It's Watch!... Neighborhood Watch. Not shoot.

You might be exactly correct.

Just out of curiosity, do you think GZ went back to his van, TM shows up outside his van and GZ gets out of the van and the confrontation ensues? Maybe it did go down like that.

Doesn't that still leave the question of why TM went to where GZ was?

 

Which map have you been looking at? The sidewalk "behind/between" the houses is pretty evident in this one.

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/04/02/us/the-events-leading-to-the-shooting-of-trayvon-martin.html

 

Thanks for the link. That interactive map at the NYTimes.com is the most helpful one I've seen.
There is a path between shared backyards and there are "cut throughs" but look at where the 7/11 is and where TM's house is at in relation to the clubhouse where GZ spotted TM. Looks like he is off the beaten path...

More importantly though, look at where TM's body was found and where the house he was staying at is located. GZ tells the 911 operator that it looks like TM is running to the back entrance (which is right by the house that he is staying at) but TM's body is found all the way over in the opposite direction toward where GZ said he was going to meet the police. In fact it looks like TM was possibly very near or even at his house and instead of going in went back to confront GZ. That is fairly damning... Seriously, I'm not very smart. What am I missing here?

 

From the link Az provided ...

Detectives gave Tracy Martin, Trayvon’s father, an account of the events that Mr. Martin finds hard to believe.

Trayvon's father, Tracy Martin, was told that Trayvon approached Mr. Zimmerman twice. First, he walked up to Mr. Zimmerman’s vehicle and asked why he was following him. Mr. Zimmerman denied following him. Trayvon walked away, and Mr. Zimmerman got out of his vehicle. Trayvon then approached him from behind a building and said, “What’s your problem, homie?” Mr. Zimmerman said he did not have a problem, and Trayvon attacked him.


One thing that map does not show is where the van was, which I guess is because the police did not secure the vehicle.

Found out a lot from this thread. Haven't been following the case that closely, but it is a tragic series of events that left a young man dead. I can't see how they can convict Zimmerman based on what the facts seem to be.

 

Interesting. So, TM deserved it because:
• He didn't take the most direct path home, and
• He didn't go home instead of confronting a guy following him.

And poor GZ is just a victim of circumstance.

Question: If TM is to be blamed "not going home," how is GZ absolved for not doing the same? I guess you're only allowed to "stand your ground" if you're the white guy.

 

Is George Zimmerman really white? I've seen several people on this thread refer to him as white.

 

He's Hispanic.

 

That's not what the narrative says.

 

I may have mentioned this 20 or so pages back, but the disturbing thing is that there seems to be a lot of people who simply want their version of how things went down to be right instead of just wanting to get the truth.

This is a truly tragic story, but I'm more interested in what ACTUALLY happened and not what people hope/wish/pray happened.

Maybe that's just the journalist in me that wants to hear the whole story before passing judgment.

 

Good post, stagger. The journalist in you is much stronger than in many of the posters you're alluding to, who, unfortunately, carry the same title.

 

Killick- thank you for the shining example of the reductionistic binary perspective I referred to up-thread.
I never said TM "deserved it." I said it was a sad tragedy.
I said that both TM and GZ made choices that contributed to this tragedy.
I never said/implied that GZ was a "victim of circumstance."

A good deal of the discussion on this thread has centered on assumptions about GZ/TM that the facts that have come to light recently certainly call into question. Most of us are discussing all this like grown ups. Is it too difficult for you to not have a clear good guy/bad guy to neatly categorize and compartmentalize human experience into?
What is your particular ideological investment that immunizes you against logic, reason, and mature nuanced discussion?

 

Please point out, among your "facts" post anywhere wherein you have pointed out that Zimmerman is at fault for this killing. You complain about "binary" thinking by pointing out five "facts" that all point to Martin being at fault for not going straight home, walking between houses, apparently accosting poor George as he sat in his truck.

Do I think Zimmerman set out to kill Martin? No, but he was cleary the person who set things in motion and exacerbated the situation by playing cop.