The Trayvon case is two issues

[Sewer]

2- There is the issue of the spin placed on this case from the start. The assertion he was a kid who had not caused any trouble at school when in fact he had, the use of the 12yo picture as opposed to a more recent likely to gain sympathy, the identification of Zimmerman as white when he is not... the media has clearly fanned the flames here and turned a law enforcement issue into Rodney King II.

Why would you use an unflattering picture of a murder victim on the news? Why does anything about what picture is used matter to the case?

I don't have all the facts in this case, but it's almost for sure that this was a racially motivated crime. After all, if Treyvon looked like this, he wouldn't have been shot:

You can't be sure, a lot of people hate the Bieber.

[Cory]

Why would you use an unflattering picture of a murder victim on the news? Why does anything about what picture is used matter to the case?

Because it begs the question of why. Why did the media deliberately use old pictures that made the kid look all innocent? Treyvon's actual pictures are a little less then flattering and portray him as just another one of those black "gangster" types.

I don't have all the facts in this case, but it's almost for sure that this was a racially motivated crime. After all, if Treyvon looked like this, he wouldn't have been shot:

You can't possibly know that. You're actively making things up at this point.

[jimrtex]

Had this guy been seen acting in the same way that Martin did, Zimmerman still would have called 911.

A very questionable supposition which goes against some of what has been reported about Zimmerman:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/17/2700249/shooter-of-trayvon-martin-a-habitual.html 

The Miami Herald says that police were called to the subdivision, 402 times from Jan. 1, 2011 to Feb. 26, 2012.   From the police call logs that have been posted on the City of Sanford website, we know that 9 were called in by George Zimmerman.  Someone else called in the other 393.  There were 8 burglaries, 9 thefts, and one other shooting.

The Miami Herald says that there were 50 suspicious person reports.  Zimmerman is responsible for 5 of them.

The Miami Herald makes the erroneous claim that Zimmerman called the police 46 times in the last year.  The 46 calls were spread out over 9 years.

[Brittain33]

393/9 = 43. Would you say the population of the subdivision is less then 43, about equal to 43, more than 43, or much more than 43? How many times more likely was George Zimmerman to call 911 and report the presence of an "undesirable" than your average resident: was it closer to 20, 50, or 100?

[jimrtex]

393/9 = 43. Would you say the population of the subdivision is less then 43, about equal to 43, more than 43, or much more than 43? How many times more likely was George Zimmerman to call 911 and report the presence of an "undesirable" than your average resident: was it closer to 20, 50, or 100?

There are around 260 units in the complex, with 40 supposedly unoccupied.

The 402 were calls of all types.   402/220 is 1.8; so George Zimmerman was 5 times more likely than the average resident to call the police.  A lot of people won't call the police.  Since the housing bust, the prices of the townhouses has gone way underwater.  They were built at about the worst possible time, and townhouses and condos often take the worst beating.  So a lot of the units are being rented.   Renters might be less likely to call.   One reason to rent is that someone else will take care of problems.  So let's assume 1/2 the residents made 0 calls.   402/110 = 3.65; so Zimmerman would be 2.5 times more likely than the average resident who made calls.

I don't think someone should be given a life sentence for calling the police about children playing in the street, and possibly deliberately running out when cars go by; or even for calling about a loose pit bull dog.  Do you think they should?

[BigSkyBob]

Had this guy been seen acting in the same way that Martin did, Zimmerman still would have called 911.

A very questionable supposition which goes against some of what has been reported about Zimmerman:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/17/2700249/shooter-of-trayvon-martin-a-habitual.html 

The Miami Herald says that police were called to the subdivision, 402 times from Jan. 1, 2011 to Feb. 26, 2012.   From the police call logs that have been posted on the City of Sanford website, we know that 9 were called in by George Zimmerman.  Someone else called in the other 393.  There were 8 burglaries, 9 thefts, and one other shooting.

The Miami Herald says that there were 50 suspicious person reports.  Zimmerman is responsible for 5 of them.

The Miami Herald makes the erroneous claim that Zimmerman called the police 46 times in the last year.  The 46 calls were spread out over 9 years.

Zimmerman was part of a neighborhood watch program. The whole point of neighborhood watches is to observe suspicious behavior, and report it to the police. Zimmerman has been placed in a damned-if-you-do-and-damned-if-you-don't  position. If he sees suspicious activity, but doesn't report it, he'll be characterized as a "vigilante" for not turning the matter over to the police, but, if he does report everything to the police and allow them to sort it out, he's the man who cried "wolf!" They are persecuting Zimmerman for making "excessive" calls because that is how he performed his neighborhood watch duties. Had he not made so many calls, they would have characterized the lack of such calls as part of a pattern of taking matters into his own hands. His guilt has been pre-decided, and the facts molded to fit that predetermined conclusion. You could just as well argue that all those calls showed a pattern by Zimmerman of differing to the police.

[CARLHAYDEN]

Here are a couple of points which are corrected from earlier media reports:

First, as to if a video oF Mr. Zimmerman showed injuries which has been alleged were inflicted by the deceased -

Reporter Matt Gutman said the clearer video shows "what appear to be a pair of gashes or welts on George Zimmerman's head."

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-04-02/news/os-trayvon-martin-enhanced-video-040212_1_reporter-matt-gutman-abc-news-neighborhood-watch-volunteer-zimmerman

Second, as to whether Mr. Zimmerman was engaged in racial profiling, a correction of an earlier (highly misleading editing) report of Zimmerman's 911 call) -

Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. Or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.

Dispatcher: OK, and this guy — is he black, white or Hispanic?

Zimmerman: He looks black.

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/politics/nbc-internal-investigation-apparent-gross-mis-editing-george-zimmerman-911-tape

[jimrtex]

Second, as to whether Mr. Zimmerman was engaged in racial profiling, a correction of an earlier (highly misleading editing) report of Zimmerman's 911 call) -

Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. Or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.

Dispatcher: OK, and this guy — is he black, white or Hispanic?

Zimmerman: He looks black.

There were some recordings of other calls that Zimmerman had made, which I can't find now, but that is a standard question that the dispatcher asks on every call.  They even did it on the call about children in the street - which Zimmerman responded were "mixed".

They then ask what the person is wearing, to get a better ID.

And if you listen later in the call as Martin approaches, he confirms that Martin is black.  And then says that Martin appears to be in his late teens.  From the inflection, I would infer a slight bit of doubt in the first instance.  He "looks" black as opposed to he "is" black.

[CARLHAYDEN]

First there was Tawana Brawley.

Then thee was Crystal Gail Mangum.

Now there's Treyvon Martin.

Facts are stubborn things.

[CARLHAYDEN]

Dr. John has both a map and a timeline of events.

Perhaps additional information will be forthcoming to further clarify events.

http://floppingaces.net/2012/04/03/the-martinzimmerman-timeline-reader-post/