Zimmerman Should Be Acquitted

[Mike]

Critics of Florida's self-defense law object to its recognition of a right to "stand your ground" in public places, which eliminated the duty to retreat from an assailant. Yet many of these critics seem to believe they have a duty to stand their ground and never retreat, using George Zimmerman's shooting of Trayvon Martin as a weapon to attack Florida's law, no matter what the evidence shows.

The emphasis on the right to stand your ground is puzzling in the context of the Martin case, since Zimmerman's defense does not seem to rely on it. The 28-year-old neighborhood watch volunteer, who was released on bail this week after being charged with second-degree murder in connection with the Feb. 26 shooting in Sanford, told police the unarmed teenager knocked him down with a punch to the face and pinned him to the ground, repeatedly smacking his head against the pavement. By Zimmerman's account, then, he had no opportunity to retreat.

Florida's law also has been blamed for delaying Zimmerman's arrest, and it did require that police have probable cause to believe the shooting was unlawful. But this is the same standard that applies to arrests for all other crimes.

One unusual aspect of Florida's law that will be apparent in this case is that Zimmerman has a right to a pretrial hearing at which he can try to convince Judge Kenneth Lester, by "a preponderance of the evidence," that he acted in self-defense. If he can meet that standard of proof, which requires showing it is more likely than not that his use of force was appropriate, the charge against him will be dismissed. But even if he went to trial, he would be (or at least should be) acquitted with that much evidence in his favor, since the prosecution has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he wasn't acting in self-defense — which, as Northern Kentucky University law professor Michael J.Z. Mannheimer pointed out, would be true "in virtually every state."

Zimmerman's defense is that he was attacked and "reasonably believe[d]" shooting Martin was "necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm." Contrary to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is leading a national campaign against Florida-style self-defense laws, that does not mean people "make their own decisions as to whether someone is threatening or not" and therefore have "a license to murder." The threat assessment has to be reasonable.

Even if the Trayvon Martin case does not really illustrate the shortcomings of Florida's law, it is possible that eliminating the duty to retreat in public places, combined with reinforcing the "castle doctrine" (which applies to home invasions) and extending it to vehicles, has encouraged avoidable escalations of violence. The law's opponents note that the annual number of justifiable homicides in Florida (excluding police shootings) nearly tripled after the law was passed in 2005, from an average of 12 from 2000 to 2004 to an average of 35 from 2006 to 2010.

Still, you would expect to see an increase in homicides deemed to be justified even if the law were working as intended. The crucial question, which the task force appointed last week by Gov. Rick Scott presumably will ask, is whether these homicides should be deemed justified.

It is worth noting that Florida's violent crime rate, which fell 12 percent in the five years before the "stand your ground" law was enacted, fell 23 percent in the five years afterward. Since 1987, when Florida adopted a nondiscretionary carry permit law that the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence blames for "year after year of carnage," the state's violent crime rate has been cut nearly in half.

 

[Tam]

Attorney Alan Dershowitz was on Megyn Kelly today saying the Special Prosecutor in the Zimmerman case should be charged for withholding evidence in her affidavit to the courts as she left out known evidence including the pictures of Zimmerman's head that have been on TV, that show he was injuried by Trayvon. She had the legal duty to present all the known evidence not just the evidence that proves her case. She left out evidence that could have shown Zimmerman had reason to fear Trayvon and was reacting due to that fear, very important evidence in a SELF DEFENSE STAND YOUR GROUND defense.

He felt she went into the case with the orders to settle emotions down and the only way of doing that in her mind was by filing charges whether they were warrented or NOT. She admittedly went into the case to get JUSTICE FOR TRAYVON not to see JUSTICE WAS DONE in a very emotional case. No honest Prosecutor should go into a case to get JUSTICE for one side over the other when there is evidence to make one believe BOTH HAD A PART IN WHAT HAPPEN.

He also felt after reading her affidavit that she over charged and there was nothing he read that showed any evidence that warrented the charges she filed. He said since she raised the expectation of those that have injected themselves into this case, so she should be held responsible for any riots when Zimmerman is aquitted.

This will be very interesting to see what happens to the this case. I hope Dershowitz takes the case as a pro bono case and teaches those black activists, Black Causus Members and Obama not to inject themselves into a case to push their political agenda onto the electorate.

 

[Faster horses]

Sad to say, that's gonna take a lot of courage on his part. I truly
hope he is up to it.

What happened to JUSTICE FOR ALL???

 

[Tam]

Sad to say, that's gonna take a lot of courage on his part. I truly
hope he is up to it.

What happened to JUSTICE FOR ALL???

It went right out the window when Obama was elected and appointed the most racist man in the country to head up the DOJ. Now the riotors is the streets are appeased AT ALL COST.

 

[TSR]

If, and this is a big if, the details confirm that Martin was the agressor, then as it was here in TN when I was growing up-- Martin put himself in a man's place, when a teenager puts himself in a man's place then he has to also put up with the consequences (he is no longer a teenager in his behavior). The fact that he was a teenager means nothing. Nevertheless a trajedy for all concerned. Just saying how it was when I grew up, you can agree or disagree.

Kinda like the 19 yr old girl that came out in the news with her sexual encounters with president Kennedy. Our paper quoted her as saying she enjoyed the relationship and was forced into nothing.

 

[Tam]

If, and this is a big if, the details confirm that Martin was the agressor, then as it was here in TN when I was growing up-- Martin put himself in a man's place, when a teenager puts himself in a man's place then he has to also put up with the consequences (he is no longer a teenager in his behavior). The fact that he was a teenager means nothing. Nevertheless a trajedy for all concerned. Just saying how it was when I grew up, you can agree or disagree.

Kinda like the 19 yr old girl that came out in the news with her sexual encounters with president Kennedy. Our paper quoted her as saying she enjoyed the relationship and was forced into nothing.

The only reason Trayvon's age matters is the POLITICAL activists want to make this into something IT ISN"T. It should not matter what color his skin is either but again it does as the POLITICAL activists have an agenda. That agenda is to whip up the black base over the death of a BLACK CHILD by the hands of a WHITE MAN. It does not matter to them that Trayvon a 6 foot to 160 lbs, young man doubled back and attacked Zimmerman a 5 ft 9 170 HISPANIC man and beat his head into the ground until it was bloody. It does not matter to them that the gated community had a problem with black teenagers breaking into homes and robbing them and that Zimmerman was doing his job as the NEIGHBOR WATCH OFFICER when he was checking out what the UNKNOWN person in the neighborhood was doing there. It doesn't matter that the media edited tapes and lied about Zimmermans injuries, all that matters IS THEIR AGENDA. If innocent White people like the one that live at the address that was tweeted as Zimmermans were to get hurt from an over Zealous thug looking to collect the Black Panthers Bounty it wouldnot matter to them as THE END JUSTIFY THE MEANS, and the end is whipping up the Black base and getting them out to vote to make sure Obama stays in the White House spreading his racist hatred and dividing the once UNITED States of America.

 

[TSR]

If, and this is a big if, the details confirm that Martin was the agressor, then as it was here in TN when I was growing up-- Martin put himself in a man's place, when a teenager puts himself in a man's place then he has to also put up with the consequences (he is no longer a teenager in his behavior). The fact that he was a teenager means nothing. Nevertheless a trajedy for all concerned. Just saying how it was when I grew up, you can agree or disagree.

Kinda like the 19 yr old girl that came out in the news with her sexual encounters with president Kennedy. Our paper quoted her as saying she enjoyed the relationship and was forced into nothing.

The only reason Trayvon's age matters is the POLITICAL activists want to make this into something IT ISN"T. It should not matter what color his skin is either but again it does as the POLITICAL activists have an agenda. That agenda is to whip up the black base over the death of a BLACK CHILD by the hands of a WHITE MAN. It does not matter to them that Trayvon a 6 foot to 160 lbs, young man doubled back and attacked Zimmerman a 5 ft 9 170 HISPANIC man and beat his head into the ground until it was bloody. It does not matter to them that the gated community had a problem with black teenagers breaking into homes and robbing them and that Zimmerman was doing his job as the NEIGHBOR WATCH OFFICER when he was checking out what the UNKNOWN person in the neighborhood was doing there. It doesn't matter that the media edited tapes and lied about Zimmermans injuries, all that matters IS THEIR AGENDA. If innocent White people like the one that live at the address that was tweeted as Zimmermans were to get hurt from an over Zealous thug looking to collect the Black Panthers Bounty it wouldnot matter to them as THE END JUSTIFY THE MEANS, and the end is whipping up the Black base and getting them out to vote to make sure Obama stays in the White House spreading his racist hatred and dividing the once UNITED States of America.

Bless your little pea-picking heart Tam (ala the late TN Ernie Ford). You really don't think the media has to join in for Obama to get the black vote do you???? Geesh :roll:

 

[Tam]

If, and this is a big if, the details confirm that Martin was the agressor, then as it was here in TN when I was growing up-- Martin put himself in a man's place, when a teenager puts himself in a man's place then he has to also put up with the consequences (he is no longer a teenager in his behavior). The fact that he was a teenager means nothing. Nevertheless a trajedy for all concerned. Just saying how it was when I grew up, you can agree or disagree.

Kinda like the 19 yr old girl that came out in the news with her sexual encounters with president Kennedy. Our paper quoted her as saying she enjoyed the relationship and was forced into nothing.

The only reason Trayvon's age matters is the POLITICAL activists want to make this into something IT ISN"T. It should not matter what color his skin is either but again it does as the POLITICAL activists have an agenda. That agenda is to whip up the black base over the death of a BLACK CHILD by the hands of a WHITE MAN. It does not matter to them that Trayvon a 6 foot to 160 lbs, young man doubled back and attacked Zimmerman a 5 ft 9 170 HISPANIC man and beat his head into the ground until it was bloody. It does not matter to them that the gated community had a problem with black teenagers breaking into homes and robbing them and that Zimmerman was doing his job as the NEIGHBOR WATCH OFFICER when he was checking out what the UNKNOWN person in the neighborhood was doing there. It doesn't matter that the media edited tapes and lied about Zimmermans injuries, all that matters IS THEIR AGENDA. If innocent White people like the one that live at the address that was tweeted as Zimmermans were to get hurt from an over Zealous thug looking to collect the Black Panthers Bounty it wouldnot matter to them as THE END JUSTIFY THE MEANS, and the end is whipping up the Black base and getting them out to vote to make sure Obama stays in the White House spreading his racist hatred and dividing the once UNITED States of America.

Bless your little pea-picking heart Tam (ala the late TN Ernie Ford). You really don't think the media has to join in for Obama to get the black vote do you???? Geesh :roll:

Oh I know he will have alot of the black vote but that is only if they get off their butts and show up at the polling station. You see oh nieve one, that is the agenda of the left bias media, to make sure the blacks are whipped up enough to get out and vote. Either that or whipped up enough to start rioting in the streets so Obama can invoke Marshall Law and call off the election for security sake. Either way the left bias media are going to do whatever they have to to insure the Democrats don't experience another 2010 election result in 2012. THE ENDS JUSTIFY THEIR MEANS. :roll: