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

A grand jury can examine evidence. It cannot produce evidence that isn't there. Witness statements, an interview with Zimmerman, an alcohol and drug screening, etc.

 

It's also a running joke among attorneys that you can get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich. If a prosecutor wants an indictment, he or she can get one.

 

What would happen, though, if the pertinent pictures of the ham sandwich are protected by copyright law?

 

Either way, Sonner wouldn't be able to finish it.

 

A man, with no real authority to do so, stalked an innocent, unarmed boy, confronted him and then shot and killed him after they fought. And the killer is free.

The law is fucked. It needs changed.

 

You should be promoted any day now.

 

He would have had authority as part of neighborhood watch group which is sanctioned ny the police and supported by FLA law.

Have a look at this training manual put out by Hillsborough Sheriffs office.

http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/onr/resources/publications/2011/NWIntrobookletrev610.pdf.pdf

 

Like I said, the law is fucked.

How bout we give Sliwa and Goetz some firearms and let them loose?

 

Hail no!!!!!

 

Thinking about Whitman's post on the Oakland shooting - it seems pretty clear that not all shooting deaths are created equal.
Don't know if its the lapse in reporting, perceived indifference of local police or the go-to narrative of race that makes the Trayvon shooting. Throw in the photos of the kid (that looked at least a couple of years old), the Skittles and ice tea - it's a narrative that pretty much writes itself.
I don't know what happened and I wish a few more outlets seemed intent on finding out instead of digging into the two people's pasts or using it as another teaching moment about race relations. It just bothers me that many outlets seem more interesting in stoking fires more to raise heat than shed light.

 

Narratives don't write themselves.

 

Seeing this reminded me of this read that was in the NYT yesterday. It was a A1 story with a 2-page spread inside, and to my mind the definitive piece on the actual facts and context of the Trayvon Martin killing to date. The print version had diagrams and photos to go along with. Excellent and compelling work.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/02/us/trayvon-martin-shooting-prompts-a-review-of-ideals.html