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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsChristopher Darden Believes There May Be Justice Yet for Trayvon ~ Daily Beast

Averri Liggins, 22, of Atlanta, chants while holding a picture of Trayvon Martin during a protest on July 14, 2013, in Atlanta. (David Goldman/AP)
As a former prosecutor, I never would have brought the Zimmerman case to court. There was a high burden of proof giving way to reasonable doubt. That said, as an African-American, I know it was a victory just putting Zimmerman on trial.
No doubt, there will be a civil suit, and Zimmerman will have to testify. The outcome may echo OJ Simpsons civil trial, in which he was forced to testify and was found guilty. (I was on the prosecution team in the Simpson criminal case.) Today, the NAACP wrote a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder requesting that the government prosecute Zimmerman under the Civil Rights Act. So truth and justice might be found for Trayvon Martinin several other courts of law.
Yet I still believe in the criminal-justice system, as I did after the Simpson verdict. The OJ case polarized America, dividing us among hard racial lines. African-Americans felt justified supporting OJ as a payback for all the profound injustices we have suffered at the hands of the criminal justice system. But OJ Simpson was the wrong poster child for that righteous campaign. He was no hero, framed by the police. He was a cold-blooded killer, guilty of a gruesome double murder. ..........
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PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)Cha
(306,823 posts)Wonder if it would have been better to just bring it as a charge of Manslaughter?
Fucking Zimmerman.
Skittles
(161,488 posts)JI7
(91,259 posts)the trial was a joke, especially the defense. but because of racism people will believe any negative said about the black person.
but i'm thinking darden wants to avoid discussing this part , at least for now.

Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)Race aside, it was ALWAYS going to be a basically impossible conviction. This is one of those cases -- and police encounter them every day -- in which everyone knows what really happened but you just cannot prove it. The only thing they had going for them were Zimmerman's many often contradictory statements which cast doubt on his credibility, but ultimately all anyone really knows is that Zimmerman followed him, they eventually met and a fight broke out, Zimmerman was slightly injured and Martin was killed.
Now as I said, I believe Zimmerman actually committed murder one. I believe this based on the 911 tape. If you listen to this, and know what you are listening for, it is nothing more than Zimmerman reciting a checklist for a "justified" shoot. Anyone who has had some law enforcement training would know this list. Zimmerman was setting the entire thing up right there, and in my opinion he was PLANNING on blowing Martin away right there on the street, with the 911 operator in the background. But Martin ran.
Based on their questions in follow up interviews I believe the law enforcement shares this opinion.
In my opinion, Zimmerman is a sociopath. Note as well how eager he was to share his wildly varying stories. He's comforatable lying his ass off -- he invents his own reality as he goes along, and doesn't feel even the slightest concern when that invented reality fails to match the physical evidence in front of him or the stories he has told in the past.
But there it is. Can you prove it? Nope. Can you prove that Zimmerman wasn't jumped by Martin? Nope -- it's ludicrous, it's obviously unbelievable, but you can't prove it. And since you cannot prove it, that's it. There's nothing there. All the following and stalking and running, all the stories and fanciful claims, all of that goes out the window.
mzmolly
(51,859 posts)IMO, as well. He likely made that remark due to the conflicting witness testimony etc.
Cha
(306,823 posts)Last edited Mon Jul 15, 2013, 05:30 AM - Edit history (2)
that righteous campaign. He was no hero, framed by the police. He was a cold-blooded killer, guilty of a gruesome double murder." Exactly. But, look what happened to him after he was freed by the jury. He's in prison. , and, I'm probably not the only one who was glad he got sent to prison for something else. Evidently, there was no reasonable doubt that time.
Not that it means it will happen to Zimmerman but with the mentality he's displayed in his past and with Trayvon Martin and afterwards.. he's going to have to make a 180 change or his anger and ignorance are going to keep on boiling over.
[font size=lg]"The media did not make this case a race case. The family of Trayvon Martin did not make this a race case. George Zimmerman did."[/font]
Sickening.
Mahalo, mzmolly.. excellent piece from Chris Darden


The article gave me a bit of hope.
mazzarro
(3,450 posts)Pelican
(1,156 posts)... what concrete proof should they have offered that race was a motivating factor?
It would have just come off as desperate, just like it does now.
all american girl
(1,788 posts)and a man staring, following in a car, and following on foot. Stranger danger was that was needed to be said...over and over again. Trayvon did what we teach our kids and he was murdered for doing what we tell our kids.
mzmolly
(51,859 posts)down.
Pelican
(1,156 posts)mzmolly
(51,859 posts)for sstarters.
Pelican
(1,156 posts)You can hear the P and the hard K at the end.
polly7
(20,582 posts)Eom
qazplm
(3,626 posts)from start to finish. They made so many 101 mistakes.
I think it was simple incompetence.
mzmolly
(51,859 posts)behind the accused.
Response to mzmolly (Original post)
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