No one cares about facts. Facts do build readership to news sites.

sicone gfy attorney at law :2 cents:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_doctrine

i thought it was based on castle_doctrine.. meaning the person has to actually own or occupy a residence for stand your ground to apply

walking down a street is not 'stand your ground'

My understanding is that Zimmerman's attorneys are not even trying to use the Stand Your Ground law here, but instead are saying this is a straight up case of self defense.

:2 cents::2 cents: Zimmermans dad is white. But Zimmerman isnt white according to most whites. Tiger Woods dad is black, his mother is not. But Tiger Woods is considered black. Obama mother is white, yet Obama is considered black by the very same gfy soapbox crw. People twist things to how they want to, if Zimmerman is innocent he deserves his freedom (i dont believe he is) if he is guilty he deserves punishment. This case isnt about race, whether or not Martin was a good kid or Zimmerman was racist.

richard no facts please :disgust

So I'm at a gas station and am attacked by someone I can't stand my ground? In the state of Florida I may stand my ground refusing to retreat provided I'm legally allowed to be where I am.


.

Different laws for different states. Some states don't even allow for stand your ground.

Here In California, for that law to apply the aggressor/violator has to be physically inside your property. So if a person breaks into my house and is still inside when I shoot and injure/kill him I am well within my rights under the law. If he is on my porch or lawn, I can be charged with murder among other law violations.

However, we are talking about Florida here and only the Florida laws matters for this case. Read up on the Florida "stand your ground" law and some of the cases it has been used to get the person charged acquitted. Your jaw will probably hit the floor with what it allows in the name of "self defense". Specifically the case where an argument occurred on a basketball court, the defendant went home, got a gun, came back and killed a man. The defendant was acquitted under this law.

In my personal opinion, Zimmerman is guilty and should do time. But my opinion and emotions don't matter, only the actual law does. This will be an extremely hard job for those jurors, just as in the Casey Anthony case. I for one am glad to not be on it.

I do agree with you that walking down the street/following someone is not reasonable stand your ground or self defense

that's different :2 cents: id like to see some witnesses that saw zimmerman around. was his gun holstered? did he conceal it? did he have a permit to conceal it?

If someone follows you in their car, gets out and follows and provokes a fight with you, you get the upper hand so then he shoots you, if you survive you will say "Its cool cus I deserved it."

Your logic makes no sense.

Correct. This is why I think Zimmerman's attorneys are not trying to use this law in his defense. Martin was there visiting with friend/family so he had a right to be where he was so if Zimmerman confronted him he had every right to stand his ground.

baba needs new sneakers

:2 cents::2 cents:

Let's not forget this is inside a gated community where strangers ARE noticed and if you are part of neighborhood watch maybe even followed hence the name neighborhood watch.

They are making it about race very clearly.

But take a look at this.

http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/jos...a-guevara/view

Note the Race. thats from the FBI so the Government for all intents and purposes see hispanic in this guys case as white.

wow i didnt even think of that. :)

Here in the UK that would count as threatening behaviour (causing the other to feel harassed/threatened), and in reality you should be able to defend yourself if you genuinely feel threatened. It's that basic survival thing of fight or flight, and in a fraction of a second your brain has decided independently which of the two it's going to be.

Proving that you genuinely felt threatened and therefore the 'fight' kicked in (and imo should be an absolutely viable and total legal defence - I'd return a not guilty in a heartbeat, every single time if I were a juror) is a different matter of course. I say all this merely to stimulate further discussion, as I'm no legal expert, obviously.

We need more Zimmermans

I'm sure you'll be around plenty of them where you're going.








http://s3.amazonaws.com/rapgenius/fi...2xNw_Devil.jpg

:1orglaugh :1orglaugh :uhoh

it's odd.. but i read this as everyone except asian as being 'white american'?

but the link is broken:

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/meta/long_68178.htm

bizarre to me.. anyone else?

Zimmerman's defense team decided not to try this defense.

http://rt.com/usa/zimmerman-martin-stand-ground-683/

I think that in most states here its basically the same. There is a major line drawn between everything and getting physical. Unless there is a reasonable belief of a serious threat (meaning the threat of being severely injured or killed), you can't get physical someone. That is also very tough to prove... because in the absence of witnesses, you can't easily prove you believed yourself to be in serious danger. Its just one guys word against another. But two low lifes just standing there calling each other pussy, cracker and n|gger isn't going to pass that test in any state. Also the facts suggest that Martin was where he was not supposed to be (running between houses etc), doing something he was not supposed to be doing and Zimmerman was where he was supposed to be , doing something he was supposed to be doing (making sure shady people arent running around in the dark, up to no good as he called 911 to report it).

At the end of the day, i am guessing that the facts (each parties wounds, Zimmermans account and eyewitness testimony and so on) are all consistent with Zimmerman being attacked. The only way that would be justifiable for Martin to attack i think in any state here would be if it could be proven that Martin thought his life was in danger or he was moments from being attacked. Someone following you and demanding to know who you are and where you are going isn't enough. Besides, its hard to prove when Zimmerman is on the phone with 911 most of the time and he's requested police assistance and police are being dispatched.

The real tragedy of this case is not that one loser lost his life and another loser is being charged with murder... its that today and yesterday have clearly shown that the prosecution has no case whatsoever, yet charged him with murder. That's something that needs to be looked at more than gun control or alleged racism.... and the fact that the media started crying racism from day one, while showing mugshots of Zimmerman and pics of Martin when he was 12 years old to paint a very warped picture and distort the story.

Casey who? :winkwink:

No, I do not have an opinion. I am looking at the evidence, or rather, the lack of evidence. I don't think he is innocent or guilty because the entire case is circumstantial at best. It could have been this, could have been that, or could have been something else.

Well, his believability and how the prosecution presents their case. So far, the prosecution is doing a shitty job as far as I can tell.

This case is completely about race... The media has spun it as "big bad racist whitey killed poor, helpless, innocent blackey". If the media hadn't spun this into a big bad racial hate crime then, with the gross lack of evidence, the worst they would have tried to get him for is involuntary manslaughter.

Once again, you are twisting facts, or the lack thereof, with your opinion. You have absolutely no evidence or proof that Zimmerman did anything whatsoever to provoke an altercation; just like Zimmerman has absolutely no proof that Martin did. The burden of proof however is on the DA, and he's been doing a real shitty job of it so far.

Its definitely being turned into a race issue, just look at all the questions about 'whitey' being called 'cracka' by black folks.

I also think they are going to try using the route where they will be saying the witnesses were coached by the mother, father and their media hungry buddy.

Either way if Zimmerman gets found guilty in this case it will be because the jury had already made their mind up because of the media over the past year surrounding the case.

After all, what his attorney tried to say with that dumb knock-knock joke is that its pretty much impossible to find someone to sit on the jury who hasn't already made their mind up about his guilt or innocence... It actually wasn't meant as a 'joke' more as a statement but most of us Americans are to dumb to realize that unfortunately.

Bingo. The actual facts, or lack thereof, don't matter one bit at this point.

ask yourself this :helpme do you think if he is let go he would be able to be block captain again?? because some of you said he did the right thing. tell the truth. ttyl have a good evening. :thumbsup

To be completely honest, I think that if he's let go, he'll be murdered, probably by someone in Martins family. And then the media will jump the fuck on it in a heartbeat and make it impossible to try said murder.

Wait... you think that calling someone as a first witness that is 1/2 a retard and that admitted to not being able to read the statement she signed to recant largely irrelevant hearsay, most of which hurts his case and a second witness who was the only eye witness to the actual fight that who testified that Zimmerman was being pummeled and crying for help... is doing a shitty job?

Sounds like racism to me.

http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/u...06/600x279.jpg

He is calling the witnesses in the order they became involved; apparently all of them.

Not sure how this ties into racism but... ok. His job is to present the facts. Hard to do so when there really aren't any facts. In my opinion, the media circus surrounding this 'case' from day one has forced this trial to take place; again, regardless of the actual evidence.

Either way though, at this point I'd say his career is pretty much over.

Perhaps it would be good policy that if you are going to pursue people that you wear a Security shirt or at least clearly identify who you are and why you are approaching them.

And if you've already called the police, keep the person in your sight but let the cops come and do their job.:2 cents:

It was sarcasm. Referring to everyone else talking about Race/racism as if its relevant to steer away from the actual facts of the case.

Papa, Where you been papa? :upsidedow

The eyewitness, if believable and telling the truth today, the dude with goatee, is pretty damning for martin's side.

He'll have to move far far away.
Peru might be nice.

I'm not watching the trial, but following it via the news. When you read what some of these people are saying it doesn't change my opinion at all which is that it will be up to the jury to decide if Zimmerman provoked Martin and started the fight or not. Since there doesn't appear to be clear evidence one way or the other it comes down to who is most credible.

However, based on how the witnesses themselves act, the information given so far may be taken differently.

As for race. Of course they are going to bring race up. The prosecution is trying to prove that Zimmerman saw a black person in his neighborhood and immediately became suspicious of them so he followed him, started a fight with him and then shot him when he was losing that fight. Race plays a role in this trial.

For the record, and I admit I miss big chunks, the only race thing I have heard discussed is whether or not "cracker" or the n-word were common euphemisms in Trevor's hood.

You know what .. I agree.

haha good
ds