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

I agree, BT. My comments were made less in a legal framework and more in a moral and social framework. I'm neither predicting nor placing criminal guilt. This is all I can say.

 

Maybe I'm totally wrong on this since I don't know him personally, but I'd think that unless he's a sociopath, Zimmerman carries a very heavy burden for his actions on that fateful night and his role in the death of a 17-year-old kid.

I hope that, given a do-over, he would do things differently.

Whether the mistakes he made mean he's criminally liable and should go to prison is a whole 'nother question.

 

You are exactly right and the ratio's probably much closer to 1,000:1.

 

And yet, I was flipping through the channels the other night and a talking head was on CNN saying that Trayvon Martin's case is a "black momma's greatest fear." And that got me thinking, is that a true statement? Is a black mother more afraid her son will be killed by a white (Hispanic) man or by a gangbanger?

 

Is it outside the realm of possibility she simply meant gunned down, period? Dead for no good reason is dead for no good reason no matter who pulls the trigger.

 

Now this I agree with. When the case first happened, we had a column out here about a mother who had "the talk" with her teenage son -- the talk being that a white cop or other white person could come after him at any time for being black. And the described what the kid was wearing and showed what it was, a red full-length sweatshirt and red cap. Red is the #1 gang color around here, enough so that many schools (including my son's) have banned anything red including 49er jerseys. Kids get attacked and killed all the time out here because of perceived gang connections, with their choice of dress typically being the main reason.

And I did think to myself that if violence is this mother's greatest fear, she has far more pressing areas to address than the white man.

 

Watched some of the prosecution closing today. Admittedly I haven't watched a lick of coverage - but I can understand the criticism of the prosecution, at least in style. The summary should have been clean and concise instead of a (bad) Powerpoint review of the case.
It would be amazing if the interview with Hannity ended up being key to getting him convicted.

 

No, she specifically said being gunned down by a white man because her son was a black teenager in a "white" neighborhood. She went on to say it's a fear among many in the black community, which I tend to disagree with.

 

if she said this after he was killed it sounds very convenient

 

Add yet you keep saying it like he has something to hide. It sounds like a passive aggressive way of saying that you think he's guilty because he isn't willing to take the stand.

Our legal system specifically forbids a jury from doing this.

As court watchers, would we always like to see the defendant testify? Of course. It would add to the drama.

And, Zimmerman reportedly did want to testify, but heeded to his lawyers advice that he not do so. Only as a "Hail Mary" or when a egomaniac defendant over rules his layer to we ever see the defendant testify.

That's because:

and

 

Zimmerman didn't need to testify because the prosecution screwed up by playing the recorded interrogations of his statements to police officers. The jury was able to see and hear, in Zimmerman's own words, his defense. And the prosecution had no way to cross-examine that testimony.

It was a wise move on the defense's part to not put Zimmerman on the stand. His story had already been told, and there was no way for the prosecution to poke and prod him on the stand to try to get him to change his story.

 

I want to know if certain people want him to be convicted even if he is innocent. It sure seems like it.