George Zimmerman Trial

[Tropicana]

If? We already KNOW that he will be found not guilty.


There doesn't seem to be any interest in the trial on this board. If this reflects the level of interest south of the border, onoo in serious trouble. If he gets off and people are paying attention there will be a repeat of the long hot summer. For those who weren't paying attention in history class....

A white journalist coined the phrase on a talk show and here was Rap Brown's response.

More: http://www.detroits-great-rebellion.com/

[Tropicana]

eorge Zimmerman was the star witness Thursday in his trial for the death of Trayvon Martin -- for the prosecution, not in his defense.
Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda tried to use the defendant's words against him, hoping to convince a jury that now has one more option than it once had: It can convict Zimmerman of manslaughter, or the original second-degree murder charge, after a decision earlier Thursday by Judge Debra Nelson. The third option is acquittal.
No one else saw the February 26, 2012, altercation between Zimmerman and Martin. After that, the 17-year-old couldn't give his side. But Zimmerman has. And, de La Rionda argued Thursday, Zimmerman account that he was attacked and fired his gun because he feared for his life doesn't hold up.
"He brought a gun to a struggle, to a fight that he started ... wanting to make sure the victim didn't get away," the prosecutor said. "And now he wants you to let him off because he killed the only eyewitness, the victim Trayvon Martin, who was being followed by this man."
The now 29-year-old Zimmerman declined to testify Wednesday, when his defense team rested its case, but his words were front-and-center Thursday.

New photos in Trayvon Martin case



De la Rionda played in court excerpts of interviews Zimmerman had given to police and in the media, then picked them apart. He said that they showed that the defendant can't be trusted, suggesting that his account from that evening in Sanford, Florida, doesn't mesh with reality.
"(Zimmerman) always has an excuse, or they catch him in a lie," de la Rionda said.
How, the prosecutor said, does a neighborhood watch volunteer not know the names of that neighborhood's three streets, getting out of his car to find an address? Why would a scared man get out of his car and walk around, after being told by a 911 dispatcher not to follow a man he thought was suspicious? Did Zimmerman walk toward Martin, or did Martin come after him -- as he seemingly said both? Should he have had more than a bloody nose and scratches on his head after being pummeled?
On Friday, it will be the defense's turn, with lead attorney Mark O'Mara spending up to three hours giving a closing argument. After that, the prosecution will have as long as one hour to give a rebuttal argument.
And then, likely sometime Friday, Zimmerman's fate will be in the hands of the six jurors, all of them women.
Police urge calm as verdict nears
In his final words Thursday, de la Rionda reminded them that, while Zimmerman still has hope, there's no more special moments for, there can be no more photos of Martin.
"And that's true because of the actions of one person," he said. "The man before me. The man who is guilty of second-degree murder."
Judge: Jury can consider manslaughter charge
What happened to Martin -- and whether Zimmerman was justified in shooting him -- has been debated intently for a year and a half.
Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, talked with police but wasn't arrested immediately after he admitted to the shooting.
But in short time, community members and activists rallied against him -- claiming that Zimmerman, who is Hispanic, had racially profiled the African-American teenager, tailed him over the objection of police dispatchers, then wrongly shot him down.
The defense, in frequent media appearances by its lawyers and some by Zimmerman and his immediately family members, said that it was wrong to characterize Zimmerman as a racist. He acted to protect his own life, after being repeatedly punch


On June 24, the trial kicked off with opening statements. The prosecution called 38 witnesses in nine days, while the defense took parts of four days to call its witnesses.Some of the testimony appeared contradictory. Take, for instance, the panicked voice yelling for help as heard on the background of a 911 call from that night in Sanford, Florida.
Zimmerman's parents, Robert and Gladys, both testified that they knew the person screaming was their son. Contrast that to Martin's brother and mother, Sybrina Fulton, with the latter saying was "absolutely" certain the voice belonged to her child.
For all the back-and-forth during the trial, the early part of Thursday's court proceedings was dominated by debate over what exactly the jury will be deciding.
Prosecutors asked that the six women be able to consider manslaughter and third-degree felony murder, in addition to the original second-degree murder charge, in their deliberations.
Defense attorney Don West reacted angrily to the third-degree felony murder charge, citing an element in it related to child abuse

"Oh my God," he told Judge Debra Nelson, calling the charge a "trick.""Just when I thought this case couldn't get any more bizarre, the state is seeking third-degree murder based on child abuse."
West also argued against the manslaughter charge, telling Nelson that Zimmerman believes that because the "state has charged him with second-degree murder, they should be required to prove it, if they can."
In the end, the judge split the difference: The jury can consider manslaughter, but not third-degree felony murder.
Having both options is "enormous," said CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, especially given that Zimmerman could serve decades in prison on a manslaughter conviction.
"The jury can think to itself, well, ... we're compromising," Toobin said. "If the jury convicts on manslaughter, that would be a win for the prosecution."
Ex-Sanford police chief: Zimmerman probe 'taken away from us'

http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/11/justice/zimmerman-trial/index.html

[Tropicana]

Prosecutor: 'Innocent 17-year-old kid was profiled as a criminal'
The debate over the charges set the stage for de la Rionda to give his closing argument.
Referencing a widely heard call to police that Zimmerman made to police that night, the prosecutor contended that the defendant was bent on going after Martin -- even if the 911 dispatcher told him otherwise, and even though he never asked the unarmed teen directly what he was doing -- after he spotted him walking through his neighborhood.
"This innocent 17-year-old kid was profiled as a criminal. He was one of those a**holes who get away," de la Rionda told jurors. "He was one of those EDITing punks."
The profane language, de la Rionda argued, offers insight into Zimmerman's mind that winter night -- depicting someone who bore particular malice toward a person he had decided without justification was among the criminals who had plagued his neighborhood in the months leading up to the shooting.
That's important, because to find Zimmerman guilty of second-degree murder, jurors will have to find that he acted with "ill will, hatred, spite, or an evil intent" in shooting Martin, according to Florida law.
Opinion: What about Martin's right to 'stand his ground?'
De la Rionda characterized Zimmerman as a wannabe police officer who wrongly took the law into his own hands and pressed the fatal encounter with Martin. The teenager was "just doing a normal everyday thing" -- going to a convenience store to get Skittles and a drink, then walking back to his father's fiancee's home before he ended up dead shortly after 7 p.m., the prosecutor said.
"A teenager is dead through no fault of his own, dead because a man made assumptions and acted on them," said de la Rionda. "Unfortunately, because his assumptions are wrong, Trayvon Benjamin Martin no longer walks on the earth."
"He profiled him as a criminal. He assumed certain things, that Trayvon Martin was up to no good. And that's what led to his death," de la Rionda said before going on to attack many defense arguments about what happened that rainy night:
De la Rionda:
-- Argued that Zimmerman, who had taken criminal justice classes, fed police a story of escalating violence and exaggerated fear to meet the standards of Florida's "Stand Your Ground" self-defense law.
-- Questioned Zimmerman's account of Martin straddling him, pounding his head into the pavement and, at one point, covering his mouth and nose with his hands. Why is none of the blood seen on Zimmerman's face found on Martin's hands, he asked. And, if the attack was so violent, why was Zimmerman's jacket in such good shape afterward?
-- Asked how was Zimmerman able to scream for help, as he has said he was, if his mouth was filling with blood and he was being smothered by Martin.
-- Said the lack of Martin's DNA on Zimmerman's pistol refutes defense arguments that Martin had grabbed the gun during the struggle.

I guess Zimmermann must have wiped Trayvon's prints off the gun. What a

Thursday's closing argument also marked the return of the foam, life-sized dummy that famously appeared a day earlier, when O'Mara grappled with it inside the courtroom to show rapt jurors the competing versions of what happened the rainy night Martin was killed.
This time it was de la Rionda's turn. Characterizing Zimmerman's account of how Martin had straddled him -- while allegedly punching him, slamming his head and covering his neck and mouth -- the prosecutor questioned how the late teenager could have seen, much less reach for, the gun that Zimmerman said he'd had in a holster inside his waistband.
"The truth does not lie," de la Rionda said. "... So how does he manage to get it out and get a perfect shot to the heart of a 17-year-old man?"

http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/11/justic...ial/index.html[/QUOTE]

[Tropicana]

George Zimmerman stared straight ahead for most of the afternoon as a prosecutor told the Florida jury that Zimmerman is a "liar" who should be convicted of second degree murder for shooting Trayvon Martin."A teenager is dead and he is dead through no fault of his own. He is dead because another man made assumptions," said prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda.
De la Rionda told the all-female jury that Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watch captain, was an aspiring police officer who assumed incorrectly that Martin, 17, was a criminal.
Catch up on all the details from the George Zimmerman murder trial.
"What was his crime?" de la Rionda asked the jury about Martin. "He bought Skittles?"
Zimmerman, 29, faces second degree murder and manslaughter charges. If convicted of the top charge he could face up to life in prison. The Charges George Zimmerman Faces The racially charged case began on Feb. 26, 2012 when Zimmerman called police to report what he said was a suspicious person in his neighborhood on a rainy night. He got out of his car to follow Martin, but claims he stopped when police asked him not to follow, but wanted to get an address for police.
Zimmerman told police that Martin confronted him, knocked him down and banged his head on the sidewalk and then started to reach for Zimmerman's gun. Zimmerman grabbed the gun and shot Martin in self defense, he said.


The prosecutor attacked Zimmerman's credibility and his version of the confrontation, repeatedly saying Zimmerman had lied and scoffing at his claim of self-defense. He said that Zimmerman "profiled" Martin and concluded he was a criminal.
De la Rionda said Zimmerman "lied" when he told law enforcement that he got out of his car to find an address to give police. The prosecutor pointed out that a visible address was right in front of where Zimmerman would have parked his car.
The George Zimmerman Case in Pictures
De la Rionda also questioned Zimmerman's version of being able to quickly pulled out his gun while allegedly pinned to the ground on his back. He noted that Zimmerman had told police his gun was behind his hip.
The prosecutor said Zimmerman also exaggerated his injuries.
"The defense is going to argue that this is self defense…but you can't take that in a vacuum," said de la Rionda. "It's not like this defendant was walking home and somebody just started beating him up."
Jurors looked away at times as the prosecutor showed autopsy photos of Martin. De la Rionda recounted the stories of several witnesses including Rachel Jeantel, a woman of Haitian descent whose testimony was laced with some street slang.
Jeantel, one of the prosecution's key witnesses, was on the phone with Martin up to the moments before he died and she told the court that Martin was scared by a man who was following him.
She told the court she heard Martin yell, "Get off" before the phone cut off.
"I had a dream that today a witness would be judged not on the color of her personality but the content of her testimony," said de la Rionda. "On the content of her testimony. Just because she's got a colorful personality…that doesn't mean that her story, her statements aren't accurate."
In a moment of theatrics de la Rionda skipped across the courtroom imitating Zimmerman's claim to Fox's Sean Hannity that Martin was not running -- as he told a police dispatcher -- but was skipping away. Zimmerman turned his head in disapproval.
The parents of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman both watched as de la Rionda urged the jurors to convict Zimmerman.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/george-zimmerman-liar-convicted-murder-prosecutor/story?id=19636641#.Ud9x5dK1GSo

[jah_yout]

all signs point to zimmerman walking...at the end of the day black life in america is cheap...young black male life dirt cheap

[My Looh]

all signs point to zimmerman walking...at the end of the day black life in america is cheap...young black male life dirt cheap

I had the day off work yesterday so spent way too much time watching this case. The prosecution did a good job summing it up I thought, but in the end I do belive George Zimmerman will be found not guilty.

Riot police standing by.

[Tropicana]

The fact that the police witnesses bent over backwards to paint a picture of Zimmerman as a choir boy speaks volumes.


Lonewolf I am going to post some stats. Noh baddah come in here wid you chat bout Black on Black crime. Feel free to start another thread about that topic if you wish to explore it.

These are old stats but I quote them again as I have a busy day ahead and quite frankly even it I took the time to dig up new ones, it isn't going to change anybody's mind so why bother:

ONTARIO


....while Blacks are only 3.6% of the Ontario population, they represent 12.0% of civilians involved in SIU investigations. The odds ratio indicates that Blacks are 3.3 times more likely to appear in an SIU investigation
than their representation in the general population would predict. Furthermore, the Black SIU
case rate (22.9 per 100,000) is more than three times greater than the overall provincial rate
(6.95) and is 4.5 times higher than the White rate (5.11).
Similarly, while Aboriginals are only 1.7% of the provincial population, they represent
7.1% of all civilians involved in SIU investigations. The odds ratio indicates that Aboriginals
are 4.2 times more likely to appear in an SIU investigation than their representation in the
general population would predict. Furthermore, the Aboriginal SIU case rate (29.7) is 4.3 times
greater than the overall rate for the province and is 5.8 times greater than the White rate.

Although Blacks represent 12.0% of all SIU investigations, they represent 14.5% of all investigations in which injury or
death was directly caused by police actions. Similarly, although Aboriginals represent 7.1% of all SIU investigations, they represent 7.7% of all investigations in which injury or death was directly caused by the police.

When we only consider cases in which harm was directly caused by the police, the Black
SIU case rate becomes 4 times greater than the overall provincial rate and 5.3 times the White
rate. Similarly, the rate for Aboriginal Canadians is 4.7 times the provincial rate and 6.1 times
the White rate.
Additional analysis reveals that 86 of the 413 cases (21%) in which civilian harm was
directly caused by the police involved the use of physical restraints at the time of arrest. An
additional 19% involved physical assault (punching, kicking, etc.), 18% involved police
shootings, 15% involved allegations of sexual assault, 13% involved assaults with other weapons
(batons, tasers, pepper spray, etc.) and 15% involved car accidents that resulted from police
pursuits.

http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/inquiries/ipperwash/policy_part/projects/pdf/AfricanCanadianClinicIpperwashProject_SIUStudybyScotWortley.pdf

I leave it to others based in Canada to post more recent stats if they are interested in doing so. This will get you started:

Known to police: Toronto police stop and document black and brown people far more than whites

http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2012/03/09/known_to_police_toronto_police_stop_and_document_black_and_brown_people_far_more_than_whites.html

I leave it to US based boardites to post stats from their own areas....if they are interested in doing so. This will get you started:

29 Black People Have Been Killed by Police/Security Since Jan 2012: 16 Since Trayvon

http://hiphopandpolitics.wordpress.com/2012/04/06/29-black-people-have-been-killed-by-policesecurity-since-jan-2012-16-since-trayvon/

I have said it before and I will say it again. When I first came on here and did a ton of posts about racism, I got beat up by Canadian based boardites in denial who wanted to shove things under the rug and US based boardites who INSISTED over and over again that things had drastically improved in the USA. It was the start of all kinds of negativity directed at me on this board that continues until today.

Fast forward many years and even I couldn't have predicted things would get this bad on both sides of the border.

[Tropicana]

This is laughable after members of their force bent over backwards and testified in a way to ensure he gets released.

MIAMI DADE OFFICIALS ASK CHURCHES TO STAY OPEN NIGHT OF TRAYVON VERDICT

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/07/03/Miami-Dade-officials-appeal-calm-Zimmerman

Officials in Miami Dade County are holding a meeting next week to appeal to the public for calm in the aftermath of the George Zimmerman verdict. “We want peace for Trayvon,” Miami-Dade Community Relations Board member Dr. Walter T. Richardson said, announcing a 6 p.m. meeting on Tuesday at the North Miami-Dad Regional Library. The police department has said they have no red flags of trouble, but are ready to get involved should trouble break out.

“The trouble makers will most likely be adults, not the young people, and then the students will get blamed for it,” explained Judo Bruno, with Miami-Dade Youth Commission. “We want to appeal to everyone’s sense of calm ahead of time so this doesn’t happen.”
The committee wants churches to stay open during the night of the verdict to allow people to seek counseling.

[Tropicana]

"We want peace for Trayvon:" Miami community leaders call for calm ahead of George Zimmerman verdict

Community leaders in Miami are planning a "town hall" meeting next week to call for calm regardless of the verdict in the trial of suspected murderer George Zimmerman, CBS Miami reports.
PICTURES: George Zimmerman on trial in death of Fla. teen
PICTURES: George Zimmerman crime scene photos
READ: Trayvon Martin Shooting: A timeline of events
"We want peace for Trayvon," Miami-Dade Community Relations Board member Dr. Walter T. Richardson said, according to CBS Miami.
The case of the former neighborhood watch captain charged in the shooting death of unarmed Florida teen Trayvon Martin has garnered the national and international spotlight. A 44-day delay in Zimmerman's arrest last year led to nationwide protests and a backlash from the civil rights community, and the case has sparked country-wide debate about issues including self-defense, the rights of citizens to arm themselves, and race.
Martin was black, and Zimmerman identifies himself as Hispanic.
Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial is entering its tenth day on Friday, when prosecutors are expected to rest their case against the 29-year-old. Prosecutors claim Zimmerman profiled Martin as a criminal and shot him because "he wanted to," while the defense claimed he was "viciously attacked" by Martin and shot in self defense.
VIDEO: Zimmerman trial: Prosecutor opens with profanity
Some have claimed Zimmerman racially profiled Martin, but the term was barred by a judge from opening statements.
The Miami-Dade Police have reportedly said they have no advance indication of any unrest following the verdict, but will be prepared to keep the peace if necessary.
The Miami-Dade Community Relations Board is also asking star basketball players the Miami Heat to aid in the appeal for calm through social media, CBS Miami reports, according to the report, and the group is encouraging houses of worship * to remain open when the verdict is reached.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57592355-504083/we-want-peace-for-trayvon-miami-community-leaders-call-for-calm-ahead-of-george-zimmerman-verdict/

* = there was a typo in the article.

[Tropicana]

Once this is handed over to the jury, light a candle for Trayvon tonight and every night until the verdict comes in.

[Blackstar*]

Trayvon Minutes Before G. Zimmerman Gunned Him Down

[My Looh]

Many of us have seen that video of Trayvon in the 7/11. I'm not sure what your point is? Or are you just repeating it. Just asking!

[Tropicana]

Thank you for posting it. I hadn't seen it but I will definitely send it to my son and caution him yet again bout de Black hoodie at night business that I have been warning him about for the past 8 years.

[Tropicana]

Judge's instructions to jury:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/153354467/George-Zimmerman-Trial-Final-Jury-Instructions

[Tropicana]

About the jurors....

Although their identities are hidden for safety until after the trial, we do have a bit of information on the six women who were chosen to reach a verdict in the second-degree murder trial.
So, who are these women? How old are they? What do they do for a living?
Well, let's find out:
Juror B37, The Pet Lover:
B37 is described as a middle-aged white woman who owns many pets. She worked for a chiropractor for 16 years and has two children - a 24-year-old dog groomer and a 27-year-old who attends the University of Central Florida. Both are girls. Her husband has a concealed weapons permit, and while she used to have one, she let it expire.
Interesting tidbit: After Trayvon Martin's murder, she described the protests in Sanford as "riots."
Juror B76, The Attorney's Mother:
B76 has a 28-year-old son who is an attorney in Seminole County. The white, middle-aged woman also has a daughter who is 26-years-old. She didn't know much about the Zimmerman case, but told attorneys that the defendant "had an altercation with a young man" and during the struggle, the gun went off. Though she doesn't work currently, she used to work for her husband's construction company. They've been married for 30 years.
Interesting tidbit: The state tried to strike her, but the request was denied.
Juror B29, The Reality TV Addict:
The Hispanic nurse serving on the jury didn't even live in Sanford at the time of the shooting - she was residing in Chicago with her several children and husband. She also hates watching the news, telling the court during pretrial publicity questioning that she really loves her reality television shows (like Bad Girls Club).
Interesting tidbit: She was once arrested in Chicago.
Juror B51, The Retiree:
B51 was once a real estate agent in Atlanta, and she ran a call center with 1,200 employees in Brevard County, Florida. Described as an older white woman, B51 has a dog and a cat. She told the court that though she knows a bit about the case, she's not "rigid in [her] thinking."
Interesting tidbit: Her cat is 20-years-old.
Juror E6, The Lesson Teacher:
When E6 learned about the Zimmerman case, she used it as an example for her two adolescent children, warning them not to go out at night. She is married to an engineer who owns guns and has lived in Seminole County for eight years.
Interesting tidbit: E6 was also arrested in the past, but tells the court that she was treated "fairly."
Juror E40, The Safety Officer
E40 may have a different kind of perspective on the Zimmerman case. She describes herself as a "safety officer" who is well versed in cell phone technology. Described as a white woman in her 60s, E40 loves football and is married to a chemical engineer. Her 28-year-old son is out of work.
Interesting tidbit: She was once a victim of a violent crime.
There are also four alternates in the trial. One of those alternates was dismissed earlier in the trial, though reasons were not publicized.
Here they are, as described by the Orlando Sentinel:
E-28: A middle-aged white woman who works as a nurse. She knew little about the case and has no opinion about Zimmerman's guilt.
B-72: A young Hispanic male who does maintenance at a school and competes in arm wrestling tournaments. He said he avoids the news because he does not want to be "brainwashed." (He was eventually dismissed).
E-13: A young white woman who goes to college and works two jobs. She heard the shooting was a "racial thing."
E-54: A middle-aged white man with a teenage stepson who wears hoodies. He recalled seeing photos of Zimmerman's head and face that show injuries.


Read more: http://globalgrind.com/news/who-are-...#ixzz2YssDNqDy