It’s a dark and rainy night even though is only 7:30 PM. You are walking on that miserable night on your way to where you have been staying for a few days but this is not your “home” and you are not familiar with the neighbors. As you are walking you noticed a car with a person watching your every move, but think nothing of it until you notice that the car is following you. Your heart beats faster and your pace picks up a bit. You walk by the car and make eye contact with the driver; you want to send him a message that you know what he is doing. You hope this will deter him from following you.
You decide to walk into an area where the car can’t follow you, with any luck whoever is following you will desist now that you are not that accessible. To your surprise and dismay, the person comes out of the car and starts walking in your direction.
Damn rain! What does this guy wants to come after you even under this miserable rain? Does he want to abduct you? You run and hide behind some bushes hoping that the guy will walk away and the whole thing has just been a mere coincidence. But the man doesn’t walk away, rather he takes out a flashlight and now you are positive he is after you and will search for you and what’s worse, he will find you! Before you are surprised, you decide to surprise him instead and confront him.
The man seems confident and cocky when you ask him what is it that he wants. Not once this man asked where were you going or tell you he is the captain of the neighborhood watch nor does he tell you that the police is on their way. For you, this man wants to harm you and you have no idea what his intentions are. Words are exchanged and you punch the man right on the nose. The man falls and hit himself on the concrete. Before he gets up, you jump on him and try to subdue him and you even managed to throw a few more punches.
All the while, you are crying at the top of your lungs for help. You hope that someone will come to your aid, but no one does. The man pulls out a gun and the unmistakable sound of a gunshot is heard in the dark and your cries for help are forever silenced. You fall face down on the ground, and your last gasp for air is filled with grass, water and the dirt that is under you.
The shooter doesn’t feel any compassion for you or remorse for his actions, for having taken your life. Rather, he desperately is trying to find a weapon on you, unsuccessfully. He is trying to find something on you to justify in front of the police why he had to shoot you but all he finds is an unopened can of Arizona tea and a bag of skittles.
According to many people, you deserved to die for throwing that first punch. Long gone are the days where two men would have a fistfight and where the only thing coming out of that fight would be a few bruises and a broken ego.
Everything that will be heard after your death will be the story given by your murderer, since no one in that neighborhood had the guts to come out in your defense, not on that night not afterwards and the other witness, you, is dead.
Stand your ground can be translated into I’ll put you in the ground and walk free, especially if you happen to be a black man in Florida.
Today the Florida State Attorney, Angela Corey, announced that there will be no grand jury for Trayvon Martin’s killer, George Zimmerman. Even though Ms. Corey said since the beginning that there might be no need for a grand jury, for me this news came as a surprise. Came as a surprise because the fate of George Zimmerman rests solely on the shoulders of Ms. Corey and whatever decision she comes to the decision is absolute, there are no appeals.
What if she announces that she reached the conclusion that Mr. Zimmerman is not guilty? What will the parents of Mr. Martin to do?
I cannot conceive, given this announcement, the findings will be that of a guilty verdict. I believe that if a person is found guilty, there should be a jury. Is Ms. Corey going to be the judge, juror and executioner? Doubt it. Then, this must mean that she will find him not guilty and that would be one of the greatest injustices that I’ve heard since I can remember.
I fear that Ms. Corey will find the murderer not guilty, especially after reading an article from the Examiner.com where it read: “According to Sanford Mayor Jeff Triplett, the city’s emergency management team has met regularly with the DOJ to construct a plan. Extra police officers and fire department officials are on standby and neighboring agencies have also been asked to assist if needed.” - That statement doesn’t sound too promising. For me that translates to Mr. Zimmerman will be found Not Guilty and the city is preparing for the riots that will follow that announcement.
If the findings are not favorable to Mr. Martin’s family, they will feel devastated, disillusioned and rightfully enraged and so will most of the citizens of the United States.
If my suspicions are correct, we can be sure that in this country justice is not blind and will not be for a long time. It hasn’t been in over 500 years, why would we expect it to be any different now? That dame might be blindfolded but her scale is definitively tipped.
I thought I was not going to write again about the murder of Trayvon Martin at least not the day after I posted the article, but I was wrong. Today, Sanford Police Chief, Bill Lee Jr. removed himself from the investigation and released a letter that I will include here.
First, let me begin by saying that I keep reading that George Zimmerman was white, then Latino, and then that his mother is Hispanic and his father is Jewish, some have even suggested that his father is German. Let me enlighten the readers, just a little bit. There is no such thing as a Hispanic, Latino or Jewish race they are ethnic groups. The White (Caucasian) race is not an exclusive of the United States and just as there were immigrants from all walks of life, all countries and all races migrating to the United States, the same happened throughout Latin America. We can say more or less the same thing about the Jews; I’ve seen Jews that are blonde, brunettes, olive skinned, white as chalk and that come from different points of the world. So I beg of all of you to stop saying that Zimmerman is not White that he is Hispanic. He is a Hispanic that happens to be White… Surprise!
I’ve heard too that George Zimmerman was adopted, and then that he wasn’t adopted. Having been born in Virginia and raised by Mr. Zimmerman, who is an American, all of the sudden George Zimmerman speaks Spanish. My question is, so what? Just as there are people from all races, creeds, and classes in United States the same can be said about Latin America… and there are racists there too. I would appreciate it if people would stop trying to make it seem as it couldn’t be racial because George Zimmerman was Hispanic, there is bigotry and racism among Hispanics too, sad but true.
So let’s call this what it really is: an insecure man that always wanted to be a policeman but failed, who had been in trouble before, who by previous records has an aggressive personality (even though his friends are trying to portray him as almost a saint), who even had a restraining order issued by one of his girlfriends in the past and that patrolling that neighborhood gave him a sense of superiority, of fulfillment, a sense of control. This George Zimmerman took laws into his own hands, he was looking for trouble and for a chance to show what a “big man” he was by “saving” the neighborhood, the hero.
He saw a black guy walking in "his" neighborhood and automatically labeled Trayvon Martin as a criminal, drug user up to no good and Martin was just right for Zimmerman to show everyone what a "good guy" he was. Zimmerman was a total loser that needed desperately to proof that he was better than the cops that always allowed the "Fucking coons" to walk away. Those were George Zimmerman's own words... the messed up law of Stand Your Ground might have let him get away with murder and I am sure that is what Zimmerman expected and why he staged the attack, but thanks to this wonderful contraption that is the Internet, it won't be so easy to get away with murder as thousands are demanding justice all throughout the United States.
OK, so we all know that the 2005 law commonly known as Stand Your Ground is all messed up. But, even when it is and according to the letter, (2) A law enforcement agency may use standard procedures for investigating the use of force as described in subsection (1), but the agency may not arrest the person for using force unless it determines that there is probable cause that the force that was used was unlawful.
What more probable cause than a young man dead on the grounds of a public area? What more probable cause is needed other than the fact that George Zimmerman was the one that confronted Trayvon Martin? What more probable cause is needed than the fact that George Zimmerman had a weapon and Trayvon Martin didn’t?
George Zimmerman would have been arrested on the spot if he had done the same thing to a police officer in civilian clothing. George Zimmerman would have been arrested on the spot if he had killed a WHITE lady. George Zimmerman would have been arrested on the spot if he had run a stop sign and had a suspended license… But for killing an unarmed young Black man? Nah!!!! He had all the right to do it, after all, it is still the South, the Bible belt where a Black man’s life is worthless and so is a Latino’s, maybe that is why all of the sudden George Zimmerman is Hispanic.
Andale, andale... pa'rriba, pa'rriba! Get the Hispanic-Jew-German-White-Catholic and any other race, religion or ethnic group you want to add to the mix, even black; it’s irrelevant. For me he is plain and simple a racist son of a bitch that deserves to rot in jail!
I promised to post the letter from Sanford’s Chief of Police. Here it is:
"Fellow Citizens:
There has been a lot of media attention to the recent incident where George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin. This is indeed a tragic situation and has caused a flood of questions and strong emotions from within our community, the region and nation. On behalf of the employees of the City of Sanford, Our deepest sympathy and prayers go out to the family and friends of Trayvon Martin. As a father, I can only image the pain Trayvon’s family must be going though.
In an effort to continue to be as responsive as possible to the public seeking information on the incident, I have asked Chief Lee to provide answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding this matter. Below are his responses. Please understand that since this is still an ongoing investigation, the Police Department is limited in what information it can publicly release.
The City of Sanford is committed to insuring that justice is served and, therefore, the City of Sanford has contacted the United States Attorney General’s Office for assistance in this matter.
The men and women of the Sanford Police Department extend our heartfelt sympathies to the Martin family. This is indeed a tragic situation. The death of anyone due to violence, especially a 17 year old young man, is morally appalling. As this incident has generated a lot of media attention, we wanted to provide answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.
Why was George Zimmerman not arrested the night of the shooting? When the Sanford Police Department arrived at the scene of the incident, Mr. Zimmerman provided a statement claiming he acted in self defense which at the time was supported by physical evidence and testimony. By Florida Statute, law enforcement was PROHIBITED from making an arrest based on the facts and circumstances they had at the time. Additionally, when any police officer makes an arrest for any reason, the officer MUST swear and affirm that he/she is making the arrest in good faith and with probable cause. If the arrest is done maliciously and in bad faith, the officer and the City may be held liable.
According to Florida Statute 776.032 :
776.032 Immunity from criminal prosecution and civil action for justifiable use of force.—
(1) A person who uses force as permitted in s. 776.012, s. 776.013, or s. 776.031 is justified in using such force and is immune from criminal prosecution and civil action for the use of such force, unless the person against whom force was used is a law enforcement officer, as defined in s. 943.10(14), who was acting in the performance of his or her official duties and the officer identified himself or herself in accordance with any applicable law or the person using force knew or reasonably should have known that the person was a law enforcement officer. As used in this subsection, the term “criminal prosecution” includes arresting, detaining in custody, and charging or prosecuting the defendant.
(2) A law enforcement agency may use standard procedures for investigating the use of force as described in subsection (1), but the agency may not arrest the person for using force unless it determines that there is probable cause that the force that was used was unlawful.
Why weren’t the 911 tapes initially released? There are exemptions to the public records laws for active criminal intelligence and for ongoing investigations. In this instance, the 911 calls made by neighbors in the subdivision, and the nonemergency call made by Mr. Zimmerman are all key to the investigation by Sanford Police Department. In consultation with the Office of the State Attorney, the Sanford police department had decided not to release the audio recordings of the 911 calls due to the ongoing investigation.
Many times, specific information is contained in those recordings which is vital to the integrity of the investigation. At the time, it was determined that if revealed, the information may compromise the integrity of the investigation prior to its completion. The 911 tapes have since been released.
Why did Mr. Zimmerman have a firearm in his possession while acting in the role of a neighborhood watch member? Mr. Zimmerman holds a concealed weapon permit issued from the State of Florida. He is authorized to carry the weapon in a concealed manner wherever Florida Statute dictates.
Neighborhood Watch programs are designed for members of a neighborhood to be “eyes and ears” for police and to watch out for their neighbors. They are not members of the Police Department nor are they vigilantes. Training provided by law enforcement agencies to Neighborhood Watch organizations stresses non-contact surveillance of suspicious situations and notifying police of those situations so that law enforcement can respond and take control of the situation.
Mr. Zimmerman was not acting outside the legal boundaries of Florida Statute by carrying his weapon when this incident occurred. He was in fact on a personal errand in his vehicle when he observed Mr. Martin in the community and called the Sanford Police Department.
If Zimmerman was told not to continue to follow Trayvon, can that be considered in this investigation?Yes it will; however, the telecommunications call taker asked Zimmerman “are you following him”. Zimmerman replied, “yes”. The call taker stated “you don’t need to do that”. The call taker’s suggestion is not a lawful order that Mr. Zimmerman would be required to follow. Zimmerman’s statement was that he had lost sight of Trayvon and was returning to his truck to meet the police officer when he says he was attacked by Trayvon.
Why was George Zimmerman labeled as “squeaky clean” when in fact he has a prior arrest history? In one of the initial meetings with the father of the victim the investigator related to him the account that Mr. Zimmerman provided of the incident. At that time the investigator said that Mr. Zimmerman portrayed himself to be “squeaky clean”. We are aware of the background information regarding both individuals involved in this event. We believe Mr. Martin may have misconstrued this information.
What about media reenactments of the shooting incident? Any media reenactments of the shooting incident are purely speculation. To date the Sanford Police Department has not released any rendition of the events of the evening to anyone other than the Office of the State Attorney. The renditions we have seen are not consistent with the evidence in this case. The Sanford Police Department has conducted a complete and fair investigation of this incident.
We have provided the results of our investigation to the Office of the State Attorney for their review and consideration for possible criminal prosecution.
Although the Police Department is the target of the troubling questions, let me assure you we too feel the pain of this senseless tragedy that has dramatically affected our community. Therefore, as we move forward and strive to answer the questions that are a point of controversy in the community, we ask for your patience, understanding and assistance in getting the correct information to the community.
We all know what tragic event took place in a neighborhood near Orlando, Florida on February 26, 2012. It was the night that a young, healthy and innocent black young man was murdered by an untrained Neighborhood Crime Watch “Captain”, George Zimmerman. Trayvon Martin was a high school student from Miami, Florida that was visiting his father who lived with his fiancée at Twin Lakes, a gated community near Orlando. That fateful night, Martin went to a nearby store to purchase a can of ice tea and some candy. While Martin was walking back home George Zimmerman, a self-proclaimed Captain and only member of the Neighborhood Crime Watch, spotted him. The fact that Martin was black was enough for Mr. Zimmerman to find him suspicious so he called 911. The funny thing is, that Zimmerman was always calling the cops for anything that he thought it was "suspicious" and many of his calls to the police during his evening rounds included a neighbor’s dog barking. I am sure that by now the police knew that Zimmerman was inclined to exaggerations. Nevertheless, the call was handled as what it seemed routine. One of the questions the police officer asked is a key question that goes to proof the racial profiling of both the police department in Sanford and that of Mr. Zimmerman. When Zimmerman called to report a suspicious individual in his neighborhood, the police officer asked if the individual was Hispanic or black. Why? Do the police in Sanford, Florida thinks that if it was a blonde and blue eyes man then he couldn’t be a criminal? Really? That alone disgusts me.
I have to admit that the police officer told Zimmerman not to follow Martin, that they were on their way and they would handle it. How much different would they have handled the situation, given that for them a Hispanic or a Black man is automatically ‘suspicious’ no one will ever know – I have my doubts. The fact is that Mr. Zimmerman disobeyed those orders and followed Martin anyway. Martin’s girlfriend, who during all this time was on the phone with Martin, can shine some light into it. According to her, Martin was scared of the man who was following him and even when she advised him to run, he decided not to but walked at a fast pace. At some point, Zimmerman got off the car and approached Martin. It is thought that most likely Zimmerman pushed Martin but this is only speculation since the call was suddenly disconnected. In any event, Zimmerman was armed and Martin wasn’t. Martin didn’t have a criminal record, actually no record whatsoever, and the same can’t be said for Zimmerman.
Zimmerman is a 28-year-old man, weighting about 100 pounds more than Martin. Zimmerman had a gun, Martin a can of ice tea. Zimmerman was in a car and Martin was on foot. But regardless of the oddities, the advantages that Zimmerman had over Martin in every way imaginable, Zimmerman claimed that he shot Martin in self-defense. When the police finally got there to find the Martin’s lifeless body they found Zimmerman, with blood running from the back of his head and grass stains on his shirt and pants. Zimmerman’s explanation of what happened can be summarized as follows: He stepped out of the car to confront the suspect and find out what he was doing in the neighborhood. As he was returning to the car (he didn’t explained why was he returning to the car) Martin hit him in the back of the head and they struggled on the grass and, in an act of self-defense, he shot Martin. Zimmerman claims that while he was being attacked by Martin he, Zimmerman, was screaming for help. That explanation was enough for the police, who allowed this murdered to walk free, no bail-bond, no time in jail.
Now, can anyone explain to me how or why would Martin, a 17 year-old kid weighting 100 pounds less than Zimmerman, attack this giant? How was it that Martin was able to hold Zimmerman on the ground, struggling and apparently overpowering Zimmerman to the point where Zimmerman was crying for help? And the police believed him? Please!
The whole country is crying foul and while we do, the story keeps spinning. Now Zimmerman is Hispanic, adopted by a Jewish family and guess what… Mr. Robert Zimmerman, George Zimmerman’s father, is claiming that George was an “altar boy” next thing they’ll claim is that a black priest molested him and that is the reason that he shot Martin!
I don’t care that George Zimmerman was a Neighborhood Crime Watch Captain. I don’t care that he had a permit to carry a concealed weapon. I couldn’t care less that the controversial 2005 law known as “Stand your Ground” allows a person to use lethal force against an attacker if they think their lives are in danger… I don’t care. Trayvon Martin didn’t follow George Zimmerman; actually he was walking away from him. George Zimmerman was told by a police officer not to pursue Martin but he ignored that order and gave pursue. George Zimmerman stepped out of his car and confronted Martin, not the other way around. If anyone felt their life was in danger and could have used the Stand Your Ground law was Martin, not Zimmerman, after all he is the one that paid the ultimate price for going to the store for candy and a tea.
It’s a dark and rainy night even though is only 7:30 PM. You are walking on that miserable night on your way to where you have been staying for a few days but this is not your “home” and you are not familiar with the neighbors. As you are walking you noticed a car with a person watching your every move, but think nothing of it until you notice that the car is following you. Your heart beats faster and your pace picks up a bit. You walk by the car and make eye contact with the driver; you want to send him a message that you know what he is doing. You hope this will deter him from following you.
