# State of Florida vs. George Zimmerman Trial Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 20, 2013, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-thread/661501 "2013-06-20T20:32:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 90
**Author:** ![Crambler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@Crambler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crambler)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-thread/661501/1781 "2013-07-12T20:26:22Z")
As I see it, GZ will not be convicted of 2nd degree murder. He MAY be convicted of manslaughter, and I think that was the prosecution’s objective all along. He is certainly guilty of poor judgment. It’s impossible to be sure what else he may be guilty of, and that is for the jury to decide. Had he stayed where he was, none of this would have happened. Instead he chose to go beyond the limits of his authority and of his capability, with tragic results. I don’t know if that constitutes manslaughter but the jury may think so. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-thread/661501/1782 "2013-07-12T20:35:23Z")
> [@BlakeTyner](#): > > The protesters presently outside the courtroom disagree. > > [https://twitter.com/NatalieTolomeo/status/355772754018054144/photo/1](https://twitter.com/NatalieTolomeo/status/355772754018054144/photo/1) > > The middle sign is the cutest. I cant make it out… Care to give a hand? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-thread/661501/1783 "2013-07-12T20:39:33Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > I cant make it out… Care to give a hand? The sign says: > [@](#): > > IF YOU WHITE > & WANNA GET AWAY > WITH MURDER, COME > TO FLA. > S/N NOT RACIST! ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-thread/661501/1784 "2013-07-12T20:57:28Z")
I’ll go out on a limb and speculate that the “S/N” is text/internet lingo for “Side Note.” Feel free to clue in a clueless rube, though. ---
**Author:** ![Tollhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e99b99/32.png) [@Tollhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tollhouse)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-thread/661501/1785 "2013-07-12T21:00:17Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > Yes, this case is a sham. > > It’s pure partisan politics, and is “only” receiving national attention because it’s being painted as a race issue when it’s about whether or not Zimmerman was justified in his actions. > > Many of the people clamoring about justice for Trayvon don’t care about justice. For them, it’s about some perverted sense of retribution against Whites (even though there is no White person involved in the case), which is why you see a clear racial divide between “guilty” and “not guilty”. It’s maddening, really. > > I’m sick and tired of people making everything about race, and it will be a damn shame to throw Zimmerman in jail simply to appease those people who have made this an “us vs. them” issue. Im white and I very much believe its a race issue. If It was Trayvon who was thirty, was acting like he was a cop, and he chased a white high school boy behind a building and killed him, he would be tried and convicted on murder. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-thread/661501/1786 "2013-07-12T21:11:30Z")
> [@Tollhouse](#): > > Im white and I very much believe its a race issue. If It was Trayvon who was thirty, was acting like he was a cop, and he chased a white high school boy behind a building and killed him, he would be tried and convicted on murder. I couldn’t disagree more. If the white highschool boy started the fight and had the black neighborhood watchman on the ground and beating him, as a white man, I would support the neighborhood watch guy. Are there some racists in the world? Sure. It’s not so institutionalized anymore. ---
**Author:** ![BlakeTyner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@BlakeTyner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlakeTyner)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-thread/661501/1787 "2013-07-12T21:15:44Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > I couldn’t disagree more. If the white highschool boy started the fight and had the black neighborhood watchman on the ground and beating him, as a white man, I would support the neighborhood watch guy. > > Are there some racists in the world? Sure. It’s not so institutionalized anymore. Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omg_a_Black_Conservative)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-thread/661501/1788 "2013-07-12T21:19:53Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > I am white. I don’t think race is an important issue at all, and Zimmerman is guilty. I didn’t say all, but I would say it’s quite a few. And it’s a damn shame. I’ve not given an opinion before the case, but after the prosecution laid out their “evidence”, it’s apparent to me that this is nothing more than a race related witch hunt. The sheer number of Black people who have already decided that Zimmerman is some kind of vigilante murderer while Trayvon was some kind of saint does nothing to change my opinion of that, nor do the plethora of race related signs/shirts. Now, sure, there are people who think Zimmerman is guilty independent of any race related issues, but I’d say that those people are a minority opinion within the group that believes Zimmerman is guilty. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-thread/661501/1789 "2013-07-12T21:21:14Z")
> [@Tollhouse](#): > > Im white and I very much believe its a race issue. If It was Trayvon who was thirty, was acting like he was a cop, and he chased a white high school boy behind a building and killed him, he would be tried and convicted on murder. There is no indication that he was acting like a cop. This is just an extension of the trope of calling him a wanna-be cop. He’s been training to become a cop and he’s also a neighborhood watch person. In the function of neighborhood watch he did the right thing by calling the police and following the suggested action of the dispatcher. At no point was Zimmerman ever directly chasing Martin. Martin did the wrong thing. He DIDN’T call the police if he believe Zimmerman was acting suspicious. He had every right to do so yet he decided to confront and then assault Zimmerman. These were decisions Martin made and were beyond Zimmerman’s control. Based on the location of the fight it appears Martin was heading back to Zimmerman’s truck. If the fight didn’t start at the T the situation would likely have occurred a few seconds later at the truck. ---
**Author:** ![DGem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/74df32/32.png) [@DGem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DGem)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-thread/661501/1790 "2013-07-12T21:36:14Z")
For those who think race is not an issue in this case, if Zimmerman had shot and killed a white teenager, would he have gotten donations to pay for his defence? ---
**Author:** ![Tollhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e99b99/32.png) [@Tollhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tollhouse)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-thread/661501/1791 "2013-07-12T21:41:22Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > There is no indication that he was acting like a cop. This is just an extension of the trope of calling him a wanna-be cop. He’s been training to become a cop and he’s also a neighborhood watch person. In the function of neighborhood watch he did the right thing by calling the police and following the suggested action of the dispatcher. At no point was Zimmerman ever directly chasing Martin. > > . What a buncha bull, but if you want to believe something badly enough, close your eyes, and just imagine…and, voila, your there! What a magical world you live in. ---
**Author:** ![BlakeTyner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@BlakeTyner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlakeTyner)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-thread/661501/1792 "2013-07-12T21:42:10Z")
> [@DGem](#): > > For those who think race is not an issue in this case, if Zimmerman had shot and killed a white teenager, would he have gotten donations to pay for his defence? If the teenager was on top of him at the time of the shooting, I’d donate to his cause, whether he was black/white/asian/hispanic/Native American. I’ve absolutely no doubt that there are members of that other message board who donated to GZ simply because he killed a “black thug.” But they’re self-acknowledged racist idiots. I’m sure in their minds they were only donating money to his “white half” and ignoring his Afro/Hispanic lineage. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-thread/661501/1793 "2013-07-12T21:43:20Z")
> [@DGem](#): > > For those who think race is not an issue in this case, if Zimmerman had shot and killed a white teenager, would he have gotten donations to pay for his defence? uh, yes. Given that the Prosecution had to bypass the normal Grand Jury system and then used the same weak evidence turned down by the previous Prosecutor. There is an innate unfairness to the process that begs for help. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-thread/661501/1794 "2013-07-12T21:44:49Z")
> [@Tollhouse](#): > > What a buncha bull, but if you want to believe something badly enough, close your eyes, and just imagine…and, voila, your there! What a magical world you live in. There is no evidence at all that Zimmerman acted in the capacity of a cop. He did everything he should have done as a private citizen. ---
**Author:** ![IgnoranceIsMyExcuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ea666f/32.png) [@IgnoranceIsMyExcuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IgnoranceIsMyExcuse)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-thread/661501/1795 "2013-07-12T21:48:18Z")
> [@DGem](#): > > For those who think race is not an issue in this case, if Zimmerman had shot and killed a white teenager, would he have gotten donations to pay for his defence? There may be a cause-and-effect problem here. ---
**Author:** ![Tollhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e99b99/32.png) [@Tollhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tollhouse)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-thread/661501/1796 "2013-07-12T21:54:51Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > I couldn’t disagree more. If the white highschool boy started the fight and had the black neighborhood watchman on the ground and beating him, as a white man, I would support the neighborhood watch guy. > > Are there some racists in the world? Sure. It’s not so institutionalized anymore. Your comparison leaves certain things out and portrays certain other things in such a way that isnt the whole story, not at all. If I understand you it also sounds as if you are minimalizing the issue of racism ---
**Author:** ![Tollhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e99b99/32.png) [@Tollhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tollhouse)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-thread/661501/1797 "2013-07-12T21:56:00Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > There is no evidence at all that Zimmerman acted in the capacity of a cop. He did everything he should have done as a private citizen. Keep on believing ---
**Author:** ![BlakeTyner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@BlakeTyner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlakeTyner)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-thread/661501/1798 "2013-07-12T22:03:29Z")
If y’all want to believe in some good in the world, Google “Jocelyn Rojas.” A couple of “children” chased her kidnapper on their bikes, resulting in her being set free. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-thread/661501/1799 "2013-07-12T22:06:09Z")
I might be guessing wrong, but I think the jury wants to sleep on it before cutting Z loose. A lot of emotion because of a dead kid, so they want to make sure. ---
**Author:** ![BlakeTyner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@BlakeTyner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlakeTyner)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-thread/661501/1800 "2013-07-12T22:07:24Z")
That or they’re seriously considering the lesser charge. Impossible to say, but I’ll eat crow on my prediction of a quick verdict. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-thread/661501.md?page=89) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-of-florida-vs-george-zimmerman-trial-thread/661501.md?page=91)