# Pitting the Zimmerman trial circus **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 13, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419 "2013-07-13T19:53:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 23
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/441 "2013-07-15T19:55:05Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > He explicitly referred to Martin as being one of the “fucking punks” and how “those assholes always get away with it.” He explicitly did NOT refer to Martin with those words. “Referring to Martin” would be “he’s a fucking punk” and “he is one of those assholes that always get away”. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/442 "2013-07-15T19:56:02Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > He explicitly did NOT refer to Martin with those words. “Referring to Martin” would be “he’s a fucking punk” and “he is one of those assholes that always get away”. You are either stupid or disingenuous. But I shouldn’t rule out both, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/443 "2013-07-15T19:57:15Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > You are either stupid or disingenuous. But I shouldn’t rule out both, I suppose. Words have meanings. Such as “explicitly”. Since you don’t know that, I guess I have to conclude that you’re stupid. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/444 "2013-07-15T20:02:07Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > No, we don’t. We know Zimmerman thought he was suspicious. The “fact” that he thought Martin was a criminal is an invention of yours. “Suspicious” of what? Did Zimmerman “suspect” Martin was a member of 1 Direction, or had a case of scabies, or was a mechanic? Zimmerman, of course, suspected that Martin was a criminal of some kind, intent on committing criminal acts. He also suspected Martin was on drugs. That’s why he called the police. \*\* He said so himself. \*\* And he was wrong; Martin was not engaged in criminal activity and was simply walking home from the store. I’m not Team Trayvon here; I think the acquittal was justified. But denying simple facts is kind of bizarre. What do YOU think George Zimmerman suspected Martin of? Preferring Pepsi to Coke? ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/445 "2013-07-15T20:02:10Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > He explicitly did NOT refer to Martin with those words. “Referring to Martin” would be “he’s a fucking punk” and “he is one of those assholes that always get away”. Really, so then why in the middle of the discussion with the police operator did he make such utterances? If he didn’t think that Martin was one of those “punks” or “assholes”(which was clearly referring to prowlers), then why did he make them? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/446 "2013-07-15T20:05:40Z")
> [@RedFury](#): > > Exactly right. So neither. White Spaniard is fine – even if we’ve gone through the ‘color scheme bullshit’ enough times here guess we have to play. I don’t see what more “ethnic” divisions they need. > > BTW, I never applied to any school or job as a minority while Stateside for 20 years – simply because I am not. I had a colleague from Spain who was dumbfounded that his children were classified by the school district as “Hispanic”. Although he understood what the term must mean, he had no idea how it was used in the US and why it would apply to him. And I could completely understand his confusion. “Hispanic” has to be one of the craziest classification categories invented by Americans. At least the term “Latino” has some reference to Latin America as opposed to simply the language a person speaks. And then there’s “Anglo”, which might mean someone from Italy. Or even Spain, for tht matter! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/447 "2013-07-15T20:07:13Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I’m not Team Trayvon here; I think the acquittal was justified. But denying simple facts is kind of bizarre. What do YOU think George Zimmerman suspected Martin of? Preferring Pepsi to Coke? Zimmerman didn’t “think” that Martin was a criminal. He suspected him of being one. “Suspect” implies uncertainty. “Think” is pretty definitive. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/448 "2013-07-15T20:07:35Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Did I just hear Jesse Jackson correctly? Did he really say that Trayon didn’t get justice because there was an all white prosecution team, an all white defense team, and a jury panel with no blacks on it? Did he just say that Trayvon didn’t get justice because he did not have a _jury of his peers_? The victim gets a jury of his peers too? I never knew that. Does he really believe Zimmerman was found not guilty simply because Trayvon was black? Just proves that Jackson’s a moron; Martin wasn’t on trial, Zimmerman was. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/449 "2013-07-15T20:08:14Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Really, so then why in the middle of the discussion with the police operator did he make such utterances? > > If he didn’t think that Martin was one of those “punks” or “assholes”(which was clearly referring to prowlers), then why did he make them? Again, you stated that he “explicitly” referred to Martin. If he did, you wouldn’t have to ask these questions. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/450 "2013-07-15T20:28:44Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Zimmerman didn’t “think” that Martin was a criminal. He suspected him of being one. “Suspect” implies uncertainty. “Think” is pretty definitive. Do you actually want to drag the dictionary into this? Do I really have to drag out the facts that “think” can mean “to suspect,” “to have an opinion” or “To have a belief”? Or should we know what your personal definitions for common words are? Jesus. Was Zimmerman’s suspicion, thought, opinion, or belief (choose your own) that Martin was a criminal correct? No, it wasn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/451 "2013-07-15T20:31:18Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > We have evidence Martin struck Zimmerman; we do not know for sure who initiated the altercation. It is entirely possible Zimmerman grabbed or shoved Martin first. You don’t know, _and you never will know_, for sure. Accept it. Who said anything about knowing for sure? I am talking about things for which we have evidence, vs. things for which we have none. We have evidence that Martin struck Zimmerman. We have no evidence of any sort whatsoever that Zimmerman committed any assault on Martin. None. Zero. Zilch. Accept _that._ > [@](#): > > But in fact, we DO know this (that Zimmerman erroneously assumed Martin was a criminal, and went after him on that assumption) with near certainty,\*\* because George Zimmerman said so.\*\* It is a fact - we have it on tape, and he admits to it - that Zimmerman believed Martin was a prowler, a criminal of some sort who was up to nefarious work. It is a fact that Martin was not, and that he was merely returning from the store to the place he was staying. You know these facts to be true. No, they are not true. Zimmerman did not say that he he “went after” Martin because he believed Martin was a criminal. > [@](#): > > I don’t know why you’re so weirdly stubborn about acknowledging facts that even Zimmerman himself acknowledges. Zimmerman has never stated that he shot Martin because Martin was a prowler. > [@](#): > > I certainly would not see any moral problems had he “left his truck” when he got home, thinking “huh, that black guy I saw didn’t have a raincoat, I hope he doesn’t get too wet before he gets back to his place.” Which is what I would have done. You are not the neighborhood watch guy in a neighborhood that suffered several burglaries and at least one shooting in the previous months. Zimmerman was, and he seems (in the incident immediately prior to the shooting) to have foiled a burglary in progress. But there is also no moral problem about leaving your truck in order to meet with police to report a suspicious stranger in your neighborhood. Especially a violent one like Trayvon Martin. No, Zimmerman did not know that for certain. But he was suspicious, and it turns out rightly so. > [@](#): > > Let me put it more accurately; suppose Zimmerman had been unarmed. Would he still have been wrong to assume Martin was a criminal, and go chasing after him, against the advice of the 911 dispatcher, with a baseless suspicion? Yes, that would have been stupid and wrong. His assumption would have been wrong, and his actions pointless and reckless. No, they would not have been either pointless or reckless. Zimmerman was reporting a suspicious character in a high-crime neighborhood, so his actions were far from pointless. And no reasonable person expects to be attacked upon leaving his truck, so they weren’t reckless either. The person acting recklessly, and therefore bearing the moral guilt, is Trayvon Martin. It is his actions that caused this whole incident. If he had simply entered his father’s condo when he had the opportunity, none of this would have happened. Instead he chose to go back and attack Zimmerman. If Martin had dialed 911 instead of his girlfriend, none of this would have happened. Instead, he chose to punch a stranger in the face, break his nose, and jump on his chest and pound his head on the pavement. People keep saying that none of this would have happened if Zimmerman had stayed in his truck. None of it would have happened if Martin had not been wandering around in the rain looking into houses. If Zimmerman incurs responsibility for getting out to find a street sign, why is Martin blameless? Nobody did anything wrong or illegal until the attack. All of the evidence, without any exception whatsoever, is that all of the violence was committed by Martin. There is no evidence of any sort that Zimmerman used violence until after his nose was broken, his eyes blackened, and his head was bashed on the sidewalk. That kind of violence, the kind Martin employed, is clearly enough to put a reasonable person in fear of his life. Even if Zimmerman had grabbed Martin - \*\*an event for which there is no evidence \*\*whatsoever - Martin was not justified in using that level of force. So even if you assume **without any evidence** that Zimmerman pushed Martin, it still does not justify the violence of his attack on Zimmerman. So we have relatively clear evidence of violence coming from Martin against Zimmerman. We have no evidence at all of any violence coming from Zimmerman against Martin. There is not a mark on Martin from Zimmerman striking Martin, but there is on Zimmerman from Martin. There is no sign on Zimmerman’s hands that he punched anyone, but there is on Martin’s. The advantage in a street fight, especially between less-experienced participants, is nearly always to the initial attacker. That is why Zimmerman was injured and Martin was not. This is further established by the fact that eyewitnesses described Zimmerman as screaming for help, and not Martin. So, as far as the evidence goes, it goes to prove exactly what it seemed to from the outset - that Zimmerman’s account was substantially true. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/452 "2013-07-15T20:32:05Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Was Zimmerman’s suspicion, thought, opinion, or belief (choose your own) that Martin was a criminal correct? We don’t know. Martin does have murky past, including being caught with a bunch of jewelry that was not his and there are indications that that jewelry came from one of the burglarized houses near Martin’s school. So just like you don’t know, definitively, what Zimmerman “thought” you don’t know the motivation, definitively, of Martin walking around in the rain looking at houses. ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/453 "2013-07-15T20:37:19Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I had a colleague from Spain who was dumbfounded that his children were classified by the school district as “Hispanic”. Although he understood what the term must mean, he had no idea how it was used in the US and why it would apply to him. And I could completely understand his confusion. “Hispanic” has to be one of the craziest classification categories invented by Americans. At least the term “Latino” has some reference to Latin America as opposed to simply the language a person speaks. > > And then there’s “Anglo”, which might mean someone from Italy. Or even Spain, for tht matter! 🙂 I can understand his confusion. I’ve never in my life classified myself as anything other then ‘Spaniard.’ And just because I speak Spanish, as do 600 million others, I don’t understand what the “tie” is or what I have in common with them culturally or otherwise. I’m European by birth and American by education, so if “ethnic” means anything yeah, I am Anglo-Spanish. I’ve been living in the Dom Rep for 8 years now, and it’s like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. I just don’t fit. And at my age (56) doubt I ever will. That said, put me back in Spain or the US and I take like fish to water. Such is life. * * * Back on topic, has anyone advanced the theory that Zimmerman – who can eaqsily be identified as ‘Hispanic’ in my book – may have suffered some discrimination himself and might have been looking for a “lower rung of human”? Crazy, I know, but I see it here all the time. People discriminate shades of color like crazy. No, not “like” crazy – IT’S a crazy pecking order. But it’s there. One of the reasons I don’t like being at the top of the food chain: I like comprise 15/17% of the population here & and I am a foreigner…an evil Spaniard no less! Just not comfortable. So I relate to Trayvon in more than one way. Even if for opposite reasons. Trust that makes (some) sense. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/454 "2013-07-15T20:41:27Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Again, you stated that he “explicitly” referred to Martin. If he did, you wouldn’t have to ask these questions. Sigh, you really are being absurdly pedantic. When in the midst of a discussion of Martin, Zimmer rants about those “fucking punks” and “those assholes” who “always get away”, it’s pretty clear to everyone with a functioning brain that he thought Martin was one of those. > [@](#): > > Dispatcher: Yeah we’ve got someone on the way, just let me know if this guy does anything else. > > Zimmerman: Okay. **These assholes they always get away**. When you come to the clubhouse you come straight in and make a left. Actually you would go past the clubhouse. Similarly, when he’s chasing Martin, why does specifically refer to “fucking punks” if he doesn’t think Martin is one of the “fucking punks.” > [@](#): > > Zimmerman: No you go in straight through the entrance and then you make a left…uh you go straight in, don’t turn, and make a left. Shit he’s running. > > Dispatcher: He’s running? Which way is he running? > > Zimmerman: Down towards the other entrance to the neighborhood. > > Dispatcher: Which entrance is that that he’s heading towards? > > Zimmerman: The back entrance..\*\*.fucking [unintelligible] \*\* > > Dispatcher: Are you following him? > > Zimmerman: Yeah > > Dispatcher: Ok, we don’t need you to do that. Gee, I wonder why. > [@](#): > > Dispatcher: That’s the clubhouse, do you know what the—he’s near the clubhouse right now? > > Zimmerman: Yeah, now he’s coming towards me. > > Dispatcher: OK. > > Zimmerman: He’s got his hand in his waistband. **And he’s a black male.** Sorry Terr, but it’s pretty clear that he thinks that Martin was one of the “assholes” and the “punks.” ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/455 "2013-07-15T20:44:13Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > No, they are not true. Zimmerman did not say that he he “went after” Martin because he believed Martin was a criminal. Zimmerman has never stated that he shot Martin because Martin was a prowler. I didn’t write those things. I said Zimmerman suspected Martin was a criminal, and that’s why he initiated the entire episode. Why do _you_ think he called the police? > [@](#): > > But there is also no moral problem about leaving your truck in order to meet with police to report a suspicious stranger in your neighborhood. Especially a violent one like Trayvon Martin. No, Zimmerman did not know that for certain. But he was suspicious, and it turns out rightly so. I’m sorry but that’s just stupid. Zimmerman believed Martin was a burglar. He was not. Zimmerman could not have been reporting to the police that he was suspicious of a person who he knew would hit him in the future because Zimmerman was reporting him of being suspicious. That’s ridiculous. Zimmerman’s belief was quite obviously that Martin was a burglar or some similar thing. Zimmerman was wrong. > [@](#): > > The person acting recklessly, and therefore bearing the moral guilt, is Trayvon Martin. It is his actions that caused this whole incident. the WHOLE incident? Let me ask you point blank; what did Martin do to merit Zimmerman’s suspicion? ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/456 "2013-07-15T20:46:08Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > We don’t know. Martin does have murky past, including being caught with a bunch of jewelry that was not his and there are indications that that jewelry came from one of the burglarized houses near Martin’s school. Uh-huh. Now leaving aside Zimmerman’s criminal record, I don’t see what that has to do with the current discussion unless you have some reason to believe Zimmerman knew about Martin’s “murky past”. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/457 "2013-07-15T20:48:13Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Just proves that Jackson’s a moron; Martin wasn’t on trial, Zimmerman was. Once again, and this isn’t targeted at you, can we have a cite for Jackson’s alleged claims? ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/458 "2013-07-15T20:53:11Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > We don’t know. Martin does have murky past, including being caught with a bunch of jewelry that was not his and there are indications that that jewelry came from one of the burglarized houses near Martin’s school. So just like you don’t know, definitively, what Zimmerman “thought” you don’t know the motivation, definitively, of Martin walking around in the rain looking at houses. So fuckin’ what? What Zimmerman thought is totally irrelevant to the situation at hand. Otherwise every Halloween would be a Saint’s Day Massacre. That’s why you have professionally trained people to do the job. And we well know they fuck up frequently when it comes to black people. In 2013. Much more if it’s a mall cop. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/459 "2013-07-15T22:13:10Z")
> [@RedFury](#): > > Back on topic, has anyone advanced the theory that Zimmerman – who can eaqsily be identified as ‘Hispanic’ in my book – may have suffered some discrimination himself and might have been looking for a “lower rung of human”? Crazy, I know, but I see it here all the time. People discriminate shades of color like crazy. No, not “like” crazy – IT’S a crazy pecking order. But it’s there. One of the reasons I don’t like being at the top of the food chain: I like comprise 15/17% of the population here & and I am a foreigner…an evil Spaniard no less! Just not comfortable. So I relate to Trayvon in more than one way. Even if for opposite reasons. > Trust that makes (some) sense. Well, Zimmerman made some really nasty comments on his old myspace account about “Mexicans” and according to both his cousin and ex-fiancee his mother is a really hard-core racist against non-whites, particularly blacks and mestizos. [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/16/george-zimmerman\_n\_1676729.html](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/16/george-zimmerman_n_1676729.html) > [@](#): > > Last week, in another release of evidence which included dozens of interviews conducted by the FBI during its investigation into whether or not racial bias might have played a role in Martin’s killing, an ex-fiancé of Geroge Zimmerman’s said that Zimmerman’s mother resented her because she wasn’t white. > > The woman, who described herself as being of Puerto Rican and Argentinean descent, said that Zimmerman’s mother would talk openly about her racial views. > > Zimmerman’s mother would often talk about “marrying into white families in order to improve one’s status,” she said. Here’s what his cousin had to say. > [@](#): > > “I was afraid that he may have done something because the kid was black,” the witness told investigators. “Because growing up they’ve always made, him and his family have always made statements that\*\* they don’t like black people if they don’t act like white people. They like black people if they act white \*\*and other than that, they talk a lot of bad things about black people.” > > The woman said that Zimmerman’s Peruvian mother was among the more boastfully racist of the clan. I should say that the comment that “they don’t like black people if the don’t act like white people. They like black people if they act white” struck me as making a lot of sense since many racists are convinced they don’t hate all black people, certainly not the “good ones.” Ironically enough, his brother Robert Jr. described their mother as “Afro-Peruvian” and she certainly looks mestizo(if that term is appropriate and I’m using it correctly) to me. [http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130705184025-gladys-zimmerman-horizontal-gallery.jpg](http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130705184025-gladys-zimmerman-horizontal-gallery.jpg) Luckily for her, her husband doesn’t seem to have agreed with her. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2013, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419/460 "2013-07-15T22:13:28Z")
[quote=“RickJay, post:444, topic:663419”] “Suspicious” of what? Did Zimmerman “suspect” Martin was a member of 1 Direction, or had a case of scabies, or was a mechanic? Zimmerman, of course, suspected that Martin was a criminal of some kind, intent on committing criminal acts. He also suspected Martin was on drugs. That’s why he called the police. \*\* He said so himself. \*\* And he was wrong; Martin was not engaged in criminal activity and was simply walking home from the store. I’m not Team Trayvon here; I think the acquittal was justified. But denying simple facts is kind of bizarre. [quote] To anyone: has Zimmerman ever said what action(s) of Martin’s he observed that led him to be suspicious of Martin? > [@RickJay](#): > > What do YOU think George Zimmerman suspected Martin of? Preferring Pepsi to Coke? While not a hanging offense, it is deserving of taunts and insults. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419.md?page=22) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-the-zimmerman-trial-circus/663419.md?page=24)