The State of Florida vs George Zimmerman: The Trial

can he get retreied on fededral dscrimination cahrges?

People are actually allowed to defend their lives in the US.

I think the idea of who threw the first punch is irrelevant. If Zimmerman pushed Martin then Martin started coming at him with both barrels, Zimmerman may have felt he needed to defend his life.

To me this is the real risk is walking around carrying a gun. Zimmerman is overweight and out of shape, but when you put a gun in his hand, he thinks he's the man. I've read of this before, where someone gets a gun and suddenly they go out looking for confrontation. Where before they might cross the street if they saw some questionable people hanging out on a corner, now they go out of their way to walk through them.

Do I think Zimmerman went out their with the intent to kill Martin? No. Do I think that he was looking for a confrontation and that he thought he had the upper hand because he was armed. Yes.

sounds like theres a federal charge maybe

I am also disappointed. I guess if one wants to get away with murder Flordia is the place to go.

two more hurdles for Zimmerman. I read a piece that the DOJ was "concerned with the lack of a vigorous and well explained prosecution" that they are studying the evidence to see whether Zimmerman should or hould not be tried under Federal civil rights statutes.

Also, theres a Civil court phase

Americans aren't required to cower away from people who might choose to attack us. We have the right to carry guns, and we have the right to defend ourselves.

That said, refusing to hide from potential aggressors does not mean someone is looking for confrontation.

Do you have any evidence to support your supposition that Zimmerman was looking for a confrontation?

For the rest of his life, Zimmerman will have to worry that someone might be watching and following him, with malice in their heart, and a gun in their waistband, and he'll know how Trayvon Martin felt that night over and over again...

That's going to be the reality of his life.

My point was that even IF Zimmerman was the aggressor that doesn't invalidate the self defense argument.

There is actually evidence of that in that the person Martin was on the phone with testified that Martin said "get off of me" implying some contact, but once again, that is beside the point.

I don't know if Zimmerman was guilty or not, I don't know if it was murder or not, but I do know that the system worked exactly the way it is supposed to work.
Like it or not, you must accept the verdict and support it.

Zimmerman is a private citizen.

I thought Florida did away with wrongful death lawsuits in cases of self defense.

oralloy wrote:

Do you have any evidence to support your supposition that Zimmerman was looking for a confrontation?

How about the fact he didn't remain in his car?

How about the fact that there was never a need for him to get out of his car?

How about the fact that his neighborhood watch responsibilities ended when he called the police non-emergency number, and that everything he did after that was motivated by his own need to be a vigilante, since the police dispatcher told him the police didn't need him to do anything else?

How about the fact that the phone conversation reported by Rachel Jeantel indicated it was Zimmerman who approached and confronted Martin, without even identifying himself to Martin, and that was after Martin was already apprehensive about why this creepy guy had been watching and following him?

Why didn't Zimmerman just continue going to Target after he called the police? That was his destination that night when he happened to spot and profile Martin. So, after he discharged his neighborhood watch responsibilities, by calling the police to report a "suspicious" character, who wasn't doing much of anything beside walking around and trying to dodge the train, why didn't Zimmerman just continue driving to Target?

Someone not looking for a confrontation would have simply remained in his car and waited for the police to show up and do their job. Or he would have driven off, continued his trip to Target, and left the police to handle it when they showed up.

He had not witnessed any sort of crime in progress, there was nothing urgent occurring, so there was no reason for him to hang around there, the police didn't need him to do that either.

Where's your evidence that Zmmerman wasn't looking for a confrontation, since the evidence just cited suggests otherwise?

oralloy wrote:

Zimmerman is a private citizen.

And private citizens can be charged and prosecuted under federal hate crime/civil rights violations laws.

oralloy wrote:

I thought Florida did away with wrongful death lawsuits in cases of self defense.

Like everything else you say, that comment simply reveals your ignorance.

I would recommend that they have evidence and a persuasive argument on hand when they do so, just so they can present a credible case for their position