Trayvon Martin.

So, not guilty. Sanford Police got it right from the get go. What a shit-show.

 

And, as usual, nobody wins. Yay for shredding on taxpayer dollars.

Protip to all would-be heroes: STAY IN YOUR FUCKING CAR.

...

Y'know, I actually saw him getting tagged for manslaughter somehow.

Makes little legal sense, but the the application of the law is rarely logical.

 

I agree it was a weak case, with only hearsay evidence contradicted by the defendant's description of the event in the video replay.

But it is a sad day when a 17 year old kid walking home from buying skittles and a can of ice tea is confronted by a wannabe cop carrying a weapon contrary to neighborhood watch guidelines and is shot and killed following that confrontation.

I expect a civil suit will follow where Zimmerman will have to take the stand.

 

No, he's civilly immune, very clear on that. In fact, the statute is so strong as to make plaintiff pay defendant's attorneys' fees if the plaintiff even tries.

 

You may be right, but I thought the immunity only came through the "Stand Your Ground" statute and didnt Zimmerman waive that pre-trial?

 

Well, at least one of us is a lawyer.

 

No, it applies to all justified self-defense cases. I can grab the statute right quick:

Statutes & Constitution
:View Statutes
:

Online Sunshine

 

Reading subtitle (1) and particularly, the three cites to other sections of FL code , it doesnt seem that clear cut to me. The first excludes deadly force, the second refers to home protection and the third refers to defense of others...none of which apply.

But I'll defer to your legal expertise and wait to see what action, if any, the Martin family pursues.

 

Relevant (I guess?)

 

What paper thin reed is the NAACP clinging on to? "The Most Fundamental of Civil Rights--the Right to Life..." Are you fucking kidding me? Does this mean that when a Pepsi Truck runs over a 3 year old toddler we can start a Federal Civil Rights Case against Pepsi? My god--the inflammatory rhetoric is astounding.

 

I thought you'd like that.

 

George Zimmerman sues NBC for defamation
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...29c5_blog.html

This ought to be fun. Maybe we can get the media to actually report news

 

Civil rights violation is certainly a stretch.

How about this scenario -- the homeowners association (settled out of court with Martin family for $1 million) sues Zimmerman in civil court for violating neighborhood watch guidelines (never carry a weapon, never confront a "suspicious person").

 

Are the homeowners association's neighborhood watch guidelines legally binding?

Sounds a little ridiculous even for a Judge Judy small claims court. KirStang?

 

Judge Judy would kick Zimmerman's flabby ass all over her "courtroom" just for the ratings.
--- merged: Jul 14, 2013 at 1:05 AM ---
But to your point, in my experience with neighborhood watch programs, volunteers sign a waiver that they wont carry a weapon.

 

Okay, waiver makes sense. I was gonna say, I write fat tomes of guidelines for shit at work and it's all absolutely useless in any kind of litigation.

 

This whole situation makes for a great argument against stand your ground laws.

 

How? You can't legislate common sense. Dude should have stayed in his car. Dude should have listened to the 911 dispatcher.

SYG and other self-defense laws are there to help people that get involved in shit situations that they didn't start or bait.

Are you suggesting that without said law this wouldn't have happened?

Or that Zimmerman would have got his 20 years in the electric chair?

Both seem equally unlikely.

 

Right, but it used to be that if dumbasses wanted to get away with murder, they'd have to at least make it through the police academy. The bar has been lowered.
--- merged: Jul 14, 2013 at 1:47 AM ---
*Not saying all cops are dumbasses.

 

Hah, if it had been a cop the kid would have been shot 17 times for going into his pocket for some Skittles.

Cops are people, too.