Muzman on 21/3/2012 at 07:49
Here's a heady mixture of race and guns and modern policing rounding itself down to virtual inactivity.
A little few weeks ago 17yr old Trayvon Martin was watching a basketball game at his fathers house just outside of Orlando, Florida. At half time he goes down to the store to buy some snacks. On the way back he unfortunately catches the eye of George Zimmerman, the self appointed local Neighborhood Watch chief and fully licensed concealed carry permit holder roving in his truck. Zimmerman finds Martin's blackness highly suspicious, makes a couple of calls to 911 to get a patrol car over there.
Martin clocks the creepy guy in the truck following him and tries to make a brisk exit. Whereupon Zimmerman exits his truck, chases him down and shoots him dead in the street.
Bad enough you think. Well thanks to some fascinating Florida laws about "standing your ground", Zimmerman pulls a claim of self defense (against an unarmed teenager he was pursuing), the sight of which makes the cops do only the most cursory investigation and
drop the case before it even begins. They're basically stenographers for Zimmerman's testimony at this point. He's allowed to carry the gun and he's so allowed to use it they won't even test the claim any more. Striking a blow for personal responsibility, Florida is well on its way to legalising murder through sheer inactivity apparently.
Luckily all hell has broken loose over this (although not so lucky for the kid), so we'll see what happens. But read and be amazed how much shit they have on this guy and how much both state and federal prosecutors are hamstrung by their own bone headed, gun lobby driven, legislation.
(
http://motherjones.com/politics/2012/03/what-happened-trayvon-martin-explained)
Koki on 21/3/2012 at 08:16
How do they know what he was doing and why he left the house if he is dead?
Muzman on 21/3/2012 at 08:59
That's true! There couldn't be anyone else involved in the story who could tell us. Not relatives, not shop keepers, not witnesses nothin!
Koki on 21/3/2012 at 11:48
Well at least you're outraged enough to cover for me
PigLick on 21/3/2012 at 13:45
if I had a gun there wouldnt be these problems cos I would shoot all those assholes dead
june gloom on 21/3/2012 at 18:37
Absolutely one of the more disgusting stories I've come across lately.
And Koki, you're retarded. just sayin'
Sombras on 21/3/2012 at 20:12
Well, what can you expect in a state that would elect a governor named Jeb???
Seriously, the shit's hitting the fan on this one and, from a non-lawyerly amateur perspective, the "stand your ground" law should and will receive some extreme scrutiny as a result of this. I also suspect (hope?) it will be very difficult for Zimmerman to plausibly argue that he was "standing his ground" when he pursued and cornered the boy before shooting him dead. This is so fucking disgusting.
This is why you have a federal government. In the event that the state is run by idiots or operates under assinine laws, the feds need to act.
june gloom on 21/3/2012 at 21:11
And if the federal government is run by idiots?
Sombras on 21/3/2012 at 21:55
Quote Posted by dethtoll
And if the federal government is run by idiots?
Well then...
Fuck, I got nothing.
Wait, yeah I do. I actually believe that the feds are LESS likely to fall victim--over the long term, at least--to individual fucktardedness because of how that level of US govt. is built. I'd argue that it's the feds' responsibility to check the states when necessary since that's where harmful extremism and weirdness are most likely to crop up and become codified first. (Not to say that weirdness can't emanate from the federal level at times, but god some of our states are BIZARRE.) Whatever, though. Someone's gotta challenge that sophomoric "stand-your-ground" bullshit.
