This is the topic that finally got me off my butt to start writing actual content. I've been tempted by other topics, but I could not let this one go by without spreading the facts as I know them and giving some opinions too. This situation is a mess anyway you look at it. A young man lost his life on his way home from a convenience store.
Here are the facts that I've been able to collect by watching 3 cable channels, hearing numerous interviews, etc. My opinions will be in parentheses.
George Zimmerman saw Trayvon and called 911. He reported that there was a suspicious person, could be on drugs, and so on. (So far, so good. Even if we disagree with George's rapid assessment of the situation, he had not done anything that other people might have done in the same situation).
911 asked him if he was following the 'suspicious person'. He said yes. 911 told him that they did not need him to do that. (They did not say don't follow him as has been reported so many times. This is straight from the tape. This confusion and misreporting led me to wonder that if 911 had told him to not follow Trayvon? Legally would it have made any difference? I'm not a lawyer. I don't know).
George could not tell 911 his location when asked. He could not give them a street name, a street number, nothing. (That seemed strange since he's been doing neighborhood watch for a good while).
The President of the Neighborhood Watch Association was interviewed on tv. He specifically stated that this group does not condone the use of weapons of any sort - not flashlights, not guns, nothing. They support a process where a neighborhood watch person calls 911 and lets authorities handle any potential problems. (Makes sense to me. Most neighborhood watch people are not law enforcement officers).
George got out of his vehicle and for some time followed Trayvon. He also stated at one point that (Trayvon) was running. 911 asked him whether Trayvon was running away or towards him. At that point, Trayvon was running away. (Why did George follow him? He had another opportunity to let law enforcement handle it.)
During this, Trayvon was on the phone with his girlfriend. (Trayvon's father had to pursue these records. )
Listening to George's entire 911 call, I heard him say that the a** holes always get away. (There is debate over whether or not he uttered a racial slur. I am totally against slurs towards any group for any reason. It's like adult bullying. Why do we do this to each other? But, legally, would this have an impact on any potential case? Can you call someone a name using your freedom of speech rights, or is calling someone a name these days automatically a hate crime? I don't understand how that works).
George was carrying a 9mm gun. (Why was he carrying it? He was not part of law enforcement, however he does have a permit to carry it).
There have been 8 break-ins in the last 18 months in this community. (It was stated by one of George's supporters that all 8 were committed by black men. That should be very easy to prove one way or the other. If that's true, it would be easier to believe that George was looking harder than normally for any suspicous activity. He apparently felt so strongly about this that he got out of his vehicle to pursue Trayvon).
George stated to the police that he feared for his life because Trayvon broke his nose and beat his head on the concrete repeatedly. That is when he took the gun out of its holster and shot Trayvon. (Unfortunately up to this point, no one has claimed to have seen the entire struggle and subsequent shooting).
The police station video tape shows George walking normally, no bandages, no apparent injuries or obvious blood anywhere. (Broken noses bleed a lot. If he had not changed clothes, wouldn't the clothes be bloody)?
The same video does not show any bandages to his head. (If he was really hit as hard as he says, repeatedly, to the point he feared for his life, where is the obvious aftermath?)
George claimed that he shot Trayvon in self defense/using the Stand Your Ground law that exists in over 20 states. (I don't understand this law. How can it apply when you are the pursuer/aggressor? If George had stayed in his car and let the police handle this, Trayvon would still be alive. Where is George's personal responsibility for acting like a vigilante rather than a neighborhood watch captain? If someone puts themself into a confrontational situation, how can they then claim self defense/Stand Your Ground)?
Even though at least one police officer thought George should be charged, apparently others didn't and a State Attorney was consulted who said to let him go. (This is bizarre to me in so many ways. I believe this only adds to the outrage of Trayvon being killed. He left the police station the same night this happened - no charges, no bail, nothing).
The person who handled Trayvon's body at the funeral home stated that he did not see any obvious injuries to Trayvon other than the gunshot. Specifically, when asked, he stated that there were no injuries to his hands. (If you're fighting someone for your life wouldn't there be some marks somewhere? Since George said he was in a fight for his life, it is only logical that Trayvon would have been in the same situation).
Trayvon was found after George had walked away face down. (I am awaiting the information that will tell us how the bullet entered Trayvon - from above, from close, in the back, etc. It seems to me that this would help determine who was on top at he time of the struggle).
Then we have problems with people/groups forwarding information that is false (giving out an address that supposedly was George's causing an older couple to have to flee their home and move into a hotel. Even if it had been George's address, what was the purpose of this? The only thing I can surmise is that someone was trying to incite bad things to happen. How does that help anything or anybody? That's just adding more tension, potentially more deaths to an already horrible situation).
Another group has stated that they do not follow the laws of this land. They do not follow "Uncle Tom's laws", according to them, and they have put out a bounty on George. They claim they are doing this for Trayvon's parents. First, Trayvon's parents have asked that no one do anything that isn't peaceful. They want justice, but not by citizen revenge. So even though this group continues to say they are doing this for Travon's parents, they are not. (They must be doing it for publicity and to add fuel to the fire. On the other hand, I have been incrediby impressed with how the parents have handled this. They have stayed calm but determined, asking for justice while asking for peace. They want to know why their son is dead, and they deserve to have those answers. If I understand what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's message was, I think he would be so impressed by how they are walking through this tragic ordeal).
Now, here are some questions I still have.
Where are the clothes that each person was wearing? Were they taken? If so, when were they taken - immediately, the next day? Have they been sent off for analysis? If they weren't taken, why not?
Are there any pictures that show George's injuries, his clothing, etc. from the scene before the fire paramedics treated him on the scene or from his time in the police station? The video taken of him exiting the car at the police station hs been verified to be approximately 1/2 hour after the incident. (Since paramedics treated him and there are no bandages and he did not go to the hospital, I cannot believe whatever injuries he had were signigicant).
Were any pictures taken at the scene? Are there pictures of Trayvon's body where it was when the police arrived? Are there pictures of the surrounding area?
Why were neighbors/potential witnesses not interviewed that night right after the police arrived on the scene? Is there someone who could really see what was happening and who was doing what when?
Why in this case did the police let him go that night without in-depth questioning? Why did they seemingly believe George without corroboration? As soon as he said self defense and stand your ground, the police cannot do anything? That's nuts!
In closing for now, I hope more people will follow the example that Trayvon's parents are providing. Let's don't upset each other more than we all aready are. Let's don't hate each other because we're different colors, different faiths, or any other distinguishing factors. Let's don't encourage more violence.
Let's unite and pursue justice. Let's let the due process of the law of the land move forward whatever the outcome. We all have strong opinions, and it's obvious that most of us are outraged by what happened. I don't know a lot, but I do know that moments like this, at least during my lifetime, have had, and can have here, a valuable influence in people, in laws, in our culture and in humanity.
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