General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsQuestion: Are there police reports to verify all these alleged break-ins in Zimmerman's community?
Police reports should be part of the public record -- is anybody checking into that?
I mean the guy called 911 46 times and always stated "there has been break-ins in the area..." It seems odd to me. How many break-ins really take place in a gated community?
Quixote1818
(28,903 posts)How he knows they were blacks if no one was caught is beyond me and really pisses me off. I agree this should be checked into.
Curmudgeoness
(18,219 posts)I did some checking on the crime rates in that city, and it does have one of the highest crime rates in Florida. So it seems that this area was crime prone.....not that it is any excuse for the way Zimmerman reacted or handled the situation. He is a murderer. But the fact is that there is a lot happening there.
Editted to add link: "Sanford's property crime levels tend to be much higher than Florida's average level."
http://www.idcide.com/citydata/fl/sanford.htm
EFerrari
(163,986 posts)The Sanford Police Tried to HIDE a Murder
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=468661
Junkdrawer
(27,993 posts)Check this site out: (Seems Sanford was a crime hotspot)
Sanford, FL City-data.com crime index compared to nearest cities:
(Note: Higher means more crime)
Sanford: 559.1
Midway: 29.7
Lake Mary: 123.6
Winter Springs: 109.0
Oviedo: 169.1
Longwood: 324.0
Casselberry: 397.2
Altamonte Springs: 277.0
Orange City: 729.7
http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Sanford-Florida.html#ixzz1q9xbjNOH
And then there's this:
Sanford Police said they've solved more than a dozen burglaries from the past two years with one arrest.
As WFTV's Mary Nguyen reports, police used DNA to link a homeless man to most of the crimes.
....
He is accused of stealing at least $4,000 worth of property from the church alone. Investigators said they believe he sold the items at pawn shops.
....
Investigators said they believe Cauthen kept leaving blood samples behind because he was always breaking windows and cutting himself.
...
http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/police-homeless-man-culprit-14-sanford-burglaries/nHQg8/
As the Church Lady might say:
How Convienient
EFerrari
(163,986 posts)but, I found that a bunch of them ringed the town -- neo nazis, Concerned Citizens, the Klan, it was a buffet.
Junkdrawer
(27,993 posts)...
Investigators say Cauthen is suspected of stealing $4,000.00 worth of property from a Sanford church in the Georgetown area. Most of the items have been found and returned to the church. Police also say Cauthen is suspected of stealing at least $10,000.00 worth of property not including damages to vehicles and homes caused during the burglaries.
...
http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/seminole_news/013112-homeless-man-charged-with-burglaries#ixzz1qA3Gq1go
Not sure he's been tried yet....
Warren Stupidity
(48,181 posts)pschoeb
(1,066 posts)Most of the stuff being reported stolen seemed to have been grills and bikes, things that tend to be outside and sometimes not properly locked up, especially in a gated community.
I think these get called break-ins because Zimmerman considered the perpetrators to be mostly outsiders, therefor they broke into the gated community, not necessarily into houses.
It seems like petty crimes of opportunity, as opposed to any kind of serious crime.
yardwork
(61,417 posts)Like firebugs going around starting fires so that they could be heroes fighting them, it's possible that these gun-toting neighborhood watch vigilantes were stealing people's grills and bicycles themselves.
I too noticed the repeated accusation that "black people" committed these crimes, even though nobody was caught. Filthy racism.
EFerrari
(163,986 posts)because when the Martin's attorney first spoke to the state attorney, he was fixing up a case for self defense, not for manslaughter or for murder. I heard her say that on Amy's show last week.
Junkdrawer
(27,993 posts)Question now is who turns states evidence first and who is charged as accessories after the fact to murder.
Life Long Dem
(8,582 posts)I wonder if Zimmerman feels he thwarted a potential break-in in this case, and whether property outweighs taking a human life.