Zimmerman Not guilty

by mouthy 480 Replies latest social current

• 

  sosoconfused

  Well SImon as a 13 year old being kicked off a basketball court because, "We just needed to leave" you can understand I was upset. I told my mother - and yes she did. There was never any contact back although she questioned them a few times. Nothing ever happened.

  As for my friend who was arrested on the front steps of his own home during summer break, there was no one to complain to. Why??? Because the police officer SAID he had drugs on him which he did not. He had on a pair of basketball shorts - no pockets and he had on a tank top. We were all drinking soda and big gulps from 7-11. A police car drove past the house and doubled back. Two officers got out and asked us what we were doing.

  Mind you 4 of us were witnesses and so was he. He responded with the words, "Nothing, bro - just chillin"

  Officer said, "Don't call me your fucking brother..." He grabs him by the arm and pushes him to the wall and starts laughing and asks him if he had drugs on him. He said no... but he got cuffed and thrown in the car. We told his mom and she ran to the station, late that evening we found out he had been hit witha drug charge. He got 3 years for it. Came homefrom prison and was not himself. Everyone turned their back on him in the hall because apparently he was a criminal which he was not.

  His life was destroyed.

  This is not an uncommon situation in urban areas. The amount of corrupt and power-tripping police is ridculous. No one will trust these police officers because of the abuse. Just ask the people who deal with this on a daily basis
• 

  Simon

  There was never any contact back although she questioned them a few times. Nothing ever happened.

  It's very important to get an official reference for the complaint so they can not just throw it away after you leave. I know someone who's complaint to the RCMP wasn't recorded when they asked what was happening to it. It is difficult especially if you don't know the system and they do hold many of the cards. I would never suggest complaining to the police station concerned - normally there should be some independent police complaints section precisely to avoid these issues.

  The other case sounds harsh - I would question why 4 witnesses didn't count for anything ... sounds like there was no attempt at a defense? The police alone can't convict people after all.
• 

  Simon

  That's why a cop lost his job for racial profiling here about 5 years ago. What did he do? Pulled over a black LAWYER who was driving a BMW late at night. He picked the wrong person to harrass on that particular evening. Yeah, it doesn't happen ...

  Of course it happens. I remember seeing an episode of "Cops" (or something similar) showing two policemen pulling over and beeing aggresive with a black driver. They didn't know that he was a sherrif from another country and he beat the crap out of them both and they deserved every blow. It was sad to think that many people do have to suffer things like that though.

  FTR, Maybe I should have made it clear I was calling Simon an ass for banning and restricting people for disagreeing with him. I think Ive been restricted for calling him an ass and racist. That I can accept.

  I'm a poster like everyone else and I am free to express my opinion like everyone else. I also get the same right not to be insulted or labelled as everybody else so if people do it, especially repeatedly, then eventually they will be restricted, just as would happen for everybody else.

  No one has been banned for disagreeing with me. If you're pushing for martyrdom just say so and save us both some time.
• 

  sosoconfused

  Sorry simon you are wrong. It happens all the time. Although you might think it can't it can and it does.

  That case you mentioned may sound "harsh" but if you take a stroll through many major AA and Hispanic cities you will realizer this happens ALL THE TIME. That one instance was a personal one I was there for however there were countless situations in my neighborhood where this happened. The number of police on the take in areas were there are large AA populations is large. THe reason is because they know very few people will take it seriously.

  In regards to complaints... do you really think these people do not complain, yet it gets to a point were they are ignored because of who they are.

  Not to mention when we decided to walk to basketball courts or parks in "white" areas we were told to go back. Pulled over and held for no reason then told to go back home. These are things that many minority groups experience daily... it is a violation of thier tights. Period.
• 

  Simon

  Sorry simon you are wrong. It happens all the time. Although you might think it can't it can and it does.

  Did you misread something I said? I didn't say it didn't and doesn't happen ...

  It is a violation of thier tights. Period

  I hate having my tights violated! (I know that's a typo and this is a serious subject - but tights = pantyhose in the UK)

  What you describe are exactly the kind of human & civil liberty violations that should be reported and challenged and what the community leaders should be drawing attention to so they can be stopped.= instead of wasting time on things that have been concocted.

  It really does make me angry. There is no need to make anything up - there are plenty of terrible cases to chose to do something about. When they lie and invent things they do their community a disservice by wasting the opportunity for media attention (which can be hard to get) on something that won't stand up to scrutiny and that then gives people an excuse to ignore or dismiss the many other legitimate complaints.
• 

  Paralipomenon

  I will confess, other than hearing the initial news report, I had avoided any and all commentary on this case until yesterday.

  I read up the evidence as submitted in the trial and really this should never have gone to court under a murder-2 charge. This was a politically motivated trial to quell public outrage. The first AG got it right with not prosecuting the case.

  Intent, mindframe or whatever the public assumes about Zimmerman, the facts and evidence did not back it up. Read through the transcripts and mentally change the race of the players, the evidence still points to self defense.

  The best witness to insinuate opening agression from Zimmerman committed purgery. The prosecution forensics was a scatterbrain. The whole aim of the trial was to go for a murder-2 charge.

  If they wanted a shot at a conviction, they should have argued manslaughter from the start. As such, tossing manslaughter in at the very last second gave the jury very little to work with. The arguments were for murder and the evidence did not back up that claim. In my opinion if Zimmerman was black and Trayvon was white it would have never gone to court. It would be self defense and dropped. I think he could have been argued to a manslaughter charge since he was told to stay where he was by the police and forced the encounter. He comes across as arrogant and cop-wannabe, but that doesn't make this a racial killing.

  If you can say one good thing about racism, it is that racism itself doesn't discriminate color. There are racists of every creed, color and culture in the world.

  If you want to argue that I am incorrect in my opinion of this case, argue the evidence, not the news talking points.

  I think the jury made the right call with the case that was provided to them.
• 

  James Brown

  Police departments are paramilitary organizations.

  I cant speak for every force in the country. But everyone I have seen has officers, Corporals, Sergeants, Lieutenants, Captains, Majors, and Chiefs or Sheriffs.

  Each higher rank is watching the lower rank to make sure they are following procedures. It's been like that as long I remember.

  When you get to be a Sergeant you don't have to be a first responder any longer.

  You get to mosey on up to the call and make sure procedure is followed.
• 

  sammielee24

  Here's what one guy thinks people should do to solve the problem - Akon -

  HIP-HOP ARTIST SAYS BLACKS SHOULD RETURN TO AFRICA FOLLOWING ZIMMERMAN VERDICT

  Jul. 16, 2013 4:

  Popular R&B hip-hop artist Akon raised some eyebrows this week after encouraging African Americans to go “back to Africa” after George Zimmerman was acquitted on murder and manslaughter charges over the weekend.

  St. Louis-born Akon, a.k.a. Aliaune Damala Akon Thiam, highlighted the news with a snapshot of the breaking news posted to his Instagram account.

  With the picture of Zimmerman’s “not guilty” verdict, Akon wrote:

  Every African American in the United States need to move their money, family, knowledge back to Africa were u will be treated like the royalty you are. You don’t deserve this treatment. This is not your country.
• 

  Simon

  Interesting to hear your viewpoint Paralipomenon as one of the very few people who kept the media spin at bay. From your analysis you came to the same conclusion that I did. I think the jury made the right decision based on the case itself and the evidence. There basically was no case.

  racism itself doesn't discriminate color. There are racists of every creed, color and culture in the world.

  So racism is the only thing that isn't racist ... woah (in best Bill and Ted voice). You're right though - every race has racists. Indians look down on darker Indians. It's something we haven't evolved past yet - like religion or reality TV.

  The days of police impunity will hopefully be behind us as more and more people are able to record incidents. The video of the white son of a police-chief beating up a black man that George Zimmerman complained to the police about is case in point - video gives people more power and prevents coverups or brushoffs.

  Eventually, we'll all be walking around with Google glasses. At that point we'll also all become the police by having video of any crime committed against, by or near us. I'm also hoping for a robo-cop attachment.
• 

  Simon

  Popular R&B hip-hop artist Akon raised some eyebrows ...

  sigh, someone is just after extra social media exposure by being controversial ...

  Media attention just encourages idiots.