Imagine if Treyvon Martin and George Zimmerman looked liked this

[Bacon King]

How would it have gone differently?

[7,052,770]

Almost certainly.

I remember about a year ago someone posting a news story from a very similar incident -- either in NJ or NY, in which a black man mistook an unarmed white teenager for a criminal, got in some kind of melee with him, and ended up shooting him dead.

The black shooter was sentenced to years (can't remember how many) in jail, and the national news never mentioned it until this incident came out.

[morgieb]

Zimmerman would've been executed.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Zimmerman would've been executed.

[tpfkaw]

I might point out here that Zimmerman is a dark-haired, brown-eyed, dark-skinned, mulatto Hispanic (and we are again using the picture of 12-year-old Trayvon).  Nevertheless, do we have a witness here to attest to our hypothetical Travis Martin's calling our hypothetical George Freeman a "creepy-ass n****r?"  Assuming yes, then he would have achieved national/internet notoriety as "Awesome Neighborhood Watch Guy" who sure gave that racist gay-basher what was coming to him, and would get invited on to Good Morning America to discuss his heroics, while t-shirts bearing his likeness and a low-budget ripped-from-the-headlines movie get made on his behalf.  This only more so if it subsequently came out that our hypothetical Travis did drugs, bought and sold illegal guns, and was circumstantially linked to several burglaries in our hypothetical Freeman's neighborhood.  Only some sadsacks at Stormfront would think otherwise.

[Lief 🗽]

Black Zimmerman would have been sitting on death row for a few months now, that much should be obvious to anyone who isn't willfully ignorant of how things work in this country (especially in a Southern state).

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Zimmerman would've been executed.

No.  There's no way he could've been convicted (or even tried for) first degree murder in Florida.

[John Dibble]

If they had looked like that then I doubt the scenario would have played out at all - most neighborhood watchmen, regardless of their own race, wouldn't bat an eye at a white kid walking in a gated community.

[DC Al Fine]

Zimmerman would've been executed.

No.  There's no way he could've been convicted (or even tried for) first degree murder in Florida.

But Inks, what about racism?!?!?!

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Lol wormyguy is attacking someone for pot use now.

[Paul Kemp]

Almost certainly.

I remember about a year ago someone posting a news story from a very similar incident -- either in NJ or NY, in which a black man mistook an unarmed white teenager for a criminal, got in some kind of melee with him, and ended up shooting him dead.

The black shooter was sentenced to years (can't remember how many) in jail, and the national news never mentioned it until this incident came out.

This one?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/nyregion/23trial.html?_r=0

Somewhat similar. Paterson ended up commuting his sentence:

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2010/12/23/paterson-commutes-sentence-of-convicted-man-in-2006-shooting/

[tpfkaw]

Lol wormyguy is attacking someone for pot use now.

I'm not attacking anyone, I'm pointing out what the likely mainstream reaction would be.

[Lief 🗽]

lol Wormy, no one would care if white Travis smoked weed. It's only when a black kid smokes a harmless drug that most teenagers try at least once that he becomes a violent ghetto thug.

[tpfkaw]

lol Wormy, no one would care if white Travis smoked weed. It's only when a black kid smokes a harmless drug that most teenagers try at least once that he becomes a violent ghetto thug.

Ah, but we are not doing a black Trayvon vs. white Travis comparison, we are doing a racist white Travis vs. black Trayvon comparison, in which anything which can be remotely interpreted as a character defect would be thrown at him and stick.

[Miles]

Zimmerman would've been executed.

[bedstuy]

Even if it's true that a black version of George Zimmerman would be treated unfairly, that doesn't mean we should treat the not-black version of George Zimmerman unfairly. 

But, I do think people are generalizing and over-simplifying how race works in this country.  It's not that cut and dry.  Let's remember that this Zimmerman case was only brought because of political and media pressure.  It's likely that there would not have even been charges filed if there wasn't a backlash in the black community. 

[Asian Nazi]

Zimmerman would've been executed.

[DrScholl]

I might point out here that Zimmerman is a dark-haired, brown-eyed, dark-skinned, mulatto Hispanic (and we are again using the picture of 12-year-old Trayvon).  Nevertheless, do we have a witness here to attest to our hypothetical Travis Martin's calling our hypothetical George Freeman a "creepy-ass n****r?"  Assuming yes, then he would have achieved national/internet notoriety as "Awesome Neighborhood Watch Guy" who sure gave that racist gay-basher what was coming to him, and would get invited on to Good Morning America to discuss his heroics, while t-shirts bearing his likeness and a low-budget ripped-from-the-headlines movie get made on his behalf.  This only more so if it subsequently came out that our hypothetical Travis did drugs, bought and sold illegal guns, and was circumstantially linked to several burglaries in our hypothetical Freeman's neighborhood.  Only some sadsacks at Stormfront would think otherwise.

Zimmerman identifies as white, he didn't mark Hispanic on some forms that were evidence in the case. Besides, being Hispanic was not justification for what he did. There is absolutely no way that a black man would get away with murdering a 17 year old white boy and telling a ridiculous, unbelievable story as his defense. Never. would. have. happened.

[Gass3268]

Zimmerman would've been executed.

[barfbag]

How would it have gone differently?

No the law is still the law and the jury has to follow the law.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

How would it have gone differently?

No the law is still the law and the jury has to follow the law.

You are a naive little person, you know that?

[Napoleon]

Zimmerman would've been executed.

[Down the Gurney]

How would it have gone differently?

It all depends upon if black Zimmerman had lawyers. State prosecuters are used to dealing with schmucks whos only lawyer was a guy from legal aid who looked at the case for fifteen minutes and then spilled his coffee on the case files. As OJ Simpson showed, if you have the right lawyers, then anyone, regardless of color or creed, could get the White Man's Justice.
http://www.nlada.org/Defender/Defender_Gideon/Defender_Gideon_5_Problems

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

So for all those claiming Zimmerman would've been executed, does anyone even care to address the point I made, or are you just pulling this execution thing out of your bums?

[Grumpier Than Thou]

Zimmerman would've been executed.