# Did Trayvon Martin have the right to stand his own ground? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 18, 2012, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trayvon-martin-have-the-right-to-stand-his-own-ground/622287 "2012-05-18T03:13:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trayvon-martin-have-the-right-to-stand-his-own-ground/622287/221 "2012-06-06T12:51:27Z")
> [@Rampant\_Coypu](#): > > Uh, where’s your visual evidence? I seem to be the only one posting actual evidence here. I’ve posted video of Zimmerman getting out of a police car all hale and healthy. I’ve posted a link where you can listen to all of Zimmerman’s hyped up 911 calls. Where are your pictures of Zimmerman’s bloody nose? Where are the black eyes? I want evidence. I have posted evidence that there was no beatdown. I have posted evidence that Zimmerman was hyped for action. > > And I would totally bet that if I were to follow you in my car as you walked, you’d feel threatened. We’ve gone over the evidence extensively. The pictures of his injuries, the police report, EMT reports, witnesses, phone calls etc… They are all consistent with Zimmerman’s account of what happened. The video you refer to is a grainy post EMT cleanup. The 911 call does not portray a person who is “hyped up”. He’s calm during the entire call. Noses don’t have to bleed to be broken. There’s no evidence that Martin was followed by a truck. He was observed by a truck and when he took off running was followed. If he felt threatened he had a phone to call the police and he was literally a few houses away when he stopped and asked Zimmerman why he was following him. ---
**Author:** ![al27052](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/41988e/32.png) [@al27052](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/al27052)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trayvon-martin-have-the-right-to-stand-his-own-ground/622287/222 "2012-06-06T23:22:56Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > …and when he took off running was followed… Please go back to the planet where chasing someone _who is running away from you AT NIGHT_ is _not_ considered aggressive and highly threatening. Take all your buddies on this thread who agree with you on that, too. Please. You don’t fit in here on Earth, with assumptions like that. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trayvon-martin-have-the-right-to-stand-his-own-ground/622287/223 "2012-06-06T23:25:10Z")
> [@al27052](#): > > Please go back to the planet where chasing someone _who is running away from you AT NIGHT_ is _not_ considered aggressive and highly threatening. > > Take all your buddies on this thread who agree with you on that, too. Please. > > You don’t fit in here on Earth, with assumptions like that. The same planet that I was on when a neighborhood watch pulled up to me at night and asked me the same question Zimmerman asked. A conversation ensued. Not everybody is as paranoid as you. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trayvon-martin-have-the-right-to-stand-his-own-ground/622287/224 "2012-06-07T00:20:09Z")
Or as paranoid as Zimmerman. How did you know they were neighborhood watch, may I ask? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trayvon-martin-have-the-right-to-stand-his-own-ground/622287/225 "2012-06-07T00:33:10Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > Or as paranoid as Zimmerman. How did you know they were neighborhood watch, may I ask? They asked me what I was doing there. A conversation ensued. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trayvon-martin-have-the-right-to-stand-his-own-ground/622287/226 "2012-06-07T00:34:30Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > Or as paranoid as Zimmerman. How did you know they were neighborhood watch, may I ask? Cite that Zimmerman was paranoid. His neighborhood had a series of robberies that included one while people were home. He was looking after his neighborhood. ---
**Author:** ![Honesty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f04885/32.png) [@Honesty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honesty)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trayvon-martin-have-the-right-to-stand-his-own-ground/622287/227 "2012-06-07T01:11:53Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Cite that Zimmerman was paranoid. . Well, he’s on benzodiapenes. That should indicate that he has some basal level of anxiety that needed to be managed under the care of a psychiatrist. Needless to say, I’m hungry to get a peek at Zimmerman’s psychiatric record. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trayvon-martin-have-the-right-to-stand-his-own-ground/622287/228 "2012-06-07T01:18:56Z")
> [@Honesty](#): > > Well, he’s on benzodiapenes. That should indicate that he has some basal level of anxiety that needed to be managed under the care of a psychiatrist. Needless to say, I’m hungry to get a peek at Zimmerman’s psychiatric record. It’s prescribed for a number of different things: anxiety, insomnia, agitation, seizures, muscle spasms, alcohol withdrawal and as a premedication for medical procedures. ---
**Author:** ![Honesty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f04885/32.png) [@Honesty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honesty)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trayvon-martin-have-the-right-to-stand-his-own-ground/622287/229 "2012-06-07T01:30:30Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > It’s prescribed for a number of different things: anxiety, insomnia, agitation, seizures, muscle spasms, alcohol withdrawal and as a premedication for medical procedures. You’re right, although I beg you keep in mind he was also taking amphetamine salts. This is why it’ll be interesting to see what a professional psychiatrist diagnosed Zimmerman with. Guess we’ll have to wait till that information is made public. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trayvon-martin-have-the-right-to-stand-his-own-ground/622287/230 "2012-06-07T01:34:01Z")
> [@Honesty](#): > > You’re right, although I beg you keep in mind he was also taking amphetamine salts. This is why it’ll be interesting to see what a professional psychiatrist diagnosed Zimmerman with. Guess we’ll have to wait till that information is made public. I thought I heard he was ADHD. Don’t need a psychiatrist to prescribe that. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trayvon-martin-have-the-right-to-stand-his-own-ground/622287/231 "2012-06-07T02:06:03Z")
People with ADHD tend to be a bit impulsive and quick-tempered. It amused me when people were interested in how trace amounts of THC could have turned Martin into a rage-a-holic crazy person, but didn’t say a single word about the pharmacy of psychotropic in Zimmerman’s system. Not only do they have side-effects that could have arrested his judgment, but they are prescribed to treat conditions that also contribute to bad behavior. Too bad the police didn’t get a blood sample. Did we ever find out if they bothered to ask him for one? ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trayvon-martin-have-the-right-to-stand-his-own-ground/622287/232 "2012-06-07T02:26:58Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > It amused me when people were interested in how trace amounts of THC could have turned Martin into a rage-a-holic crazy person, but didn’t say a single word about the pharmacy of psychotropic in Zimmerman’s system. What “pharmacy of psychotropic”? Is there any evidence of any drugs being in Zimmerman’s system? Can you link to some? ---
**Author:** ![al27052](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/41988e/32.png) [@al27052](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/al27052)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trayvon-martin-have-the-right-to-stand-his-own-ground/622287/233 "2012-06-07T02:31:47Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > The same planet that I was on when a neighborhood watch pulled up to me at night and asked me the same question Zimmerman asked. A conversation ensued. Not everybody is as paranoid as you. If you EVER got out of YOUR car and chased me at night after following me in your car, not only would I run and hide, I’ll call the cops on your ass. And I’d be right to. Zimmerman’s behavior wasn’t normal. Trayvon had reason to feel threatened. There’s a difference between someone rolling their window and talking to you, and following you in their car, then chasing you on foot. If you can’t admit that, I refer you to my previous comment re: visiting your home planet, mmkay? Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Honesty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f04885/32.png) [@Honesty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honesty)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trayvon-martin-have-the-right-to-stand-his-own-ground/622287/234 "2012-06-07T03:11:27Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > What “pharmacy of psychotropic”? Is there any evidence of any drugs being in Zimmerman’s system? Can you link to some? Unfortunately, Zimmerman did not receive medical care for the injuries that he deemed were life-threatening to kill another human being for. The next best thing is to examine the reasons why these drugs were prescribed, the dose, and how often Zimmerman was taking these legal psychotropic medications. ---
**Author:** ![Honesty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f04885/32.png) [@Honesty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honesty)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trayvon-martin-have-the-right-to-stand-his-own-ground/622287/235 "2012-06-07T03:14:28Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I thought I heard he was ADHD. Don’t need a psychiatrist to prescribe that. Really? Is this true? Doctors (non-psychiatric) prescribe amphetamines and benzodiapenes to their patients without a formal psychiatric evaluation? I’ve always figured that they _could_, and thought maybe they do so in extenuating circumstances (e.g. patient who lost a loved one, death in the family, etc) but didn’t realize it was common place. Are there any MDs on board that can confirm **Magiver**? I would have guessed that ADHD diagnosis would fall under the purview of psychiatry not an MD. ---
**Author:** ![Honesty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f04885/32.png) [@Honesty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honesty)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trayvon-martin-have-the-right-to-stand-his-own-ground/622287/236 "2012-06-07T03:24:43Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Too bad the police didn’t get a blood sample. Did we ever find out if they bothered to ask him for one? I’m sure if Zimmerman sought medical care they would’ve taken a blood sample. Unfortunately, Zimmerman refused to seek medical attention that night so we’ll never know what drugs (if any) were in his system. Though, I’m left wondering if his refusal to seek medical attention was purposeful or simply coincidental. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trayvon-martin-have-the-right-to-stand-his-own-ground/622287/237 "2012-06-07T03:53:53Z")
> [@Honesty](#): > > Unfortunately, Zimmerman did not receive medical care for the injuries that he deemed were life-threatening to kill another human being for. The next best thing is to examine the reasons why these drugs were prescribed, the dose, and how often Zimmerman was taking these legal psychotropic medications. So you (and the state) have absolutely no evidence that Zimmerman was under influence of any drugs whatsoever at the time. Right? ---
**Author:** ![Honesty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f04885/32.png) [@Honesty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honesty)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trayvon-martin-have-the-right-to-stand-his-own-ground/622287/238 "2012-06-07T04:04:40Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > So you (and the state) have absolutely no evidence that Zimmerman was under influence of any drugs whatsoever at the time. Right? Correct. Since he did not seek medical care for his life-threatening injuries, there is no medical record Zimmerman was under the influence of any psychotropic medications. - Honesty ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trayvon-martin-have-the-right-to-stand-his-own-ground/622287/239 "2012-06-07T04:05:31Z")
> [@Honesty](#): > > Unfortunately, Zimmerman did not receive medical care for the injuries that he deemed were life-threatening to kill another human being for. The next best thing is to examine the reasons why these drugs were prescribed, the dose, and how often Zimmerman was taking these legal psychotropic medications. Assuming for the moment that Zimmerman’s account is truthful; Zimmerman fired because he was being assaulted and feared that his life was in danger. It does not strike me as unreasonable that someone can be assaulted, fear for their life and ultimately walk away with injuries that are not life threatening. I’ve been there myself. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trayvon-martin-have-the-right-to-stand-his-own-ground/622287/240 "2012-06-07T04:09:19Z")
> [@Honesty](#): > > Correct. Since he did not seek medical care for his life-threatening injuries, there is no medical record Zimmerman was under the influence of any psychotropic medications. Good. Then it won’t come up in the trial and is irrelevant. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trayvon-martin-have-the-right-to-stand-his-own-ground/622287.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-trayvon-martin-have-the-right-to-stand-his-own-ground/622287.md?page=13)