. It drives me crazy..."White 67 yr old grandmother", "White male 51"

The poor kid is dead - shot by an ass, his family is grieving...do so many people really think simply because they are of different race, their sympathies somehow mean more?, make them someone special who "gets it", or ???

I don't get it.

[Puzzledtraveller]

184. Exactly, his death was extremely tragic and unecessary

and justice was not found, that's all that needs to be said.

[Ferretherder]

157. I think Zimmerman got away with murder...

I really do.

Sad day in America.

[Maeve]

158. In this world, there is no justice, only law

And the law is an ass in this case.

[StopTheNeoCons]

159. I am white, zimmer should have been convicted of something...nt

[GoneFishin]

160. I am not fooled one bit by the GZ lickers. If they didn't identify with him in some way they

would not be making excuses for him or the jury.

If the defense baffled the jurors with bullshit and they couldn't see through it, that makes them idiots or racists, not impartial or objective.

I know who had all the power in this situation, and I know who abused that power, and I know who died.

The rest is extraneous bullshit intended to try to convince the weak-minded that "oh, this is sooooo complicated, you don't understand because it's a complicated legal matter, and your common lay person mind can't comprehend how tricky and legally nuanced it is".

Bull ... fucking ... shit. They don't fool me.

[malokvale77]

210. ^^^This^^^

It was a charade from start to finish.

[heaven05]

229. 10-4

succinctly put.

[RetroLounge]

391. Exactly

RL

[dorkzilla]

161. 47 year old white woman--I'm DISGUSTED that Zimmerman walked.

As I have said in the past, perhaps its because I'm a Bronx baby and live in a VERY diverse suburban town that colors me even more shocked that this racist walked. The street that I live on has Italians, Irish, Germans, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Indians and Koreans and the village is mostly Central/South American immigrants. And on the heels of the announcement of the verdict, it pained me doubly that SOME ASSHOLE was SETTING OFF FIREWORKS 2 minutes later. In suburban NYC. So I'm not so sheltered from this madness as I would have liked to have thought.

All I could do was cry.

[CANDO]

162. I'm in

49 yr old white male.

[raccoon]

163. Yes, definitely. nt

[66 dmhlt]

164. HEADLINE ...

George Zimmerman Is Now Free
Trayvon Martin Is Still Dead

Zimmerman is guilty of manslaughter!

[sarchasm]

165. KnR

[yardwork]

166. White woman here who agrees with you.

There should have been at least one African American on the jury. The historical and cultural context is integral to this case. Zimmerman would not have chased a white child. Black people know this.

[el_bryanto]

168. Yes nt

[bobopa]

169. The police told him to not get out of his car . . . . .

As a 'watch man' he has to obey the chain of command, he went after Trevon, he stalked him down, he is a murder . . . . .

[sinkingfeeling]

170. Sure shows how 'wild west' American law is. This verdict may have been within Florida law,

but points out the contortions the law makers went through to create a 'gun friendly' one! In most states, 'self-defense' proof becomes the responsibility of the defense. In Florida, the prosecution gets to prove a negative.

There's many people in jail for 20 or more years for using drugs. But the killer of an unarmed teen walks. There's a woman serving time for firing a gun over the head of an attacker, but Zimmerman walks.

[DinahMoeHum]

172. Here.

.

[Little Star]

173. 67 yr old white woman. I'm so outraged at the verdict I can barely think...

I stand with Trayvon & his family.

[MissDeeds]

177. Here

There is no way I would have given in or given up if I was on the jury. GZ is guilty. Period.

[DCBob]

178. Yes, if I was on the jury I would have argued for manslaughter.

Its a clear case imo.

[Starry Messenger]

179. It makes me sick.

Fake wanna-be cop gets away with vigilantism against children. This isn't over.

[canuckledragger]

181. Most definitely

Why carry a gun and 'patrol' if he's not planning on using it in some way? definitely not for 'self-defense'.

[John2]

182. I'm not

white, but that is why I think this jury needs to come out to the public and explain the decisions they made in this case. A lot of people will not accept their decision.

[bullwinkle428]

183. MAYBE 2nd deg. murder was a stretch (legally), but manslaughter

should have been a slam dunk.

[IrishAyes]

185. GZ belongs UNDER the jail

He should've been convicted of murder 2. As the prosecutors were saying this morning, no trained police officer could've reached a gun carried at the small of his back while he was lying ON his back with anyone on top of him. Most likely Trayvon, who was legitimately trying to protect himself, became aware of the gun and started to back off, at which time GZ could've got up or rolled over enough to reach the gun and fire. This was the most savage murder imaginable.

However, they're also saying this morning that the justice department probably won't bring actual civil rights charges against GZ if they don't think they can win. GZ was not a public figure or any kind of officer of the law. But we shall see... we shall see. Either way GZ has stamped the mark of Cain on his forehead, and he'll never know another moment's peace. Or safety. A person can be trapped w/o visible bars. He's one of the few people I've ever hoped will rot in hell.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

186. Premeditated Homicide

He was hot to be a vigilante; neighborhood assoc. said he was oddly urgent about Neighborhood Watch.

He launched a plan to make a way to kill "some punk".

[mnhtnbb]

187. Checking in--white woman age 62--didn't follow the trial closely.

Once you learn what the basis of the 'stand your ground law' does--gives anyone who starts a fight
and feels he is losing it the right to shoot the other person without any consequences--then it seems
to me that getting a conviction is very, very difficult. I also had to look up why FL is able to get away
with having juries of only 6 people. Seems it would be very easy to turn a jury with so few members.

I sat on an all white jury in a southern state (Missouri)about 20 years ago where the defendant was black and
accused of assault with a deadly weapon (knifed a white guy--and he was white trash)
and three of us turned that 12 person jury to a verdict of not guilty on the basis of self defense.
The white guy started the fight--the black guy was not armed--picked up a knife in the kitchen
to defend himself and stabbed the white guy. When the verdict was read, the white guy was in the courtroom
and he had to be removed, he was so pissed.

The defendant admitted using the knife to defend himself. The white guy admitted starting the fight. He also admitted
picking up a bar stool and swinging it at the black guy--claiming he was defending against knife strikes. The defendant's attorney asked him--in the witness box--to pick up the bar stool (put in evidence) and show how he used it. That, for me, was the convincing moment. And it was really interesting, because when we were talking about it in the jury room, the other two who had voted not guilty had noticed the same thing. He was using it as a weapon, not protecting himself from the black guy. Yet when we took our first jury vote--to see where we all stood--it was 9 guilty and 3 not guilty. I've often wondered if
the defendant realized how lucky he was to get that verdict and whether he refocused his
life to avoid getting into another situation like that.

Yes, I do think that Zimmerman should have been convicted of something. I suspect he had intent to use that gun and not to just
hold Martin at bay until the police arrived. I doubt Z was in fear of his life, given that there was no evidence on Martin's hands of putting a beating on Z, but I have little doubt that Martin was in fear of his life once Z produced that gun.

[gollygee]

188. It makes me sick

and I have no doubt if GZ were black and TM were white, there would have been a conviction.

[MarianJack]

189. I'm a white guy with a black son.

The prosecution was incompetent. The laced with deceit defense was downright smarmy to a Romneyish level. The jury was comprised of 6 idiots. The result is that my son now has a big friggin target sign on his back because the aforesaid 6 idiots have criminalized black teens going out for snacks and legalized RWNJ gun nuts like Zimmerman going hunting for them. Shit!

PEACE!

[walkerbait41]

190. White 62 old man

G.Z. GUILTY!!!

[NewJeffCT]

192. He should have been

but, I'm not at all surprised he got acquitted.

[Bettie]

193. I'm a 46 year old small town mom

And I think the little man should have been convicted of something.

I'd honestly go with murder 2, but manslaughter would have been better than "go forth and kill again".

I can't get past the lack of forensic evidence on TM's clothing and hands. Sorry, there should be something.

I don't even believe that there was more than a scuffle, not a full on fist fight.

[femmocrat]

194. Checking in.

Manslaughter.

[gordianot]

195. Second degree, manslaughter for sure.

Given the number of 911 calls when he does react it is with a firearm against "one of them". The assault on police was clearly a cover up paid off court. Zimmerman will strike again my guess is domestic abuse in the near future. He is currently internalizing his anger stuffing his face. When he finds it difficult or impossible to go to law school he will trip and will not be a judge like Daddy even in Florida.

Given that all humans evolved in Africa relatively recently (200,000 years) in Earth time we are all African including those with lighter skin tones.

[MoonRiver]

197. White female here and he absolutely should have been convicted of manslaughter at the least!

[nradisic]

200. yup...

should have been convicted at least of Manslaughter...

[HockeyMom]

201. The jury wanted an alphabetized list of the evidence?

Are you KIDDING ME? We cannot be bothered to go through it all piece by piece? They didn't deliberate. They had already made up their minds and wanted to go home as soon as possible.

Can you say Rush to Judgment? I am a 64 year old white woman and now live in Florida. I also have a Paralegal Degree. You bet I would have hung that jury, and told the other jurors the legal reasons why.

[ColumbusLib]

202. At the very least, manslaughter

And was hoping for more. Not this! 45 year old, white woman.

[JoePhilly]

203. Manslaughter.

Follows the "suspect".

Does not want this "suspect" to get away like all of the others have done.

The "suspect" ends up dead.

There was no crime for which there would have been a "suspect" in the first place.

This is enough for me to conclude Manslaughter.

[displacedtexan]

204. GZ went hunting that night & should be in prison.

Everything about his story stinks to high heaven, and the state and the media did virtually no in- depth research into this guy.

But for the "I was afraid for my life" lie, GZ would be rotting in a cell, as well he should be.

As yes, I'm a white woman.

[tavernier]

205. White female

Same age as jurors (or close).

Manslaughter. Although to be honest, a great deal of my opinion is based on information that was withheld from the jury. In their, albeit lame, defense, most of what they were allowed to see was a portrait of an older, weaker man being beat up on his own property. The prosecution did not fight hard enough for Trayvon.

[life long demo]

206. I was also hoping for at least manslaughter

I read on DU where someone said it was because of the instructions to the jury that he got off, I just can't understand why. I just have to go back to the fact that GZ got out of his car and followed Trayvon. To me, that act made it murder.

[abelenkpe]

208. Zimmerman is a lying murderer set free by fools. Nt

[madmom]

209. I agree

[j3161usa]

213. What is Sad

Is this this case should not have been about race. If the police dept had done their job and arrested zimmerman, AL sharpton and the media would not have been involved. There are at least 60 cases involving stand you ground that never got media attention. All they had to do was arrest the guy.

[rwsanders]

214. I'm embarassed for our nation and want to start running around apologizing, but don't know...

where to start.
Almost said something to a guy at the gas station yesterday, but thought it might be worse.
I don't need to know what happened just before the shot and the bloody nose is irrelevant. He became guilty when he jumped out of the car to chase Trayvon when the dispatcher told him not to.

[IphengeniaBlumgarten]

215. 73 yr old white female

I watched the trial fairly closely, was expecting manslaughter verdict. Shocked at acquittal.

Part of the problem seems to be the Florida laws -- defendant does not have to prove self-defense or even testify; and it is up to the prosecution to DISPROVE self-defense. With all the lies that the prosecution pointed out, I thought it was clear that self-defense was negated, but the jury failed to accept this.

[mike dub]

217. checking in

GZ is a murderer

[Magleetis]

219. WM 50

Yes, he should have been convicted. You can't just track somebody down and kill them. Oh wait, yes you can. I have no faith in my government or the American Justice System.

[hedgehog]

220. 59 year old white woman here - he tracked down and murdered that child!

[4 more years]

221. Hoa insurance co forked over money for stupid acts of GZ

TM martins parents need to use all the money they need to make life horrible for this racist family of bigots. The mother, father, brother and asshole GZ.

[Auntie Bush]

227. White women here and GZ is an out and out lying, despicable murderer.

Our justice system stinks.

[tpsbmam]

228. White female with zero doubt I'd have caused a hung jury b/c there's no way

I'd have agreed to acquittal. And I don't back down to bullies -- never have, never will. I'd have worked to get at least manslaughter, but if I couldn't get agreement, I'd have most definitely hung that jury.

[Duval]

230. Checking in!! n/t

[alittlelark]

231. I put a black ribbon on the tree in front of the house...

... I'm white, female , and the same age as most of the jury.

[MillennialDem]

232. White trans woman (33). I would have sequestered that jury until 6 guilty or the judge declared

a mistrial.

[stonecutter357]

233. .

[Bake]

234. Check!

Bake

[DLevine]

235. 2nd degree murder. nt

[jwirr]

237. K&R

[duhneece]

238. 62, white, Treasurer of NAACP of Otero County NM

Whites were part of the very first NAACP & I was reminded of this fact often by long-time local NAACP members when I started attending years ago...it was the only organization even talking about civil rights, human rights, justice.

His hate-filled words qualified as hateful so I believe he is guilty of 2nd degree murder...

[Peacetrain]

239. How can a 17 year old be killed for walking home with an ice tea

and a bag of skittles.. I am just sit and cry everytime I look at that young mans face.. why why

[wildbilln864]

240. he should be in jail! eom.

[Spazito]

241. When Zimmerman said, "these assholes always get away" and "fucking punks" when all...

he knew about Trayvon was that he was black, his words laid the foundation for murder two, imo. It was the color of Trayvon's skin and nothing else that Zimmerman thought (and it turns out the jury agreed with him) gave him the right to follow him, confront him and kill him.

Zimmerman, according to his story, was on his way to Target with a gun, concealed and with a bullet already in the chamber, to buy lunch stuff. A man looking for, hoping for a way in which he could use his gun, already primed and ready to go. He found it and Trayvon Martin is dead.

Murder Two was appropriate, at worst a compromise verdict of manslaughter.

Given where this happened and who the victim was, I was fairly certain Zimmerman would get off, not because he wasn't guilty but because it is Florida and the defendant was white and the victim was black. I was hoping I would be proven wrong, sadly that did not happen.

[navarth]

242. Zimmerman, I believe, is

guilty as fuck

[titanicdave]

243. As a retired

senior citizen and a Caucasian (snow is white, I am not) man, I am totally shocked by the verdict.......how in the world could a jury of women find Zimmerman not guilty of anything......totally disgusting.....

[DrewFlorida]

246. I am stunned that Zimmerman was not found guilty of, at least manslaughter.

I blame the racist Sanford Police Dept for neglecting their duty in the investigation of this murder, because they attepted to sweep it under the rug, a murderer walks free.

My heart goes out to Trayvon's parents and friends.

[grahamhgreen]

247. Zimmerman grabbed a gun and approached Trayvon. How can that be self defense?

[mountain grammy]

248. Checking in. Another sad day in America.

[bklyncowgirl]

249. I thought he'd get manslaughter.

I'm not surprised though at the outcome. The fact that the jury were all white with one Hispanic (Zimmerman's Hispanic) pretty much said it all.

[cilla4progress]

251. Will this country ever get past

racism?

[RiffRandell]

253. Checking in. n/t

[get the red out]

254. No doubt

He tried to play cop to begin with. He created the incident then he shot a kid to death.

[CapnSteve]

255. Zimmerman is a murderer. Nothing justifies that, even self defense.

Self-defense should not be a reason for an innocent verdict, it should take the death penalty off the table and limit prison time.

Zimmerman needs to go to jail for violating Trayvon's civil rights.

[protect our future]

258. I think more of us white folks should speak up,

express our opinion and force the media to pay attention to us. Even MSNBC shows only blacks being interviewed, at least while I'm watching.

The nation needs to know that we and the millions like us stand with Trayvon and his family.

[protect our future]

259. If we don't speak up and insist that we be heard

and seen in the major media, this nation will be fooled into believing only blacks care about the Zimmerman verdict.

[senseandsensibility]

446. That is why I started this thread.

Thanks for explaining this so clearly. I have also noticed an effort on TV to make it seem as if only blacks are upset with the verdict. However, when they show the protests in NY and CA and other places, the crowds are very diverse with many white faces.

[protect our future]

452. I'm so glad you started this great thread.

Why is the MSM avoiding interviewing white people who stand with Trayvon and his family? Whatever the reason, it needs to stop.

[Mz Pip]

260. Oldish white woman here

Zimmerman should be doing time in prison.

[1monster]

261. I would have voted for first degree. He made his decision to use deadly force when

he stepped out of his truck with his gun.


Female, age mid fifties, animal resucer who works with kids Trayvon's age.

[ColesCountyDem]

263. 55 year-old Caucasian male CCW advocate here. 2nd degree,' not guilty', but mansluaghter 'guilty'.

I would have hung the jury, rather than change my vote.

[Maineman]

264. Yes

I suspect the recorded cries for help were Zimmerman establishing his defense to shoot the kid. And, he claimed he never heard of the stand your ground law? Pure bull, not believable.

[ChiciB1]

265. I Live In Florida...

Just heard someone on the Stephanie Miller show that this state in no longer the Sunshine state, but rather the SHAMEFUL state.

I've lived here since 1971, back then it was a bit more blue! I know what has happened here and it seems as time goes by, it gets worse & worse. I'm also a white mother and can't understand WHY!!

In a way part of me says YES, boycott this state, but then I live here and "tourism" is about all we have anymore. I seriously need to sell 5 acres of land that we bought some time ago for an investment, but now simply want to break even if and when I can sell. I KNOW there are many, many white people here are who are as outraged as I am. Well, MORE than outraged.

As a person who's politically active, I knew about the SYG law, but I'd have to bet that there are far more people who had no idea about it. It has let people interpret it in their own way & it's been twisted around like a pretzel and rarely has anyone been prosecuted!!

To those who pray, please let THIS case shine a very bright light on it. And it would be nice if enough people could be rounded up to protest in Tally, but I doubt that too. My forays into political activism here has been woefully heart breaking.

So FWIW just making my own comment. I dare not speak of what I would like to have happen to Zimmerman, but one thing sticks in my craw... Hannity iterview... "it was God's will!"

I left the Catholic church a long time ago, it was hard at the time, but now it's very hard to understand how religion has become and end all and be all of so much that happens.

Am I an atheist, not sure... but probably agnostic at the very least. I know I BELIEVE what I can see with my own eyes. So much these days make me cringe!

My rant is too long, but believe me I could go on!

[ieoeja]

266. Straight, white, upper middle class, male raised on a farm in the Bible Belt who believes Z guilty.

[Beacool]

267. I think that Zimmerman should have been convicted of manslaughter.

But I blame the prosecution for overcharging him. This was not a murder 2 case.

[winter is coming]

269. Hell, yes. I would have campaigned for second degree murder,

and wouldn't have settled for anything less than manslaughter.

[NoMoreWarNow]

270. white male here

disgusted by the outcome and by those who defend it.

[cordelia]

271. Checked in.

I take some comfort in thinking he will have to look over his shoulder for the rest of his life.

[woodsprite]

272. Exactly. If I had been on the jury, I wouldn't

have compromised my values or belief to make it a unanimous decision. I told my husband the other night that I would have rather seen a hung jury. At least that would have said that someone believed the real evidence instead of the dog and pony show the defense presented.

I truly believe that Trayvon did nothing at all wrong and Z hunted him down and executed him.

I had not paid much attention to this case when it first was being reported. My first experience with it (other than blurbs on DU) was in my son's art class over a year ago. The teacher had the students do a current event's art piece. Many of the students did a drawing of Trayvon. When we went for open house, the drawings were posted all around the room. I'm so glad my son's school didn't direct the kids away from the subject.

[Flatulo]

273. Manslaughter. At the very least.

Dangerous precedent was set here.

[thetonka]

274. How many people posting are basing their opinion on the facts presented to the Jury, and not emotion

[protect our future]

374. All the facts were NOT presented to the jury.

This is one reason, among others, that I am so enraged.

[thetonka]

443. Honestly, due to my lack of trust of mainstream media, I have not paid attention

So what facts were not presented to the jury?

[KamaAina]

275. I may be outing myself as white

but it's no secret that I think GZ should be rocking an orange jumpsuit.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

276. Manslaughter was a no-brainer, IMO.

I always felt 2nd degree was a stretch for the Prosecution to prove and was surprised they went in that direction. There is no reason the manslaughter charge shouldn't have stuck.

I hope that Zimmerman spends every day of the rest of his crappy life looking over his shoulder, just like Trayvon did in his last minutes.

No Justice, no peace.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

278. White dude here, and I'm furious at the verdict.

I just can't wrap my head around it.

[SaveAmerica]

280. I do and I thought the same thing about being on the jury

There were so many things that were brought forward by the prosecution that could have been used to show Zimmerman's intent and I would have hammered them home til I was hoarse.

[karmaqueen]

281. Checking in .. Zimmerman is guilty of killing a human being. n/t

[handmade34]

282. Zimmerman IS guilty...

although I can never totally feel what it is like to be a black man today... I understand injustice, oppression, inequality and the lies that white men tell...

[FiveGoodMen]

283. Here!

[valerief]

284. Murderers should be convicted of murder. But this isn't a democracy. nt

[LiberalLoner]

285. Me too.

[shenmue]

286. Same here

n/t

[nevergiveup]

287. 68 year old white geezer here

I can't even begin to imagine what Trayvon's parents must be going though. I feel so terrible for them. We must continue to fight racial profiling and we must continue to fight the proliferation of guns in our society. These are tough fights but we can never give up.

[Sienna86]

288. Manslaughter. nt

[Borchkins]

289. 50 yr old WW, also an attorney and mother of two tween boys who wear hoodies

Manslaughter for sure, I would have agreed with 2nd degree.

I don't want to live in a nation where a child (or anyone else!) goes out for skittles and tea, is murdered and no one pays. Trayvon was profiled, stalked and murdered. It's simple. GZ got away with murder.
B

[City Lights]

290. Checking in.

I am just sickened that Zimmerman is a free man.

RIP, Trayvon.

[totodeinhere]

292. We can't do anything about this travesty of justice due to double jeopardy.

So the next best thing is to continue to press the Justice Department to indict him on either civil rights violations or a hate crime or both. We all need to stand with the NCAAP and others who are putting pressure on the Justice Department to act. As I understand it he could get some pretty serious jail time if he is convicted in that regard.

[raging moderate]

294. I would have held out with you, senseandsensibility. Manslaughter, at least!

My heart just goes out to all black teens and their parents! I think of little black boys I have worked with, in my career, and come to love. I am so afraid of what could happen to them, after this verdict! When I look at black teens in my town, I worry about what they must surely suspect I am thinking about them! Even a little old white woman must surely seem like a potential threat to their lives. How can they know? What are they supposed to do? They're damned if they do, and damned if they don't, for anything you can mention. Nothing they do will safeguard them from these vicious attacks! That one white juror is said to have commented, "What was the kid doing out so late at night?" 7 pm? At age 17? Walking home from the local store? And one commentator is said to have suggested that Trayvon brought it on himself because of his clothes. Khaki pants with folded cuffs, rubber-soled shoes, and a hooded light jacket? That could have been my son, at that age! And Trayvon said, "Why are you following me?" and then "Get off me?" (which I heard someone say in an old movie last night, when somebody reached out to grab somebody). I even wonder whether this will aid molesters and kidnappers of children. I can see from what I read and saw that Zimmerman might not have known that he would actually wind up shooting the kind of person Trayvon really was, because Zimmerman seems not to have realized that such persons existed. But, with that special expanding bullet in his gun, he had definitely prepared himself to inflict a life-threatening injury on the kid he believed he was pursuing. Without the authority of a genuine, screened, trained, bonded, qualified police officer. Trayvon Martin had every right to be where he was walking, and to do what he was doing. George Zimmerman did not.
My question is this: What can we do to provide some protection to these black teens? Maybe we could all form some protective community groups? Or could we just stay watchful for these incidents, cell phones ready? I have no fighting experience. so I couldn't succeed in active intervention, could I? Unlike George Zimmerman, I know my limitations. But it seems as if there must be things we can do.

[ProgressiveJarhead]

295. Checking In

White male-52. I lived in SC for 12 years and worked with first time juvenile offenders in a residential program. Most of these kids were black and some of them were very big-but they were kids. I never felt threatened by any of them even when they were acting act. They wanted to be treated with some respect and dignity and wanted to be heard. Usually, if you explained to them what the consequences of their behavior would be, they would settle right down and go back to what they were supposed to be doing. Not all of them were angels, of course.

There were three times when I had to intervene when a staff member provoked a kid. Kids respond when provoked. Zimmerman provoked and then murdered this kid. It is that simple.

[Boomerproud]

296. Count me in.

57-year-old white woman. Disgusted with everything.

[ut oh]

297. a travisty of justice

unfortunately

<--- White male

[libodem]

298. This has been hard for me

I'm bitterly disappointed. I'm trying to manage my thoughts and emotions it a manner that reduces my outrage. I might look calm on the outside. But inside I just want to punch something and kick and scream.

I am pleased at the dignity of the community for remaining calm and peaceful. It sends a message of respect. We turned the other cheek. We are the bigger people. More violence is not the answer.

But I'm just deflated. Run over. Stuck to the ground. Broken.

[TommyCelt]

299. I was EXPECTING manslaughter...

...the verdict surprised me.

[Diego_Native 2012]

300. I'm middle-aged white male and I weep for the lack of justice in this country.

There are more young men out there like Trayvon whose lives and futures are being curtailed and destroyed by our corrupt, broken legal system and the society that continues to perpetrate a demonic view of young minority men.

[ellenfl]

301. same-same. eom

[LWolf]

303. check nt

[FreeBC]

304. I think sentencing anyone to an American prison is a violation of our Constitution

"nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted." -8th Amendment

Do I think Zimmerman deserves to be punished? yes. Do I think he deserves to be locked up in a chamber of horrors where he will be repeatedly raped and beaten through his incarceration? no.

As much as you may disagree with the verdict, there is some good to come out of this: a man will not be tortured in our prison system.

[damnedifIknow]

305. Cracker here

and yes Zimmerman should have been convicted period.

[mwooldri]

306. Colour doesn't matter... I just think the verdict is not correct.

I do happen to be a (very) white guy short of 40... but where I'm from, if a gun is used in an otherwise unarmed combat situation, the guy who pulled the trigger should face some repercussions. Not some stand your ground laws... to me this looks like a disproportionate fight, no matter who started it. And for the guy that pulled the trigger to express no remorse at all just makes me sick.

Mr. Zimmerman had better watch himself, because the court of public opinion has cast judgment that is opposite of the trial court verdict. He may have been found not guilty of murder or manslaughter in the court but IMO he is not innocent in the death of Mr. Martin. I do believe that someone may take justice into their own hands... no matter what the outcome, in the fight between Mr. Martin and Mr. Zimmerman - no-one won. Both lost, especially Mr. Martin.

[whatacountry09]

307. Yes he should've...

When Zimmerman was on the phone with a cop and he told the cop he was following Trayvon... the cop told him "we don't need you to do that". He should've walked away! So, yes... he should've been convicted of something! This kid died for NO reason. PERIOD! I am a white female!

[Lifelong Protester]

308. I probably would not have been picked

for the jury as I would find it hard to hide my contempt for Zimmerman. I believe he is guilty of AT LEAST manslaughter.

He's guilty of being a bigoted idiot with an inferiority complex, but I know that is not what he was charged with.

I am a white, middle aged woman. I would like to think that I would be a "hold out, thorn in the side, hope you other jurors want to spend some time here deliberating" kind of person.

Like I said, I'd probably be too biased against the accused to have been picked for the jury. And I agree with Jesse Jackson, I do not think this was a trial with a jury of peers.

[Helen Borg]

309. White female here.

manslaughter, at least, in my opinion.

[Homer Wells]

310. Amen, S&S

[hwmnbn]

311. K&R

[Tay123]

312. Love you

I love white people, folks from all races thought the verdict was unjust....... The jurors had to go back to their neighborhoods, I'm quite sure some of their pro gun folks would have been unhappy if Z was found guilty. If I'm not mistaken at least 4 of the jurors were pro gun.

[deancr]

313. Check

I believe in the judicial process with all its limitations. While I avoid being a party to the hyperventilation of mass media trial coverage, it is clear from even a fairly casual consideration that Zimmerman created a situation in which he chose to be in harm's way. With a loaded gun in his pocket, he harassed young Mr. Martin. With capable prosecution, manslaughter at the least.

[Wolf Frankula]

314. 58 Year Old White Male Gun Owner who

would have voted manslaughter. Here's why. 1. The police told Zimmerman (hereafter SA) that he did not need to follow Martin (hereafter NLN). SA did not follow their instructions and leave NLN alone. 2: Although NLN was wearing a hoodie and probably was walking 'the walk' he was minding his own business. He had committed NO crime in that neighborhood and walking back to where he was staying. He was most likely looking forward to an evening of teevee and sleep. 3. It seems that by following NLN , (against the advice of the police remember) SA made NLN nervous. I would be nervous too, if I were minding my own business and someone the size of SA was pursuing me. SA initiated the confrontation. It was not self defense. I know people, who if confronted by a man of SA's size, would have assumed a crime was intended and plugged him first with their legally carried firearms. 4. SA seemed to be a wannabee TV cop, like the ones on Law and Order: Special Violence Unit. (You know "In New York City, sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous. So heinous, we don't even bother to try them any more. We just have our thug cops beat a confession out of them". ) SA should not have been on Neighborhood Watch, should not have been allowed a carry permit. He had a history of violence. 5: There was no original intent to do violence, nor premeditation, but someone died because of SA's behavior. It was manslaughter. Recommended sentence: ten years.

Wolf

[PatrynXX]

315. at least manslaughter

any juror who whinks otherwise needs a new education...

[kestrel91316]

317. I think a decent prosecutor could have made a case for First Degree Murder.

"Fucking punks - they always get away." - (but not this time, nosiree, I'm gonna get his coon ass this time)

I happen to believe that he got out of his car intending to harm him.

[PufPuf23]

318. Check. nt

[BillyRibs]

319. check

at LEAST man slaughter.

[myrna minx]

320. My heart aches for his family.

[Crunchy Frog]

321. Check.

White, female, and a mother.

[tavalon]

322. Okay, no meditation (not sure zimmerman has enough brain cells to meditate)

but second degree murder. That said, having recently been on a jury, it was amazing to me how often we had to leave. I began to doubt that we were getting the whole story. I wonder if any of those woman who found him not guilty are now feeling guilty having gotten the rest of the story.

[Plucketeer]

323. The MOMENT that dispatcher said: We don't need you to do that.....

That's where Georgie put himself on the path to committing murder. He should be getting used to the prison routine about now - not grinning ear to ear.

[dawnie51]

325. I am a 62 yr. old white grandmother...

and I have been nauseous since this verdict Sat. night. Now it looks like the judge was in the tank and withheld a jury instruction that practically insured the acquittal. Zimmerman intentionally gained 100 lbs. to insure he in no way resembled the man he was in Feb. 2012, and it was no doubt a legal tactic. He must have eaten three big macs a day for the past year. I'm betting he's all slim and trim again very quickly. My only comfort is that Zimmerman is a pariah. He will milk this for awhile, but it won't last. He will be broke, friendless and in fear for his life. He is a sick, sick person, and I pray he doesn't kill someone else.

[Bigredhunk]

326. K/R

K/R

[wryter2000]

327. Here

[Jamastiene]

328. I am surprised he didn't at least get manslaughter.

Something...anything at all. I think he should have been convicted of murder. It was outright murder, if you ask me.

[RoccoR5955]

330. Zimmerman should have pled guilty to manslaughter one.

Now, like it or not, he has a target on his back. Someone in Floriduh will see him as a threat to their person, Zim will go to his pocket, and get an extra hole in him.
He will get a dose of his own medicine.
I do not condone this action, I only state it as a matter of fact.

[Demoiselle]

331. Here. (nt)

[BobbyBoring]

332. Checking in

Again, a jury ignores most of the evidence. There is no way things happened the way Zimmy said they did. NFW! He started a confrontation, didn't like the way it was working out, and killed the kid.

I also think there should be a gazillion dollar law suite against the state of FL for having such asinine laws.

[undergroundpanther]

333. zimmerman,he's a racist pig fucking perverted murderer.

If I were in that jury I'd be asking for the death penalty for that psychopath.imho.

[barbtries]

338. murder.

i believe he murdered Trayvon.

[Raffi Ella]

339. I'm a born and raised southern white girl

and I would have voted second degree murder. I would - NEVER - have walked out of deliberations with a not guilty verdict. The man murdered an unarmed 17 year old kid. I'da loved to have been the one to hang that jury.

[guappo1]

340. If only he was white

I'm sorry to say that if that were a white boy who was shot. Oh wait if he were a white boy he probably would not have been shot.....

[MFM008]

341. I would have hung that jury

I dont care, would have done it. Verdict was wrong, wrong, wrong. My opinion.

[Greybnk48]

342. 2nd Degree murder of a child. n/t

[MsPithy]

345. The neighborhood watch group has a rule, no guns.

The mere fact that a person carries a gun is an admission that they are willing to kill someone.

Zimmerman is guilty of murder. Not a shred of doubt in my mind.

[JoDog]

347. White woman, age 36

I think it was a clear case of manslaughter at the very least. My sister and I were watching the closing minutes of a moving when it was interrupted by the jury's verdict. We both cried in shock, sadness and disgust.

I was unable to closely follow the trial as it unfolded. On Sunday, I studied up. I now honestly believe the prosecution threw the case on purpose from day one of jury selection. They seem to have phoned it in.

[ancianita]

350. As Adamy Clayton Powell said, "Keep the faith, baby!"

Even though I'm atheist, I just liked his style. Zimmerman, the state's attorney and everyone else who had a hand in chiseling the justice away for this wrongful death will be haunted on so many levels for the rest of their lives.

[Eddie Haskell]

351. Justice is color blind

Except in FL where it's in back and white

[cry baby]

352. 56 yr old white female checking in. nt

[DevonRex]

353. Checking in. The tragedy and injustice break my heart and anger me.

I will protest the verdict. Often and loudly.

[rhiannon55]

354. I'm a white 61 year old woman, and I am appalled

that he has literally gotten away with murder.

[TNNurse]

355. Count me in

I am a 63 yo white woman. I do not have children. I have never lived outside of the south. If I had been on that jury......you would still be waiting because I would have NEVER said not guilty.

[healthnut7]

357. Count me in as well

Never would I agreed to any Not Guilty verdict!!!!!

[trixie]

356. Raises hand

checking in!

[Ilsa]

358. Even my white right-wing sister

Thinks a manslaughter conviction was appropriate.

This white middle-aged woman says at least manslaughter.

[brewens]

359. It goes all the way back to the way the cops handled that. I kind of have this attitude where

if the cops/prosecution blow it, they deserve to lose. I liked it in the O.J. case, at least at first. O.J. has since made me eat shit on that one. My reasonable doubt took a big hit over his Vegas memorabilia shit. Still, the cops have to do their job. Otherwise you can't expect justice. So now I hesitate to go along with finding some way, any way, to lock Zimmerman up. He's got it coming to him though.

[onethatcares]

360. I join in your prayer for peace

the country has lost it's mind and the religious whackjobs are pushing it further crazy without even thinking about what Jesus actually said.

Fight the good fight, maybe some day we will win.

[kurtzapril4]

361. 54 year old white girl here....

And I was, and am, outraged by this verdict. I would have held out, too.

My hope is for healing for Trayvon's family and friends.

[Hissyspit]

362. .

[nolabear]

363. 58, white, and appalled at the verdict.

[Vincardog]

364. Hate crime murder

[jeanne43]

365. No Stand Your Ground

I'm also a white woman, but older than the jurors. I just cannot imagine what Zimmerman supporters could possibly be thinking. How would it feel to be 17 and be followed by some guy you don't know? Seems that Trayvon was denied the right to defend himself. I see multiracial crowds protesting this jury decision. Yet there is so much racial and political division. It's so disappointing to see the hate and lack of understanding or willingness to compromise. Maybe it's a process we need to go through, I hope something good comes out of it. I think Stand Your Ground Laws need to be repealed. A gun makes standing up for yourself an ugly thing if your thinking is wrong.

[cvoogt]

366. not giving my race

because it doesn't define me. Sick, sick, sick is this verdict. Twisted beyond belief. Nice to see our legal system working so effectively; maybe one day it can one day also serve as a justice system?

[joesdaughter]

367. 63 WF

I have been a victim of several crimes. It is very difficult to shake the fear and feel confident again. George Zimmerman committed 2nd degree murder.

[Zoeisright]

368. White middle aged female.

I was hoping for first degree murder, but I would definitely have hung that jury.

[democrank]

369. Rest in peace, Trayvon.

[reusrename]

370. murder

[Joey Liberal]

371. Should have been manslaughter

Zimmerman caused the whole thing, therefore he's guilty.

[SaveOurDemocracy]

372. White and a mother. If I'd been on that jury, the court would still be...

...awaiting a verdict.

[NutmegYankee]

373. Count me in! Nt

[chervilant]

377. 57 and white,

with multicultural nieces and nephews -- any one of whom could have been Trayvon.

Did you hear? One of the jurors already has a book deal. All the profits should go to Trayvon's family.

[senseandsensibility]

378. I heard, and call me cynical but

I doubt if Trayvon's family will see a dime of it. I'd like to be proven wrong, however.

[Rebl]

397. She's writing

it with her lawyer husband. Bet she worked hard to get on this jury so.she and hubby could make money off this.

[kelliekat44]

379. I'm mixed. Is it ok to check in? Then checking in. nt

[senseandsensibility]

381. Of course. The only point in specifying white

was to show that these jurors are not representative of all whites or even all white women of a certain age. I know that it shouldn't matter, but I still felt that a large number of responses would send a powerful message. And I think it has.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

380. check!

[forestpath]

382. K&R

[Pat Riot]

383. yes, n/t

[lupine25]

385. Fat white guy checking in....

On the outside appearance, I probably look like a typical Fox News viewer, but I'm probably furthest from one politically speaking. And yes, I defnitely check in to say Justice was not served by this trial..... I feel for Trayvon's friends and families who took the brunt of this injustice.... Hoping the best for them!

[senseandsensibility]

393. I know how that goes. People always think I'm conservative until I open my mouth.

Lol. Thanks for checking in.

[Divine Discontent]

386. ya know... I used to be in the manslaughter category

but truly, his pre-killing actions and words about the unknown teen were anything but civil and acceptable. He pre-judged him a threat and the moment he got out of the truck against the "we don't need you to do that", he became a wannabe fugitive chaser, not a watch man, therefore he caused the death with his negligent actions, regardless of Trayvon's actions - the teen isn't responsible for being scared and wondering what the guy was doing, and since George didn't say he was Watch, and thus the stalking that was going on, he made the boy anxious and frightened. 2nd degree!

[tallahasseedem]

387. 37 year old white woman here...

I thought he should have been convicted...at least with manslaughter.

[mainstreetonce]

388. In my white world

Profiling and following are wrong and there should be something new to charge him with

[ruffburr]

389. This decision is-

Total crap, Complete wannabe a cop psychology by Zimmerman, It's so obvious it's sick, So his daddy is a circuit court judge y'all think that might have something to do with the way this went down?

[mia]

390. Here. n/t

[ohheckyeah]

396. Middle aged,

white, southern woman who thinks Zimmerman is guilty as hell and should have been convicted of 2D murder.

[Brigid]

398. 55-year-old white female here.

I am not a lawyer, but it seems to me that manslaughter would have been the more fitting charge, with a better chance of conviction.

[hue]

399. K&R!!

[AnnieBW]

400. I figured that he'd get manslaughter

I don't think that he had malice aforethought, but I do think that the crime went to the level of manslaughter. Then again, I'm not a lawyer.

[pnwmom]

401. Me, too. I read today that the problem might be

that the defense objected to the judge telling the jury that, according to FL law, if a person provoked a fight, then he wasn't entitled to claim self-defense. And the judge agreed not to tell the jury about this.

[drm604]

403. I thought it would be manslaughter.

[Paka]

404. I too am white...

and even older than the women on the jury. I never had a son to worry about, but no way could I have voted to acquit. I personally think GZ is a dispicable murdering thug and should be locked up long term, but I find it mind-boggling that even one juror didn't hold out for manslaughter at the very least. A sad day all around.

[blkmusclmachine]

405. +1.

[Di0009]

406. Di0009

Absolutely. Trayvon would be alive if George hadn't gotten out of the car. Didn't Trayvon have the right to stand his ground.

[Rain Mcloud]

407. I am multi-national in origin but raised white

to be ignorant,bigoted,christian and misogynistic.
It nearly worked too.
F*ck all that!
The killer lied an innocent died and justice was denied.
Enjoy your freedom now,punk,it will be short-lived.

[AverageJoe90]

408. 22-year-old Caucasian fellow from TX chiming in.

He was at least guilty of manslaughter and/or negligent homicide.....if not second-degree murder.

R.I.P. Trayvon Martin. 1995-2012.

[Doremus]

409. I'm in. nt

[KoKo]

410. He should have at least gotten Manslaughter. n/t

[Sparkly]

411. No question about it.

And I'd have voted for a murder conviction.

[peace13]

412. Checking in. N/t

[MH1]

413. Yes, I am, and I strongly agree with your statement.

Zimmerman caused Martin's death by his - at best - irresponsible actions, and should have been held accountable at some level.

[DBoon]

414. Yes

he should have been convicted

[frylock]

415. ..

[njlib]

416. 47 Year old white female here

Watching the juror interview on AC360 now and just can't believe what I'm hearing....makes me sick.

[Unca Jim]

417. I thought Manslaughter likely...

[LiberalElite]

418. Count me in - 63 yr old white female eom

[leanforward]

419. the jury should have been more diverse

That aside, he should have been convicted of one of two charges. It'll be interesting to hear from the jurors. One is already working on a book deal.

[Squatchr]

420. Proud American

I'm a non-hyphenated American who respects the law. Zimmerman is as much a white guy (Hispanic / Caucasian mix) as is Obama ( African / Caucasian mix). I thought we were post-race and all singing Kumbaya after 2008?!?!

[Generic Brad]

421. Absolutely

Had he not stalked Trayvon Martin, the young man would not have felt the need to defend himself. He initiated, provoked, and brought about all the actions that led to Trayvon Martin's death. He should have been guilty of manslaughter at the very least.

[killbotfactory]

422. Anyone who believed Zimmerman's story is a fucking racist half-wit

I've heard more believable lies come from my five year old. This case is infuriating.

[southerncrone]

423. Feel exactly the same as you. Would have held out & hung jury.

[usafvet65]

424. If Zimmerman had followed the directions of the dispatcher....

.... NO ONE would have died. Period.

Manslaughter at the least.

With the right to carry a gun comes the responsibility of the action of drawing and firing it.

Rights / Responsibility. Two sides of the same coin.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

425. I found this interesting...

"We Are Not Trayvon Martin":

http://wearenottrayvonmartin.tumblr.com

[AlbertCat]

427. The stalker with the gun gets off for self defense

Ridiculous! Absurd!

[Notafraidtoo]

428. It makes me ill that Zimmerman gets to walk the streets. n/t

[bbkenn92]

429. I think he should have got second degree murder.

He clearly planned to murder him the moment he saw him. I am a white woman and am a mother of 3. It horrifies me that my children can walk around free and young black men and women can't. So very sad these past few days.

[doc03]

430. Manslaughter a the very least n/t

[LibAsHell]

431. Manslaughter at the least.

Prosecution did a poor job.

[tex-wyo-dem]

433. rec!

[krispos42]

434. I do.

Zimmerman made Martin fear for his life with his stalking both through car and on foot.

[volstork]

435. Raises hand

A shameful verdict in my opinion

[akbacchus_BC]

436. Am not white, but wanted to let you know that

I thought Zimmerman would be guilty of Manslaughter. Second degree murder was difficult to prove as I really feel the Prosecutor was lacking.

But to kill a child who was unarmed and found not guilty boggles my mind. More Zimmermans will be out there looking to kill, that is what that verdict is condoning!

[ailsagirl]

450. Mind-boggling is right

I was floored

[stranger81]

437. Here.

Manslaughter at a minimum.

[NealK]

438. First degree murder.

And not only he have no remorse, he demanded apologies from African-Americans people.

[PasadenaTrudy]

442. 49 yr old white chick n/t

[roamer65]

447. Doesn't matter my race.

Facts are facts. Cops told him to stay put in the car and don't initiate contact. He disobeyed their instructions and then used his firearm to kill the unarmed person.

Open and shut case of manslaughter.

[UglyGreed]

448. Manslaughter

since no one saw him kill that poor kid.

[ailsagirl]

449. I'm with you

[trueblue2007]

451. KICK AND RECOMMEND