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Trayvon's case going to Grand Jury
Trayvon Martin case to go to grand jury, Fla. state attorney announces
A grand jury will investigate the death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old shot to death in a gated community in Florida on Feb. 26, state attorney Norm Wolfinger announced Tuesday.
"I share in the desire of the family and the community to accurately collect and evaluate all the facts surrounding the tragic death of Trayvon Martin," Wolfinger said in a news release. "The public is entitled to no less than a thorough, deliberate, and just review of the facts. We intend to honor that commitment."
The Seminole County Grand Jury will be called to session on Tuesday, April 10, Wolfinger said.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the Justice Department and the FBI opened an investigation into the death of the black teenager, who was shot by a neighborhood watch captain who was not arrested.
More than 435,000 people, many alerted by tweets from celebrities such as movie director Spike Lee and musician Wyclef Jean, signed a petition on Change.org, a social action website, calling for the arrest of the shooter, George Zimmerman.
The Justice Department investigation will review whether Zimmerman, 28, violated any federal civil rights statutes when he shot Martin, who was not carrying any weapons when he was killed.
The shooting occurred February 26 when Zimmerman spotted Martin walking home from buying candy and iced tea at a convenience store.
Zimmerman, patrolling the neighborhood in his car, called the 911 emergency number and reported what he called "a real suspicious guy."
"This guy looks like he's up to no good, or he's on drugs or something. It's raining and he's just walking around, looking about," Zimmerman told dispatchers, adding, "These @!$%#s. They always get away."
The dispatcher, hearing heavy breathing on the phone, asked Zimmerman: "Are you following him?"
"Yeah," Zimmerman said.
"Okay, we don't need you to do that," the dispatcher responded.
But several neighbors subsequently called 911 to report a scuffle between Zimmerman and Martin. While some of the callers were still on the phone, cries for help followed by a gunshot could be heard in the background.
"I recognized that (voice) as my baby screaming for help before his life was taken," Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, told Reuters. (Zimmerman) was reacting to the color of his skin,?? Fulton, said Monday on NBC's Today show. ?He committed no crime. My son wasn?t doing anything but walking on the sidewalk, and I just don?t understand why this situation got out of control.??
'Stand your ground'
Police declined to arrest Zimmerman, citing Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law, enacted in 2005 and now in effect in at least 16 other states.
Dubbed "Shoot first (ask questions later)" by opponents, the Florida law allows a potential crime victim who is "in fear of great bodily injury" to use deadly force in public places.
I have to wonder exactly how this is going to go.
If I wanted to hear the pitter-patter of little feet, I'd put shoes on the cat.
Re: Trayvon's case going to Grand Jury
That's great! The raw 911 call (without police edits) is on youtube. Zimmerman calls him a "f$cking ***" under his breath at 2:21 in the call while chasing him.
I am curious as well. Though, I think this is definitely a step in the right direction.
Zuma Zoom
What is it? I've heard before that it was ass-hole, but my gut is telling me it's the N word.
ETA: Nevermind. It popped up as I was hitting "post." Well, at least that takes away any doubt that the murder was racially motivated, as some are (ridiculously) claiming that it wasn't.
pleasebewrongpleasebewrongpleasebewrong
the word is rhymes with boon....but with a c
Had to quote to see it as well... not N but just as bad. After hearing all the 911 calls it's effing ridiculous there is any question about whether it was self defense or racially focused.
The guy was chasing him down, and he's had some insane number of calls to the police of "suspicious looking figures" who 3 out of 4 times were black individuals.
I keep picturing Zimmerman in my head filling out a statement report on a bumper of a cruiser looking at his watch worried that he will miss a rerun of Cops. Like he is reporting a mailbox being vandalized, the cops giving him a nod and him just walking off like it's just another day.
And then I want to puke.
Exactly.
Y'all might need to help me. My deaf coworker just said it wasn't a race issue on my fb page. She said that white deaf people get killed and nothing happens to the cops then.
If they have, I haven't heard the story. Which could be tragic in itself.
Zuma Zoom
I would be so very, very happy to be wrong. We all know that if the shooter was black and the kid was white, the shooter would have been arrested on the spot. It makes me physically ill that this could happen in this day and age. Every time I think about that poor kid begging for his life, and about his parents, I just cry.
Every time I think we've grown as a country on issues of hatred, racism, and discrimination, I am harshly reminded of where we really are. And truly, it breaks my heart.
If that's true, that's terrible, but I'm skeptical. Can you ask her for a news link?
She is better now. She wrote that she hadn't read much and I can understand if you're not aware of all of the facts how it can seem less likely.
She pointed out about Roy Banks (still black) getting killed in 1967 during Detroit riots. I am going to read about him. She's a big advocate for deaf awareness, so I can understand how some things seem glossed over in regards to other prejudices.
Zuma Zoom
Agreed. I couldn't find a way to articulate it as well as you just did. The crimes that happened to the deaf community doesn't make this less racist.
Zuma Zoom
This is the first I've heard this mentioned. I'm no lawyer, but couldn't this be the basis of a hate crime charge?
"This ribbon has been reported." - lovesnina
I think because until today nobody had anything other than the edited 911 call. Which, for some strange reason, managed to edit that particular part out. You know, the part that would have made it CLEAR TO EVERYBODY that this dude was a giant racist f*cktard. Wonder why that is.
Maybe a jury of all of his black friends his father claims he has will save him
I tried to refus to listen to the edited audio and I am not sure I want to listen to the full audio. Did he hang up before he shot the kid?
Right! Why edit out that part? I understand addresses and phone numbers but why this part is beyond me. SIGH
(1) A person who uses force as permitted in s. 776.012, s. 776.013, or s. 776.031 is justified in using such force and is immune from criminal prosecution and civil action for the use of such force, unless the person against whom force was used is a law enforcement officer, as defined in s. 943.10(14), who was acting in the performance of his or her official duties and the officer identified himself or herself in accordance with any applicable law or the person using force knew or reasonably should have known that the person was a law enforcement officer. As used in this subsection, the term "criminal prosecution" includes arresting, detaining in custody, and charging or prosecuting the defendant.
(2) A law enforcement agency may use standard procedures for investigating the use of force as described in subsection (1), but the agency may not arrest the person for using force unless it determines that there is probable cause that the force that was used was unlawful.
"You don't get to be all puke-face about your kid shooting your undead baby daddy when all you had to do was KEEP HIM IN THE FLUCKING HOUSE, LORI!" - doctorwho
*zips up flame retardant suit*
I cried, but I listened to the 911 call from Zimmerman and does anyone else get the vibe that he is a sandwich shy a picnic? Trust me I want him to stand trial and get convicted with all of his faculties in check but he sounds....off?
He sounds like he's a self-important a$$hole kid on a power trip taking his little neighborhood watch job approximately one fuuking million times too seriously. Like he's an actual cop and doing them a favor by "tracking" this guy. It's making me ragey to think about.
Also there's nothing about him stopping to check for a street name. You can hear him get out of his car to follow this guy. First he says the guy is coming towards him then he gets out of his car to follow him. Why would you have to follow him if he was coming towards you?
Now LB, he is the self appointed leader of his NW *gag*
I don't know what gave me the off feeling, I just feel it an angle that is going to be worked once he is finally arrested.
Probably, but I don't believe it for a second. Just some racist Central Florida dbag on a power trip that ended in a tragedy that the racist Central Florida PD is trying to cover up/downplay.
He sounds drunk. Good thing there was a breathalyzer administered at the scene to prove it.
For some reason when I picture Zimmerman I picture the guy from Runaway Jury, the ex-military guy who wants to be foreman of the jury and is on a total power trip the whole time.