So do I. I think George Zimmerman isn't telling the truth as to what happened between him and Trayvon Martin. I'm glad the Department of Justice and the FBI are investigating.

I sure hope the victim's family get some justice. Mississippi Burning is not just in Mississippi. What a disgrace for our country, one step forward and 2 steps back when it comes to racial equality.

there isn't a chance in hell zimmerman is telling the truth. fortunately his downfall will be his attempt to create an alibi by calling 911. hope he gets death.

I certainly hope so. The more I read about this guy (Zimmerman), the more he sounds like a wannabe cop with a chip on his shoulder looking for a fight.

I mean, according to Zimmerman, this kid was:

On drugs (how did he know?)

Walking too slowly in the rain (wtf is this crap? Zimmerman thinks he's the goddamn pedestrian speed police?)

Looking at houses (so now looking at houses is a crime? Or just being black and looking at houses?)

This guy is a real jackass, and he needs to be taught a lesson.

It's about time they arrest loony George Zimmerman for shooting a young man that was armed with a can of ice tea and skittles. That Hispanic moron (Georgie-Boy) should have never had a gun while volunteering as a neighborhood watch member. I think Travon's parents should sue the neighborhood watch group for allowing one of their own to carry heat with him while patrolling the neighborhood.

If Georgie-boy doesn't get arrest for murder, all hell is going to break loose in Sanford, FL. It'll be like the LA riots after the Rodney King trial. BURN BABY BURN

Morally, he should have charges against him ....but what if there is no law against he did?....based on this new law. What the heck are lawmakers in Florida doing to allow one citizen to confront another--lethally ---and be protected by the law?

BTW what kind of florida swamp mud does this guy have for brains? A watch captain who doesn't know his residents?

Review evidence... those mickey mouse police in that town didn't gather any.... like blood and urine samples from the clown and the teen.

Crump said Zimmerman should not be protected under the Stand Your Ground law. "It's illogical, you can claim self defense after you chase and pursue somebody," he said.

Pretty much sums it up. None of us here really know why that kid was in that neighborhood, but he was unarmed and obviously not there to cause bodily harm to Zimmerman or anyone else. If this Zimmerman wannabe vigilanti hadn't actively pursued the kid and created a conflict then a kid with his whole life ahead of him would still be alive today.

None of us here know who threw the first punch or how the physical conflict began, but the minute Zimmerman actively pursued him to confront him he can no longer claim self defense because he initiated conflict and that much is proven in the tapes.

This family will easily win millions and I hope Zimmerman ends up in prison, or broke and homeless

Zimmerman's own 911 call indicated that because the kid was black, that he was a criminal. I hope you people that think that way never have to face the loss of a love one for the sole reason was a perceived threat from a person whose skin is a different color than theirs.

If the legal system doesn't make this at least a manslaughter it will be a miscarriage of justice. It does bother me that the Mom, while she should be grieving the loss of her son, is employing a "lawyer." If I had lost one of my children I don't think that I would have been thinking of a lawsuit. I'd be grieving.

Stop the citizen on citizen violence and stop the wars

The Justice Dept. and the FBI SHOULD go after Zimmerman, because you can bet the cops in that town weren't going to do a damn thing to him! I do hope Martin's parents go after that idiot Neighborhood Watch program to find out if they encouraged or gave the okay for Zimmerman to carry a gun! Anyway you look at it, Zimmerman is a murderer, period!

he need to be cuffed and stuffed. on the 911 tape the operater very clearly told him to stop following the boy. and yet he persused the young man and killed him in cold blood for reason unkown at this point but i hope the outcry for justice will force the right thing to be done my heart and prayer are with his family ..

If I had lost one of my children I don't think that I would have been thinking of a lawsuit. I'd be grieving.

Some people have the capacity to do both. There is no way to get the law changed to protect others without employing an attorney.

Mom: Trayvon Martin was killed because of 'the color of his skin... Not opposing that zimmerman very well may have overreacted. but this was not a hate crime. Zimmerman is HISPANIC. seriously, that color thing is at best the desperate attempt of a mom in pain trying to get publicity. and i cannot argue, it worked.

Right.... because brown people aren't allowed to be racists. @@ You apparently do not live in an area that has a heavy hispanic population or you would know that it is very common for Hispanic- Americans to have a problem with African Americans. All races have members that are racist.

Please people...it's the FBI we're talking about. They're a bunch of incompetent MORONS...they will most likely drop the ball on this too. If they don't, fine then, that's awesome! However I have absolutely no faith in the FBI when they can't even crack a pimps phone.

Hmmm-3084578

Minorities can still commit hate crimes against other minorities, don't know where the hell your logic is comming from. The tapes prove Zimmerman was discriminately judging the kid on first glance, is skin is part of that, whether it's explicitly said or not

I having a feeling the mother knows more about the case than you or I, so I wouldn't just quickly discount what she says as 'playing the race card.

I love how the author fails to mention how the "Stand Your Ground" law passed by Jeb Bush has since created the lowest crime rate Florida has seen in 40 years. Way to only tell 1 side....

Senceless, heart-breaking and surely not the last time this will happen. Demand justice America, this could be your child.

Stop thinking that Hispanic people are not racist, " there are racist in every single group of people" where is belief that because you're from one ethnic group that you could not possibly be a racist, I dont play the race card, but " The Entire World, could use many life lessons" This young man was murdered for many reasons, the main one, was because he was " Black" . My son was killed in 1996 , by two hispanic men, because " according to them , he was a " the N-word" and in their neighborhood, what does that mean , he was making a phone call, and not provoking anyone, and in a public place, it was labeled a gang -related killing, because the hispanics were in a gang, not my son, so I got no justice on the real reason for his murder, this young man's mom should sue everyone she can, although , nothing will ever bring him back, she needs to get justice for this, and make the one responsible for it , pay with going to jail for life. This Zimmerman person is lying and the World knows it, we all know what he knows , that he is a liar, plain and simple.

I love how the author fails to mention how the "Stand Your Ground" law passed by Jeb Bush has since created the lowest crime rate Florida has seen in 40 years.

I love how the people that defend such a ridiculous law fail to mention that the crime rate for the entire country happens to be at a 40 year low.

way to tell only one side...Ben

Zimmerman is that one that won't get away...!!!

Listen to the 911 call Zimmerman made, and you will know this had everything to do with race. I think they should just hand his a** over to the family and let them meet out the justice. If some ignorant jerk did this to one of mine he had better turn himself in to the cops in the name of self preservation because the law will be far kinder than I.

Eric Holder refuses to do his job and defend the laws of the country on any other front...especially on immigration which affects millions of people..and now he wants to make a stand on one incident?

Eric Holder has turned the DOJ into a joke.

Danwill,

Or the fact that many of those 'justifiable homicides' WOULD be criminal without the current law. It would be like making theft not a crime, then claiming that crime is down.

Hmmm-3084578

Mom: Trayvon Martin was killed because of 'the color of his skin... Not opposing that zimmerman very well may have overreacted. but this was not a hate crime. Zimmerman is HISPANIC.

Is that Kosher for a Latino to be named Zimmerman? I don't care what the ethnicity of the murder is. I care that he murdered a human being. He has a clear bias against black people and the local cops covered his ass. Uncover it.

Wait an minute! Stand your ground law? You mean like, if Trayvon had a gun and shot Zimmerman it would have been justified? That I can believe. Innocent guy walking along gets chased down by some clown with a gun, gets cornered and then shoots in self defense. The police departments misinterpretation of this law is laughable. So, If I jumped in front of a moving car, I could shoot the driver because he's trying to run over me? What was the crime against Zimmerman that justified this shooting? The only way this can possible be construed is that Zimmerman loaded his gun, jumped in the car , went out looking for trouble and he found it. He chased that poor kid down and murdered him. Why? Because these "@!$%#s" always get away with it." What @!$%#s? The @!$%#s that go to the7-11 to buy Skittles and Iced Tea? No, these @!$%#s are black males in his condo complex that he's going to stop with deadly force. This guy was a time bomb itching to kill someone. He stalked an murdered Trayvon, there is no, "his side of the story." Now that the FBI has stepped in, I hope that Zimmerman is charged to the fullest extent of the law and sentenced as harshly as he possibley can be.

"People all over the world, more than 400,000 people, said we demand you make an arrest. That's what is building pressure to look at it," Crump said.

i think i can match that, and find 400,000 votes in favor of me being the next president or world leader, thought i'd put that out there, 400,000 across the globe doesnt come close to making a notice. 4,000,000 or so, means you have some attention.

just also to put it out there, the guy followed him so what? what matters is what transpired from the time he started to follow the kid, to the time the kid was shot. no mention this kid was actually unarmed, other than saying he had a pack of skittles and a root beer. so wondering if the media is leaving something out, that the police were able to justify the possibility og this guy being in great bodily harms way.

also, i can see if the area was bad for crime, sure, i would follow the guy too if i didnt know him from the area, and was sick of my crap being broken into and stolen. not saying it is a free right to beat on strangers, but it is what it is, in some areas.

get serious how could anyone in law enforcement pass what happen to this BOY as self defense on the part of a animal out following it's pray for the attack,!!>> there was not any need for that animal to do anything he was in his own space, the Boy was mining his own business and this animal saw a chance to to enact his plan to kill an young black BOY !! and that is clear the BOY was not following him , he was following the BOY !!> looking for any reason to fire that gun at someone ,in my opinion he is not even human and should be lock- up in a cage never to be released or better yet put down like the animal he is !!!!!!! no if ands or butts

The "Stand Your Ground Law" is some John Wayne inspired, cowboy mentality, disgrace.

As for Zimmerman, this was not self defense, this was a stalking pursuit, and cold blooded murder. Zimmerman clearly had a chip on his shoulder, and was going to take down anyone, especially a black kid, he deemed guilty to dare walk in "his neighborhood". Zimmerman is a gun toting punk and a coward.

Why are some of you people going after the mother and deflecting what this POS did? she should be grieving instead of getting a lawyer. An attempt to get public attention. Please stfu! This mother did nothing more than moms do when they lose a loved one. The only difference is other moms have the law enforcement community on their side. This mom was shunned by law enforcement, to include the prosecutors and judges. They deemed, by proxy, that her son was a criminal and she need not waste their time. Judges have signed arrest warrants, having less evidence. The mom is right, this has to do with the color of his skin. I am, shamefully, a resident of Florida, and I said when this law passed: this is a kill-a-black-a-week law. I shudder to think what would happen if this was white kid who was shot by a black adult male? The rope would already be around his neck. This POS is guilty of murder and I volunteer for the firing squad!!!

Zimmerman- trust me- you'll be safer in jail. Turn yourself in before someone suspects YOU of "acting suspicious" and puts a bullet in your head.

@ibinsanediego

You know that how? Were you an Officer on that scene? More often than not Police policy is to present cases to a District Attorney for filing. I don't see any wrongdoing on the Police.

The shooter on the other hand sounds like a tool.

http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Content/FSAC/Crime-Trends/Violent-Crime.aspx

huge FAIL bill in mill creek

36.5% drop in total violent offenses since 1990 and a 55% drop in the crime rate per 100,000 since 1990

such drops are pretty similar to drops across the entire country

straight from the Florida department of Law enforcement website

the peak was in the early 80s, so maybe not a full forty years, yet the drop has been steady and fairly consistent regardless of whether the laws passed were fairly liberal or fairly conservative, the overall political stance has made little difference no matter where you live. even the ghettos and barrios are far safer than they used to be 30 years ago

Such a waste of a young life. His color is not important. What is important is it was such a waste of life that could have been prevented, should have been prevented. My heart go's out to his family. And I pray that in time the pain of there loss will be healed. I pray. As for the guy that shot this young boy I feel that he should be in jail now not a month after. He should have listened to the 911 operator. If he had done so My self and thousands of others would not be writing these words. This should have never have happened. Please find healing in your heart and with the Good Lord above.

You know why this man has not been charged where a minority would have been? Because he has the Complexion, for the protection of the collection. [Paul Mooney]

Tell a friend. Tell two. Tell Four. Tell more. ; ]

The revolution is televised. ;]

Cheers

funny, but there was a 27% INCREASE in homicides when Fl enacted "stand your ground", a 10% increase in robberies and a 5% increase in rapes.

hmmm, so much for the effectiveness of such stupidity.

Would hundreds of people, especially celebs and politicians be signing petitions and demanding justice if the races of the shooter and the teen been different? Would Spike Lee and some of the others even have bothered with this at all if the teen had been white? This is seriously a question not any type of racial comment and rather than getting nasty replies I would love to have people tell the Gods honest truth because racists come in all colors.

Having said that this is the stupidest law. You should be able to defend yourself in your home or on your property. Nobody of any race, creed or color needs to be randomly carrying a weapon of any kind looking for potential trouble. Sounds like this man did everything to cause trouble and was actively looking to use his weapon. But none of us were there. The police should have taken him into custody immeadiately, then investigated. This man seems to have taken the law into his own hands. However, lot of posters seem to want to do the same thing. People have to start taking accountability for their own words and actions. Hate from all sides need to stop. And ALL people of ALL COLORS need to admit to THEIR PREDJUDICES and not make it all about one race being victimized because it just isn't true

If the local police did nothing... hell yeah, I'd be screaming for justice! Those idiots in the Fl police dept made this about race... not anyone else.

Zimmerman initiated the confrontation, and the teen was unarmed. The dispatcher told him not to follow, and he did so anyway. It sounds like a cold blooded murder to me.

I don't understand the opposition to the "Stand your ground" laws that this case has evoked, however. If an individual is truly threatened by another who confronts him or her, it seems reasonable that they should be able to defend themselves without a "duty to retreat".

The issue here is that Zimmerman initiated the confrontation and could not have reasonably felt that his life was in danger from an unarmed teen, not that the "Stand your ground" law is unreasonable.

@danwill

Somehow I doubt legalized self defense increased crime rates...the Zimmerman dude wasn't standing his ground, he was pursuing someone, starting a problem.

In my State the Castle Law has decreased car thefts, rapes, robberies, home invasions, murders, and property damage crimes.

I'd say if FL has increases in any of those things it's not caused by this law...it's correlated, not causal. Something else is increasing the crime rates...perhaps increased escalation of the drug war, increased gang activity because of it, etc.

I mean, how logically can legalized self defense with lethal force lead to more rapes, robberies, or homocides? It can't.

http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/htus8008.pdf

In the last decade (since 2000) the homicide rate declined to levels last seen in the mid-1960s

actually, the violent crime rate across the entire country has dropped dramatically, regardless of political stance (red vs blue state). the "self defense" laws have had little impact one way or the other they are just trumpeted by those that are happy to have a chance to "git sum" without having to pay for taking a life from someone who is not necessarily violent

Pierce Hawthorne

really, really stupid comment. he was killed because his pants was hanging off? i wouldn't care if he was wearing underwear, completely irrelevant. just more white supremacy. just like the comment, "if he had an american name and responsible parents, he'd be alive... what, like oscar grant? really, really, stupid. black americans ARE americans, and our ancestors were here at the beginning fool. his name could be bozo for all it matters. and if the killer was responsible martin would be alive. i guess zimmerman (an american name?) knew what the kid's name was. furthermore, the DOJ/FBI don't need to investigate when so called black killers kills white people, because if you sneeze at a white man you go to jail. those people were prosecuted with no hoopla, and you know it. if this fool zimmerman had been put where he belongs, there would be no need for the fbi, so skip the victim mentality. its kinda ridiculous to make 13% of the population a menace to 65%, its inaccurate, unscientific, and a bald face lie.

This is a despicable act by a despicable man. I am appalled and ashamed by the non-action of the Sanford police department. From all of the reports I have read and watched about this young man's murder I am very disturbed by Zimmerman's habit of frequently calling 911, sometimes up to 46 times in a 24 hour period. Zimmerman clearly suffers from some form of delusional or psychotic mental illness yet he was allowed to own a weapon and have a permit to carry it concealed. There is something very wrong here and I want to know who is/has been getting paid to protect Zimmerman.

Jim Jabb::: What does his name have to do with it? I know a guy whose name is Blue Boy. No, he is not related to that Bouncy woman with the brat with the strange name. He is white. And what you said about responsible parents-- from where do you get the idea that they are not responsible parents. They were guests in the home of someone who lived in that community and he went to the convenience store-- probably the Skittles and iced tea that he had in his possession. No gun.

I hope they dispense old-time Texas justice on the MURDERER. Hang him high.

Jim Jabb, you are an idiot. This child was not only a student with aspirations for his future, but he also was a hero in his own right. At the age of nine he pulled his father from a burning building. He was much more a man at that age than Zimmerman will ever be. So, his responsible parents raised a responsible child. Why would you suppose they weren't responsible.

And trying to blame the parents for the death of their child after all of the evidence provided by the tapes and witness accounts? You are beneath comtempt.

Figures. The Right to Kill law in the state of Florida was passed in 2005. Guess who was the governor who signed it into law? Hint-- he has a famous brother and a famous father. And his famous brother has a famous friend who should be kept away from hunting rifles.

Don't call the 'Stand your ground' concept in a public place dangerous - there's already an obligation to not attack/instigate which this guy, (along with local law choosement) didn't appreciate.

the minute Zimmerman actively pursued him [Martin] to confront him he can no longer claim self defense

This sums it up. He went out of his way to look for a fight, and then claims self-defense. Lock this guy up. He's the true threat to his neighborhood.

The actual fault is with the Stand your Ground law, Only an idiot would create such a law, that just gives an excuse to kill without fear of going to jail, that is why Florida is the most Fu_ked up state there is, kills on a daily bases and they wonder why.

About danwill's web site from the Florida D of LE

I find as Susie said, the "no retreat law" was signed by Jeb Bush in 2005. Now as my observations from the web site, the murder rate went up by 348 in 2006 and stayed higher than 2005 through 2010. Now it would be hard to know how many if any were the result of the no retreat law. As far as the overall crime rate, it was falling at a faster rate before the law was passed but that is also inconclusive. In other words by the figures, the law didn't make any difference in the crime rate since it was already falling and continued to fall after the law was passed.

There is a question whether the people killed in "self defense" were included in the figures after 2004 or the previous figures were higher than 2005 because those killed in the name of self defense were excluded because of the new law.

Now about the subject of the article. According to the 911 tape from George, the only thing George really knew about Trayvon was that he was black. He made statements on the 911 call about drugs and suspicions but the only obvious thing he knew for sure was that the kid was black. Now you would have to ask yourself if George would have been so aggressive if the kid was white. Now the kid was walking away from him and George pursued the kid over the advice of the 911 dispatcher. According to federal law, George can be tried for a hate crime with a life in prison or the death penalty and his alibi of self defense isn't going to fly in court unless you get a bigot on the jury.

Yeah the guy in the video report is right. Zimmerman may not be a racist, be he sure as hell is a bigot. Big Ass Bigot Literally believing the black "he looks suspicious" "gangsta" image not to mention breaking law by NOT LISTENING TO POLICE ORDER. Probably another idiot that thinks all Muslims are terrorists.

This clown can burn for all I care.

Now thats a good Mother, I hope she gets justice for her son whatever they can get out of Zimmerman another person who shouldn't of had a license to carry..We are going the wrong way in our society with our laws.

So let me get this straight. This "neighborhood watch man", who's the member of a neighborhood watch group that isn't even registered, who himself doesn't follow any of the guidelines for a neighborhood watch, such as not being armed, not pursuing people "he questions" as being suspiscious, on questionably racist grounds, is told by the police not to pursue this guy, and he does anyway. A voice yells out in the background for help, which sounds very much like it could be the voice of a youg black man, and then you hear a gun shot on the police dispatch tape...

Oh, and Zimmerman, there is such a thing as voice recognition software, in case you're not aware. If the parents have a video tape of their son, and a voice sample, the FBI crime labs could go looking for a voice match, pulling the voice off the tapes, etc....

Zimmerman, you deserve a death sentence, and I hope you get something like the electric chair or the firing squad. It'd about serve ya right, you sorry sack of **** excuse of a human being. Self defense my arse, you sir, belong in a country like Syria, where the law enforcement has much in common with you. And I hope you read this too, because it's about time someone tells you straight on, just what you are Zimmerman.

Just so everyone has a clear understanding, racism is a two way street.

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-03-04/news/31122324_1_white-boy-fire-tv-station

Yes, it can be... But listening to that 911 call, it's so obvious. He knew the guy was black, viewed him as the big, bad threat, pursued him (didn't just stand his ground, but went after him when the kid was trying to get away), and very much from the sound of it, shot someone dead who was screaming for help. I'm white, yes, but this is rather apparent here.... It's sick and twisted, what we were listening to there....

I love how the author fails to mention how the "Stand Your Ground" law passed by Jeb Bush has since created the lowest crime rate Florida has seen in 40 years. Way to only tell 1 side....

Ben1986 - The "Stand Your Ground" law was passed just 5 years ago in Florida. Nationwide, the crime rates have been falling since the early 1990s, including states like New York.

There are many possible factors in falling crime rates, including federal aid to local law enforcement, which put more cops on the street in the 1990s, and the aging of the baby-boomer population.

But go ahead and just look at the facts which support your position.

As a mother, I can only imagine what the mother of this dead young man must be going through. I surely hope I have no one in my "Neighborhood Watch" as paranoid as this guy Zimmerman. He doesn't like a black kid walking down a public street in the "Hoodie" gear a lot of kids wear today, so he shoots him.

That law that was passed was designed for people who have been physically threatened on the street, in their cars, or their home broken into. From what I have read this young man did none of the above. He was walking home in the rain. Strolling around and enjoying the scenery. And was gunned down like a mad dog.

Zimmerman deserves the death penalty.

While I'm sure it will be determined that race was a factor, what is important here is that a young man died for no reason.

Ben1986! Crime is down because all the homicides are justifiable under this "State Law," which should be overturned by the Federal Gov. in my opinion.

"Five years after Florida's Stand Your Ground law was enacted, a 2010 review by the St. Petersburg Times found that reports of justifiable homicides had tripled, and a majority of cases were excused by prosecutors or the courts."

The Constitution allows the Federal Gov. to overturn laws that are in conflict with the Constitution. It's called the "National Supremacy Clause." I think this young man's Comstitutional rights were violated all the way around the board! This security guy became judge, jury, and exicutioner without any due process whatsoever. He seems to be getting away with this because of this irresponsible State law. This seems to be a problem with our Federal system. State Governments have been legislating questionable laws quite a bit here lately.

The reason for the stand your'e ground law is the high rate of crime in florida!!!! If the crime rate wasn't so high, you wouldn't need neighborhood watch groups. If this kid was white, there wouldn't be a justice dept investigation!!! This administration and the justice dept use the race card for anything they can. This will be deleted by some whiner racist because they don't like what I said, but it's the truth!!!

This Zimmerman was a nut case from the sounds of what his peers have said. I
don’t care if you have 40 black kids walking up and down the street you don’t
shoot one of them.

REMEMBER THIS IS A NEIGHBOR .............WATCH........ IT'S A
WATCH.......WATCH........ YOU FRIKIN DUMBASS

What do you mean that you can defend yourselves against punks like this dude who was shot. Wtf does that mean? The dude that was shot, was a child minding his own business, coming from the store, his father lives in the community, he wasn't doing anything. Just because Zimmermann was a so called minority, I don't know of any hispanics named Zimmermann. You must be as crazy as the shooter for that comment.

When it comes to correlating todays lower crime rates, many things rise to the top - but none can be singled out as the magic wand. Not Joe Arpaio, not Reagns "war on drugs", not increased funding for police departments - but all these together have had some impact. Reagans war on drugs has actually created an increase in crime rates because the laws enacted under this "war" makes many low-level drug charges violent crimes. Sheriff Joe is a joke who brutalizes a small handfull of this country's incarcerated. Increase funding for police departments has probably done more to reduce crime than anything else just because of the increased presence.

However, one very troubling statistic that correlates perfectly is that since Roe vs Wade was passed giving women the right to decide, the numer of unwanted pregnancies has dropped significantly - and the generation sector most significantly involved in crime rates is that one affected by Roe vs Wade. The correlation is that children of unwanted pregnancies are more likely to be involved in crime. I am a right to life supporter and think abortion is a terrible thing. However, when viewing correlations, this one has to be considered because what it means to a right to life person is that we must become involved in the lives of unwanted children. We must participate in helping to provide the stability and nurturing that is missing in their lives. We must not support idiotic idealism that bans or restricts the use of contraceptives because no matter how hard you fight it, when it comes to having sex nature will almost always take it's course in the end.

So don't get on your high horse and say it's Sheriff Joe who has saved the day, don't give the credit to Reagan's war on drugs (because that has 1% of our society behind bars right now) - instead think of it in terms of what you and I are not doing to help the situation - then get on your high horse and shout out!

I cannot believe some of the cold blooded comments on here about this case! Maybe people should actually know something before commenting? The unarmed kid was screaming for help just before being shot to death. Zimmerman was told by the cop on the 911 call to stop following the kid! How about not trying to justify a cold blooded killing, people?

And the Florida police? Lets interpret the law bass ackwards! But then, the Florida system let Cassy Anthony go, so what should I expect?

I have to add another perspective. As a lifetime gun owner, and holder of a concealed carry permit I have an experience to share. A few years ago, I decide that holding a lifetime carry permit for my state wasn't enough so I decided to take the course to apply for the Utah permit which would allow me to legally carry in 30 states. I was so appalled by the other 29 people in the class, as well as by the instructor that I actually wondered what I had gotten myself into.

I really enjoy guns, and have been fascinated by them since I was a small child - I own many different types - but I do not want to kill anyone, and honestly I lost my desire to hunt and kill game animals 25 years ago. I grew up feeling safe, and believing that this country would not be attacked by paratroopers because too many of us regular citizens have guns ( a fantasy, but there is some merit).

But in this group of people I was surrounded with, it was evident that some of them are looking for a reason and the opportunity to use a handgun against another human being, and know that the only way they can do this is to be involved in a situation of self defense. But no-one fit this category more than the instructor - an off duty policeman.

Part of the required classroom training is to know WHEN you are at risk of serious bodily harm. The instructor explained that if someine is striking your car window with a baseball bat, you have the right to use deadly force to protect yourself. I argued that being in a car, you should just drive away to which he countered instead that the best situation would be to train your weapon on the subject close your eyes to protect them from broken glass, and squeeze the trigger just as the bat hit the window. Simply appalling.

I left the course and never applied for the Utah carry permit - I realized that I don't fit into that group.

I also think there are lot's of people with that wild-west mentality who look for the opportunity to use a weapon. The instructor in the course I describe was one - he told us so.

I wonder how many security guards, law enforcement officers, and neighborhood watchmen, and gangbangers have the same mindset.

Red Neckelson @ 1.68

"And thank God us here in Florida can defend ourselves against punks like this dude who was shot."

I can't tell you how reassuring it is to know that there's a law on the books that make it legal for people like you to kill someone because they're "armed" with candy and ice tea.

How stupid do the legislators have to be in Florida not to realize that a law that allows you to chase someone while waving a gun around and if you catch them and they attempt to defend themselves, to kill them, MIGHT be subject to abuse?

Tragedy yes. Why? Does anyone care about the 49 shootings in Chicago over the weekend. The poor little Hispanic girl killed by stray bullets, but thats okay because she was slain by another Hispanics so there is no political benefit. What this is about is getting Obamas base fired up without a doubt. 10 dead in Chicago but no press WHY? They where all minorities, but they where killed by other minorities so pieces of SH$T like Micheal Moore don't care!

P.O. @ 1.72

Thanks for your insightful comments.

I too grew up in a rural state and hunted when I was younger. I moved away for 30 some years after college and returned about a year ago. I've had a few conversations with people who tell me about how much "safer" we are now because they're walking around with loaded weapons- nevermind that the violent crime rate was just as low 30 years ago and when it does occur 90% of the time it involves family members or friends. I'm only thankful that we have not yet enacted a "stand your ground law"- although it has been proposed- that would allow some of these people to become judge, jury and executioner. If it were to become legal, I would be far more worried about some of these nuts than I am of the supposed criminals they claim to be defending me from.

tim-580939 - if the kid were white, he would likely still be alive...

geo-1957883 - you are missing the point badly. Chicago PD is actively pursuing the perpetartors in those crimes. In this case, the police KNOW who the shooter is and have decided NOT to arrest him. How is it that you can't see that?

This situation is horrible! I think the Zimmerman guy brought this on himself. I understand FL's law states you can protect yourself. However, didn't the dispatcher tell him they DID NOT need him to follow Martin? Well, if he would have listened, then there wouldn't have been the need to feel he was in any danger. He put himself there. Think how the Martin boy felt. He is walking back from the store, and this guy approaches him carrying a gun. Maybe it was the Martin boy who needed to protect himself! Such a sad story. I feel for the family.

geo-1957883

People only care because they can make a race issue out of this story. Many people already have their minds made up because the original headline was Kid killed because of the color of his skin. (poor journalism) The interesting part will be if the FBI decides the local police were correct. Instead of accepting the decision of the FBI there will most likely be riots over it.

I also enjoy the hypocrisy of people defending the action of a soldier who killed women and children in Afghanistan yet are calling for the head of Zimmerman even though they have no idea what really happened. Even the 911 callers were too chicken to stick their heads out the window and see what was going on.

If he is guilty send him to jail and let justice be done. Leave the race circus out of it.

This law is a double edged sword so who ever instigated the confrontation is the guilty party and that was Zimmerman.As the law is written when Zimmerman confronted martin, martin had the right to stand his ground and use physical force to protect himself from a perceived threat,which Zimmerman mistakenly believes gives him the right to use physical force to defend himself.But since he instigated the confrontation he was the threat.A private citizen even if he's in the neighborhood watch doesn't have the right to confront another citizen unless it's on his own property.He doesn't have the right to ask him who he is or where he's going that in itself could be perceived as a threat.This law as the police are applying it would justify the escalation af any argument into a gun fight even if only one person had a gun.It would legalize gang warfare because since gangs already kill each other, they can justify killing someone from a rival gang because that gang has a history of killing rivals.You would be able to start trouble with anyone at anytime and if they got mad and pointed their finger at you while berating you you could claim you were afraid and shoot them although by starting trouble you've given them the right to shoot you. So its a matter of who's quickest on the draw. So we're back to the old west where a insult justifies a gun fight.

Statements that Trayvon was killed because he was black may or may not be true. At this time it is strictly an assumption. There is nothing in this story or in the statements that suggest Zimmerman pursued Trayvon because he was black, only Zimmerman knows for sure. My son is white and has been approached for looking "suspicious" in almost identical circumstances. He was REPORTED by a neighborhood watch and escorted home by the police. He was one block from home.

Zimmerman clearly overstepped his bounds here by approaching Trayvon; because of this the "stand your ground" law should not apply. Regardless of whether the police felt it applied or not, Zimmerman should have been arrested and charged on the spot, pending results of an investigation, and the courts should determine whether or not this law applies. This not only satisfies the public's interest for due process of justice, but also protects Zimmerman from reprisals. The "stand your ground" law gives me the right to protect myself, family and property. It is not a license for me to go looking for trouble. This law gives me the right to refuse to be a victim. It is an important law. If abused in cases like this, we may lose it.

Zimmerman's own statements and testimony would convict him, and in Texas would move him to the front of the line on death row.

Someone commented that Trayvon's family will "win millions". I don't see how....If convicted in criminal court, Zimmerman will do time and possibly be put to death, with no award to Trayvon's family. If sued and "convicted" in civil court, Trayvon's family may get everything Zimmerman owns. I doubt that adds up to millions. Millionaires hire security, they don't perform neighborhood watch.

I pray for Trayvon's family and grieve for their loss. No matter how many times our courts put Zimmerman to death or how much is won in a civil suit, we will never see Trayvon again. May God watch over him.

Zimmerman was the neighborhood watch captain, doing his job, watching the neighborhood.

The police investigated and found no need to arrest him.

While none of us was there, a fight did ensue, and why? 50% chance the young punk started behaving aggressively, 50% chance Zimmerman initiated confrontation. But the police found no reason to arrest the man. That being the case, nobody here has any information other than hearsay or prejudice which would counter the police investigation.

This regretable situation which, as usual, has been blown completely out of proportion by the shabby story by PMSNBC and by the liberal anti gun crowd. This is one example of a person who may have over reacted to a suspicious person. We don't know the facts, maybe he told the kid to stop and wait for the police and the kid got mouthy and flipped him off or maybe the kid approached him and did threaten him or took a swing at him. WE DON'T KNOW since we weren't there. So, all you holier than thou nuts who have jumped on the band wagon with the self rightous crowd should just STFU and wait for the FACTS.

Painfully obvious, George Zimmerman is a murderer.

What crime did this 17 year old commit? Walking down the sidewalk, in a gated community, with a bag of skittles and a can of iced tea? That's a crime????

George Zimmerman, pursued this individual, created a confrontation, then shot and killed the individual. That in my book is murder, plain and simple. period, end of story.

This is a clear case of Cold-Blooded Murder!

Trayvon Martin was lawfully walking down a public street.

Mr. Martin was not threatening anyone.

Mr. Martin realized that he was being followed by a predator, Zimmerman.

Trayvon, a 17 year old young man, attempted flee to save his life.

With deliberate intent, Zimmerman cornered Trayvon and pumped a bullet into this innocent life and killed him.

Zimmerman should be convicted of 1st degree Capital Murder.

First allow me to say this. I grew up with guns in our house. We hunted and I have done so all my life. I have never killed anyone. I have guns in my home now. For hunting and self defense. My guns are in my home, where if we are under attack I can use them if absolutely necessary. That is why they are in my home. If we travel, I carry one with me so that if we are on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere (which we have a lot off here) I can defend myself or my family IF absolutley necessary. In all cases, they will have to bring the fight to me and I will defend wilth as little as possible or as much as it takes.

THAT IS NOT what happened by what we know at this point. He was told to stand down by the authorities. He did not. Thus, HE carrired the fight to the kid. We don't know much else except that because of his actions a young man is dead. The color of the boys skin is important because in this case he was profiled. I wish I was wrong, but I am not.

This is manslaughter at the VERY least. Appears to be a murder except that it will be hard to prove pre-meditation. Just an absolute shame.

The reality of the situation is that Zimmerman was to make himself into his own private police force:

The dispatcher, hearing heavy breathing on the phone, asked Zimmerman: "Are you following him?"

"Yeah," Zimmerman said.

"Okay, we don't need you to do that," the dispatcher responded.

Yet Zimmerman continued and a short time later, apparently got out of his car, confronted and shot Martin. It does not matter what his motivation was, the fact remains there is NO justification for stalking, confronting, and shooting a person. Some neighborhood watch people think that they have the right to stop, search and confront people just because they are in a neighborhood watch program. Even real police know that they do not have the right to stop people without probable cause to believe that they have committed a crime.

This Zimmerman is nothing but scum and should have been arrested. The fact that he wasn't says more about the lack of respect for the rule of law in Florida than anything else. Of course crime has gone down in Florida. When the police don't arrest criminals, there is no crime added to the statistics.

Judging from the pictures, how did zimmerman catch martin?

TXHorseman

I understand your point but let me ask you this. If a neighborhood has had a string of robbery's and white people were found guilty of all the crimes. Would it be racial profiling for someone to call 911 and say there is a white guy with a hood on walking down the street and looks suspicious? Whites commit more crimes in America than any other race so why is it only profiling for minorities?

The only case I see for racism is when Zimmerman said these a-holes get away all the time. Even that case is flimsy. If my neighborhood was targeted for break ins I would be calling anyone who did it an a-hole.

It will be interesting to see what the FBI decides, this case is definitely not as cut and dry as the early media headlines would have us believe. I notice they have changed their tone on the subject.

TXHorseman,

I agree 100% with what you are saying. Proving intent up to a 3rd or 2nd degree may be difficult.

Bob.M The "Hispanic moron", really? He may be half Hispanic or less, but I can assure you that Zimmerman is in no way a Hispanic last name, perhaps someone is trying to use whatever percentage of Hispanic this idiot has to divert attention from the traditional angry White racist person and make it a Black-Hispanic (minority) conflict instead. By the way, there are plenty of "White morons" and for what you wrote, you are probably one of them.

I can care less if he is Hispanic, Anglo or Asian, he is just a "moron" with a law enforcement complex and should go to prison for what he did.

While none of us was there, a fight did ensue, and why? 50% chance the young punk started behaving aggressively, 50% chance Zimmerman initiated confrontation.

no, 100% chance Zimmerman initiated the confrontation when he GOT OUT OF HIS CAR AND CHASED MARTIN against the directive of 911 dispatch.

We don't know the facts, maybe he told the kid to stop and wait for the police and the kid got mouthy and flipped him off

ahh yes, as if that justifies Zimmerman shooting Martin.

or maybe the kid approached him and did threaten him or took a swing at him.

If you take a swing against someone who has been following you at night in a strange neighborhood and now chasing you on foot, YOU are acting in self-defense. Trayvon was "standing his ground," not Zimmerman. You can't pick a fight with someone as Zimmerman did and then shoot that person claiming self-defense even if they're whipping your a$$.

Manslaughter at least, more likely murder.

Had I known about the petition, I would have signed it too.

Sandtrich (#1.9): I think you may be looking at the mother's actions the wrong way. If my own child had been shot and killed in such a manner and no one was doing anything about it, I would absolutely retain an attorney in order to seek justice for my baby. It's not about her, it's about her boy, and she wants to see something done about his senseless killing. Part of grieving is anger and - rightly so - the way he died most likely fuels her anger.

Mossdog (#1.29): The third paragraph down states that Trayvon was unarmed. And every other report, either in the newspaper, online, or on the news, has stated so also.

Now, I usually defend police, but in this case I am appalled that they didn't make an arrest and actually turned the case over to the FBI. It makes no sense. After normal, typical police investigative procedure, listening to the whole 911 tape by itself would have warranted an arrest. Things clearly did not happen as Zimmerman tried to say and it is blatantly obvious. No one who chases someone down after being told not to has the right to the Stand Your Ground law. Good, honest police work would have produced some real results. That's very concerning.

If Georgie-boy doesn't get arrest for murder, all hell is going to break loose in Sanford, FL. It'll be like the LA riots after the Rodney King trial. BURN BABY BURN

Tha fact of the matter is that this incident has nothing to do with Florida's "Stand Your Ground" Law and anyone who thinks it does is seriously deluded or mentally deficient

Apart from that, I do believe this Zimmerman guy acted irrationally and that there was no cause to shoot this young man

but as far as the above threat to burn things down and start attacking innocent white people over this incident...well, I'll just be sure to carry a little extra "something" when I'm out and about

...just in case

Bobby, I don't disagree with what you are saying and I know there are cases of cause and effect. However, it is my opinion that in this case, this man was profiling.

That being said, I do not agree with all the race hype attached to this case and I am aware of the many other cases of the reverse that happen all the time.

upright,

RE: post 1.23

My sentiments exactly. If Zimmerman had killed my kid a solitary jail cell would have been his safest place to be. Zimmerman is going to be the recipient of his same tactic- someone will walk up to him, create a scene and shoot him dead, BOOM! And hell, he'll probably be armed on top of everything so his killer will look more than justified when he claims self-defense under the "stand your ground" doctrine.

I confess that personally, I DO like the SYG doctrine. The previous "withdrawal" doctrine sucked no matter how many centuries it has been in effect. It protected a criminal who already had little fear of invading somebody's home, wreaking economic havoc upon them and possibly putting the occupants in danger of their very lives, or leaving people on the streets without any options when being attacked. What this Zimmerman did was a perversion of the intent of the SYG doctrine. He used it to bully and murder from the way it sounds. But we shall see. I don't think we have the whole story yet. Most everyone is down on Zimmerman, but lets see what the final story is after the FBI get involved.

romilio, Really??

perhaps someone is trying to use whatever percentage of Hispanic this idiot has to divert attention from the traditional angry White racist person and make it a Black-Hispanic (minority) conflict instead

This is where you lost me in your "arguement." Racism is not a white issue. I have lived long enough to know and have experienced it from ALL races, but in Texas............!! You figure it out.

no he shouldnt have been killed .BUT what was he in there for,this was a gate commutity.he also didnt LIVE there.think before you TALK.

Tha fact of the matter is that this incident has nothing to do with Florida's "Stand Your Ground" Law and anyone who thinks it does is seriously deluded or mentally deficient

nonsense. It has everything to do with the "stand your ground" law. Without that law, Zimmerman could not have claimed self defense. Hell, as it is, Zimmerman shouldn't be able to claim self-defense as HE followed Martin and HE instigated the confrontation, the stupid "stand your ground" law just codifies his BS excuse for him...

Zimmerman's claim of self-defense ONLY works because of "stand your ground," Period.

no he shouldnt have been killed .BUT what was he in there for,this was a gate commutity.he also didnt LIVE there.think before you TALK.

you should take your own advice. He was in the community visiting family friends. 60 seconds of research on this case would have taught you that. Try google, it's your friend.

Paul,

His family was visiting friends that live in the gated community.

I know all you libbies out there are as happy as can be that a white boy killed a black boy and now y'all can start your race war. But the shooter is a hispanic boy. The hispanics down here in Florida absolutely hate the blacks and vice versa. Of course you never hear much about that in the liberal lamestream media. That would cause obama, the worst prez in US history, to lose too many votes. Sorry, just reporting facts.

as my anger grew over this and other mindless killings i read about everyday on this vine, i thought my rant may seem off target, until i read some of the posts here. as always, several good posts, many others are either trolls or absolute idiots. i'd like to add, as the parent of a dead marine killed by the careless actions of another: first, i thought zimmerman would make a great marine in some of those "shoot first, ask questions later" units, he could even urinate on his prey, or douse them with gasoline to offer sacrifice to the war gods after killing them in cold blood. his wreckless disregard for human life would make him a perfect wing man for the loose cannon that killed my son. secondly, on the law, it is "stand your ground", not chase 'em down! note to idiots, this is not COPS, and you ain't no reality star, go back to your xbox and kill all you want. finally, my original thought that seemed off base until now; we live in a country where we elect rich egomaniacs to serve us politically, and our approach is not to stand our ground, but to bomb the rest of the world into submission. we kill thousands of innocent people in our quest for "freedom" to rule the world, and stand by as thousands of others are slaughtered by our puppet leaders in our foreign oil fields, gold mines, etc. we send innocent people to the gas chamber, (because the electric chair is inhumane) for crimes they did not commit, we shoot our politicians when they do not agree with us, and yet we are shocked, angry, and confused when our kids bring weapons to school and murder our children, when moms and dads can't take it anymore and kill their loved ones before killing themselves. really? as one poster preached "live by the sword, die by the sword". so, mr. zimmerman, if i wake up every day, feeling like a "potential crime victim...in fear of great bodily injury" from the bankers who steal our homes, from the politicians who whore themselves out to big businesses who would kill us all if they could profit from it, from the "newscasters" who lie, and incite us to angry uprisings, from rogue cops who kill us or entrap us to suit their personal thirst for violence and/or power, or, finally from psycopathic killers like yourself, who just don't have what it takes to make the grade, so they hunt down children to quench their thirst for blood...does your actions mean i can chase down these "thugs" who are "up to no good" and kill them? i did not buy my first, second, and third gun last year (never owned a gun in my life, until now), to protect myself from the taliban, al-queda, or muslims; i did not buy my guns to protect myself from our president, or any other "black thugs" in gangs, or otherwise up to no good, nor to protect myself from some kid walking down my street...i bought my guns to protect myself from ignorant, trigger-happy bigots like you! because, you see, one never knows when someone might be "up to no good", but i do know this, if you ever decide to chase a young boy, of any color, down my street, i will put you down like the rabid animal you are!

Good post madMarineDad. Your rant is hard to read as it could have used some formatting, but I advise everyone here to take the time to read it.

This case speaks far more about the condition of our country as a whole rather than some overzealous A-hole in Florida...

Bobby Jones -- People are not "making a race issue" out of this story. It is a race issue. You cannot turn a blind eye and say race had nothing to do with it just because the concept of race makes you uncomfortable or because you personally don't think it matters. This boy did nothing wrong. No one has disputed that fact. He was visiting his father, who lived in this community. He had run to the store for some candy and an iced tea. Which he paid for, by the way. He was on his way back to his father's home in the neighborhood. What in that scenario makes him "suspicious"? I did the same thing countless times as a teen in my own neighborhood - took the short walk to the convenience store and come back home. I even found myself caught out walking in the rain -- and I tend to walk at a normal pace in the rain when I still have a ways to go, too, because once your wet, you wet, what's the point in moving faster? But I never had to worry about being found "suspicious" or being shot. Why? Because I was a white girl. All this boy did was do exactly what I did a thousand times, but he happened to be a black boy while doing it. It was his "look" that made him suspicious to this gun toting nut. Those are the facts. How can those facts make this anything but a race issue???

This is an important story because A) the police apparently didn't intend to do anything about this isolated murder (i.e. it was not part of a wider violent situation) and B) because of the incredible stupid and wide open to abuse law that seems to be the justification for this man getting off of an immediate murder charge.

hey PO

if the guy with the bat was breaking your window in your car to get at you.....then he is probably going to do worse if he does get you out of the car. you can drive away for sure. only if the keys are in the ignition, you are behind the wheel and you can put the car in gear and drive off. this all takes several seconds. MORE time than it takes to , bash open the window and get to you.

if you are going to carry a gun for self defense. then you have to have the resolve not to use it 99% of the time. the 1% you have to be willing to shoot to kill. or you will be the victim. as far as people looking for a reason to kill? could be, but more to the point that they are tired of being victims.

the cop is teaching a class for self defense in using deadly force, how do you want him to teach it?

as for the neighborhood watch guy zimmerman....he should have been watching, and reporting....not pursuing and shooting, from what is reported it seems that zimmerman broke the law and should be punished.

the stand your ground law is not at fault here , the guy that broke the law is.....

why was he not arrested? good question, the cops are either complete idiots or there is more to this story than is being told. unfortunately there were only two people at the scene and the audio tape of the 911 call. even if the kid was matching the profile of the local delinquents, it still does not mean he was up to no good. innocent until proven guilty ,

zimmermans observations should have been just that, and when there was no doubt the kid was up to no good THEN called the police to do their job. the kid could have been walking in the rain thinking im gonna break in to all these houses ! but that is not a crime, having your pants dragging your ass is not a crime , either, but it does draw attention to you, as a parent i would not let my son dress this way......but as a parent i would damn sure want to know why my son was killed walking home from the store.

saddened-1829725

How important do you think it is that once this story broke everyone started blaming white people? Race is an issue because people expect it to be an issue. Not because it was the real issue. The real issue is a neighborhood watch person did his job and called the police because he saw a suspicious person in his opinion.

I don't agree with what Zimmerman did or how he handled it. I also don't agree with how America tries to turn everything into a race issue.

i did not buy my guns to protect myself from our president, or any other "black thugs" in gangs, or otherwise up to no good, nor to protect myself from some kid walking down my street...i bought my guns to protect myself from ignorant, trigger-happy bigots like you! because, you see, one never knows when someone might be "up to no good", but i do know this, if you ever decide to chase a young boy, of any color, down my street, i will put you down like the rabid animal you are!

hmmmm....interesting

It's too bad that you were not around to help my brother - who lives outside of Orlando in a non-gated community of older homes (it's still rather peaceful and nice, nonetheless) - when he was shot at as he went outside after noticing that some young boy of color was breaking into his car at 2:00am in August of 2010

He could have used some help to put down that trigger-happy idiot who tried to kill him

pity that you weren't there.....

I don't think the Justice department or the FBI should be involved but the state of Florida definitely should. For the Justice Department to get involved because the victim is black, makes it look like the Justice department is biased in favor of black civil rights even though there is injustice for all walks of life. I also hope Trayvon Martin is vindicated and that the dumb law is changed.

Bobby Jones (#1.105): I'm glad you said you don't agree with what Zimmerman did, because I was about to get angry over you saying that he did his job and called the police. He definitely should have stopped there and left it at that, a simple phone call. I, personally, don't think it would have mattered if the "suspicious" person he saw was white instead of black, I have a feeling the situation would have turned out the same if he had already convinced himself that the person was a danger to the neighborhood, no matter the race.

Cavey, the reason the Justice Department gets involved is because it is concerned the state isn't doing theirs when it comes to Federal law. Did you know that a hate crime is a felony? Been that way for a while now.

This isn't about someone being guilty. This is about proper law enforcement. Zimmerman, based on the reports, looks like he murdered someone based on his race. Despite this, he certainly gets his day in court. However, that doesn't mean you don't make sure he is arrested. And right now, it is looking like a whole lot of law enforcement people at the Florida state level and below haven't done their jobs.

Derek, I agree except that the AG has been very visible and vocal about black civil rights, more so than any other group or race. Either that or the media has portrayed him that way. My opinion may be un-popular, but is it wrong?

I also agree that the "stand your ground" law is completely unacceptable and hope my state never adopts any kind of law like it. All shootings should be investigated and there should never be any kind of immunity, not even for police officers. Breaks my heart to think some kid was cornered and shot simply because the shooter could get away with it.

Normally I avoid commenting on issues like this but this reminds me so much of the now famous trial of the century that I could not resist. Once again the media has skewed this so badly that any possibility of any objective conclusions are practially impossible. All of the comments I read are so absolute that I wonder how so many were able to be present and witness this event. I can say for a certainty that I don't know what went down as I was not there. A good defense attorney would be able to have a field day with the ifs, ands, buts and maybes involved, not to mention making a boatload of money. By the time the vultures get through with Zimmerman there won't be anything left to sue for. For instance, the 911 operator is not a police officer nor did he/she tall Zimmerman not to persue the kid, only that they did not "need" him to do so. Just such nuances as this are what makes this the most litigous society in the world. My $.02 worth is don't get your knickers all in a twist over this and for God's sake don't fuel the preducial fires by rioting and looting if the courts don't do what you concieve to be the right thing.

Red Neck,

People are upset because a male adult, shot and killed, an unarmed kid who was walking down the street.

"This guy looks like he's up to no good, or he's on drugs or something. It's raining and he's just walking around, looking about," Zimmerman told dispatchers, adding, "These @!$%#s. They always get away." Cavey, Zimmerman got OUT of his vehicle and chased this kid, and by his own admission 'profiled' (how he spoke to the dispatcher) by HIS perception of how this teen was 'acting,' and by saying 'THEY always get away.' By saying what he said, implying that HE wasn't going to let 'THEM' get away, that makes it a hate crime case. A kid is in a neighborhood he isn't familiar with because he was visiting relatives, coming back home in the evening after going to a local store to get candy and a drink with his hoody up because it is raining (which was what Zimmerman stated the weather was at the time), sees a stranger coming after him and runs. The next thing we all find out from reports, THREE days later his family is notified his body is at the morgue, and after his father had tried to contact him via cell phone in those THREE days. The police had the phone. Why wasn't the phone checked? Why wasn't the scene where this teen was killed taped off for evidence? Why did the police try to change witness accounts? Why was Zimmerman charged with battery to a police officer in 2005 but the charge was mysteriously dropped? Why wasn't Zimmerman checked for alchohol or drugs? Why haven't the police released ALL of the 46 911 calls that Zimmerman made since 2011 to see what kind of mindset he had/has? Why be in a 'Crime Watch' program when the simple reason for the program is to WATCH and report and NOT get involved when YOUR safety isn't in jeopardy, or anyone elses? Why did Zimmerman agree NOT to go after the teen, and then go after him? Why was this case so hush-hush, when the tragedy happened in late February and NO investigation was done? When there are too many 'whys' involved, something isn't right. This isn't the 1800's wild west where you take the law into your own hands and deal out punishment per your perception of how things are, but that is how the NRA backed/lobbied legislation that is in force in many states have provided this country with. I own guns, and WILL protect my home and family from intruders, but I'm not going to chase someone armed with a bag of candy and a drink, and gun them down whom I deemed to be 'suspicious looking' in my eyes in PUBLIC, I'm not a cop-wanna-be.

I don't understand the opposition to the "Stand your ground" laws that this case has evoked, however. If an individual is truly threatened by another who confronts him or her, it seems reasonable that they should be able to defend themselves without a "duty to retreat".

If I understand your justification of the law; the law should exonerate the individual who draws and fires first...correct?

It means when you're confronted with four kids with pipes and reasonably believe you are about to be beaten, you may choose deadly force instead of having to retreat. You can not instigate by walking some others' turf to provoke a confrontation knowing your response beforehand. The aggressor here was told not to follow.

The SYG law isn't flawed - you can't go about attacking others, just like always.

Rod_Father, you could not be more wrong with your Racheal Maddow half-truth logic. The reason this story gathered attention was the mother stated her son was killed because of (the color of his skin) and the lib press needs Floridas base fired up for Obama. When the story started it was prosumed the man was white, a gotcha to fire up the base, but then Zimmerman turned out to be hispanic. So what to do now. The MSNBCs of the world don't no what to do now that a minority is involved. they can't play the white racist card. The story sadly will get a lot less press because he was a hispanic. The libs can't come of offending hispanics. Trapped at their own game!

Geo....Cuckoo...

Oh, and for the record...Zimmerman is a "white hispanic", Race-White, Ethnicity-Hispanic....

And he was referred to as such from the beginning!

Jo-An, How many times has Obama been referred to as white-african? And watching the brain wash network Msnbc never in the 1st day was it reported he was hispanic. It was assumed he was white by consistently using his last name for reference.

Proindividual, you wrote:

In my State the Castle Law has decreased car thefts, rapes, robberies, home invasions, murders, and property damage crimes.

can you actually prove that the "castle law" has actually had any effect whatsoever? how does your states decrease compare to the National decline in every crime category? national averages per capita are now about where they were in the early 70s. the worst period was in the mid 80s and early 90s, with crime nationwide (violent and property) being a little less than half what it was at the peak.

I doubt your states "castle law" has had any real effect one way or the other on the overall trend. It probably hasn't hurt, but I doubt that it really helped very much either. I've seen similar claims for the fears when DC allowed private handguns again, it simply followed the national trend that was already occuring, which meant that allowing private handguns had neither a positive effect nor a negative effect on the overall crime rate.

I actually agree in general with the right to defend your home, I don't agree with the "right" to shoot someone running away in the back simply by making the claim "I thought my life was in danger"

IF the KID was WHITE..........the shooter would have been ARRESTED, whether he is Hispanic,Black or white himself.

The article just went up, give it some more time.

I have seen people play the race card and this isn't it. Frankly I knew this was a race thing before they even brought it up. Let's get real... claiming self-defense is not proof of self-defense. The only way this kid was acting weird... or whatever this cat said... was by walking around black and not white... racism exists... and some people do really crazy things. I'll eat my words on this if I have to... and frankly I would like to... but... this stinks to the moon and back. If people aren't responding enough... well yes this (article) is new... but... it's probably because this is so d@mn obvious. The Zimmerman don't like the black kid! I hope I am proven wrong... cause I see racism on both sides of the fence and really hope it goes away.

Have to agree with SqUiShY on this one. I think as many whites are upset about this as blacks.

toointeresting, just because white and black people are upset doesn't mean this crime wasn't committed because Zimmerman suspected the kid because he was black. I think he makes it pretty obvious in his comments that it is this kid's appearance that makes him suspect him of something. Which, as we all see, was completely and utterly wrong.

Pierce, I live by Chicago. I know you're lying. A six year old girl was killed over the weekend, and plenty of people are outraged. Just today, there was a community meeting and vigil for those who had died from violence this past year. They also discussed how to stop gang violence. Crawl back into your hole in Podunk, Whereversville, and leave this sort of thing to the grown ups.

Zimmerman is a defect that slipped through the cracks to get a permit for a gun...!!!

I heard the 911 tapes, clearly you hear the cop tell the @!$%# not to follow the kid, then clearly you hear boy screaming help me, over and over and over and over then the gun going off. It was murder, new gun laws or not. Murder!

I'm all for the "castle laws" passed in Texas, Florida and other states. That is, I am very much in favor of the laws that say your home is your castle and there is no reason one should have to 'give way' in defending it from invasion. I don't know much about this "stand your ground" law (as it applies outside one's home), never heard about it until just now, but it does sound like a formula for tragedy when a person with a license-to-carry also has a chip-on-the-shoulder. What really bothers me here, is that, since we all have the equal right to "stand our ground" in a public place (according to the 14th Amendment), then for the police to just cite this principle and let it go at that, is tantamount to saying: (1) Some people have more right to "stand their ground" than others, and this alone makes it an appropriate case for federal intervention under Civil Rights laws, and/or (2) Sure, you have the right to "stand your ground", but if you don't have a concealed-carry license, then the rights of the guy who does take priority and you must give way, or in other words the state is taking the position that "might makes right" and we have reverted to the law-of-the-jungle. Clearly, unless some very important information has been omitted, something is very messed up here and the Florida officials had better shape up and take care of this pronto or else the Feds will, and that won't be pretty.

Looks like Zimmerman overreacted (understatement). Let us not follow suit in our indignation. He will be dealt with.

Nick B-the shooter wasn't white, the aricle said he is Hispanic. So why are you comparing black and white?? No white person involved in this incident. Why do we just assume rather than read the article??

I can't imagine the parents listening to that 911 call made by the neighbor. In my mind, listening to that goes above and beyond the pain a parent can possibly handle. My heart goes out to them.

Another frightened, freaked out neighborhood "watch" and another dead child. There has to be a better way to protect our communities. What ever happened to calling the police if someone "suspicious" or unfamiliar is seen roaming the neighborhood? I am sorry for all involved. Such a shame. For all you calling for Zimmermans head on a plate, put yourself in his shoes. I am not condoning his actions and am sure racisim ( which is alive and well everywhere) was involved but, just think about it... What has to happen to a person to make them so frightened and irrational that they pull a gun and shoot? Awful. God Forbid any of you are ever placed in such a spot or that any of your children are fired upon by another Zimmerman.

Pierce, I'm white, not that it matters. You were lying about no one being outraged at the violence over the St. Patrick's Day weekend in Chicago. Apparently, my agenda would be teaching you how to read.

Meg::: You asked "What has to happen to a person to make them so frightened and irrational that they pull a gun and shoot?" If you are in your SUV and a black teen walks on the sidewalk, would you be so frightened of an innocent kid that you would chase him with your car and shoot him? Is it against the law to walk on the sidewalk? How was the boy supposed to get from point A to point B?

Damn right it's a race issue if he was white that clown wouldn't even look twice but since he was black he is automatically a suspect, some people need to grow a brain, if your white you don't have the problems of some idiot automatically thinking your a criminal, common sense tell you that, but you have to have common sense ....... There are extreme racist out there and they come in all colors not just White the difference is the Whites will slide more often than a Black so they are more prone to act upon their hate.

What really bothers me here, is that, since we all have the equal right to "stand our ground" in a public place (according to the 14th Amendment), then for the police to just cite this principle and let it go at that, is tantamount to saying: (1) Some people have more right to "stand their ground" than others, and this alone makes it an appropriate case for federal intervention under Civil Rights laws, and/or (2) Sure, you have the right to "stand your ground", but if you don't have a concealed-carry license, then the rights of the guy who does take priority and you must give way, or in other words the state is taking the position that "might makes right" and we have reverted to the law-of-the-jungle. Clearly, unless some very important information has been omitted, something is very messed up here and the Florida officials had better shape up and take care of this pronto or else the Feds will, and that won't be pretty.

Without exercising some common sense guidelines, it could become the basis to turn things into the OK Corale....

When I read that the boy had a bag of skittles and an iced tea it made me cry. If Zimmerman had a history of calling 911 over and over again on his so called watches the police had to know that the guy had a screw loose; he needed to be on a tight leash and most definitely not on that neighborhood watch with a gun. Zimmerman can not shield himself on the "Stand Your Ground" law when it clearly shows from the 911 tapes that he ignored their direction to not confront Trayvon especially if he was just walking down the street. For those who don't live in Florida in the early 2000's people were getting carjacked and kidnapped and then driven to ATM's to empty their accounts and violent home invasions were rampant. That's when that law came into effect as well as the right to carry and conceal in your car. You could drive to work with a gun in your car. Disney tried to repeal it but couldn't. They were mainly for people to be able to take action and not become a victim and defend property and self. In this case what was Zimmerman protecting? He was not at his house and the child was on a public sidewalk. He wasn't even on anybody's property so the Castle Doctrine does not apply either. My condolences to Trayvon's family and I hope they can seek justice for him.

What really bothers me here, is that, since we all have the equal right to "stand our ground" in a public place (according to the 14th Amendment), then for the police to just cite this principle and let it go at that, is tantamount to saying: (1) Some people have more right to "stand their ground" than others, and this alone makes it an appropriate case for federal intervention under Civil Rights laws, and/or (2) Sure, you have the right to "stand your ground", but if you don't have a concealed-carry license, then the rights of the guy who does take priority and you must give way, or in other words the state is taking the position that "might makes right" and we have reverted to the law-of-the-jungle. Clearly, unless some very important information has been omitted, something is very messed up here and the Florida officials had better shape up and take care of this pronto or else the Feds will, and that won't be pretty.

This does not mean that legally "might makes right" because, in order for it to be justifiable homicide you have to feel your life is in imminent danger; most states require that you also have no means for retreat, this is the only difference between US law and Florida law. These laws allow you the right to protect yourself and even others from threats of violence, and if you can prove your life was in imminent danger, that you can remove the threat. Typically, in order to prove your life was in imminent danger the person attacking you must have a weapon of some sort, be significantly larger than you, or have been trained to use their hands as weapons.

What this man did was not justifiable homicide, it was simply homicide. I do find it strange that Zimmerman was not arrested, when you go through a CCW class you are told, in the case that you actually do use a gun to protect yourself, you will probably be taken into custody until the details can be straightened out.

Pierce, I too live in Chicago and I agree with Miscreant that there is outrage over the number of murders and the amount of gun violence committed over this past weekend in our city. That outrage is not confined to any one specific ethnic or racial group. People of good will are outraged that any child cannot safely play on the sidewalk outside her home without fear of being murdered by a thug in a drive by shooting. So...don't spew you garbage about how no one cares about the black on black crime taking place in our city, because we do care! All of us...white, black, hispanic, asian, etc. People in Chicago love our city and we don't want any gun violence and for years we had stringent gun laws that under the former administration were discarded so you bigots could arm yourselves against your perceived threats and anyone who doesn't look just like you. Please stay as far away from our fine city as possible. We don't want you here.

Hawthorne,

Mixing in unrelated events does not a defense make.

The murders in Chicago are being dealt with as homicides. The killing by Zimmerman is not being treated as a homicide, that is why people are upset.

I am sorry this all happened but they need to put an updated PICTURE OF THIS CHILD HE IS NOT 13 HE IS 17 and the news is portraying him to be younger than he really is!!!!

skrewdworld

Nick B-the shooter wasn't white, the aricle said he is Hispanic. So why are you comparing black and white?? No white person involved in this incident. Why do we just assume rather than read the article??

Where did I say anything about Zimmerman's race? I said he (Martin) was "walking around black and not white" Implying that if he (Martin) were white and not black this would not have happened... because people... in this case the shooter... can be racist... (and though they are not white themselves) will find someone suspicious just because they are black. Any non-black, or even black could think this way... so I did not even address Zimmerman's race nor implied anything about it. I think it was obvious by the pic he was Hispanic anyway. Why do people just not actually read comments before replying to them?

Swolfe,

The picture of Trayvon in the "hoodie" was taken only a few months ago!

And let's not forget the prosecutor's office,they had a hand in the decision. Post #4.1 I recommended going to CNN for a much better article.

Thank you! Forgot to mention them. I've read articles on all sites including the ones that I suspect of being bias to determine the common ground that people share on this particular case.

Justice for Trayvon!

I agree. The police chief and DA need to be removed from office if not prosecuted for obstruction and maybe as accessories after depending on what the evidence comes to show after the FBI conducts a real investigation.

Finally, justice for Trayvon. Rest in peace.

I'd be interested in knowing why, if the 'feds have seen fit to be involved now, why the state attorney general has not done so vigorously. Seems to me that a vigorous state-level involvement may have headed this crisis off at the pass. Has not the state attorney general (and governor Marco Rubio) dropped the ball?

Florida's Justifiable Use of Force Law, is responsible for creating situations like this, where the deluded perception of a sociopathic man, is validated by law. According to MANY police reports, Zimmerman had frequently acted as a neighborhood vigilante, inappropriately interjecting himself into situations where he repeatedly demonstrated the wrong temperament and zero expertise. His pattern of behavior, approved by neighbors, law enforcement and a law that allows frontier injustice, foreshadowed this tragic outcome. AND... Rick Scott is Florida's governor, not Senator Marco Rubio...not that there's a hair's breadth of difference between the two reactionary, regressive Republican politicians.

I believe the feds are involved because the family (and the local congressperson) requested it on the grounds that this might be a hate crime.

On a separate note, Marco Rubio is not the Governor or Florida, he's a Senator. Rick Scott is currently the Gov.

The rules are probably fine. I suspect the loose canon was going to ignore them as he did the dispatcher.

"According to Chris Tutko, the director of the National Neighborhood Watch program, there are about 22,000 registered watch groups nationwide, and Zimmerman was not part of a registered group"

The Neighborhood Watch program's not the problem. Zimmerman wasn't even a legitimate member.

Depends on your definition of right and wrong.

So a dead teenager, who was stalked then gunned down while screaming for his life is the "wrong side"?

Refering to the above, Eric Holder should investagate, but Not a Socialist doesent think he should

You're a Fascist. So there! And you're standing on the wrong side of your head.

Sorry PierceHawthorne, you are either deaf, or just another self denying racist. It is clearly a hate crime. Period. Zimmerman pointed out he was "black" in the context of that being a bad thing up to "no good". And then he killed him. Do you understand the difference?

If you knock over an old lady opening a door at pharmacy and she dies, it could be considered an "accident". If witnesses testify that you said "no good Jew", it's called murder. The intent is defined and it is a hate crime.

This case is more then witnessed, it was recorded. The facts are in. Denial does not prove innocence, only ignorance. Open you eyes and your brain. You are a racist that is full of unfounded fear and cowardice of "ghetto rats" tthat simply do not exists in this case AT ALL.

As many others have pointed out: pursuing someone is not standing your ground in self defense. The kid wasn't armed. He was chased against the advise of dispatch. There was an altercation, initiated by Zimmerman might I add, and a kid was murdered. There is no reason the law shouldn't investigate. When the local and state police won't do it, it falls on the feds. Thank you Florida, for wasting tax-payer money needlessly, you spineless pricks.

I support stand your ground, but only when somebody is threatening you. Not when they are running away from you.

Except that the war was fought in the South and pretty much crippled the South. The South surrendered because they were getting DESTROYED. (i.e. the North whooped their arse).

TRH86

The south surrendered because the North whipped it's ass. You don't surrender if you're winning. They were starving, unclothed, and dying. All because they started out thinking they were so smart, and rich, and right. Well they were stupid, poor and still way to the right where they still are today. Bunch of losers.

TRH if the North didnt whip the Souths ass then why did they surrender, body count doesent make a winner or loser, facts make the South the loser, and whining about money or resources doesent change that. Slave owners got the poor farmer to go to war so the plantation owners could continue their lifestyle. That sure makes a good reason to succeed so that the 1% get to continue to own slaves, some smart farmers down South there.

actually, a large percentage of Black folks still live in the South (think of Atlanta, Houston, New Orleans, etc). please don't call everyone in the South a racist, when this kind of thing happens in CA, MA and everywhere else. there are lots of us in or from the South who think this case is a tragedy, and that Zimmerman needs to be tried for murder.

Please oh please do secede, just don't call us in a time of need!

You have the nerves to complain about bleeding hearts??? Blood is running out of your eyes and every other orifice, while trying to defend this POS. Please, man, get a grip and pull off your sheet and pillow case. Remove your blood so you can see the light! Scheshee!!!

That law is another reason why the BUSH family are TRAITORS and LOW LIFE SCUM BAGS!!

JerryG,

If a man is chasing you, you're unarmed, and you have reason to believe he means to do your harm, do you run? I would. He probably has a gun and is going to hurt me. And that is exactly what happened here.

I won't claim a hate crime. But stand your ground doesn't fly when you chase somebody off your property. You're not protecting yourself or your property against anything, you're instigating a hostile situation that could easily be avoided.

We know a lot of what happened that night. I've heard the 911 tape. Zimmerman was carrying a legal weapon. Witnesses place Zimmerman in an altercation with the boy. The boy somehow winds up shot. It doesn't take a genius to connect the dots.

If you object to federal intervention in a local matter, perhaps you should be asking why the local and state police refuse to investigate the matter further. Somebody is responsible for a dead kid. Somebody should be brought to justice for that crime. That's how things work in a society.

JerryG, you should have stayed in Florida if that is the most reasoned thought you have. This killing is a hate crime because the victim was chosen simply due to his skin color. The killer ASSUMED the victim was up to no good because he was Black. He ASSUMED he was drugged up because he was Black. He stated that these a/s/s/h/o/l/e/s always get away, without knowing anything about this kid, other than that he was Black! The kid ends up DEAD, the shooter claims self-defense and you don't see racism? And you refer to the DEAD kid as "seemingly" innocent? Are you that backward? Under our constitution, the kid will forever BE innocent, since he cannot now or ever be guilty of anything. Take your narrow minded BS back to Florida, you will fit in just fine...

I'm not sure why the civil war is being discussed. I may be wrong, but I don't remember the Cubans being involved. (Zimmerman is Cuban) This was a Hispanic on Black crime. There were NO WHITES involved. And yes, it was a hate crime. Zimmerman actually referred to this young man as a "coon". Sounds pretty racist to me. Every race has bigots.

If he is hispanic, and by the picture he looks like he is, then he has some explaining on where Zimmerman came from. he was perhaps adopted, or later changed his name. Zimmerman is NOT a hispanic name.

How can you determine the sentiment of an entire group of a neghborhood watch by the actions of one idiot? There always a bad apple here and there doesn't make them all rotten.

No room left under the bridge for him tonight. He should look under a rock.

That has already been determined the kid had no record, no weapon, only skittles and iced tea..., very threatening huh?

Tough one? If it turns out? This is no "tough one". Umm the child was murdered. He had skittles and tea!! His screams for his life can be heard on tape. The police held the body for THREE days without contacting his family even though they had his freakin' cell phone! The police "corrected" witnesses. When they said they heard a child scream, the police told them they heard Zimmerman. One witness has called the police repeatedly to insist she heard a child scream, and she has been ignored. The did not test Zimmerman for drugs and alcohol even though that is standard procedures in ANY homicide. Tough one? Give me a break.

And those facts you speak of are already out. The victim had NO criminal record. In fact, he was an A/B student that wanted to be a pilot. His English teacher said he "majored in cheerfulness". She also said, that he had no behavior problems and was not a violent child. He was currently serving a 5 day suspension for excessive TARDINESS.

But even if he had a record, that gives this idiot a right to murder him in cold blood?

Actually, Eric, whether the victim has a history of run-ins with the law is immaterial. Even trouble makers have a right to go to 7-11 unmolested when they are doing nothing wrong. The fact is, it is only the color of this young man's skin that prompt people from even questioning whether the child had any "run-in's" with the law. If he was a white kid walking down the sidewalk, no one would assume a possibility of criminal history.

The perp in this case is an idiot with a bigger gun than a brain who was specifically told NOT to follow the child by 911 operators. He did so anyway hoping for a confrontation to give him an excuse to shoot someone. If this goober wanted to be a hero, perhaps he should have joined the armed forces.

you know i keep thinking we are evolving then you hear this kind of story and the comments are enough to make even god cry.wake up people this is a child.it makes me so sad to see such ignorance.

To add just one more fact... as mentioned, this child had NO run-in's with the police. However, Zimmerman had been arrested in 2005 for resisting arrest with battery and assault upon a police officer. So....

Just my 2 coppers.......although I dont think its the case in this story. Its not uncommon for a good kid to all of a sudden turn and commit a crime. Happens all the time, look how many of thse school shooings were done by so called good kids.

Ally, I fail to see what that actually has to do with the comment. The OP stated "if this kid had no run in's with the law"... and he didn't. And it is certainly a stretch for me to believe that some backwoods, gun-toting, bloviated cop wanna-be would have the necessary discernment powers to simply be able to tell that this good kid is about to go bad.

It actually IS uncommon for a good kid... who was on the honor roll... had no problems in his family... who had recently begun to complete college applications... who had a hankering for some skittles so he walked to 7-11 and was on his way back to where his father was waiting for him... to suddenly decide to "turn bad."

The fact of the matter is that this idiot was told NOT to follow the child; police were on the way. The asshat was looking to shoot someone, and did. So, the next time you ask yourself "Why do black males not have any good role models?" Well, you can remind yourself that it is because racist, southern rednecks kill them.

Just, not only was Zimmerman arrested in 2005, but the charges were dropped for an unknown reason. Now reports have come out that he had called 911 46 times since Jan. 2011. I'd like to see all these recordings as to the psychological well being of this guy to call that many times, and what he called for. I'd also like to know whether the police dept. knew he was carrying a gun or not, and that he obviously knew what he was doing when he was told NOT to follow the teen, and he SAID 'okay,' before hanging up.

What investigation? The local law enforcement was not interested!! "He was standing his ground."

you know i keep thinking we are evolving then you hear this kind of story and the comments are enough to make even god cry.wake up people this is a child.it makes me so sad to see such ignorance.

These forums seem to be evolving into negativity magnets. It is extremely disparaging.

Eric, you take the prize for biased thinking. It does not matter if the victim had a criminal past. He was walking to his father's home from a 7-11. How in the hell does having a criminal record allow someone else to shoot an innocent person to death? "Run ins with the law" in your past does not strip you of the right to life. How did you post such stupidity? Were you sleeping at the computer?

Charles, Zimmerman wasn't being threatened with bodily harm, he wasn't at his house, he was getting out of his vehicle after noticing the teen 'acting' a certain way per HIS perception, the teen ran after seeing this guy coming after him, chased him down and shot him after being informed NOT to do anything, so your 'stand your ground' is a moot point.

Yea like a license to exterminate African Americans..., obvious double standard and racist policies toward minorities.

And I believe it is that hold up from police to DA that is what really got the DOJ's attention to start looking into this.

My gut tells me they were waiting for the attention to die down on social media and then let it go away without charges. Too bad that when the mainstream media gets hold of a story, they're left with no where to run and no where to hide.

I think you'll soon hear of both out of work and possibly facing charges if other cases are found to have taken the same route.

MikeK99.

It looks like Florida has legislated a law that allows all citizens to off each other on a whim.

No Mike, they have not. They have enacted a law that allows citizens to protect themselves and their families. The law is clear and the courts have interpreted it correctly, this guy will be prosecuted. The local cops have acted incorrectly and should be retrained. The "stand your ground law" means exactly that, "stand". Act only if there is clear and present danger to yourself or others. It does not allow you to chase someone down and confront them. Even if you see them commit a crime, you can not become a defacto police officer and chase them down and shoot them. Licensed gun holders in this state know that the last the you want to do is pull a weapon to force your will. It is for protection only.

MXcape you said=Yea like a license to exterminate African Americans..., obvious double standard and racist policies toward minorities

Here we go again the race card crying the blues! Law doesn't state the origin of the person defending themselves. The person defending themselves do and to tell you the truth this should be a law everywhere. Does this case sound merited, I think not yet I still don't know all the facts. Let the investigation ensue and see what comes after it. Though it seems all want to hang this guy w/o a hearing and process of justice.

As far as the news is concerned this guy is already guilty of committing a crime and yet no evidence has been proved w/o a shadow of doubt. Is this a tragedy? YES it is. I'm very much watching and waiting for the outcome of this. What I would like too know; is where is the Latino community on this? Why aren't they advocating for this Zimmerman guy? Protesting about racial inequality within the Latin community!! Well one only has to look into the history of the whiners of this topic and see who does all the whining.

This case is simply about an injustice too a community who will be torn apart within itself, much like this country has! Just maybe after the FBI is done with this case, they can start looking into the holder's case of fast and furious. This too was a racial case committed against the Latin community.

I know you will claim me to be a racist and that is ok, because, I know whom I am and a racist is not the portrait. Let the judicial system work and let the results be what they may. You might find that there was a justifiable reason to what had happen. Then, again you just maybe right and this guy goes to prison.

Just keep in mind, the defense will argue the case of perceived self defense. In the US, you can use force, even lethal force, at perceived self defense. If a man goes up to a counter at a gas station with no gun, but holds his hand under his jacket as if he did, the clerk could legally use deadly force at the robber, even kill him, and face no charges.

Jeff, you have to take a look at Florida gun laws.

don't have to be armed to use a self-defense plea.....if Zimmerman claims his life was at risk during the struggle it can be used as a self-defense plea. Don't necessarily need a weapon to be a threat....

You cannot claim self defense if you are pursuing the person you are supposedly "defending" yourself against. He has admitted to pursuing this person. That will hang him.

you can if the person turns around at comes at you....that is what Zimmerman claims on the 911 Tapes!!! not saying I beleive, just stating what has come out in the articles and news.

I think you may be misreading, Ally. WHat has come out in the news is that this man was in his home, called the police and then starting following the kid. He was told to stop following the kid and did not. In fact, he attacked the kid right outside the window of another woman who had called 911 because of the altercation. And then a shot was fired. Had this idiot stayed home and waited for the police as he was instructed to do, that child would be alive. The voice calling for "help" on the 911 tapes was clearly not that of a grown man. And as there is a 911 tape with a neighbor that was on the phone during the entire altercation.... there was plenty of time for the idiot to get away from an unarmed child. There was plenty of time during his "wrestling around" for him to figure out that the child was not armed... and he was. This makes the child, clearly, not a threat.

Defend this waste of air all you like, but he has no standing in law.

You can't be afraid of a person that you are pursuing. If you was that afraid, you should have run and hid!!! I hope some of you bozos have children and if one of them get into my sights, I will pull the trigger and proclaim afraid. I want you to come back to this very site and use the very excuses then!! Of course, animals do not have a conscience.

From the pictures it looks to me Zimmerman had Trayvon by at least 100lbs, which discredits some of the comments that even though he was unarmed he could have been the aggressor. I would also like to point out the fact that Zimmerman's father said my son is Hispanic. Not we are Hispanic. From my experience many Hispanics like to identify themselves by the majority ruling race of their socioeconomic background and community. That's my experience...

All you posters claiming that all you have to do in Florida is percieve, your in danger. Guess again because your butt will go straight to prison. The stand your ground law is clear, there has to be a present and clear threat to your life. As a permitted concealed weapon holder I will tell you that the last thing you want to do is pull your weapon. I promise you in this state there better be a clear (not percieved) and present (now) threat or you will be prosecuted. Why those police in Central Florida, did not make a determination and an arrest within 24 hours is beyond me. Zimmerman was being a vigilante clear and simple.

since when is it right to shoot and kill a innocent young man for nothing then not do what the police office says there got to be something wrong there. now this family is without a young one when do the madness end the bible tells we should not kill what happen to that not this man walks around free i am not saying he needs to be killed but he does need to be handle by GOD up above he has a plan for him that we can't do our selves believe me he will get his.

Probably not, other than to mention how extremely rare it is for a black guy not to be arrested on a murder charge. But they sure will keep playing "To Catch a Predator" over and over again, won't they; those white guys are incorrigible. Sure hope we don't start stereotyping those guys just because we keep seeing them portrayed in a negative light on TV.

This is an injustice involving one human being who slayed another human being - and NOT about a white man killing a black man. Zimmerman %$& up and should face the law like any one else.

For some who are in denial and others who live out in the sticks where there is no cultural diversity, the unfortunate truth is a lot of black dudes f#$^ chit up... if you live in a red neck trailer park you will see white dudes who f*&^ chit up too, if you live in the wrong neighborhood in S.Cali you might come across scary looking mexicans who f*%^ chit up etc etc... so should we say that it is a made up conspiracy that black people commit crimes....some people are good people and some people are bad people and Zimmerman fits in somewhere in between - lets just categorize him in the (stupid people) group

Anyways, Zimmerman is an idiot who exercised poor judgment and now an innocent young man is dead (notice i didn't emphasize black man, but rather an equal human being) God be with Trayvon's family

Boyd..............Holder is busy protecting our borders and Obama is protecting our oil.

shawnithen............Are you Black or blind? Zimmerman isn't white!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Zimmerman isn't white

who cares? trayvon is still just as dead

and actually, zimmerman is half white, half mexican

and many mexicans are extremely racist towards blacks too

Most places you already can tote an ak clone.

I am waiting on the situation where two concealed carry idiots run into each other and their mutual paranoia kicks in. That should be interesting to see who, if anyone, walks away from that.

Trigger happy paranoid racist. Yet they have the right to own guns. I think I'll skip my FL vacation from now on.

DeMerl, go back to sleep. You know nothing of which you speak.

demerl

what the hell does the NRA got to do with this case? really? this guy wigs out and you are having a fit over the NRA? i guess it would make you feel better if he beat the kid to death with a club? stabbed him? ok if you hate guns, just try and stay on the subject, instead of trying to make this your little (i hate the NRA soap box)

So many seem to be unaware that the NRA lobbied heavily for the passage of this law. THAT is what the NRA has to do with this.

yes i know that the NRA lobbied for this law, but the guy broke the law, its a good law, but like any laws there are people who break them. this guy did not follow the law, he was not in danger, the kid was no threat. the NRA has nothing to do with this guy taking the law into his own hands. this guy needs to go to prison. he has gone over the deep end....

Daniel, because it's a hate crime and obviously the state is not representative of all of its people; only a select. Also why the feds have to get involved. How about you family? willing to offer your wife or kids up to murder?

why are the Feds involved? because FL isn't doing anything! the local cops are willing to take Zimmerman's word for it when he says it was self-defense... sounds like they barely investigated. an un-armed kid was shot to death, the cops just shrug, and you want the Feds to butt out? really?

I can't believe that the feds are launching a probe into this case

You obviously don't understand the good ol boy reality of Florida

Daniel...................the boys mother called the FBI in to monitor what the local police were doing. Obviously they FBI didn't think Florida was doing their job.

You said it, fraud and corruption!!! This little sleepy racist town just added to their case load. Hence, their involvement!!!!

daniel cooper::: The state ISN'T doing its job. That's why the DoJ and FBI.

The DoJ pretty much has to get involved because the State is afraid to. The way this "stand your ground" law is so badly written that they could in turn get sued. Add to that the police are not looking so good on this right now. They have a vested interest in not prosecuting it now because people would lose their job over it. "Castle defense" and "stand your ground" have a place and have been adopted in some States to protect those that legitimately were defending themselves and found themselves at the mercy of overzealous prosecutors. There is nothing wrong with these laws in general but clearly this one needs needs to be revised. Unfortunately a promising young man had to die before anyone realized it.

Daniel, I think it's because the local police aren't dealing with it. What does it matter if the Feds get involved if this is the only way the child's family can get justice? A kid was shot for no reason, the local law inforcement didn't act, the feds took over. It appears that if the feds didn't take over nothing would be done and this murderer would be left to roam the streets and possibley kill again.

Daniel did you just wake up this morning....bet you'd have a different tune if your kid was shot for walking down the street....

"Please stop with the separation of races"??? Why, you don't think this killing was related to race?

I appreciate what you're saying. I'm from a multi-ethnic family, but the reality is the only reason George Zimmerman thought Trayvon Martin looked suspicious was because he was a young Black kid, wearing a hoodie in a White neighborhood. It's classic racial profiling.

I heard on the national news tonight that Zimmerman made over three dozen 911 calls in the past few months, complaining about "suspicious" looking people, calls which were subsequently dismissed as unfounded. I'm sure almost all (if not all) of the people Zimmerman thought was suspicious were Black.

It sounds to me like Zimmerman was looking for someone to shoot, and unfortunately, Trayvon Martin was in his crosshairs. Zimmerman will pay for what he did - both in this life and the afterlife, because at the end of the day, he's a cold-blooded killer.

Looks like a bunch of people forgot what they should have learned in civics class. The case is under review by the Prosecuting Attorney. Case is investigated, it is up to the Attorney to file charges. So if you want to point a finger go talk to the Prosecuting Attorney. But, far be it from me to point out what should be obvious.

No DA in their right mind would try to prosecute a case where no evidence was collected. It would be a waste of tax payer funds and political suicide. No, it was the police who dropped the ball on this one.

You are so right there coppers, D.A has to have all their ducks in a row before they file charges. they only have one chance in the courtroom, if he gets it wrong and the guy walks there are no do overs. Got make sure everything is there before filing....easy to play arm chair quarterback when you don't know all the facts.

One of the reasons I skipped criminal law. lol There is also a very strict set of rules which judges must follow to issue any sort of warrant. Probable cause would have to be supported by evidence... if no evidence was collected, there is nothing to recommend a warrant.

Once again, the Prosecuting attorney has the PD under them. They can take a full role on dictating the investigation from the start. If they didn't they are remiss.

They do it a lot. There has been many warrants issued without evidence of a crime. Just go and look at the many cases that have been overturned or summarily dismissed. Give it a rest!!

To those who are questioning the rational of the parents retaining a lawyer, look at the trail of evidence that has lead to the death of their child. Now try understand the logic of THEIR feelings when the police tells you that they will not arrest the perpetrator based on a law signed into effect by past governor Jeb Bush. Since the police has done nothing other than to write up paperwork, passing the buck onto the D.A., your immediate next step is a LAWYER.

In response to (WAGE), there are two(2) major factors in this case, one a law in Florida that allows an everyday citizen to shoot a person and claim self-defense, and the police dept. of that city has stated that after their investigation, no arrest and paperwork forwarded to the D.A. for that departments decision. The main reason Zimmerman should have been arrested is the fact that he was told not to follow or engage the youngster, and his statement recorded on his own 911 call-"those @!$%#s always get away". How is any intelligent person suppose to view this crime. Contrary to popular belief, RACISM is alive and well in this country regardless of what direction it is coming from. We all need to Think and Pray hard, because this Country and the World is in a MESS.

Wage, I honestly believe that a young black man in the community set this off; however, living in Florida just long enough to uncover how truly inhumane and unethical most things are run here, I also think that anyone white with green/blue eyes, fair to olive skinned Latinos, oriental, hindi, etc should be fully aware that the infantile superhero/superego in papis' boys is alive and well against everyone. There is as much anger and hatred directed at others to explain an hispanic's "bad times" as in any social group. I would also suspect that the surname Zimmerman, hispanic, living in Central Florida, 28 years old, and papi suddenly exploiting that he speaks Spanish indicates severe "developmental limitations." Not the kind that should make for an incompitence defence in court but certainly in his daily life . . .

My condolences to Trayvon's family, just by looking at his photograph he seemed like an honest and pleasant person.

I think there may be a problem with this Florida law. Hypothetically speaking, say someone does not like an individual and decides they want to harm that person using a gun, no witnesses around, do you tell me that that they are going to believe the shooter and take his word as fact, no investigation? Hypothetically speaking, the person could even be framed as having a rock or other weapon, come on there is something wrong here! We as citizens should all be very concerned.

Yes "scholarlymama" you are telling the truth about that...I live in the south and I am white but I don't have a bone in my body for racisim....I thought that happened back in the 50's and 60's. I have friends of several nationalities and worked with alot of black folks in hospitals and nursing homes until I went off on disability in 2010 I was a RN but not all my friends were but I loved them all the same....During my nursing career I met so many different people of all races....good people and now that I'm not in the work force anymore I still hear from them. I was taught at an early age that there are bad people in any race and reading these articles I believe that....My sincere condolences go out to Trayvon's family....to me Florida is a joke....

You are right to teach your kids not to hang around with other kids that have a weapon. Children have no business being in possession of a weapon. It is against the law. You are wrong about most people carry a weapon looking for a reason to use it. That is just not factually true.

Liar Liar pants on fire.

Brian 349084. You must have no arms or legs to say an unarmed and innocent teenager gunned down in cold blood "deserved what he got." On Saturday you referred to this unarmed teenager as "a little @!$%#," today, you refer to him as "a little darkie." It is clear you have no respect for yourself or anyone else.

If you are a black man as you said, which is doubtful, you must be the most pathetic of all human beings around. There is nothing worse than a man who hates the very blood that runs in his veins.

Don't bother feeding the troll, otherwise known as Brian-349084

Brian, Disgusted said your a registered sex offender, is that true?