Josefly,
I'm sitting in Jakarta, Indonesia, so it's possible that I'm missing quite a bit of the reporting on this case.. If the facts, as they are released and confirmed, are contrary to my understanding, I'll accept the Mea Culpa.. ;0)
From what I understand the dispatcher told Zimmerman several times not to approach Martin, but to wait for the police.. It seems that this instruction was ignored. Some would call that escalation..
This is first I've heard about Zimmerman claiming to be looking for a street sign. At this moment, it would seem, all we have is the testimony of Zimmerman and any witness statements.
I just want to see the facts released and stop having this situation inflamed by the race baiters, the media, and those with an agenda that doesn't involve obtaining the true facts.
Sadly, I think the only two people who truly know what happened are Zimmerman and Martin, and one of them is dead. That means that it's going to be very difficult to prosecute Zimmerman and convict beyond a reasonable doubt.
Here's one point that bothers me.. Did Zimmerman have to announce to the walking Martin that he represented the local neighborhood watch and then asked Martin what he was doing in the parking lot? NO.. He did not.
And I don't yet see anything from witnesses or otherwise that suggest Zimmerman tried that approach..
The ultimate goal of neighborhood watch is deterrence, not confrontation and/or apprehension. A simple "Hey buddy!! I'm a neighborhood watch person and I don't recall seeing you around here before.. Could you tell me who you are and what your purpose is here?" would likely have gone a long way to altered the situation considerably.. Did Zimmerman do that while he was out looking for that sign?
At such a point, Martin would either be in a "fight or flight" mode (given that Zimmerman didn't realize Martin was on the phone with his GF). It strikes me that it could have diffused the situation.. If Martin was up to no good, he would have ran like a rabbit to prevent being identified. But if he stated that he had legitimate business there, it could have gone to the next level of verification of that fact (calling his father or father's fiancee)
Btw, I'm with you all the way when it comes to Jesse Jackson and the other race baiters. Utterly disgusting..
As for my opinion of Martin, I've not seen sufficient evidence to suggest he was a hard core "banger".. Maybe he wanted to be one.. maybe it was all bluff.. But I've no doubt he liked his wacky tobaccy, and got himself in a bit of trouble. I knew a lot of kids who did that when I was in school, and that was 30 years ago..
I appreciate any facts that you have to offer, and their sources, as I try to keep myself up to speed on this case (although not a high priority in my life at the moment.. ;0)
Hawk |
