# George Zimmerman 911 call: What did you hear? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 29, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-zimmerman-911-call-what-did-you-hear/617158 "2012-03-29T14:16:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-zimmerman-911-call-what-did-you-hear/617158/1 "2012-03-29T14:16:37Z")
I saw the headline “Possible Racial Slur” before hearing the recording. I was listening for nigger. I heard fucking coons. Then I went to the Orlando Sentinel to hear the original and heard fucking punks. And then I watched the CNN audio and heard coon again. So I lean toward coon but I wouldn’t swear on it. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-zimmerman-911-call-what-did-you-hear/617158/2 "2012-03-29T14:19:05Z")
On Nancy Grace, it sounded like maybe he was saying ‘it’s fucking cold’. But there was a man on her show leading the audience to that interpretation, so I might have been lead. I honestly can’t really make it out. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-zimmerman-911-call-what-did-you-hear/617158/3 "2012-03-29T15:10:08Z")
Link? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-zimmerman-911-call-what-did-you-hear/617158/4 "2012-03-29T15:15:32Z")
I saw CNN playing it on _The Daily Show_ and I heard “fucking dogs”. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-zimmerman-911-call-what-did-you-hear/617158/5 "2012-03-29T15:18:34Z")
I said, “other” because when I first heard it, I thought he said, “fucking cops.” I was thinking he was perterbed with the 911 guy telling him not to follow Martin. That enhanced thing that CNN did is pretty damning, but it seemed a little odd to me. By then I’d already been told what I was supposed to hear, and I couldn’t hear anything else but that … especially when they played it on a loop about 10 times in a row: “Coon … coon … coon … back and to the left … back and to the left …” ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-zimmerman-911-call-what-did-you-hear/617158/6 "2012-03-29T15:40:42Z")
Without prompting, what percentage of listeners would come up with “fucking coon”? Ten percent? Five? For all I know maybe he did say it (and, having been sufficiently primed, I think I do hear “… coon” when I listen), but his words are anything but clear, and so should probably be disregarded by rational observers. ---
**Author:** ![Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8baadc/32.png) [@Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nicest_of_the_Damned)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-zimmerman-911-call-what-did-you-hear/617158/7 "2012-03-29T18:24:53Z")
I heard punks when I first listened to the full recording of the 911 call. I watched the CNN enhanced recording and expected to hear coons because everyone said it was very clear. I still heard punks. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-zimmerman-911-call-what-did-you-hear/617158/8 "2012-03-29T18:34:53Z")
I heard coons. But then again, that’s what I was expecting to hear from the accompanying story I read. I was positive I heard the “ooo” sound, but I can’t listen to it again right now. ---
**Author:** ![Dahnlor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahnlor/32/533_2.png) [@Dahnlor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahnlor)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-zimmerman-911-call-what-did-you-hear/617158/9 "2012-03-29T19:27:55Z")
When listening to the enhanced audio when they were playing it over and over on CNN, I only heard “fucking punk(s)”. Even when trying to hear “Coons” after being told to do so, I still heard “Punk”. The “P” and “K” sounds seem obvious to me, and the vowel doesn’t sound anything like “oo”. I’m definitely not a supporter of Mr. Zimmerman, but I’m surprised so few people hear “punk”. ---
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-zimmerman-911-call-what-did-you-hear/617158/10 "2012-03-29T22:16:28Z")
I heard ''fucking cunts" and I thought that makes absolutely no sense at all. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-zimmerman-911-call-what-did-you-hear/617158/11 "2012-03-29T22:19:20Z")
I heard a noise. Can’t say for sure what it was. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-zimmerman-911-call-what-did-you-hear/617158/12 "2012-03-29T22:39:48Z")
I heard it without having already been told what he was supposed to have said. I couldn’t make anything remotely intelligible out of it. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-zimmerman-911-call-what-did-you-hear/617158/13 "2012-03-29T23:48:13Z")
I heard ‘fucking coons’ and hadn’t been told that’s what he said - all I had was ‘listen to this around the 2.27 mark.’ ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-zimmerman-911-call-what-did-you-hear/617158/14 "2012-03-30T05:22:41Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > That enhanced thing that CNN did is pretty damning, but it seemed a little odd to me. See, I don’t get how you guys heard anything on the CNN clips. It was just a bunch of whooshy sounds that didn’t even sound like it came from a human. And since the first I heard of this was the enhanced version, I went with “other” in the options. If someone has a link to the original clip, I’d gladly take another listen, and see if context made it make more sense. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-zimmerman-911-call-what-did-you-hear/617158/15 "2012-03-30T11:27:51Z")
Please forgive the hijack… I haven’t heard the clip or followed the case in detail. How did “hoodies” get associated with it so directly? Did Zimmerman emphasize it himself? ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-zimmerman-911-call-what-did-you-hear/617158/16 "2012-03-30T11:48:57Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Link? > [@What\_the](#): > > I haven’t heard the clip… How did “hoodies” get associated with it so directly? Did Zimmerman emphasize it himself? [Best I can find.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgR7gCxXQYg) ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-zimmerman-911-call-what-did-you-hear/617158/17 "2012-03-30T11:59:04Z")
The first time I heard the tape, I didn’t hear anything. Once I was told when to listen I could hear it, but that was in a video where the words were displayed on the screen at the time Zimerman is saying whatever it is he’s saying. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-zimmerman-911-call-what-did-you-hear/617158/18 "2012-03-30T14:01:03Z")
> [@SiXSwordS](#): > > [Best I can find.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgR7gCxXQYg) Fucking punks. I can definitely hear it as fucking coons if I close my eyes and assume that’s actually what he’s saying but, after reading this whole thread and listening to this video, I heard punks first. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-zimmerman-911-call-what-did-you-hear/617158/19 "2012-03-30T14:20:44Z")
The CNN article I read said that after they enhanced it their own staffers could not agree. I put down other because it’s not clear to me. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2012, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-zimmerman-911-call-what-did-you-hear/617158/20 "2012-03-30T14:36:05Z")
It’s too garbled for me to say one way or the other. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-zimmerman-911-call-what-did-you-hear/617158.md?page=2)