Zimmerman cleared in shooting of Trayvon Martin

[Geee]

CNS News:

SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — Neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman was cleared of all charges Saturday in the shooting of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teenager whose killing unleashed furious debate across the U.S. over racial profiling, self-defense and equal justice.

Zimmerman, 29, blinked and barely smiled when the verdict was announced. He could have been convicted of second-degree murder or manslaughter. But the jury of six women, all but one of them white, reached a verdict of not guilty after deliberating well into the night. Their names have not been made public, and they declined to speak to the media.

Martin's mother and father were not in the courtroom when the verdict was read; supporters of his family who had gathered outside yelled "No! No!" upon learning of the not guilty verdict.

[Geee]

Here are some notable tweeters instantly responding to the Zimmerman verdict:

 

http://dailycaller.com/2013/07/14/here-are-some-notable-tweeters-instantly-responding-to-the-zimmerman-verdict/

[Geee]

Zimmerman Found Not Guilty (MSNBC, SPLC, Bill Maher, Twitter Reax)

 

http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2013/07/13/zimmerman-found-not-guilty/

[Geee]

Obama Big Loser in Zimmerman Trial

Forget the over-zealous prosecutors and the repellent state attorney Angela Corey (who should be immediately disbarred or, my wife said sarcastically, elevated to director of Homeland Security) and even the unfortunate Trayvon Martin family (although it is certainly hard to forget them — they have our profound sympathies), the true loser at the Zimmerman trial was Barack Obama.

By injecting himself in a minor Florida criminal case by implying Martin could be his son, the president of the United States — a former law professor, of all things — disgraced himself and his office, made a mockery of our legal system and exacerbated racial tensions in our country, making them worse than they have been in years. This is the work of a reactionary, someone who consciously/unconsciously wants to push our nation back to the 1950s.

It is also the work of a narcissist who thinks of himself first, of his image, not of black, white or any other kind of people. It’s no accident that race relations in our country have gone backwards during his stewardship.

http://pjmedia.com/rogerlsimon/2013/07/13/obama-big-loser-in-zimmerman-trial/

[Geee]

Zimmerman’s not guilty verdict shines troubling light on prosecutor’s decision-making

 

 

The jury in the Trayvon Martin case on Saturday night acquitted George Zimmerman, but it should never have gotten that far. The Florida State Attorney’s Office should have dismissed their case before submitting it to the jury. That’s what the law required.

The prosecution failed to prove the defendant’s guilt by any standard of evidence. And based on the standard of probable cause, dismissing the case would have been the right thing to do.

PHOTOS: Photos from the George Zimmerman verdict
Now, the debate begins about whether the Zimmerman case may go down as one of the most meritless and politically motivated prosecutions in history. And the fallout on the strets of America remains to be seen.

Ironically, during its own presentation, the State actually made a case for the defense.

A key witness called by the State who saw the confrontation between Zimmerman and Martin surprised prosecutors when he implied that Martin was actually the attacker.

 

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jul/13/shapiro-zimmerman-jurys-verdict-shines-troubling-l/

[Geee]

Protests erupt in wake of Zimmerman acquittal; most are peaceful

 

 

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Protesters angered by the acquittal of George Zimmerman held largely peaceful demonstrations in three California cities, but broke windows and started small street fires Oakland, police said.

The gatherings Saturday night ranged from a few dozen to a couple hundred people turning out to protest the verdict in the Florida courtroom over the death of Trayvon Martin, and police said some of the demonstrations continued into the early hours Sunday.

The Oakland police dispatch office said about 100 people protested, with some in the crowd breaking windows on businesses and starting small fires in the streets. As the protest wound down with the crowd dispersing, the office said that as of 2 a.m. PDT it had no word of any arrests.

 

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jul/14/protests-erupt-wake-zimmerman-acquittal-most-were-/

[Valin]

What will the next Bright Shiny Thing be? I can hardly wait!!!

[Valin]

Via Meadia: The End of the Zimmerman Trial

7/14/13

 

Via Meadia hasnt said much about the Zimmerman trial; that was by design. Theres nothing morally wrong with following every twist and turn of a court case, but in our book that is entertainment and drama rather than news. When some event captures the attention of the country and even the world like the Simpson trial or this one, the drama around the courtroom and the national chit chat about the trial can be revealing, but its almost always a mistake to think that the chatter means anything or will change anything.

 

 

(Snip)

 

For a lot of emerging political analysts and elections, the trial was a much bigger thing. Particularly for young people raised as I was in the liberal tradition and taught as I was (and as I continue to believe) that the racial fault line has immense importance for the meaning of the American political experience, its exciting and even transfixing to watch the country go through a major racial controversy in real time. This may not be John Browns treason trial in Virginia, but its an opportunity to see and feel the swirl of attitudes and impressions that cluster around race in America today. Kids have read about Americas racial problems in books; its hardly surprising that many intelligent and politically aware people too young, say, to remember the Simpson trial, were riveted by the drama in Florida.

 

Even so, as racial drama, the Zimmerman trial was at best second-rate. Atticus Finch wasnt in the courtroom and no great principles were at stake in the sense that they were in Plessy vs. Ferguson or Brown vs. Board of Education......(Snip)

 

 

The race story in America remains a major one; this trial was a poor vehicle through which to try to tell it. Serious people of all races understand, I think, that the racial ground under Americas feet is shifting, and that a significant percentage of African Americans have lost ground in recent years. Many people understand that the conventional civil rights leadership is married to the slogans and programs of an earlier time and that their prescriptions offer little hope for the problems we face today. Lets hope that next time a racial trial seizes the countrys imagination and dominates the airwaves, America has moved significantly closer to the racial healing and reconciliation we so badly want and need.

[Draggingtree]

Looking for Racism in America

By Daniel GreenfieldFull Story

If you live in Chicago, New York or Los Angeles, you know that it’s only a matter of time until an incident between a law enforcement officer, or more rarely a civilian defending himself, and a member of a minority group flares up into citywide grievance theater complete with angry reverends on the steps of City Hall, women with stony faces holding up banners calling for justice and a media driven debate about police tactics and racism.

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/56515

[Draggingtree]

July 14, 2013

Congratulations, Zimmerman jury. You’ve restored a modicum of faith in the rule of law

 

…while you’s simultaneously told the politicians, the media, the race hustlers, and the “Occupy” morons who insist “we are all Trayvon” — when of course very few of us have ever found ourselves wandering around strange neighborhoods in the rain, sucker punching “creepy-cracker” neighborhood watch commanders, mounting them, and then driving their heads into the pavement.

 

In your own small way, you have really struck a major symbolic chord for the forces of constitutionalism and the rule of law — this despite the surrendering of those principles by political climbers like Corey and Rick Scott, both of whom should resign in shame, and this despite where you may yourselves self-identify politically.

 

In fact, you’ve shown that even within many non-activists Democrats, as I’m sure at least a few of you are, there is a desire to see the rule of law upheld

http://proteinwisdom.com/?p=50068

[Draggingtree]

Gun Thread (7-14-13) —Andy

The Zimmerman Trial

This case should serve as a cautionary tale for concealed carry practitioners.

First, the media insists on referring to Martin as "unarmed", while glossing over the danger Zimmerman's own gun presented to him in a close-quarters confrontation like the one he was involved in. If you carry, the last thing you want to have happen is to become involved in a scuffle.

Second, it can be extremely painful to be a law-abiding citizen in today's media environment. Around 500 murders have happened in Chicago while the Zimmerman fiasco has been going on, yet there's no attendant media circus. And we all know why ... it's largely black-on-black crime, so the race hustlers can't get a foothold.

 

The Guns of John Moses Browning

Via ITC. Click to view full-size. http://ace.mu.nu/archives/341628.php

[Draggingtree]

There is Only Tragedy Here

By: Erick Erickson (Diary) | July 13th, 2013 at 11:35 PM

 

There is only tragedy in the Zimmerman trial. There are no sides but Justice to root for, but a Justice that will leave one side unsatisfied and still empty.

 

Both sides made mistakes in this awful mess. George Zimmerman may not be guilty of either murder or manslaughter, but he killed Trayvon Martin.

 

A seventeen year old is dead. A family has lost a son. And George Zimmerman must now now fear for his life because of hatred toward him stirred up by so many who politicized this mess.

 

There are no winners here save for Zimmerman’s not guilty verdict. He will have to live with this for the rest of his life and, sadly, Trayvon Martin will never get that chance.

http://www.redstate.com/2013/07/13/there-is-only-tragedy-here/

[RandyM]

Even when reporting the not guilty verdict, the MSM outlets continue to bias the issue by showing the pictures of the sweet, little 12 year old Trayvon next to a current picture of Zimmerman.

[Draggingtree]

Trayvon Martin's family reacts to verdict via social media

Jerriann Sullivan | Orlando Sentinel

 

Posted on Sunday, July 14, 2013

 

SANFORD, Fla. — Trayvon Martin's family was not in the courtroom when the not guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman murder trial was announced. But moments later, family members shared their sentiments on the social media site Twitter.

 

"God blessed Me & Sybrina with Tray and even in his death I know my baby proud of the FIGHT we along with all of you put up for him GOD BLESS," Tracy Martin, Trayvon's dad, tweeted seconds after the verdict was announced.

 

Minutes later he said "Thanks to everyone who are with us

 

The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. took to his Twitter account to encourage peace.

"Avoid violence, it will lead to more tragedies. Find a way for self construction not deconstruction in this time of despair. (hashtag)ZimmermanTrial," Jackson tweeted.

 

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People started an online petition calling for civil rights charges against Zimmerman through the U.S. Department of Justice.

 

"We can still seek justice for (hashtag)TrayvonMartin. Sign the (hashtag)NAACP petition to the Department of Justice," the organization tweeted.

 

The Dream Defenders Orlando (Fla.) chapter

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/07/14/196631/trayvon-martins-family-reacts.html