Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Where is the fucking justice for Trayvon Martin? a 17 year old INNOCENT CHILD shot to death simply because he was walking in his father's gated community.

939 replies

chewchewmeaw · 17/03/2012 19:10

Why in gods hell has that MURDERER not been arrested?

Are they looking for riots? they will happen if Zimmerman is not brought to justice. I am so sickened by this.

I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't heard this story yet - very slow in reporting it.

He was begging for his life': Family's anger as police finally play 911 calls made by neighborhood watch captain who shot black teen

Trayvon Martin,17, was shot dead by George Zimmerman, 28, last month, who claims the killing was self defense and has not been charged
Police finally gave into mounting pressure on Friday and released eight 911 calls
The teen's family say the calls show Zimmerman was the 'aggressor' not Trayvon

The police have finally released the 911 calls made in relation to the killing of an unarmed black teenager who was shot by a white neighborhood watch captain.

George Zimmerman, 28, had called 911 to report a suspicious man and can be heard pursuing Trayvon Martin, 17, on foot against the dispatcher's advice causing the teen to run away.
Moments later the police are bombarded with calls from terrified neighbors as a voice in the background can be heard desperately screaming for help before the sound of two gun shots.
When police arrived at Florida's Retreat at Twin Lakes Townhomes they found Trayvon, who had been returning from a store with candy for his younger brother, had been shot dead by Zimmerman.
Scroll down for video

Trayvon Martin, 17, left, was killed by George Zimmerman, 28, right, after the neighborhood watch captain pursued him as walked in a gated community

Zimmerman had called 911 after spotting the teen walking through the gated community.
'This guy looks like he is up to no good. He is on drugs or something,' Zimmerman told the dispatcher from his SUV.
He added that the black teen had his hand in his waistband and was walking around looking at homes.

More...
Teenager's death gives life to others: Organs donated by girl, 16, who died in crash provide new hope for the desperately ill
'These a---. They always get away,' Zimmerman said on a 911 call.
During Zimmerman's initial call, he told the dispatcher he was following Martin and the dispatcher told him, 'You don't need to do that.'
But Zimmerman sounds as if he continues to pursue the teen saying: 'He ran.'
Scroll down for video

In Zimmerman's 911 call he said Martin, pictured, looked like he 'up to no good' and on drugs as the teen returned home with skittles for his brother
He then refuses to meet police officers at an agreed location and asks for them to call him on arrival instead so he can tell them where he is.
Sanford police officials, who have not charged Zimmerman after accepting his claim that his actions were in self defense, finally released eight 911 calls on Friday after mounting pressure.
Martin's family had demanded the release of the calls to help better understand how Martin died while walking home from a convenience store last month.
'He was yelling for help, and no one could help him. He saw his life being taken away from him,' the teen's father Tracy Martin said.
He said they will continue pushing for charges to be filed against Zimmerman.
'We?re hoping this doesn?t happen again to another family, and that America opens their eyes ... even though this won?t bring Trayvon back,
we don?t want there to be another Trayvon,' Mr Martin said.
Scroll down for video

The teenager's parents; mother Sabrina Fulton, right, and father Tracy Martin, left, are said to be devastated after hearing the 911 calls of their son's last moments

Benjamin Crump, the attorney for Martin's family, said that the 911 calls show that the teenager spent the last few moments of his life terrified and Zimmerman should be charged
After listening to recordings of 911 calls, Martin's family said they're more convinced than ever that the Zimmerman should be charged with a crime.
'You hear a shot, a clear shot, then you hear a 17-year-old boy begging for his life,' said Natalie Jackson, the family attorney. 'Then you hear a second shot.'
The case has been turned over to the State Attorney's Office which can decide whether to file charges or present evidence to a grand jury.
Attorney Benjamin Crump, who is also representing the family, told reporters outside Sanford City Hall that Martin's parents both broke down and cried as they listened to the recordings.
'They are completely devastated, and they are in unbelievable grief,' Crump said. 'The last seconds of his life were in absolute fear.'
Scroll down for video

Martin was visiting his father and stepmother in Sanford where they live at The Retreat at Twin Lakes, pictured, when he popped out to buy snacks for his younger brother
He added that a third witness has come forward saying it was the boy who was crying for help.
Martin's parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, previously sued to have the recordings released. A hearing for the case had been scheduled for Monday.
Moments after Zimmerman's initial call, dispatchers were bombarded by seven 911 calls from frantic neighbors describing a fight between two men, screaming and then a gunshot.
'There is somebody screaming outside,' one female caller said, as an unknown male voice can be heard crying in the background. Then a shot is heard.
A male caller described a physical altercation between Martin and the shooter.
'I just heard a shot right behind my house,' The caller said. 'They're wrestling right behind my porch. The guy is yelling 'Help.' I'm not going outside.'

By the time police officers arrived, unarmed Trayvon, who had been carrying Skittles and soda, was dead on the ground from a single gunshot
Another woman said a man in a 'white top' was on top Trayvon.
Earlier on Friday, Martin's parents called on the FBI to take over the investigation, saying they no longer trusted the Sanford police department.
Sanford police Sgt. David Morgenstern said the department stands by its investigation but welcomes help from any outside agency. FBI agent David Couvertier said the agency has been in contact with Sanford police and is monitoring the case.
'We are committed to having somebody review this to see if we made a mistake,' said Sanford Mayor Jeff Triplett. 'If we made missteps and there is something there, we will act accordingly'

Trayvon's family believe Zimmerman should be charged and brought to justice for shooting their young son
Several Sanford residents who spoke to The Associated Press said they think there would have been an arrest already if the shooter had been black and the deceased had been white.
They said blacks and whites in this city of 53,000 residents were pretty much in agreement that an injustice had been done with no one arrested, and that there was no racial divide in how the case is being perceived. The city is 57 percent white and 30 percent black.
Zimmerman's father delivered a letter to the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday, saying the way his son is being depicted in the media is cruel and misleading.
He also says his son has received death threats and moved out of his home. George Zimmerman is Hispanic and grew up in a multiracial family, the statement says.

OP posts:
TidyDancer · 14/07/2013 12:11

The post was vile and racist and needed to go.

You really need to try putting your point across without allowing it to drip with caustic racism. Nobody is going to afford you any credibility unless you post with intelligence.

And before you start saying I'm trying make you humble or some such shit that you came out with before, I will remind you once again that not everyone you are offending is white.

ecclesvet · 14/07/2013 12:11

A good explanation from elsewhere about the case.

Here's my attempt at a simple explanation of why the jury acquitted Zimmerman.
Because he was the defendant, the jury needed to find his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. That means they need to be 95%+ sure that Zimmerman: (A) shot Martin; and (B) did not shoot Martin in self-defense.
I.e., the state has the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that there was no valid self defense.
1. Zimmerman claimed that while he was walking on the property, Martin jumped him, knocked him down, was beating him up, and tried to take his gun, at which point Zimmerman shot him.
2. The witness with the best view of the fight saw one person on top of another, beating him. He believed that the person on the bottom was wearing a red shirt. Zimmerman was wearing a red shirt (or jacket or sweatshirt).
3. Zimmerman had cuts on the back of his head that are consistent with it being hit against a sidewalk while he was on his back.
4. The coroner testified that the gunshot wound was consistent with Martin being shot while bending over someone.
That's pretty much the clearest and best evidence we have. There is a lot we don't know - like how the altercation between Martin and Zimmerman actually started, or whether Martin was actually "going for" Zimmerman's gun.
There is also a lot of discussion around the case that is not relevant to Zimmerman's guilt or innocence: Zimmerman was not required to obey the police dispatcher, and Zimmerman was allowed to approach Martin at the apartment. He wouldn't be able to start a fight with Martin and then claim self defense...but there's no evidence that the did.
But if we look at the evidence, the best evidence tends to support Zimmerman's version, and there isn't much good evidence to support Martin's version. And to get a conviction, 95% of the evidence needs to support Martin's version.

badtime · 14/07/2013 12:12

I just wrote a long post about the sociology of racism in the US, but didn't post it because it ended up being pretty irrelevant.

However, the points I was really trying to make were:

  • just because you are not racist, it doesn't mean other people aren't.
  • just because someone is not aware of racism, it doesn't mean they are racist.

I think these points are being missed by some people on this thread. The American justice system is known to strongly skewed against the African-American community (even when economic factors are taken into consideration), so I am not surprised by this verdict, although I am disappointed.

ANormalOne · 14/07/2013 12:14

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by Mumsnet for breaking our Talk Guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

Alisvolatpropiis · 14/07/2013 12:14

The post wasn't racist. To be racist the person saying the offensive remark must be from a race in the position of power. Otherwise it is prejudice.

Creighton might not have articulated herself in way that is pleasing to others. Perhaps she should have said that on the whole America is a racist country thereby avoiding the wilful misreading of what she said as "all white Americans are racists". Though I'm sure some will still have done that no matter what she said.

chibi · 14/07/2013 12:15

lol at the idea of inherent racism that can't be tied to anyone in particular

would people feel the same if they knew that it was their children that would be targeted by armed vigilantes who have had their sense of entitlement vindicated by his verdict?

badtime · 14/07/2013 12:15

ecclesvet, 'beyond reasonable doubt' does not mean '95%+ sure', or anything like it. If it did, no-one would ever get convicted of anything.

Ashoething · 14/07/2013 12:17

I don't think anyone on this thread is in any doubt about the racism in the American justice system?-again you only have to look at the disproportionate amount of black americans incarcerated to see it.

What people are arguing about is whether or not this murder was racially motivated and whether in fact it was murder. Clearly a jury of zimmermans peers thought it was not.

TidyDancer · 14/07/2013 12:18

Alisvolat - you think racism can't be racism unless the so-called racist is from a race in a position of power? Really?

I mean, really?

creighton · 14/07/2013 12:19

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by Mumsnet for breaking our Talk Guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

ReginaPhilangie · 14/07/2013 12:20

I can't believe this type of shit of STILL happening 20 fucking years after what happened to Rodney King! Who cares if the kid has a criminal record or not. The fact is this boy was KILLED for happening to be a black young man walking through a prestigious gated community. Zimmerman may have been acting in self defence (although I highly doubt it), you don't shoot to kill though, do you? I take it as a guard he had been trained to use his gun properly, so why the fuck didn't he then? Why not shoot Trayvon Martin in the arm or the leg, or the foot, to get him to stop whatever he was supposedly doing?

I guess people thought that now there is finally a black person in the white house this kind of sick shit would stop, I guess not. "Welcome to America, but if you happen to be black expect to get shot for walking down the street"! Angry The capital of the free world aint so free if you're not white is it. If riots start all over America because of this, I'm not in the least bit surprised. Something needs to done about these fucking Ku Klux Klan dickheads who actually think they're superior to anyone who isn't white. Crazy, crazy mother fuckers!

RIP Trayvon Martin. Flowers Sad

TidyDancer · 14/07/2013 12:21

Your posts are offensive to all decent people creighton. Black, white, whatever. Your attitude is terribly sad.

Alisvolatpropiis · 14/07/2013 12:21

Tidy

It's the definition of racism,so...yes actually.

I'm not saying being prejudiced is great either btw.

CheerfulYank · 14/07/2013 12:21

TidyDancer I know others who think that.

Creighton do you have children that you are passing this attitude on to? That, for instance, my son and daughter (who are almost 6 years old and 7 weeks old, respectively) are people whom there is "no point in talking to" and that they will "turn on them", merely because they have white skin?

AmberLeaf · 14/07/2013 12:21

Trayvon Martin did not have a criminal record.

It says everything that some keep insisting that he did, so if he did have a record then his murder would be ok?

Disgusted but not surprised that this wife beating, cop beating racist was found not guilty.

Crazy that in this case it seemed like the victim was on trial too, that if it could be proved that Trayvon was 'Gangsta' then that would make his death less of a tragedy.

Gold teeth? FFS my sons teacher has gold teeth! is she secretly 'Gangsta' too?

TidyDancer · 14/07/2013 12:23

Sorry Alivolatpropiis, you are wrong. I'm not sure what her referring to, but the definition of racism is not it.

creighton · 14/07/2013 12:23

chibi, maybe you are wasting your time talking to these people. their children will never be shot down in the street without a full investigation and trial. the police in florida didn't even investigate the crime at first as Zimmerman said it was self defence, they took his white word for it.

anormalone, if white americans are not racist, why do these racist acts still keep occurring, why don't white Americans lobby the supreme court to pull the states into line? why is this behaviour still tolerated?

ThePowerof3 · 14/07/2013 12:23

In this case the person with the weapon had all the power

CheerfulYank · 14/07/2013 12:23

No, Ali, the definition of racism is "a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others."

ANormalOne · 14/07/2013 12:23

when the whites turn on you as they will

Oh look, more racism, but it's acceptable when a black person is racist, isn't it? I'm done. You're making yourself look like an idiot, you don't need anyone's help to do that.

TidyDancer · 14/07/2013 12:23

Actually, maybe you're talking about oppression? That's a different thing to racism though obviously.

badtime · 14/07/2013 12:23

creighton, you are insulting even people who largely agree with you. If someone from any background was posting comments like yours, or if a white British person was making blanket statements about people of any 'race', they would be jumped on. Can't you see that?

CheerfulYank · 14/07/2013 12:24

Creighton I don't think you quite understand how American laws, etc, work. You can't lobby the Supreme Court to pull states into line. Confused

Tanith · 14/07/2013 12:26

Dora, I thought the "picture of the 13 year old" claim had now been discredited and has been proved to be a photo of Trayvon Martin taken 7 months before he was shot.

Likewise, a couple of the photos claiming to be an older (and bigger, more "scary") Trayvon Martin were not of him at all.

ecclesvet · 14/07/2013 12:26

badtime "beyond reasonable doubt" defintely means at least 95% certain. Most lawyers would actually say it's more like 99%. But it isn't ever quantified like that, it basically just means "are you sure?".