[AnotherUnixGeek]

Had it been a white, Latino or Asian kid, it would have been business as usual.

Not for me. Zimmerman stalked a kid and forced a confrontation, even after being warned by the police to mind his own business. I would have found it reprehensible no matter what the kid's skin color was. Martin's skin color simply allowed the issue - a wannabe-cop who shot some kid walking on a street - to be polarized along racial lines.

[Former Proud Canadian]

"Zimmerman stalked a kid and forced a confrontation..."

You sure about that? He actually stalked Saint Trayvon? For how long? How, exactly, did Zimmerman force a (bloody and violent) confrontation?

[crosdaddy]

Zimmerman was in the process of walking back to his car, St.Trayvon jumped him, hit him in the nose knocking him to the ground and than mounting him. WTF in Hell are you talking about? LOL DU is over there.

[Molon Labbie]

I respect your view, but lets not forget that before policing became a vocation, then a profession, the average citizen was required to be the police.

This was a time worn tradition for thousands of years.

Back in those days, if you were caught out after dark, you would be beaten and brought before the magistrate in the morning.

Or even killed. Roman vigiles who were often slaves were the fireguards of the ancient Roman times, and they would kill you if you were caught out after dark.

The prevailing thought was if you were out after dark, you were up to no good anyway.

[Rurudyne]

Nope. No matter his actions he did not initiate an attack Martin.

Martin was not forced to jump him and the choice to do so was without compulsion.

Martin died BECAUSE he chose violence. His blood is on his own hands.

[60Gunner]

Glad you were there to see the whole thing. /sarc

[oldenuff35]

The police did not tell Z to mind his own business that is a lie. They told him “that is not necessary” and they were referring to him finding the proper street sign and housing number where he had last seen the martin. That 911 call was played repeatedly at the trial and was never challenged on this point. This was a constructed media lie that the gullible among us swallowed hook line and sinker.

Z did not force the confrontation, that again is a lie. All close proximity and close physical observation had been ended for over 4 minutes before Martin ambushed and tried to kill Z. As pointed out to the jury, Martin had enough time to crawl to his fathers house in those minutes if he had truly been scared or felt threatened. Martin chose to circle back around and ambushed Z a full four minutes after Z had stopped observing him and broken off contact with him. After all contact had been terminated that was Martin’s choice and his chosen actions. This comes directly from sworn eyewitness testimony at the trial.

Both of these lies are quiet clearly and thoroughly documented and verbally highlighted in the trial testimony. Neither of these points were even contested by the prosecutor.

You can have your own opinion but you do not get to make up your own facts.

[arthurus]

Zimmerman did not stalk Trayvon. He kept him in sight. Neighborhood guards do that. Neighborhood dads out for a walk do that when they see someone who does not fit int he neighborhood at night.Zimmerman was ambushed. Were there no gun in his belt he would be dead with a fractured skull. Had he not grabbed his gun when he did he would have been shot to death. Trayvon, sitting on him, felt the gun and went for it.

[T-Bone Texan]

You are wrong. p>He was never told by police to "mind his own business". As for "stalking", Z man followed a person who he believed was breaking into homes in his community, and strived to keep in contact until police arrived. Turns out the thug WAS breaking into houses. Big surprise.

Did we read entirely different accounts of this event?