Trayvon Martin was not a kid. Trayvon Martin was a 17 year old minor. Let's not use words like child, let's go by the facts. The facts are that he was 17 years old. You can call him kid, I'll call him young adult, but that is all irrelevant because fact is that he was 17 years old.
If you're asking that black kids should run home when a strange man is following them instead of confronting the stranger... then yes THEY SHOULD run home if some weirdo that they don't know is following them. They should also call 911. Fact is, if that weirdo is in fact a sick demented child molester then they should call 911. But in this case, the 17 year old did not run home or call 911, he went and confronted the guy who he perceived to be following him. He beat him for AT LEAST 45 seconds, never running away, never running to any neighbor for help. He DID NOT have a scratch on him and continued his assault, which is where Zimmerman "under the perception that his life was in danger or that he was in danger of grave bodily harm" shot him.
Fact: It only takes a slight bump on the head to lead to a brain injury or even death. If you don't know how serious head trauma can be then you should do your research. Liam Neeson's wife died because of a freak accident that didn't even look serious.
Just because Zimmerman didn't have a concussion doesn't mean that the next blow or the one after that would not be serious bodily injury or death.
"If only Martin knew his place, he'd still be alive today? "
Quotes like this are a serious indication of having a HUGE chip on your shoulder. Trayvon Martin would be alive today if HE CALLED 911 or RAN STRAIGHT HOME, because some WEIRDO (in his eyes) was following him.
What would you tell your kids? Hey little children, if there's a stranger following you then you should go and confront him? Better yet, assault them?
"Sorry, but it wasn't Martin's responsibility to not get shot."
But it was his responsibility to beat up Zimmerman? That would be the exact reason why he got shot in the first place. It ain't like he was standing when he got shot, it ain't like he got shot in the back. He was ground and pounding the guy who was screaming for help.
Now here's the kicker, everyone who thinks Martin was screaming for help... that doesn't make any sense to scream for help while your beating the shit out of the other guy. You ever heard of anyone screaming for help while destroying another guys face?
Zimmerman never pretended to be a cop, he was a neighborhood watch guy. Go get your facts straight. Did Zimmerman ever come up to anyone and say he was a cop? That would be breaking the law and if he did that then he should be prosecuted, but I've never heard of this.
There WOULD NEVER have been a trial if people like Crump and Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, people who PREY on African American tragedies and misfortunes, never come to forth. Crump published photos of a 13 year old Martin. Most of the photos that the media has is of a 13 YEAR OLD. Why the hell is he posting photos of a 13 YEAR OLD? And this is NOT the first time that Crump has done this, go do research on how he CONSISTENTLY uses old, dated, and inaccurate photos and not just in this case.
NBC blew shit out of proportion, doctored the 911 phone call, the prosecution did not disclose all evidence, evidence such as texts from Martin on inquiries to acquire a handgun. This case is POLITICAL written all over it.
The WORST of it is that the Martin family is being used by people to promote their own agendas. By Crump to be a famous defender of black people. By Al Sharpton to have any semblance to credibility and work for MSNBC. By the NAACP to have another reason to blame the problems of African Americans on "the system".
Listen, there was rioting in Oakland, did any black community leader, did the president of the NAACP come out and say "we need to do this peacefully", "we need for fight for the rights of young black men by means of MLK".
Is it okay to riot and vandalize after such a passionate climax to such a charged event as this trial?
Do we need riots akin to the ones after Rodney King was beaten?
As much as I dislike Crump, he said it well, his whole statement last night was right on. We AS A NATION need to address the problems (and perceived problems) of Race and Minorities.
The GZ criminal trial is over, he IS NOT guilty under the law. Leave the man alone.
If you want to start by saving the next black kid, start by telling them that it is a dangerous world out there, to look over there shoulders, and to grow up and work towards equality. To NOT look for confrontations with strangers. To NOT get physically violent and continuously beat the 'other' guy.
The prosecution team WITHHELD EVIDENCE! I hope those assholes get disbarred because their actions, if Zimmerman was convicted, would've been a direct way to file and win an appeal.
How the hell do you tell the jury to "use your heart"? If I'm a racist and I use my heart, I'll be convicting EVERY black guy. You're supposed to decide ON THE FACTS, not YOUR HEART. And the jury decided, unanimously, that Zimmerman was NOT GUILTY of 2nd Deg Murder OR Manslaughter.
Now let's figure out how we can pick up the pieces and focus on places LIKE Chicago where we do have a serious problem with the murder of black youth? Or is the death of black youth only important when a non-black person does it?