Posted on 05/08/2012 4:57:40 AM PDT by marktwain
A new bill would re-write Louisiana criminal law in response to the February shooting in Florida of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
The bill, HB1100, targets what's known as a "Stand Your Ground law." State lawmakers say as it reads right now, prosecutors would have a tough time pressing charges against the shooter if the Trayvon Martin case happened in Louisiana.
George Zimmerman faces a second degree murder charge for that shooting. A neighborhood watch activist, Zimmerman shot and killed Martin, Zimmerman says in self-defense, but according to some, "self-defense" isn't very clear in Louisiana.
"If the case were that Mr. Zimmerman actually pursued Trayvon Martin, then the judge and the jury should take that into consideration." Rep. Roy Burrell says, "to determine who was the actual aggressor."
A Representative from Shreveport, Burrell authors what's now dubbed the "Trayvon Bill."
If passed, it will re-write the "Stand Your Ground" law. SYG currently doesn't let a judge or jury consider pursuit to identify an aggressor; in this case, George Zimmerman pursued Trayvon Martin, even after contacting police.
"We have to know that guns kill," Rep. Terry Landry said. "We have to leave the policing to the authorities."
Acadiana Representative Terry Landry brings more than 30-years of law enforcement experience to the Administration of Criminal Justice Committee. That committee gave this bill the thumbs up and has high hopes it will become law, allowing the courts to determine an aggressor with evidence of pursuit.
"If the threat is removed, say if the person is running away from you, then the threat is clearly removed," Rep. Burrell said. "You cannot use deadly force to take a person's life."
The bill also got the thumbs up from District Attorneys around the state and it will hit the house floor Tuesday.
—Anyone with any sense would have let Zimmerman know what he was about.....if he had a right to be where he was.—
You and I would have, but a young man with “the chip” and the hubris apparent in his internet persona would have done what it appears Martin did.
Then again, you did say “anyone with any sense”. And that may be the problem here. Especially if he was under the influence of drugs.
Obviously, Zimmerman “dissed” Martin by suspecting him of ill intent,
so Zimmerman deserved at least a beat down, if not a beating to death.
(See, I can be “culturally sensitive”!)
Yep. The “Z stalking M” dog will not hunt in this case. During the dispatch call, Martin stared down Z and finally approached his vehicle. That is not a man who is intimidated. That is a man with the attitude of “What you lookin’ at, fool!”
I think that attitude cost him his life.
In this instance, what's overlooked is Zimmerman's job was neighborhood watch patrol and thus his job to follow and report suspicious characters in his neighborhood.
Therefor, the questions should be whether Zimmerman confronted Martin when there was no need to. Not whether he followed Martin, because we expect Zimmerman to keep himself present and visible. After all, following and showing presence and visibility is the chief tool of dissuasion for neighborhood watch patrols.
It would be interesting to know what type of Clothes Zimmerman was wearing. Was he dressed in dark concealing cloths or was he wearing some unofficial uniform and marking's identifying himself as Neighborhood watch?
Z wasn’t ‘on patrol’ at the time .. he was returning home from a personal errand of some sort.
SYG does more than give one the right of self defense if you could run away but didn't. It also protects one from civil suits by the family of the perp/victim.
Just because he was having his head smashed on the concrete and couldn't run away, Zimmerman is still protected by the state self defense law, which includes the protections of SYG.
Not according to the official police call.
Per the recording, "you shouldn't do that..... OK"
Zimmerman had ceased tracking/pursuit.
Skiddles ambushed George. Skiddels knocked George down, pinned him, and repeatedly smashed his skull against the sidewalk.
George defended his LIFE!
And it's likely he's hit on someone before....but of course, he's a juvee and everything gets sealed.
We know the kid stole and did drugs.....and his twitter pictures....pretty telling.....
I was not aware of the “can’t sue the guy” aspect.
My point is that if it came down as Zimmerman claimed, he was within his rights even without SYG. If SYG protects him from lawsuits, so much the better.
That’s pretty much how I see it too.
If true, that’s not relevant. Even in actual sanctioned law enforcement it’s considered that you’re still on duty even when off shift, and like it or not (and they aren’t going to like it because it weakens their control) Zimmerman is in effect a deputized sheriff of sorts for his immediate neighborhood.
The police are welcome to continue policing, but they don't provide personal protection. That is left to the individual.
Besides, if I call police to save me from the burglar, they are likely to shoot my dog, trash my house, & arrest me for protesting after tasing me a few times.
Whites are now learning what blacks learned long ago: Calling police is the worse thing you can do. It only makes a bad situation worse.
Tell the law enforcement hucksters to take a hike. They haven't made the streets any safer, only meaner. Decent folks need the right to defend themselves w/o fear of arrest or financial ruin.
There will be a special hearing on that and if the prosecution can't come up with solid evidence to support the charge, the Judge will toss the case out. There will be no trial.
That hearing that he had was a bail hearing, nothing more.
Prosecutors should have a tough time prosecuting(persecuting)an innocent man who used a firearm in defense of his life.
“State lawmakers say as it reads right now, prosecutors would have a tough time pressing charges against the shooter if the Trayvon Martin case happened in Louisiana.”
As they should, since the evidence indicates GZ did nothing wrong. Perhaps the idiots trying to pass laws now should wait until the actual facts of the case come out during trial. What a concept.
I’m sick to death of grandstanding politicians drafting legislation in a knee-jerk manner, trying to capitalize on tragedy for political gain. It doesn’t make for good laws, and it’s really unbecoming. I hope the good people of Louisiana throw this bum out next election, and that his legislation dies the quick death it deserves.
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