# Martin/Zimmerman: humble opinions and speculation thread **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 18, 2012, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-zimmerman-humble-opinions-and-speculation-thread/619125 "2012-04-18T04:41:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 195
**Author:** ![emeraldia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@emeraldia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emeraldia)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-zimmerman-humble-opinions-and-speculation-thread/619125/3882 "2012-07-16T23:11:36Z")
Not sure I would equate Jerry Sandusky with alleged sexual activity between two cousins of similar age as they grew up. At any rate, it’s obviously been reported at this point. ---
**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:** [July 16, 2012, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-zimmerman-humble-opinions-and-speculation-thread/619125/3883 "2012-07-16T23:11:44Z")
> [@Poochey](#): > > Is there any empirical evidence that GZ has ever even met witness number 9? > [@DragonAsh](#): > > You mean besides being a family member? > [@Poochey](#): > > I have a lot of cousins I’ve never met. That’s the worst tap dancing I’ve seen since Buddy Ebsen turned 90. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-zimmerman-humble-opinions-and-speculation-thread/619125/3884 "2012-07-16T23:13:11Z")
> [@DragonAsh](#): > > Oh my. Witness #9 is a younger family member of George’s, and she says that George ‘hates blacks’. > > She contacted the police just two days after the shooting. She contacted police to say what exactly? - “I don’t know what happened, but I know George”. When she was asked to provide examples of Zimmerman’s “racism”, she couldn’t do it. She still hasn’t provided any examples. You’re a racist but I never heard you say or do anything racist. What kind of ludicris statement would that be? When the police obviously weren’t buying her “racism” story, she suddenly remembered that she was molested by an eight year old? Please put this woman on the witness stand. That’s a cross-examination that I would like to hear. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-zimmerman-humble-opinions-and-speculation-thread/619125/3885 "2012-07-16T23:16:57Z")
> [@sugaree](#): > > …She told her sister and parents in 2005, when she was about 20. They told Zimmerman’s parents. Since then, Zimmerman has been excluded from family gatherings. Could you provide a cite for this information? ---
**Author:** ![Poochey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@Poochey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poochey)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-zimmerman-humble-opinions-and-speculation-thread/619125/3886 "2012-07-16T23:20:25Z")
> [@Honesty](#): > > Unbelievable. Why would they make a statement like that? Why confirm that the Witness 9 is actually Zimmerman’s cousin and defense attempted to suppress public dissemination? **Why confirm the story**? I don’t get that. It adds a whole new spin on to what Witness 9 (Hereafter referred to as the **cousin** ) > > So, let me get this straight. Zimmerman _purportedly_ molested his female cousin for over a decade\*. The cousin told family members about the abuse in the early 2000’s. The family members confronted Zimmerman in 2005 and he walked out of the restaurant. Since the cousin’s family (sister and parents) knew of the abuse, you have _at least_ four close relatives who can attest to Zimmerman’s character before the shooting. I suspect that what the woman wanted was closure: acknowledgement and apology for the abuse that occurred. It’s a pity, too. She probably perceives this unrelated case as her last chance of that. If Zimmerman had the humanity to to talk with the family in 2005, the cousin wouldn’t feel compelled to get it in the national spotlight. > > - Honesty > > - I can understand a little doctor at age 8 that can be hand-waved away as both profoundly inappropriate but non-malicious; humans are very curious creatures. However, when you’re 13 - 18, “playing doctor and house” ceases to become about curiosity and exploration but as a means to get your rocks off at the expense of a living human being. Allegedly the first time it happened was around a group of people. Nobody noticed? The investigators should have contacted the parents, to see if they actually confronted Zimmerman in the eatery, and the sister was allegedly told? Why isn’t that a part of the discovery? Then, after years of abuse, she visited Z and allowed him to give her a massage, but when he became aroused, she ran away? Why would she visit him in the first place, if her allegations are true, then allow the massage? If you’re going to run away, why not do it before visiting Z and allowing the massage? ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-zimmerman-humble-opinions-and-speculation-thread/619125/3887 "2012-07-16T23:20:57Z")
> [@sugaree](#): > > Zimmerman moved to Florida at the age of 18, after graduating high school in Virginia. And I parse her words to mean that the last incident happened in the state of Florida. **I don’t see any contradiction in her statement**. She called the police to say Zimmerman was a racist. When asked for specific examples of this “racism”, she can’t provide any. Why didn’t she start her statement with, “I don’t know the facts but…”??? ---
**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-zimmerman-humble-opinions-and-speculation-thread/619125/3888 "2012-07-16T23:27:51Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Could you provide a cite for this information? Yes, I can provide the same cite that was linked on the previous page of this discussion. You can download her statement from [http://www.clickorlando.com/news/Witness-9-George-Zimmerman-molested-me/-/1637132/15528110/-/jniluk/-/index.html](http://www.clickorlando.com/news/Witness-9-George-Zimmerman-molested-me/-/1637132/15528110/-/jniluk/-/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-zimmerman-humble-opinions-and-speculation-thread/619125/3889 "2012-07-16T23:38:48Z")
> [@Poochey](#): > > Allegedly the first time it happened was around a group of people. Nobody noticed? The investigators should have contacted the parents, to see if they actually confronted Zimmerman in the eatery, and the sister was allegedly told? Why isn’t that a part of the discovery? Then, after years of abuse, she visited Z and allowed him to give her a massage, but when he became aroused, she ran away? Why would she visit him in the first place, if her allegations are true, then allow the massage? If you’re going to run away, why not do it before visiting Z and allowing the massage? Allegedly the first time it happened was around a group of their young siblings. Small children are usually not the best at spotting and stopping sexual activity. In her statement, she mentions that George said people were coming over to see the house. When she got there, it was only George. (here, I must interject that regardless of what actually happened at that time, that’s a classic, classic date-rape gambit: the lure of the disappearing party.) Also, if you are a victim, and hiding it from your family, the last thing you want them to say is “Why are you always avoiding your cousin Georgie? He’s such a nice boy.” ---
**Author:** ![Belowjob2.0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Belowjob2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belowjob2.0)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-zimmerman-humble-opinions-and-speculation-thread/619125/3890 "2012-07-17T00:40:29Z")
Well folks, looks like you’ve gone the extra mile to defend a piece of garbage. All the information we have so far is consistent with a person who has significant impulse control issues. The bullying of a coworker, the battery on a cop, and now child molestation against a family member. Prison is where this one belongs. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-zimmerman-humble-opinions-and-speculation-thread/619125/3891 "2012-07-17T00:58:36Z")
> [@sugaree](#): > > Yes, I can provide the same cite that was linked on the previous page of this discussion. You can download her statement from _“It’s not just me that he did these things to,” she said, adding that the other person did not want to discuss the allegations and **would deny that anything happened**._ Making claims of racism and then molestation that may or may not have happened are one thing. Does she have anyone who is willing to back up her story? Is she willing to tell the same story under oath? ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-zimmerman-humble-opinions-and-speculation-thread/619125/3892 "2012-07-17T00:59:12Z")
> [@Belowjob2.0](#): > > Well folks, looks like you’ve gone the extra mile to defend a piece of garbage. > > All the information we have so far is consistent with a person who has significant impulse control issues. The bullying of a coworker, the battery on a cop, and now child molestation against a family member. > > Prison is where this one belongs. What I love is the double standard that is applied to what Martin did at 17 against what Zimmerman did at 17. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-zimmerman-humble-opinions-and-speculation-thread/619125/3893 "2012-07-17T01:05:02Z")
> [@Belowjob2.0](#): > > Well folks, looks like you’ve gone the extra mile to defend a piece of garbage. > > All the information we have so far is consistent with a person who has significant impulse control issues. The bullying of a coworker, the battery on a cop, and now child molestation against a family member. > > Prison is where this one belongs. All you have to do is prove it. In a courtroom. Where the “witnesses” can be cross-examined. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-zimmerman-humble-opinions-and-speculation-thread/619125/3894 "2012-07-17T01:07:01Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > What I love is the double standard that is applied to what Martin did at 17 against what Zimmerman did at 17. Yeah, at 17 that one guy went to the store to get some Skittles and got shot by a creep with a gun fetish: **Fuck him**. Meanwhile, at 17, this other guy was raping a 15-year-old: **defend him to the end!** Will our hypocrisy ever end? What with the defending innocent 17-year-olds while _with the same mouth_ condemning 17-year-old rapists. The double-standard is appalling. > [@emeraldia](#): > > Not sure I would equate Jerry Sandusky with alleged sexual activity between two cousins of similar age as they grew up. This is my favorite euphemism for rape ever: alleged sexual activity. I also like the (previously unknown to me) fact that you can’t rape someone who’s less than 2 years younger than you. I wonder if this defense will hold up in court. ---
**Author:** ![emeraldia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@emeraldia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emeraldia)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-zimmerman-humble-opinions-and-speculation-thread/619125/3895 "2012-07-17T01:07:49Z")
> [@Belowjob2.0](#): > > Well folks, looks like you’ve gone the extra mile to defend a piece of garbage. > > All the information we have so far is consistent with a person who has significant impulse control issues. The bullying of a coworker, the battery on a cop, and now child molestation against a family member. > > Prison is where this one belongs. Doing an Achmed impersonations, pushing a plain-clothes cop, and kissing cousins. Next prosecution discovery: Farmer Gray’s account of George Zimmerman stealing apples from his trees, Mrs. Wilson interview about the day George hit a baseball through her window, and surveillance footage of Zimmerman stealing change out of the wishing fountain. If this is what the prosecution thinks is “highly relevant evidence” to their case then I think we can conclude that they have no actual evidence to convict Zimmerman at this point. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-zimmerman-humble-opinions-and-speculation-thread/619125/3896 "2012-07-17T01:08:10Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > Sorry. BTW. It mentioned that the last incident happened when Zimmerman was 17. > I hope the people who referred to Trayvon Martin as a child don’t suffer any whiplash. yeah - because vandalism and an empty bag of pot, adn maybe theft are soooo similiar to sexual assault. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-zimmerman-humble-opinions-and-speculation-thread/619125/3897 "2012-07-17T01:10:56Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > What I love is the double standard that is applied to what Martin did at 17 against what Zimmerman did at 17. Seriously? You think smoking a blunt is the same thing as taking advantage of someone sexually for ten years? I don’t think the molestation thing is even all that important to the case, though I can see how a person might think that if they didn’t know all the facts.\* But there is no double standard here. If what she’s accusing him of is true, then this guy is a mega-creep. You should be able to make this judgement without playing the “But Trayvon was a thug!” card. \*I don’t know what the witness knew bout this case before she called the police. But if all she’d heard was that Zimmerman had killed a teenage boy under mysterious circumstances, I can understand why she would think her experiences would be relevant. She might have wondered if there was a sex angle. Which we’ve already discussed as a possibility from Martin’s perspective, so no need to act like this is beyond the pale. ---
**Author:** ![emeraldia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@emeraldia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emeraldia)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-zimmerman-humble-opinions-and-speculation-thread/619125/3898 "2012-07-17T01:12:27Z")
> [@](#): > > This is my favorite euphemism for rape ever: alleged sexual activity. I also like the (previously unknown to me) fact that you can’t rape someone who’s less than 2 years younger than you. I wonder if this defense will hold up in court. Such a propensity towards exaggeration. Comparisons to “Sandusky”? Now Zimmerman “raped” her? Next thing you know you’ll be saying he “murdered” Trayvon. Of course, you probably aren’t one to wait until you have all the facts and both sides of the story before believing something. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-zimmerman-humble-opinions-and-speculation-thread/619125/3899 "2012-07-17T01:16:39Z")
> [@emeraldia](#): > > … If this is what the prosecution thinks is “highly relevant evidence” to their case then I think we can conclude that they have no actual evidence to convict Zimmerman at this point. Umm, somehow I’m doubting that the prosecution thinks about this “witness” statement at all. CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![emeraldia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@emeraldia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emeraldia)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-zimmerman-humble-opinions-and-speculation-thread/619125/3900 "2012-07-17T01:24:50Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > yeah - because vandalism and an empty bag of pot, adn maybe theft are soooo similiar to sexual assault. :rolleyes: Vandalism, pot, and theft were recent behaviors that came from a credible source, based on actual evidence. This stuff goes back to when Zimmerman was 8 years old and is of dubious credibility. Are her sexual abuse allegations as credible as her allegations that Zimmerman was a racist prone to angry confrontations? I look forward to hearing the other side of the story, now that she’s got everyone’s attention. At any rate, it is entirely irrelevant to the matter at hand, and it’s only purpose is to malign the defendant. I think including this in their discovery may come back to bite the prosecution at some point. I think most legal experts can see it exactly for what it is. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-zimmerman-humble-opinions-and-speculation-thread/619125/3901 "2012-07-17T01:28:44Z")
> [@Evil\_Economist](#): > It sounds to me like you need to move it to the pit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-zimmerman-humble-opinions-and-speculation-thread/619125.md?page=194) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-zimmerman-humble-opinions-and-speculation-thread/619125.md?page=196)