Posted on 03/20/2012 9:36:58 PM PDT by marktwain
A Sanford neighbor of George Zimmerman and fellow neighborhood watch captain in their gated community came to his defense Tuesday, saying that he shot Miami teenager Trayvon Martin after numerous burglaries at The Retreat at Twin Lakes.
Frank Taaffe pointed out the circumstances that he believes led his 28-year-old neighbor to react the way he did on the night of Feb. 26: eight burglaries within 15 months, most done by young black males, he said.
"The stage was already set. It was a perfect storm,” Taaffe said. “I think any time you use a weapon, there are certain anger issues working.”
NBC 6 could not immediately confirm the burglary statistic Taaffe cited in a phone call to Sanford Police Tuesday night.
Martin, 17, picked up Skittles and iced tea from a 7-Eleven that Sunday, then headed back towards his father’s girlfriend's home on a rainy, drizzly night. Martin put on his hoodie and ran to take cover. Zimmerman spotted him, got out of his car and followed him.
In Trayvon Martin's final phone call with his own girlfriend, according to Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump, he could be heard saying “Why are you following me?” and Zimmerman replying “What are you doing around here?”
Their confrontation ended with Martin getting shot in the chest.
“This guy looks like he’s up to no good … he looks black,” Zimmerman told a police dispatcher from his car. His father has said that Zimmerman is Hispanic, grew up in a multiracial family, and is not racist.
Twin Lakes’ population is ethnically mixed. A few residents said there is tension within the gated community.
“I think he had fed-up issues. He was mad as hell and wasn't going to take it anymore,” Taaffe said of Zimmerman.
He insisted, however, that Zimmerman cared about all his neighbors.
"George is a congenial, amiable, admirable person,” he said. "He had a passion and a care for this neighborhood to ensure the safety of everybody here. And, furthermore, George is no Rambo."
Taaffe said that Zimmerman actually was appointed as a watch captain, despite reports that he appointed himself to the post.
He said he believes his neighbor acted in self-defense. That is what Zimmerman told police.
Zimmerman has not been charged, despite growing calls for his arrest.
"It’s really sad that he's already been convicted in the public media and has already been sentenced to the gas chamber,” Taaffe said. “Let's let justice do its job."
At the same time, Martin’s death is “devastating,” he said.
”It's a tragic event – we can’t bring that boy back,” he said. “I wish we could.”
Wearing hoodies puts out an image...I have a bunch of boys too
I don’t allow it in my presence unless...as in this case it’s for a reason like very cold or rain
I’m sure your son is great...it’s not against him
but a hoodie pulled up is straight gangsta style for an image to project something
it gives the wrong impression like tattoo sleeves or neck ink
i don’t allow hip hop either...no way
No we do not have every reason to believe this. Zimmerman is apparently claiming that Martin attacked him. This is a reason to believe that perhaps Martin broke the law.
You mean all of those news sights with the same AP story on it? Or that kids picture from 4 years ago when he was 13?
Rumor has it that aging four years and growing to a height of 6' 3" will change a person...
Or course, if the rest of the Internet has evidence to the contrary I'm willing to review the data...
Maybe, maybe not. How do you know?
You mean the armed, heavy-set man who did not identify himself as the Neighbourhood watch guy, but walked up to a teen, armed with Skittles and tea, aggressively demanding the whyabouts as to why the teen was lawfully carrying about his business?
That Neighbourhood Watch guy?
Zimmerman initiated contact, in an aggressive manner. The teen likely, and had reason to, thought his life was in danger. He had every reason to fight under the assumption his life was in danger.
I would to, under the known circumstances, and so would you as it would be very stupid to not do.
Physically attacking someone is illegal and that means something.
Then again...
Maybe you were there and saw the whole thing. We'll just go by what you present as facts. The heck with anything that doesn't fit your narrative.
You do not know how Zimmerman acted toward Martin or what he said to him after he got out of his car.
You claim otherwise because you are a liar.
If somebody, for reasons that are completely unknown to me, came up to me and started hassling as for my reasons for being, I am going to assume possible danger to my well-being. I think most rational people would assume it to be a distinct possibility.
I’m not inclined to stand around and have a rational conversation with a person who isn’t acting rational.
Doesn't mean Martin did anything wrong ~
As of yet we do not know who attacked first.
1. Strictly speaking, Florida law typically does not allow you to use deadly force (even in self defense) if you "provoke" the use of force against yourself, which is a bit broader than "attacking" someone. In other words, if you "provoke" someone into using force against you (I'm sure there's caselaw dealing with what "provoke" means in this context), then even if the other guy throws the first punch, you lose your "self-defense" argument.
2. Zimmerman's 911 call provides some evidence of Zimmerman's conduct, and his state of mind at the time of this incident. Zimmerman did not simply observe Martin and report what Martin was doing. Rather, Zimmerman followed Martin, even after being told not to do so, and then tracked him down when he lost sight of him. He also said things like "these a**holes, they always get away" and "f*cking [punks?]." It's circumstantial evidence (pretty much everything is in a case like this, with no eyewitnisses and only one survivor), but Zimmerman's state of mind and conduct during the 911 call make it sound like he was the aggressor.
Whether Zimmerman committed a crime is an issue that will be dealt with by the courts. Leaving aside the legalities, the simplest fact of this case is this: had Zimmerman had simply Neighborhood Watch best practices and observed and reported rather than confronting Martin, this tragedy never would have happened.
I actually haven’t paid much attention to the MSM narrative. The facts I gathered independently have strongly suggested a wannabe cop who also wanted to be a hero to his community being at the root of the whole situation going up against a mostly-good kid who wasn’t doing anything wrong.
Yep but how do you know which one started the aggressive contact. Hint you do not know you are assuming it was Zimmerman. Following someone and asking them what they are doing is not aggression.
I haven’t found one site to contradict this fact and I’ve looked.
I have no reason to think that it is otherwise. Even if he gained 20 lbs or so, it’s still not in the realm of being 220 lbs or 250 lbs.
It's not my anger management problem ~ it's HIS anger management problem. There are ways to approach perfect strangers ~ he seems to not know what they are.
Turns out in this case that any trepedation Martin might have had about Zimmerman was absolutely correct. Dude had a gun and was ready to shoot.
Holdervwill file charges closer to the election, or maybe after, depending on the whole race card value. A potential crime has nothing to do with it.
He told the operator that he wasn’t going to let the kid get away, that implies that he’s going to confront. Even if the kid was running, he can’t out run a car. Zimmerman could still observe and report from his car, if that’s all he was trying to do.
Zimmerman told the operator that he was going to not let the kid get away and got out of his car. The only legitimate reason for leaving his vehicle is because he’s going to do more than just observe, he was going to try and apprehend the person.
The fact that Zimmerman (the guy who shot Martin) alleged that Martin attacked him is "reason to believe that perhaps Martin broke the law"? Why so quick to believe him?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.