What Everyone Needs To Know About The Smear Campaign Against Trayvon Martin (1995-2012)

[metalbot]

46. So basically, you define trolling as "wanting us to make arrests based on actual evidence"?

While I agree that most of your quotes are totally irrelevant to Zimmerman's guilt, there are four that stand out:

1. "Zimmerman had a 'broken nose' and 'smashed head'"

If Zimmerman sustained injuries, then it bolsters his claim to self defense, which is literally the key point on whether a prosecution of Zimmerman could be successful.

2. "There isn't enough evidence to charge Zimmerman"

There's not. If there were, he'd be charged. A district attorney could make a name for himself by prosecuting and winning this case. Now, the police may have royally screwed up the investigation, but that doesn't change the fact that we as a society would prefer to indict people based on actual evidence.

3. "There's nothing wrong with following someone 'suspicious looking'"

It's dead stupid to follow someone around for looking suspicious, especially after 911 tells you not to. However, doing something stupid does not necessarily forfeit your right to claim self defense. I could go wandering into some bad neighborhoods tonight. That would be remarkably stupid. However, it wouldn't mean that I had no right to defend myself.

4. "And anyone trying to make this "just" an issue or arguement over who attacked who first while disregarding everything that led up to that moment, as it the entire case hinges on that determination... "

Sorry, but from a legal perspective, the entire case really might hinge on that. If this was not self defense, then it was murder. Whether or not this case was self defense from a legal perspective is primarily going to come down to which party assaulted the other first. Now, it's also very possible that Martin thought that HE was acting in self defense by punching the guy who was following him. Unfortunately, he can't tell that side of the story, but even if he could, Zimmerman could still argue self defense.


I think it's fair to have a discussion about "justice" in this case, but it has to be done on two levels. Zimmerman has a right to all of the legal protections that the law offers him. We offer those legal protections to everyone whether they are "guilty" or "innocent" in the eyes of some higher power that has the ability to make that judgement before a trial. That's one form of justice. Martin's family has a right to some answers. That's another form of justice. Both of those have to operate within our legal framework, rather than in the framework of public opinion.