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Verdict reached in George Zimmerman case - Not Guilty
- Thread starter Zep
- Start date
- Status
No. That is not how reality and society works. A lot of people including you (and especially Satch) seem to be falsely equating innocence with being found not guilty
Is Zimmerman completely innocent?
Probably not.
Is he guilty of a second degree murder?
Absolutely no evidence to prove that.
How about manslaughter?
Not beyond a reasonable doubt. So no. The state could not prove he deserved to be found guilty. And they did the best job they could with the evidence they had. Hell, they illegally withheld evidence that should have been turned over to the defense. And they still couldn't convict him.
You and Satch think he should be punished? Fine, that just your opinion, and you're entitled to it. But all your opinion amounts to is nothing more valid than vengeance. Vengeance isn't justice. It's just a selfish way for the overemotional to make themselves feel better about their little corner of the world while disregarding any implications their actions have for the rest of society.
A minor point but police dispatchers can't give you "orders". Them saying not to follow falls under good advice but nothing binding.
If you have an opinion you need to be prepared to defend it.
Otherwise, hit backspace, click another link and keep it moving.
lazorexplosion
Member
I'm sad that that there are so many knee-jerk, emotional, irrational reactions by people who are ignorant or unappreciative of the facts at issue for the case versus facts that are irrelevant, the specifics that must be established for a charge to stick, and the standards to which they must established to satisfy a criminal law court. Thankfully the criminal justice system is better than enraged neogaf posters.
Just seems weird that people are actively engaging with him despite knowing exactly what he's doing.
The poor boy was on his way home after buying candy. The guy followed him in a car and then chased him on foot. The only story that we have is the story of the guy that shot him, and GZ didn't have to testify.
Well the only reason why people care about this trail is because the media decided that it would be a good story for the news; they potrayed the black person as the innocent angel and the white person as the absolute devil. Then they showed black kids the family weeping and their pain. They turned this into a racist melodrama. Whatever will get them the views basically.
PlanetSmasher
Banned
Just got home from doing a comedy show, and hearing the news kind of killed my post-show buzz. I'm just embarrassed for my country that a clearly obvious case of completely needless death can be handwaved away because of bullshit technicalities and lawyering.
The only people who saw a fucking bit of benefit out of it were Zimmerman and his lawyers, both of whom are going to end up unbelievably rich off of the death of a child. Just shameful.
The only people who saw a fucking bit of benefit out of it were Zimmerman and his lawyers, both of whom are going to end up unbelievably rich off of the death of a child. Just shameful.
Read a couple pages back and pretty much outright says it.
Tragicomedy
Member
Her ban, and in light of celebratory shit from folks like Childplease going unpunished, it was about as fair as the outcome of this trial.
Too late...
Wow. Well, I just can't blame anyone for being angry about this. I can see where the state's case probably just didn't cut it in the juries' eyes, but that doesn't mean this is how it should have turned out. Coming in here to celebrate the outcome is ass-hattery on a different level.
Aquamarine
Member
The Zimmerman case is very personal for a lot of people because it highlights the issues of racial profiling, racism, and unjust minority treatment in the courtroom.
Not only that, but the case was in the USA. It's close to home for many GAFfers. Trayvon was an African-American high school student from Florida. Many people in the USA can empathize with Trayvon and imagine his life and feel the pain of his loss.
Copy/Paste
This is the "rioting" in downtown Miami
That's Tallahassee, actually.
King Mystery
Member
Well, let's look on the bright side.
50 years from now, we'll look back on this and smile, because we'll be living in a future where our (grand)children won't have to deal with things like this, because we will have made so much social progress that race will no longer factor into court trials and everyone will get a fair shake from our justice system, regardless of their race/gender/religion/ethnicity/cybernetic implants.
Right?
50 years from now, we'll look back on this and smile, because we'll be living in a future where our (grand)children won't have to deal with things like this, because we will have made so much social progress that race will no longer factor into court trials and everyone will get a fair shake from our justice system, regardless of their race/gender/religion/ethnicity/cybernetic implants.
Right?
Krappadizzle
Member
Copy/Paste
This is the "rioting" in downtown Miami
This is a good thing. A way to show disagreement and not be animalistic. Right on for them.
Though, what exactly are they protesting? The fact that he wasn't convicted of anything or that he wasn't convicted of murder?
Wanda/Wander
Member
Yeah, but look at Satch's post for example. She was insulting Ninja's intelligence in a very condescending manner when all he did was express his opinion online and try to back it up.
I think much of the anger is specifically at the criminal justice system, and it's dated, inconsistent and woeful moral inadequacy towards providing actual justice.
doubt it.
TheGreatMightyPoo
Banned
Yeah, couldn't be Miami, there are no empty seats.
I'm not sure how you got that out of what he typed........
You Are Viewtiful
Member
You can't just make convictions based on your gut feelings. The case presented by the prosecution was terrible and left huge amounts of doubt. I believe Zimmerman is guilty too but there isn't much to prove it, and the rules are innocent until proven guilty.
Particle Physicist
between a quark and a baryon
The guy in the video says that granville is blocked off. That is a street in Vancouver, not Miami. So have there actually been any riots, or are people just trying to make it look like there are?
LiquidMetal14
hide your water-based mammals
Regardless of how we all feel, Zimmerman was found not guilty. The guy won't probably be able to live normally for a bit here. Seeing that one pic of a black guy holding that gun doesn't instill much confidence in me right now.
Angry Fork
Member
Huffpost reminded me of this horrible story. Can't believe nothing has been done about it.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/19/marissa-alexander-gets-20_n_1530035.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/19/marissa-alexander-gets-20_n_1530035.html
He said he shot him and has some vague tale about the whole ordeal. Who stalks someone with a loaded firearm at night in the rain with no intent?
Krappadizzle
Member
I don't know why you guys are pointing out what he's saying?!
He's simply saying that there isn't evidence to show that GZ was looking to murder someone outright and that he was found innocent by a group of his peers, not his friends or family. Some of you need to check your emotions and just examine the evidence.
Yeah, just how we look back at Emmet Till and smile, right?
faceless007
Member
It isn't a desire for vengeance to think that Zimmerman should be found guilty of a crime for his actions that night, even if his actions did not technically amount to Murder 2.
If what he did isn't a crime under the law, it should be and that just reveals how egregiously flawed the criminal justice system is.
Not that that's news.
This post is hella meta.
I certainly don't think he deserved to die and apologize if you think that's what I was inferring.
TheGreatMightyPoo
Banned
Where are we drawing the line when it comes to "innocence"? If we're going to be strict, then Zimmerman is the guilty one for pursuing a person minding their own business (as per the the 9-1-1 call Zimmerman made to the police).
I think that post goes to show you how well the defense was able to make this a case about TM even though he was not on trial.
Sorry.
Because the evidence suggested that TM was on top of GZ beating him and slamming his head into a sidewalk while GZ screamed for help. I wouldn't consider that Innocent.
I noticed that too...
Granville, Seymour, and Georgia are all downtown Vancouver... And Harper was mentioned too, nice try.
FamousLastX
Member
Martin tried getting away from Zimmerman. Zimmerman then continued to follow him on food, after being told not to by the police dispatcher. Oh except according to the defense "he was just trying to find out the address and street name, because as a neighborhood watch man in an area with THREE, I repeat...THREE streets in it, he had no idea where he was. He called the cops just because he was suspicious. Fine. Sit in your damn vehicle and meet the police there. Don't go around and follow a suspected "criminal who looked like he was on drugs". He knew he would be putting himself in danger if all this were true. Instead he chose to get out and follow Trayvon, but then lost sight of him. And then all of a sudden as poor Mr. zimmerman was walking back to his vehicle, he was just savagely attaked out of the blue by this 17 year old kid who manages to beat him so bad to cause bleeding on his face and back of the head, and was covering his mouth to provent him screaming as well. But yet somehow Trayvon Martin had NO dna from Zimmerman anywhere on his hands. And Zimmerman being so scared just must have forgetten all about his MMA training and decided that a firearm and a shot to the heart was the only possible way for him to defend himself. Right, that whole story sounds just so plausible. Give me a break.
Now not in reference to the quoted post, but several I've seen around here and elsewhere. as for the whole race issue, I'm not saying that race didn't play a role, BUT everyone who is making comments about how racist America still is and white men, can get away with crimes against black people, just because of those issues. You're kinda grouping at least the majority of white Americans into one group, which is no better.
Full disclosure, just to explain my view point of the matter, I am a white male, and I have followed this entire trial and watched nearly every minute of the trial that had been telivised. And I have been continuously on the side of believing that at the very least Zimmerman deserved the manslaughter. I would probably have called it second degree murder, IF the prosecution hadn't made so many mistakes along the way. I just really don't think the prosecution was able to prove that much, as discouraging as it is, that they are a part of the reason why the verdict came back the way it did. Let's face it, the majority of us in this thread (the one's at least with level heads who can post maturely and with some substance to back up their opinions regardless of if they believe this was the right verdict or not) would all agree that this just further proves the need for reform in several areas of this country. The laws (ex: stand your ground, tighter restrictions on self-defense "shield" that can be hidden behind), the criminal justice system as a whole, the racial devides that sadly DO exist still in this day and age, etc. Unfortunately, even with the protests going on, all the resentment, those actually working on new ideas, I really doubt that any of those will change, simply because of this tragedy. It's attrocious, and a real wake up call to many, but sadly, any reforms would need the governments involvement, and let's face it, our current legislators are definitely not up for doing anything to help change any of those areas that they have control over. Regardless of the fact that it's what the MAJORITY of American citizens likely want, and we elect them to make the changes with OUR interests in mind. Let's just pray, that everyone stays safe and that these tragedies don't have to keep occuring time and time again before those officials finally manage to wake up and take charge and do something about these issues. Sadly, if the insane murder rates (particularry in certain cities), the Aurora shooting, the Newtown shooting, etc. have yet to do anything to improve the state of things given all of these tragedies and thensome, i just don't think that this will really make any difference for these polticians to FINALLY take charge. Hopefully one day soon enough though...I have no children yet, and I would definitely hold off on it even if I was ready for one in every other aspect of my life. I just can't imagine having a child and trying to explain to them how situations like this are completely acceptible.
Sorry that this post got so long, and a bit ranty and probably hard to follow. Just have a LOT of strong opinions about various aspects of this entire situation, and more and more of them just kept spilling out.
Choke on the Magic
Banned
This may be hyperbole, but I feel like this whole thing seems to have sent race relations into the toilet and flushed them back 50 years. Not to mention giving more ammo to anti gun groups. Hope the family wins their civil suit.
LiquidMetal14
hide your water-based mammals
I take race completely out of this. Regardless of what people think, the facts are what they are.
It sucks to hell and back that a young man was killed but the jury found Zimmerman not guilty.
I can agree with that sentiment but some of his posts are rather well I don't really have a word for it but they're not nicely put
He's coming across as a dick when he doesn't have to
Spring-Loaded
Member
I wonder who's alt you are.
ReBurn
Gold Member
TheGreatMightyPoo
Banned
I personally see it as more of a gun than race issue.
Guns are dumb.
Too many people are allowed to carry them that have no business doing so.
Krappadizzle
Member
Sorry. Your right.
I do believe he is guilty of a crime, just not murder. Definitely not innocent.
DrForester
Kills Photobucket
There have been zero reports of riots on news sites, and I'm sure they had all hands on deck in cities in case there were. Someone is probably trying to troll the media into reporting riots and looking like an idiot.
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