Trayvon Martin: civil rights leaders call for Florida police chief to resign

Should George Zimmerman be arrested???

  • No. He acted in self defense

    Votes: 4 12.5%
  • Yes. Then let the legal system play out

    Votes: 8 25.0%
  • Dunno. No enough facts in this case yet

    Votes: 9 28.1%
  • The USA is so Fukked up, where is the pop corn.

    Votes: 11 34.4%

  • Total voters
    32

B00Mer

Keep Calm and Carry On
Sep 6, 2008
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Trayvon Martin: civil rights leaders call for Florida police chief to resign

Criticism of Sanford police department escalates as protesters continue call for killer's arrest amid mounting evidence


Residents protest against the Sanford police department's failure to arrest the man accused of killing 17 year-old Trayvon Martin. Police say Martin was unarmed when he was shot by George Zimmerman. Photograph: Brian Blanco/EPA

The Florida police chief investigating the death of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teenager fatally shot by a self-appointed neighbourhood watch volunteer, is facing calls by civil rights leaders for his resignation.

Police chief Bill Lee, of Sanford police, has insisted he carried out a "fair and thorough" investigation of the killing and that he cannot arrest George Zimmerman because he has told police he shot the teenager in self-defence and there was no evidence to contradict his account.

Criticism of the police investigation is focused on the failure to arrest Zimmerman, but also on the failure to test him for drugs or alcohol, a common practice in homicide investigations, in particular because they tested the teenager after his death.

Police are also facing questions over their failure to reach Martin's girlfriend in Miami, who was talking to him on his cellphone as he was being followed by Zimmerman in the minutes before his death. She said his last words were "What are you following me for?"
George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin. Photograph: Orlando Sentinel

Martin's family say the girlfriend's testimony of the call undermines Zimmerman's self-defence claims. There have also been reports that police "corrected" witnesses who say they heard the boy screaming for help.

This week, police admitted to ABC News they may have missed a potential racial slur on the tape of Zimmerman's 911 call to report Martin's "suspicious behaviour".

Ben Jealous, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People told Miami television channel NBC6 that federal authorities should take over Lee's department because of a "pattern and practice of discrimination" which include cases that precede Martin.

At a highly-charged town hall meeting at Allen Chapel AME Church in Sanford on Tuesday night, Jealous told the 350-strong crowd: "Any chief who would so allow his officers to so mishandle a situation like this has to go. We will ensure that there is a new chief here in Sanford."

Hundreds more gathered outside, chanting "I am Trayvon Martin."

The calls for Lee's resignation came as Florida governor Rick Scott, who attended a meeting with black lawyers and civil rights activists on Tuesday night, said it was time to revisit the state's controversial "Stand Your Ground" law. This allows people to use deadly force if they feel endangered, without requiring them to retreat from the threat.

"If there's something wrong with the law that's in place, I think it's important we address it. I'm going to look at it. If what's happening is it's being abused, that's not right. We all want to live in a safe place," Scott told the Palm Beach Post News.

In New York, a "one million hoodie" march is planned for Wednesday evening, with Martin's parents Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin due to attend, according to NBC New York.

"A black person in a hoodie isn't automatically 'suspicious'," says the event's Facebook page, which calls on people to "show the world we are all Trayvon" by uploading a photograph of themselves on social media sites wearing hoodies with the hashtag #millionhoodies.

Almost 800,000 people have signed a petition on the Change.org website calling for Zimmerman to be prosecuted.

Set up by Martin's parents, it describes him as "our hero". They said: "At the age of nine, Trayvon pulled his father from a burning kitchen, saving his life. He loved sports and horseback riding. At only 17 he had a bright future ahead of him with dreams of attending college and becoming an aviation mechanic. Now that's all gone."

Local pastors and members of the Florida Civil Rights Association planned a rally outside the Florida Division of Licensing in Orlando to demand that Zimmerman's concealed weapons permit be revoked, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

The group leader J Willie David earlier claimed the 28-year-old man is a "clear threat to public safety".

The case is now the subject of three investigations, including the Sanford police department. The US justice department, along with the FBI, launched an inquiry this week, after the case garnered national attention. On Tuesday the Florida state attorney for Seminole and Brevard counties announced that a grand jury would hear evidence.


George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin. Photograph: Orlando Sentinel

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It's Racism! It's Racism.. the sky is falling, the sky is falling.. getting tired of it yet?

In New York city the Blacks are going to march in protest of the shooting of Trayvon Martin saying it was racist.

Yet when 3 racist Blacks on Staten Island beats up a 51 year old Hispanic it's o.k. No protests there?

Blacks trying to play off the Race card every time one of theirs gets killed, shot, beaten or jailed, yet are just as responsible for the same hate and racism towards Hispanics, Asian and Whites.

Bill Cosby said it best, get an education, get a job (society and government owes you nothing), slavery ended more than 100 years
ago.

Getting tired of hearing about the "Black Experience" and their history of slavery. How many generations ago, was this? We don't owe you ****!!
 

Tonington

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 27, 2006
15,441
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Bill Cosby said it best, get an education, get a job (society and government owes you nothing), slavery ended more than 100 years
ago.

Then move to a gated community, a nice safe place to raise your family. Until some racist asshole who complains that "they're always getting away with it" chases down your son after the 911 dispatchers say not to follow, and shoots him dead. Then claims it's self-defense, and he was never even arrested.

I guess the one who lives gets to tell the cops what happened and that is that in Florida.

That's lunacy. Zimmerman should have been arrested at the scene.
 

Locutus

Adorable Deplorable
Jun 18, 2007
32,230
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The story doesn't have a problem 'identifying' the race of the victim.

Maybe they assume or wish he was white. Who knows with CNN at times.

...or Yahoo:

Zimmerman, a white Hispanic

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout...hether-trayvon-martin-targeted-171734876.html

...


They all together ignore that Zimmerman is Hispanic (with what I'll assume is a Jewish father for the time being, as he holds the same name as 'Bob Dylan' was born with), Spanish speaking as his father wrote in another article. Haven't read yet about his mom (alive, dead, divorced etc).

The guy said 'coon' on the 911 tape so sure, he some racism in him. He had been arrested before. Perhaps a wannabe buckaroo cop.

But unless there is any evidence this was a murder, best everyone calm down a tad. If there is good evidence, lock the bastard up. End of story.

As far as a wiki does go though:


George Zimmerman, a multiracial Hispanic man adopted by Jewish parents



Also, interesting to do a google search of George Zimmermans' mugshot photo and see a real difference in the contrast settings of said photo from one site to another.


 

Bar Sinister

Executive Branch Member
Jan 17, 2010
8,252
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Edmonton
Ah yes. More evidence of how much safer the US is than Canada and the rest of the world thanks to almost unrestricted firearms ownership.
 

B00Mer

Keep Calm and Carry On
Sep 6, 2008
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Ah yes. More evidence of how much safer the US is than Canada and the rest of the world thanks to almost unrestricted firearms ownership.

Well let's see.. the only people with guns are the criminals, at least south of the border you can own a gun too and defend yourself against criminals..

Sorry, I'm pro-gun.. Smith & Wesson .40 sitting on my desk next to me now.. ;-)
 

Locutus

Adorable Deplorable
Jun 18, 2007
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Bar Sinister

Executive Branch Member
Jan 17, 2010
8,252
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Edmonton
Well let's see.. the only people with guns are the criminals, at least south of the border you can own a gun too and defend yourself against criminals..

Sorry, I'm pro-gun.. Smith & Wesson .40 sitting on my desk next to me now.. ;-)

Tell you what. Why don't we had a little contest? You list the number of confirmed cases of gun ownership actually making the US safer and I will list incidents that show that it is not. Care to take me up on that?
 

Ocean Breeze

Hall of Fame Member
Jun 5, 2005
18,361
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This is no longer just another shooting in the US. Massive protests are happening in Florida now. Amazed that the anger has not erupted into something much worse. The anger is justified.

Maybe Zimmerman had a few injuries. The problem is that all we have now is his word. as to how he got them. But he is alive with what seems like minor scratches. Who knows, they might even be self inflicted.

Trigger happy bloke that took his self importance to a deadly level. IF he was nervous about dealing with this kid....then he should not be doing that kind of volunteer work. He is not equipped. Most of these neighborhood watch volunteers do NOT carry guns. (except of course in the US )

But with the unwritten rule of "shoot first , ask questions later" prevails.

This is a totally tragic death of another young person.

Just heard someone on the news say something along the lines of "hope america learns something from this". Sure. there are shooting incidents happening with monotonous regularity and yet , except for a blurb on the news.....not a dent is made on the collective consiousness of a population that feels so in fear for its life from imagined and sometimes real threats.

What kind of tragedy has to happen before the people wake up from their indifference ???

But this time the folks are royally dissed ......and rightly so.
 

eh1eh

Blah Blah Blah
Aug 31, 2006
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You know, black people have been afraid of white people in hoods a lot longer than whites have been afraid of blacks in hoods.
 

Colpy

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Nov 5, 2005
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I voted "don't know", but I wobbled towards "arrest the moron".

I just don't trust media accounts........

But I really can't see how you can chase an unarmed man half your size down, challenge him, and then claim self-defense after you shoot him dead.......

Something very very smelly about all this......
 

skookumchuck

Council Member
Jan 19, 2012
2,467
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Zimmerman was still the aggressor.



You may note that i have taken neither one side nor the other, merely linked to another information source as a matter of interest. So is the pic you posted intended to assume my opinion or stance and thus negate it without proof?
 

eh1eh

Blah Blah Blah
Aug 31, 2006
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You may note that i have taken neither one side nor the other, merely linked to another information source as a matter of interest. So is the pic you posted intended to assume my opinion or stance and thus negate it without proof?


No, I was commenting on the content of the article you linked. You expressed no opinion.
Plus that is a rad funny pic. lol.



That seems to leave the question, was the boy acting in self defense? I didn't hear anything about witnesses seeing anything before 'Trayvon was on top of Zimmerman'.
Would be nice to get these witness accounts under oath. the lack of investigation seems to be the weak point here. Just what are the facts?
 

CDNBear

Custom Troll
Sep 24, 2006
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That seems to leave the question, was the boy acting in self defense? I didn't hear anything about witnesses seeing anything before 'Trayvon was on top of Zimmerman'.
Don't know. Which is why I'm following the case as best I can.

Sadly, this will likely come down to character.

The lack of investigation seems to be the weak point here. Just what are the facts?
That seems to be the media's position.

It doesn't actually jive with reality though.
 

Gavin Morgan

Time Out
Mar 17, 2012
59
0
6
It is to be feared that this incident will turn into a bloody conflagration, similar to what happened in Los Angeles after the acquittal of white police men who beat ( but NOT KILLED) black Rodney King.

Strangely, the white community did not react the same way, then and there when white truck driver was dragged out of his truck by blacks and was beaten to an inch of his life by bricks.
 

wulfie68

Council Member
Mar 29, 2009
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I voted "don't know", but I wobbled towards "arrest the moron".

I just don't trust media accounts........

But I really can't see how you can chase an unarmed man half your size down, challenge him, and then claim self-defense after you shoot him dead.......

Something very very smelly about all this......

I feel much the same and thats why I voted for " arrest the moron". I saw a Florida State Representative (R) actually stating that the "Stand Your Ground" law, which has been cited as the main reason charges weren't laid, shouldn't come into play in this case, as Zimmerman wasn't being accosted initially but put himself into a confrontation (if it actually occured, apart from him just shooting the kid). He was advised (but not ordered the police chief insisted) not to engage the "suspicious person" he "witnessed", when Zimmerman called 911. I don't understand Fla. law but I have a hard time seeing any justification for this...
 

coldstream

on dbl secret probation
Oct 19, 2005
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I get a little worried when i see mobs take over the discourse of issues, as has happened here. A most telling piece of information has been submerged by the outrage. That is that the crime occurred near the car of Zimmerman. That indicates the most likely sequence of events is that he was retreating to his car after confronting.. and was being pursued by Trayton Martin. Those screams on the tape were those of Zimmerman.

There are issues here. As to whether quasi vigilante groups should be patrolling neighbourhoods without the police training to diffuse situations, to properly request information or to use commensurate force if necessary, short of using deadly force, if a confrontation does occur.

This type of sophistication is why sensible procedures leave these things to professional police offficers. And certainly it is questionable whether concealed weapons should be allowed in these circumstances. But its quite possible Zimmerman was acting within a very flawed legal framework. But the whole case has now been usurped by racial politics, and by the gun rights lobby.. and the legal rights and presumed innocence of the 'accused' here have been ignored
 
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