Deconstructing the Trayvon Martin Murder Trial and Aftermath Part 2; the Blogosphere

Update #1 I submitted a much condensed letter of this piece to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, which they published. Here is the letter and the blog exchange that followed.

"So in your book, whoever brings a gun to a fist fight wins." "You are being absurdly simplistic to make such a blanket statement."

Zimmerman had right to self-defense 

In a letter to the editor, Liz Camarie proclaimed the lesson learned from Trayvon Martin's death is no one should be allowed to carry guns? Really? The next tactic of the anti-gun zealots appears to be an attack on the right of self-defense; Peter Klotz implied that self-defense is always racially biased murder and can never be justified. There is a saying that "God created man; Sam Colt made them equal." But the Liz Camaries and Peter Klotzes of the world would prefer the weak fall victim to the brutish. Zimmerman shot Martin because Martin was on top of him, banging his head against the sidewalk. While the prosecution tried to minimize the injuries, one or two more slams of Zimmerman's head against the concrete could have resulted in his death; by shooting Martin, Zimmerman probably saved his own life, but apparently to some, there are lives more valuable than others. Brad Goodwin, Live Oak

Mitch Alsip · Top Commenter · Santa Cruz, California

Brad - So in your book, whoever brings a gun to a fist fight wins. 

 Brad Goodwin · Top Commenter · Santa Cruz, California

You are being absurdly simplistic to make such a blanket statement.The issue was Zimmerman did nothing to provoke Martin other than follow him and call the police. Zimmerman had followed numerous other suspicious suspects of different races yet none resulted in a violent altercation until Martin decided to jump the "crazy ass cracker." At some point when you're being beaten down you have the right to protect yourself. Zimmerman was on his back with Martin on top of him so he could not run away. Martin was slamming Zimmerman's head against the cement; I've had this done to me and it invokes a certain level of panic; in criminal case slamming someones head against the cement is a felony and considered "Assault with a Deadly Weapon". Every incident needs to be taken on it's own merits; certainly people are beaten to death all the time. When an assault raises to the level of a felony and life threatening, the victim has the right to deadly force to protect himself; even if the victim is a White Hispanic and the aggressor is a 17 year old black teenager.

 geepierces (signed in using yahoo)

Brad Goodwin - I wasn't there, were you? How can you say, "Zimmerman did nothing to provoke Martin other than to follow him and call the police" ? We have no IDEA what transpired prior to the alleged events.

Roy McAlister · Top Commenter · Luthier at Self Employedgeepierces, "We have no IDEA what transpired prior to the alleged events" We know there is zero evidence to support your theory that Zimmerman did anything illegal to provoke assault & battery. All evidence and witness accounts indicate neither of these guys broke any laws...until Trayvon committed battery on George. Tell me what non-physical, legal act justifies that level of assault?

 Brad Goodwin · Top Commenter · Santa Cruz, California
geepierces, to say we have no idea what happened is wrong. First we know for a fact that prior to this incident Zimmerman reported numerous suspicious suspects and called the police on them. We also know that during all those reportings, he never contacted or harassed any of them. Zimmerman's defense presented the narrative I presented and called witnesses to show what evidence there was was consistent with Zimmerman's statements after the fact. The prosecution tried to poke holes in the narrative and failed and Zimmerman was acquitted. It makes no sense to suggest another narrative simply because this one is not politically correct and has also not withstood scrutiny in a court of law. In other words, this is the only narrative we have that has withstood scrutiny to use to determine if there was a violation of the law; regardless it is also this narrative the race baiting media and Al Sharpton's claim is the result of racism.

Several days later the Sentential printed a response letter

  NRA's stamp on gun that killed Trayvon Martin

A 190-pound man with a gun tackles and kills a 140-pound kid with candy he just bought at the store. All of America is a witness to this crime and can do nothing. Because the kid was black the KKK will laugh until their hearts are content. The kid holding that sign in the newspaper saying "Am I next?" knows what's going on. The NRA has their stamp on that gun.

Clay Collins, Soquel

  "You and the media also seems to have missed that in early 2011 Zimmerman participated in a citizen forum at the Sanford City Hall, to protest the beating of a black homeless man by the son of a white Sanford police officer. During the meeting, Zimmerman called the behavior of officers on duty "disgusting" and detailed officers napping while on duty and refusing to take on difficult assignments."

 

Again you have the liberal left exaggerating and fabricating reality. First Trayvon Martin was not an 12 year old kid coming back from the candy store (the Skittles and Coke notwithstanding), we has a 17 year old, almost a man who liked to wear wife beater T shirts, flip off his computer cam, smoke marijuana and party with his girlfriend. These are certainly no reason to demonize or kill Martin, but it does show his level of sophistication. Further as mentioned, Zimmerman's height/weight was 507/ 185 lbs; Martins was 6'/ 160lbs. You and the media also seems to have missed that in early 2011 Zimmerman participated in a citizen forum at the Sanford City Hall, to protest the beating of a black homeless man by the son of a white Sanford police officer. During the meeting, Zimmerman called the behavior of officers on duty "disgusting" and detailed officers napping while on duty and refusing to take on difficult assignments.Wikipedia. There is also the fact that the KKK was a southern Democrat organization that appeared during reformation; this of course was after a bloody civil war fought almost exclusively because the Democrats were against freeing their slaves. There were also Jim Crow laws and voter intimidation that Southern Democrats so often compare to requiring ID to vote, but were also the result of Southern Democrats racism and southern segregation. And lets not forget the 3/5ths rule that forced the North to count Southern slaves as if they were voting free men. What America has been witness to is Democrat demonization, race baiting and fabrication of the facts to create racial distrust and polarization. The poor kid holding the sign will be just one more victim of the likes of Al Sharpton and liberal Democrats that feed and are empowered by spreading the lie of the hopelessness black victimism and black separatism. Are their racial crimes in America? Of course, but just like the boy who cried wolf, if the Al Sharptons and liberal Democrats interject race into every multi-race incident, the real civil rights crimes become buried under a pile of non-related incidents were information has been fabricated, participants demonized, and races separated. Good job Mr Collins, good job

  "There is also the fact that the KKK was a southern Democrat organization that appeared during reformation; this of course was after a bloody civil war fought almost exclusively because the Democrats were against freeing their slaves. There were also Jim Crow laws and voter intimidation that Southern Democrats so often compare to requiring ID to vote, but were also the result of Southern Democrats racism and southern segregation. And lets not forget the 3/5ths rule that forced the North to count Southern slaves as if they were voting free men".

Matt Blechar · Top Commenter

Clay Collins, nothing like throwing out the race card when racism doesn't exist in Martins case. The main fact about this case was that Trayvon was beating Zimmermans head against the concrete endangering his life, Zimmerman acted to save his life with a gun which he had every right to BY LAW. Can we expose and really look at Trayvon for who he was at the time? He was a criminal thug, that used drugs, got kicked out of his parents house, got kicked out of his High School because he got caught with stolen jewelry HE STOLE. Wake up, he wasn't this innocent KID you and all the other race baiters claim he was.

 Will Sharp · Top Commenter

Matt you know only one side of the story because the other person is dead. But only an idiot (or a foxpublican) would think that if the kid had shot zimmerman that he wouldn't have been arrested. And we know that zimmerman decided to get out of his vehicle and confront Trayvon against what he was told by dispatch. Bottom line zimmerman got away with murder because their was a lack of evidence according to the jurors who have spoken out.
And of course since your source is conservative media your unaware that your boy zimmerman was charged with at least 3 assault cases prior to him killing an unarmed 17 y/o.
One of the assault charges was "resisting a police officer with violence". Now what do you think is worse a 16 y/o who got busted with a small amount of pot or an adult with 3 charges of assault? Here's my source for you and other nra dumb@$$es
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/03/27/10894561-zimmerman-accused-of-domestic-violence-fighting-with-a-police-officer?lite

 RealityCheck SantaCruz · Top Commenter · Santa Cruz, California

Will Sharp - At least get the facts straight from your own source. 3 charges are not '3 cases'. And there weren't even three charges. There were two (from the same incident) which were dropped. In the other case, there were no charges, only mutual restraining orders. Then you ignore Martin's priors (dropped, or never brought.)
In the end, both acted stupidly, but only Martin acted criminally, and it was his bad luck that the guy he assaulted was armed.

Brad Goodwin · Top Commenter · Santa Cruz, California

Will Sharp, again you misstating Zimmerman's crimes. #1 he was never arrested or charged with domestic violence; the two simply filed mutual restraining orders and there absolutely nothing that would indicate he committed a crime, since any evidence of Domestic Violence requires a mandatory arrest. #2 the two so-called felony charges and your three cases, were all the result of one incident and one push, where an underage and intoxicated Zimmerman, of a police officer; one push and the charges were later dropped. As you have also said only one person really knows what happened, yet you are content with fabricate your own scenarios to match your world view. Given the fact, which was entered into evidence and not contested by the prosecution, that Zimmerman had called on and followed numerous suspicious persons, yet never harassed or confronted any of them. Zimmerman said he exited his car because he has lost sight of Zimmerman and wanted to see where he went, not to confront him. While this may seem a self serving statement, it is consistent with his past behavior. Your whole attitude is typical liberal fabrication of facts and demonization of anyone or anything that runs counter to their separatist and polarizing world view.