Zimmerman - national attention is NOT because of racial profiling or 'Stand Your Ground' laws

[Hugabear]

We've seen the inevitable 'Some white guy in so-and-so place was badly beaten by a group of black people, where is the outrage there?' stories. Hell, they've even managed to find there way over here to DU.

The reason why the Zimmerman case is getting to much national attention is NOT because of the racial overtones, or because of any 'Stand Your Ground' laws. Yes, those are issues, but those aren't the reasons for the national scrutiny. FACT - Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon several weeks before the national news media began to make a big deal of it. Hell, I live in Orlando, and I don't even remember hearing much about the story when it originally happened. Violent crime is a fact of life in Central Florida, as it is in many areas.

The reason why there is so much national attention, and the reason why the NAACP, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and others have gotten involved is because of the lack of local police action in this case. In just about every other 'black-on-white' rebuttal case that has been brought up over the past month or so, you also notice that the local authorities are actively working to bring those responsible to justice. Not so in this case. Without any national attention, Zimmerman would be walking around a free man, still carrying his concealed weapon.

If the Sanford Police would have done their job - placed Zimmerman under arrest, or at least have done a very thorough investigation - then this would have remained a local story. Sadly, given the amount of crime in the Orlando metro area, there's a very good chance it wouldn't have even made much of a local splash.

[blm]

1. When people say it's about race I say, NO it isn't - it's about PRIVILEGE.

The privilege a state attorney exercised when he over-rode the lead investigator who stated he saw enough evidence that night to arrest and charge Zimmerman with manslaughter.

Zimmerman was let off the hook so many times before due to privilege that by the time he confronted Trayvon, he felt ENTITLED to judge him and think he could get away with it, yet again.

[coalition_unwilling]

11. I hope you will consider crafting your argument here into an OP of its own, such

is its centrality to the issues at hand. A vitally important truth that bears repeating.

If you have no objections, I'm going to start adopting your idea of 'privilege' into my own analysis and discussions of the Martin\Zimmerman affair. Thanks for giving me a new way to think about the matter (or at least articulating it far more adeptly than I have before now).

[blm]

103. Thank you for noticing. Comprehension has been sorely missing from this debate.

.

[Enrique]

2. I was going to make a post making the same point

in response to all the threads about that Mobile story. People still don't understand the Trayvon story, they think the white race is under attack so they have to prove black people are just as bad, or something like that. If they're posting that Mobile story for some other reason, they don't say what it is.

[Lilyeye]

4. Yup

here's an example right here on DU http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=609032

[Lilyeye]

3. Exactly.

That point keeps being missed by sooooo many people. The attention on Zimmerman went national because of the actions of the police. If the police had of handled the investigation properly, it wouldn't have made national news. I am sick of reading this BS about black victims receiving more attention when its a non-black killer. That's a bunch of garbage. And if that was the case, why did the case about the black man being ran down by white kids not became a national news animal? or the case about the white kids who shot and killed three black people out of anger?

[libodem]

5. Just saw an ad for Disney World Orlando

I'll be damned before I ever plan to spend a dime in that backward cesspool of a state. I hope all the out of state travel dollars dry up. I'm afraid to go there because of the guns and violence. And the lack of competent law enforcement.


Not kidding.

[teddy51]

6. I totally agree with your OP. He would have been walking around free, and there is no doubt about

it. The town of Sanford needs to get it's head out of it's collective ass. Police chief resigns and they don't accept his resignation, go figure.

[coalition_unwilling]

7. Emphatic K&R! Utterly shreds the fallacy of

moral equivalency that the right wing and its lackies and lickspittles are employing. I hope your OP stays front and center for DU for a few days.

[vaberella]

8. Don't injest rationality in the conversation.

Most normal thinking people know the problem is that the Sanford police fucked up aside from the other issues at hand. It's the fact that a man was able to kill someone unarmed and move on with his life until there was an outcry from the public.

What people don't get in the case of all the other cases...Mainly the ones who want to show Black on White crime...is that in most if not ALL those cases the people who perpetrated the crime are taken into custody or searched for to be brought to justice. In most of the time they are caught with a quick, given no bail, and await their trial in prison. However...In the Trayvon Martin case the guy got 20 or so minutes and he was out.

I hate to quote Joe Scarborough on this, but he has a clue and he said it...If Zimmerman was a Black man and Trayvon Martin was a White Kid....SYG would never come into play that man would be in prison right now and would never have seen the light of day.

This is the problem with the justice system. Justice herself may be blind...but the people working for her are not. And the laws that work under her are even more racist than the people that execute the laws. But will this ever be understood by those who defend Zimmerman. Who perpetuate the Black on White cases as though they are perfectly comparable.

It reminds of the Madrigal v Quilligan case of the 1970s in regards to Latina women and sterilization. The Supreme Court dismissed the case because they cited...well just as many Black women as White Women were sterilized so the actions were not racist. How in the fuck is that a logical conclusion? Since White women make up 30% or so of the population and Black women just 5% ---that would mean Black women were highly sterilized and the claim actually supported Madrigal.

Why am I suggesting this? It's the false equivalence of the entire situation.

[teddy51]

14. "If Zimmerman was a Black man and Trayvon Martin was a White Kid....SYG would never come into play".

Totally agree on that as well, and there would not have been bail set either.

[gratuitous]

9. I think that's an element of it

But the larger question of why the Sanford Police didn't do anything leads us back to the "Stand Your Ground" laws. Police officers, as much as we love them or hate them, are human beings. And when human beings get conflicting signals, they will most often take the path of least resistance.

What are the conflicting signals? Two different laws, one against murder and one that validates murder. My understanding of the "Stand Your Ground" law is that one component of it provides a civil remedy for anyone who invokes it as a defense against a wrongful accusation of murder. That is, if I shoot someone dead, the cops arrive, I say I was standing my ground, and the cops proceed as if I was your garden variety murderer, I could have a cause of action against the cops for money damages if the cops can't make out a murder rap against me.

So, the path of least resistance is that the cops can always go back and bring a murder charge against me if their investigation shows that I'm a dirty fibber as well as a killer, and I should be charged with some degree of homicide. But if they jump the gun (so to speak) on arresting me after I've invoked a stand your ground defense, they could be on the hook for having to pay me some money in a civil lawsuit.

Now, the Sanford Police might have screwed this case up anyway; but my take is that they were reluctant to press forward with charges that night once Zimmerman claimed he was standing his ground.

[teddy51]

16. I still think that it's the entire town of Sanford that is fucked up. There was a story

posted on DU some weeks ago about racial discrimination against Jackie Robinson in Sanford, FL. Way back when!

http://digbysblog.blogspot.ca/2012/04/jackie-robinson-day.html

[robinlynne]

10. +1

[Bacchus4.0]

12. well, the Daniel Adkins shooting isn't gettting national attention, so maybe that is the key

why do some stories get national attention and not others? thats another question that needs to be asked.

[obamanut2012]

13. Casey Anthony got legs because Nancy Grace became obsessed with it

Lacey Petersen because it was Christmas weekend and a slow news time. The Matthew Owen beating because of Pro Zimmerman folks.

[Bacchus4.0]

18. the Owens case hasn't exploded yet. the TV news media decides on that n/t

s

[The Magistrate]

15. And Here Is Your Link For It, Fella, And A Sample Of Its Comments....

Damned odd company you keep....

From your post here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=609346


http://www.politicalforum.com/current-events/243174-family-daniel-adkins-demands-shooter-arrested.html


" The White community in Phoenix must be on edge considering the amount of blacks that shoot and kill Whites on a daily basis in America. Now they're doing it without being arrested for it? The White community better hope and pray for protection. They don't have a Jesse Jackson or an Al Sharpton to represent them and they sure as hell don't have any Black Panthers to put out a bounty on "22 year old black male's" head"

"Where are the bleeding heart liberals in this one... Oh thats right they only stick up for BLACK thugs..."

"Liberals are like an afterbirth. Purged as useless once used.
Beware the Gubmint man saying "Ah am heah to hep you".Cause all he's helping is your money out of your wallet.
Barack Hussein Obama - a waste is a terrible thing to mind."

"So because the victim of this shooting wasnt black the bleeding heart liberals want nothing to do with it, yep there is no issue to grandstand on nor a race riot to stir up.
Libtards make me sick."

"He was hunted down like a dog and shot down on the street by a black man. (Isn't that how Democratic Congress Members described it?)"

[Bacchus4.0]

19. I answered your post in the other thread and what do the comments by readers

have to do with the case? ever read comments on the yahoo news boards??? sorry, I don't pre-screen sources. perhaps if the media was actually reporting on the case, there would be sources more to your liking without the commentary you find so offensive. I have nothing to do with that.

[The Magistrate]

22. And Yet That Is The Link You Posted, Sir, Rather Than A Clean One To A News Source

It would have been no trouble to do, which means you chose to link to this racist swill, give it wider circulation, and bring it into this forum.

In my experience, people do things for a reason....

[Bacchus4.0]

27. yes, my reason. its the link I found. thats it my friend. If MSNBC or CNN or Yahoo

had something I would post a link to it. you were the one reading the reader comments, not me.

[The Magistrate]

32. Wriggle Away, Sir: Local Media There Has Plenty Of Coverage On This, But You Linked This Cess-Pool

You had choices, alternatives: you chose a den of racists for your source to circulate the story.

Put bluntly, Sir, you are pretty deep into 'looks like a duck, walks like a duck, etc.' territory here....

[pinboy3niner]

42. Your link is to an OP that includes both the article AND this statement by the OP author:

Poor family. I really feel for them. This guy was shot for walking his dog, which he's allowed to do. The Phoenix police department must run a thorough investigation and bring justice to this case. The White community in Phoenix must be on edge considering the amount of blacks that shoot and kill Whites on a daily basis in America. Now they're doing it without being arrested for it? The White community better hope and pray for protection. They don't have a Jesse Jackson or an Al Sharpton to represent them and they sure as hell don't have any Black Panthers to put out a bounty on "22 year old black male's" head.

The Magistrate makes a good point. The OP included a link to the source, which could have been used instead of linking to that OP.

[Rex]

36. Pretty sad, their comments in the blog are pathetic.

http://www.politicalforum.com/blogs/

I'm not going to post any of it, but total garbage. People need to learn how to mask their intentions by offloading the picture FIRST to the cloud. Newbie move imo.

[dkf]

66. Haven't heard of that case prior.

Figures.

[The Magistrate]

74. What Figures, Ma'am?

[dkf]

81. No one cares much about the case.

The dead guy isn't on the list of causes to rally over.

[The Magistrate]

83. Why Do You Think That Is, Ma'am?

[dkf]

93. They need to belong to a list of preapproved victims.

If the guy was GLBT the place would be going nuts.

It's the whole us vs them thing which is based on identity, not on offense.

[The Magistrate]

94. And The Approved And Unapproved, Ma'am, Would Be...?

[DevonRex]

97. "If the guy was GLBT the place would be going nuts." What the FUCK is that supposed to mean?

Hmmm? Care to explain that one away, too? We've all known your, erm, attitudes, before now. I hadn't realized they included our LGBTQ brothers and sisters as well.

[Capt. Obvious]

107. Us vs Them

I take it you're racking up numbers in the Them column

[LanternWaste]

102. When I lack knowledge, I place the responsibility of that ignorance on me...

"Haven't heard of that case prior.... Figures."

When I lack information, I place the responsibility of that ignorance on me; however I can readily imagine other people may be inclined to blame their own ignorance of a thing on the media, thus better rationalizing their deficit of knowledge whilst simultaneously validating closely-held biases.

[Rex]

21. Oh that is easy, most others have proper police procedure

this case not only DID NOT, but was swept under the rug. Now you see the difference.

[Bacchus4.0]

24. I don't think that is the reason the story got so big at all n/t

s

[The Magistrate]

26. So What Do You Think Is The Reason, Fella?

"Enquiring minds want to know!"

[Bacchus4.0]

28. oh, I absolutely believe its the race thing. "White" man kills black and walks

what about you, buddy??

[The Magistrate]

34. And What Is It Makes That So Fascinating, Do You Think, Sir?

[Bacchus4.0]

47. I'd say its the dynamics of our society. and you?

do you have an opinion or are just The Inquisitor?

[The Magistrate]

49. What Do You Mean By 'The Dynamics Of Our Society, Sir?

That phrase admits of several meanings.

[JDPriestly]

68. Thing is, we know that racism is rampant and things are

really ugly in Arizona. So it is no surprise when there is a racist killing. But it isn't quite so common in Florida.

The age of the victim is also a factor in the Zimmerman case. Trayvon Martin was very young. People generally find the death of a young person to be heart-rending, tragic.

I know that was one of the factors in this case that caught my attention.

I don't know the age of the victim in the Owen case.

[vaberella]

80. He's 40.

He was wielding two kitchen knives and screaming racial epithets at kids.

[The Magistrate]

84. Different Case, Ma'am: This Is a Shooting In Pheonix

[vaberella]

101. Oh oh...thanks so much. I read up thread and realized my mistake. n/t

[Rex]

29. That is fine, your opinion means as much as mine does

and I know I am right. Sorry if you cannot see it.

[Bacchus4.0]

31. I know you're wrong. the public isn't enthralled with police procedures

and apparently in Florida,they determined they followed police procedure whether you or I agree with them or not.

[Rex]

33. Not true at all, this made national news when it was discovered

the SPD covered up a murder. Really, you should read more about the case. Your facts are very lacking in this case.

[Bacchus4.0]

37. then I am expecting the SPD to be indicted at any moment for the cover up

now that it is national news surely the Feds are going to act against the SPD correct?

[Rex]

39. The FBI is investigating the case.

Been doing so for quite a time now...really that is such old news.

[Bacchus4.0]

44. oh, OK. its funny how I always see news about the bond hearing, the bloody head but not

about the FBI investigation. has Fox been carrying that story more than CNN and MSNBC???

[The Magistrate]

46. Grace Under Pressure, Sir, Is Part Of the Work: You Are Getting Awfully Tetchy Here Now

Maybe a break, some pizza, a good long rest....

[H2O Man]

89. I agree 100%.

You've done at fine job of exposing this one.

[vaberella]

78. Then you haven't been paying attention and clueless.

What do you think this post is about?

[drm604]

25. It was a number of weeks before the Trayvon Martin case got a lot of national attention.

The Daniel Adkins case occurred at the beginning of April. It is now April 25. If you Google it, it appears that it is starting to get attention.

So I question your assertion. We don't know yet if it will get the same amount of attention as the Martin case, but attention to it does seem to be building.

You, a member of a liberal message board, are certainly paying attention to it.

[Bacchus4.0]

40. on another thread, I was asked if I could point to a single case where a white man was killed

by a black man and the black man allowed to walk. it took about 10 seconds to find and this is it.

[drm604]

50. But I was replying to your post in this thread.

Your post implied that the Adkins case wasn't getting the same amount of attention. My point is that the Martin case also wasn't getting a lot of attention at this point, so for now, in this thread, you're comparing apples and oranges.

If we want to talk about people being allowed to walk, here's a local news article from the day after the Adkins shooting.
http://www.azfamily.com/news/Man-killed-in-Taco-Bell-drive-thru-146050685.html

Homicide detectives are investigating the incident. At this time, it's unknown whether the driver will face any charges.

"Just because we don't book a person immediately doesn't mean charges won't be filed at a later date," Thompson said.

As I recall, in the case of Zimmerman, it was decided that night that there was nothing to investigate. That's different from what seemed to happen in the Adkins case.

Also, in the Martin case, there is the appearance of racial profiling. The Adkins case doesn't seem to involve race beyond the fact that the parties involved were of different races.

The comparisons between the two are apples and oranges.

[Bacchus4.0]

52. ahhhh, it is then quite odd that the focus is about what happened between Martin and Zimmerman

and that is where the media coverage has been. yet, according to some posters on this thread, the real reason the story exploded is because the SPD decided not to investigate.

I am not seeing heavy media coverage of the SPD procedures compared to the upcoming trial of Zimmerman.

[drm604]

54. As I said, it's still early.

We don't know yet if there will be the same amount of coverage, do we?

[Bacchus4.0]

55. and my guess is there will not be n/t

s

[drm604]

56. So you're basing your whole argument on a guess.

Good to know.

[Bacchus4.0]

58. I am bringing it back to the OP, its my opinion

the Zimmerman case is about race. not about police procedures or an investigation by the FBI. The media coverage disproves those assertions.

[The Magistrate]

59. And The Lack Of National Coverage Of The Other, Sir, Owes To What --- In Your Opinion?

[Bacchus4.0]

64. it lacks a proper villain n/t

s

[The Magistrate]

65. And What Is Improper About Its Villain, Sir?

[drm604]

62. And you appeared to be basing that opinion

on your assertion that the Adkins case wasn't getting as much attention. I showed the flaw in that assertion. So you then changed it to being based on your guess that it won't get as much attention. So the base of your argument is flawed.

[H2O Man]

91. Years ago, SNL ran

the high-light film of Kenny Norton flattening Duane Bobick in the first round. The voice-over stated,"Every ten minutes in America, a white man is viciously assaulted by a black man." I'm confident that this old clip served as the inspiration for your series of statements on this thread -- even if you've never seen it.

I thank you for that.

[The Magistrate]

92. That Was A Helluva Shot, Sir

[H2O Man]

95. Learned it by

studying Kenny Norton.

[The Magistrate]

57. Spend Less Time In Racist Pits, Sir, And Try Actually Following The Coverage

Not only was a special prosecutor brought in, so were state investigators, and all to the accompaniment of considerable criticism of the local police, including the behavior of some of its investigators, examination of its previous troubles with racist decisions, and the suspension of the department's chief. No one who was actually following the matter could have failed to notice all this, and it did indeed mark the early stages of the story.

[Bacchus4.0]

61. ahhh OK, maybe you can find an acceptable link to the Daniel Adkins murder

that you don't want to talk about.

the special prosecuter was brought in to investigate the events of the night Martin was killed, not to investigate the police.

the media coverage is all about Zimmerman, and racial profiling. not about the SPD

[The Magistrate]

63. You Really Are Not Very Good At This, Fella

The special prosecutor was brought in because of the failures of the local police department in investigating the case. Everyone knows this. The Federals are rather quietly investigating whether civil rights violations have occured, which is a separate body of law.

There are plenty of links to straight reportage of the incident you are brandishing. You chose to provide a link to a racist cess-pool, that only took you 'ten seconds to find'....

[pinboy3niner]

67. That cesspool post includes a clean source link which could have been used here

It is right there with the copy/paste of the article. Yet the cesspool link was posted here instead of the source link.

[The Magistrate]

69. And As You say, Sir, he Did Not, But Chose To Link To The Racist Source Instead

Of course, the straight reporting gives a rounded picture of the event, including the facts of an on-going police investigation which has not ruled out filing charges, numerous witnesses who agree the man who was killed did behave in a threatening manner. It is, certainly, a sorrowful thing: the young man killed was developmentally disabled, with a mental age of twelve or so, and to my mind the shooter did not do the right or necessary thing. But the state does have one of these idiotic 'stand your ground' laws, and it is possible that, however wrong and despicable, the shooting was legal....

[JDPriestly]

70. Again, if neither person had been carrying a gun, neither the killer

nor the victim, there might have been blows, but there would not have been a shooting in the Adkins case.

This does not look good for the open carry laws. Not at all.

It might be smarter for people to simply choose to leave their guns at home and avoid this kind of situation. They could still take them if they were going somewhere that might be dangerous, and they could use them against intruders into their home.

But it looks like quite a number of people are getting into trouble because they are carrying guns.

[The Magistrate]

72. Indeed, Sir: Basing Public Policy On Private Fantasy Is Foolish

And that is all these laws are; regulations designed to allow people a chance to live out fantasies of triumphant violence they have nursed for years.

"I prefer the wicked to the foolish; the wicked sometimes rest."

[The Magistrate]

43. Took Him Ten Seconds, Sir, To Find This Racist Fever-Swamp

http://www.politicalforum.com/blogs/

Sounds like book-marked, to me....

( see my #15 above for his original link )

[Bacchus4.0]

45. find another source, dude . you just don't like the story n/t

s

[The Magistrate]

48. You Linked To Your Source, Fella: A Racist Cess-Pool --- That Took You 'Ten Seconds' To Find....

[drm604]

51. Oh, I know.

I was just showing that his basic assertion was as full of holes as Swiss cheese. The implication being that the source of those assertions likely has a different agenda and was looking for a case that supported that agenda but couldn't really find anything solid.

[The Magistrate]

53. Knew You Knew What Was Up, Sir

Just making sure the can is firmly attached to the tail, is all....

[fascisthunter]

73. did the police sweep the killing under the rug?

Like they did after Trayvon was murdered due to a fucked up law that gave people the right to kill and then claim self-defense. And yes, there is a racial element to it.

Look, I'm white and there is no way in hell you can convince me that whites have it just as bad as blacks... we don't. Get OVER it!

[The Magistrate]

76. The Poor, Down-Trodden White Man Theme, Sir, Seems Oddly Popular Here Nowadays....

[fascisthunter]

77. yeah... as a white male, it makes my skin crawl

it makes me feel sick to my stomach knowing how many cowards share my skin pigment. Time for white folks to get their collective heads out of their asses, swallow some pride and open up their fucking eyes.

[The Magistrate]

85. Or At Least, Sir, Bear Up Under 'The White Man's Burden' With Better Grace....

[fascisthunter]

86. hehe... you say it a lot better than I would

[Oilwellian]

96. I also liked his visual...

of the can tied to the tail. Very amusing stuff!

[Solomon]

17. I agree with the point you're making, but the case is

still about race. It's because the victim was black that the police didnt give a fuck and had no problem letting a white killer go free.

It drives me nuts to not only hear the black on white crime arguments, but also the black on black crime argument. The reason there are no protests over black on black crimes is that the police always go after the killers, the same as with black on white crimes.

There's an element of society that wants the iron-clad privilege to kill blacks for the least offense. That's why you hear all the crap flying and people trying to justify Martin's death. They want the right to shoot blacks out of their own personal fear - reasonable man standard be damned. Just a scratch will do when it comes to justifying fear of a black man. That kind of standard never applies when the victim is white. Look at how many people here who have poo pooed the fact that the idiot here was brandishing butcher knives.
Imagine if Trayvon had a butcher knife.

[Bacchus4.0]

23. ummmm... Zimmer man ain't white unless you consider mestizos white.

right there is another example that the story has snowballed. It has been portratyed as a "white" man killing a black boy and walking free.

[Rex]

30. The only groups claiming Zimmerman was white are RWing groups

like Foxnews. I've seen the description of (adult racist) as a tag on the internet when searching for Zimmerman. Where are all these people getting 'white man kills black kid' besides RWing and racist websites I wonder?

[Bacchus4.0]

35. I don't watch Fox but I know MSNBC was saying he was white

I don't know what you are talking about really. maybe you should stay away from Fox.

[Rex]

38. NO they said his father was a white man.

I'm sure you can find plenty of links to back up that claim.

[Bacchus4.0]

41. yep, they say his father was white. and GZ too.

however, I certainly agree that Zimmerman is NOT white. but that is the way it was depicted New York Times too

[vaberella]

79. I can't wait until you get your pepperoni.n/t

[fascisthunter]

82. it's like a rich kid pretending to earn everything he was born with

...and then pouting about the kid who, "doesn't belong".

[vaberella]

87. Agreed.

How do I alert that cat as a troll?

[fascisthunter]

90. ooops... edited: right below the post

"Alert Abuse"

[Rex]

20. It is about the SPD trying to just push the corpse

under a rug and forget all about it. It is bigger then just some racist killing a kid for being black and wearing a hoodie. It envelopes the police department and the higher ups inside the department.

[Quixote1818]

60. I agree and have been making the same argument for weeks. nt

[Life Long Dem]

71. It was the release of the 911 tapes

that blew this up.

[vaberella]

88. FALSE. This was blown up long before the 911 tapes came out.

Get your dates in order.

[Life Long Dem]

98. Most heard about it when the 911 tapes were released.

[vaberella]

100. That's also false. Why? Because people like Lawrence O'Donnell and Joe Scarborough..

and the lot were talking about this BEFORE the 911 calls were released. And actually the neighbors were interviewed on several news stations---nationally and locally BEFORE the 911 calls were released. The Mayor decided to release the 911 calls very recently when the media coverage and heat from the public was coming from the national level.

You're very wrong on your assesment.

[fascisthunter]

75. It's all of the above and it is why it is being picked up by the media

it's also because the cops allowed this fucker to walk away, thanks to yes, SYG. Sorry, but it has everything to do with all of the above. Fuck what the right wing nazis say... they want to play the white man sympathy card, I say let them, so we can tear them a new asshole. And let the gun nutters defend Zimmy because of SYG...I encourage them to.

[Canuckistanian]

99. Exactly. SYG is supposed to be a COURTROOM defense

It's not meant to be a reason for police departments to avoid arrests even BEFORE investigation.

[toddwv]

104. I beg to differ.

SYG allowed a police department with a history of racism to try and dust this killing under the rug.

At some point somebody is going to crunch the numbers of SYG and they are going to find that, just like the "War on Drugs", there is a HUGE racial disparity in how the law is applied.

[uponit7771]

105. +1

[hfojvt]

106. so the police should have arrested him

I believe that after the police arrest somebody, they have a limited amount of time before they have to press charges. That is, they cannot arrest you, investigate for two weeks and then file charges. So here's a timeline

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57412417-504083/trayvon-martin-shooting-a-timeline-of-events/

Feb. 26th Trayvon shot
March 8 - Trayvon's parents create petition. (11 days later)
March 19 - DOJ announces it will investigate
March 23 - Angela Corey is appointed
April 11 - Zimmerman is charged (23 days after DOJ says it will investigate and 18 days after Corey is appointed.

So 23 days of investigating and the DOJ hadn't filed any charges and it took Corey 18 days of investigating before she filed charges. I don't believe the police can arrest you, investigate for 17 days and then press charges.

Speaking of charges though. This guy could have written this article from my research. http://www.massappealnews.com/2012/03/25/trayvon-story-sad-but/

Jalisa Reed was killed on March 16th. Why hasn't her killer been arrested? Why isn't his name even known? Are the police even still investigating (how can they when there are another two or three homicides every week? They have to investigae the next one, or the last one, etc.)

A tree was planted for her on Earth Day, but there are no rallies. "Justice for Jalisa!" No outcry for an arrest.

Who knows though. Maybe her killer was killed in a drive by shooting a couple of weeks later by somebody wearing a t-shirt that says "stop snitching".

Hard to tell given that there's not much follow-up in the reporting, but it seems to me that often this black-on-black crime does not result in any arrests because the perps are never found.

One kicker in this story seems to have been a theme, how Trayvon's death proves that "Black people can't even walk to the store because of the danger from armed white people". That's where I think it went off the rails.