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

So he shoots a kid who is armed with a package of Skittles? Throw his ass in jail. Enough of this madness.

 

Some of you guys really need to catch up on the Florida 'Stand Your Ground' law and its implications here.

 

I don't believe the claim is that he was using the skittles as a weapon, or even that he offered to share his skittles.

Fists can be used as a weapon. My understanding is that Martin had hands and fists with him. Whether he used them in a manner that caused Zimmerman to act in his own self defense is what's in question.

 

That is what it will come down to. If the police have photos that show injuries consistent with Zimmerman's story that is also supported by witnesses he will skate.

 

Having been followed and confronted, Martin could claim 'self-defense' just as easily.

But he's dead.

 

Sure. The situation could have played out differently.

For instance, Martin probably could have avoided a confrontation.

But, if he had been jumped by Zimmerman, he would have had a self defense claim.

 

We have no idea what happened. None.

We have a dead kid and Zimmerman's story.

That's it.

 

As neighborhood watch captain did have a right to follow Martin. Whether he confronted him or not , I guess we will never know for sure. Zimmerman claims that Martin confronted him.

 

Exactly.

Though, in general, there are steps you can take to avoid a confrontation. I believe Zimmerman was a pain in the ass cop-want-to-be. But, it sounds like he's "out on patrol' all the time, and he doesn't get into confrontations on a nightly basis.

"It takes two to tango," is a pretty true statement. Zimmerman probably did act like an ass. he probably did make Martin feel like he was being looked at like a criminal, for just going on a skittles run. That probably did piss him off.

But, he would have been better off -- and still alive -- if he had avoided a confrontation.

It's a really sad situation. It really is. It still might even be determined to be a criminal situation.

And, I know you've called for a better, and a full investigation. But others, like Drip, are calling for the guy's head on a platter, when they also don't know all the facts.

 

Zimmerman has no more 'right' to follow Martin than you or I. As the 911 dispatcher made plain that night.

 

We have no idea if there even was a "confrontation."

 

If there was a confrontation, it seems clear, at least from the 911 tapes, that he provoked it himself.