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July 2nd, 2013
08:25 PM ET
Deadly threats against George Zimmerman
Even before a verdict has been rendered, some supporters of Trayvon Martin are vowing violence if Zimmerman is acquitted of second-degree murder in the February 2012 shooting.
Here are some of the more tame tweets we found:
Either way, George Zimmerman is dead, guilty or not. He either gonna get killed in prison or someone is gonna kill him on the streets.
— Dee (@Dee_180) July 2, 2013
I wanna kill Zimmerman myself after watching 10 minutes of this trial 😤
— european pezzy (@noassistance) July 2, 2013
So should Zimmerman be concerned for his safety, or are these largely empty threats?
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And people accuse Zimmerman of being a vigilante...
Could somebody explain to me how this case has gotten so much press but news about the case against Bart cop Mehserle who shot and killed Oscar Grant a bit over three years ago barely left Oakland and the San Francisco Bay area? Mehserle is a free man. Not sure how he sleeps at night.
well, no kid walking home from the store with candy is safe around him, so why should he be safe?
I think every day people should follow him around everywhere he goes, with a loaded gun of course. If he ever confronts that person about it, they should shoot him, because they'd be standing their ground.
This is what happens when society creates laws that let people get away with essentially murder. Sheer Madness.
Yes I feel he should receive the Death Penalty, This Coward was hunting & he found a perfect target, a young boy! Check his background, I'm sure he was a coward in Grade school!
if i were Z's layer, i would invite a jury to show when she or he was threaten to be killed by someone, what her or his reaction: just quietly saying ‘help, help’ or ‘please don’t kill me’ or screaming for help…
So all these people saying these things are going to jail just like Justin Carter then right?
We create our futures at every moment. This is the future Zimmerman created upon himself.
By (allegedly) not letting someone take his gun and shoot him?
Let me guess...You're going to say "Hey, Trayvon wasn't trying to kill him!" while completely missing my point. For all we know, Zimmerman might be lying. That's the whole point. NO ONE KNOWS. That's why, instead of picking race teams, or threatening the lives of people with the defendant's last name (*cough* Spike Lee), we should probably see the EVIDENCE from BOTH the defense, AND the prosecution.
NO ONE knows for sure what happened, except for Zimmerman himself. Because of that, it's kind of stupid for Zimmerman's mother or Trayvon's (absent) mother to hypothesize who was yelling "Help" on the 911 tape. Obviously, neither one is going to say, "You know what? My son is wrong. That's the other guy screaming."
That's why we have such things as expert witnesses, and character witnesses. There are medical examiners, police officers, forensic analysts, personal friends, and teachers involved in this case. Look for the ones who aren't trying to get a book deal. Look at the character of the people the plaintiff and defendant were associating with. The criminal justice professor testified that Zimmerman was one of his better students. Rachel Jeantel knew Martin at least well enough to talk to him on the phone and tell him what to do in an emergency, and to feel too broken up to attend his funeral.
Martin, in addition to whatever was released to the media about his background (pot smoking, getting into trouble at school), he also hung out with someone (Rachel) who, while in her twenties, doesn't care about being respectful in a court of law during a MURDER TRIAL. I'm not talking about her fluency in English, since many credible witnesses can be immigrants with broken English. I'm talking about her not giving a hoot that her inappropriate words ("retarded") and apathy ("I have to be here again tomorrow? That ain't happening") might make her friend Trayvon look like an idiot. The kind of idiot that would attack a neighborhood watchman simply for asking why the heck he was trespassing. You don't have to be a Rhodes Scholar to understand those things. Even if you've never read a book in your life, every courtroom scene in the history of media has shown a serious atmosphere–especially during a MURDER TRIAL.
As for the race card, if you're going to bring up any B.S. about poverty or education affecting the case, you're only being counterproductive to your own cause. If you're going to make excuses about Jeantel's behavior, or Trayvon's record, you're basically saying "Forgive them, because they're black, and black people can't help but act this way." You would also be forgetting about the millions of black people who grow up in poverty and dangerous environments, and still don't do illegal things. Believe it or not, some people actually stay in school, listen to their parents, and respect authority figures. Some even go on to college, and become successful! Who'da thunk it?
Wouldn't it be nice if we lived in a world where people didn't solve murder mysteries by saying "Hey, this guy's white, this guy's black, this guy's unarmed, you do the math"? Yes, Martin was LATER found to be unarmed and carrying iced tea and Skittles. First of all, if you're (allegedly) being attacked, are you going to say "Just one minute, can you empty your pockets and show me if you have any weapons on you?" Secondly, Trayvon was 17 years old. Although the media was only willing to show you the cute and cuddly junior high photos at first, Trayvon was one year away from high school graduation. An 18-year-old male is often said to be at or near his physical peak as a human. He was playing football at this point in his life, and wasn't exactly phased by certain laws (e.g., marijuana laws). So Zimmerman probably wasn't 100% sure what this kid was capable of that night. Thirdly, regardless of all of this–even if Zimmerman knew Trayvon was unarmed–he says that Trayvon reached for his gun. If someone reaches for your gun, forget everything else. You defend your life.
As stated before, would it be nice if all of these different ideas, as well as those on the prosecution's side, were explored and analyzed? Especially when the justice of a murder victim, or the freedom of an innocent man, are at risk?
Thanks to people like you, Pat, the truth may have been compromised. Thanks so much for that. I feel much safer now.
First, just because Trayvon was in a "white Neighbor hood" didn't give Zimmeran the right to play ROBO COP. When told to back down, that should of been exactly what he did. Two, just like you stated, "we don't know what all transpired". During this whole situation, and trial, everyone lost the truth in all this A human life was taken. Another person 's life was shattered, and a family grieving the loss of their firstborn son. With all that being said, Trayvon might have been smoking weed, and suspended from school, that still didn't mean he had to die for it.Zimmerman has had 5 encounters with the law after the Trayvon incident. One I might add threating the life of his unborn child, and domestic violence with his wife.... (didn't he have a girlfriend at the time of Trayvon's MURDER)? Oh. well,one can question his morals too huh??/Anyways .... the point is, he's still walking around freely. Why do you think that is???
And why is Justin Carter in jail for a sarcastic, LOL-laden FB post, but these actual death threats go unresponded to ?
With all the recent spree shootings committed by angry young white Thugs, Especially in sandy hook who used his Mom's Weapon to kill innocent little kids & teachers! Anyone so stupid should be behind Bars, Someone should hand him a Rope so that he can successfully end his Suffering!
Because that would be racist to accuse these folks of terrorist threats -
DUH! Just ask Jesse and Al
Race. No other reason.
"So should Zimmerman be concerned for his safety, or are these largely empty threats?"
I don't know, but it would be better to wait until he gets killed to see if they were empty threats or not. LOL