Would you have disregarded the 911 dispatcher's comment to not follow him? Does Zimmerman have any accountability in this as the adult?
Did you catch the video of the clean and undamaged Zimmerman being brought into the police station that night btw? Not a mark on him. Not a scratch, grass stain, or blood to be seen.
So lets take this all the way since we're Monday morning QBing. The trigger for the encounter was what? I have no problem with Zimmerman calling the police. I have no problem with him patrolling the neighborhood. I have a huge problem with him carrying a gun, getting out of the car and following the kid despite the 911 folks telling him they didn't need him to do that.
I have no problem with the kid wearing a hoodie and having it over his head. I have no problem with him buying skittles and Iced Tea.
So lets take it further. Zimmerman's friend says Zimmerman was walking back to his car when Martin approached him from behind asking him if he had a problem. Zimmerman turned and told him he had no problem then reached for his phone. So lets play it out.
You are the kid and the guy says there is no problem and reaches for something. Did the kid see the gun? Where was Zimmerman carrying it?
At that point the kid tries to clobber him in fear for his own life. Some stranger with a gun has been following him. Is the kid wrong or was he standing his ground to defend himself?
What do you do in that situation?
Bottom line is the adult, Zimmerman, should have stayed in his car and left the gun at home while letting the PD do their job. His poor judgment ruined many lives.
Dan, dan... You have too many preconceived notions running here...
Martin was 6'2", about 160 lbs. He didn't look like a kid. Martin's mother released photos of a young boy, when the reality is he was a near full grown young man at the time. He was wearing a hood that limited what one could see of his face. Zimmerman could not have known how old Martin was. It's a safe bet that he figured he was looking at an adult.
911 operators have no authority, and being in a call center somewhere, they cannot always understand circumstances. A 911 operator has zero liability... You can't sue them or the police department. Even if you follow their advice, you still own any consequences. The standard line to a caller is to avoid a situation. That, however, does not make the situation avoidable. Getting out of his car was a judgement call by Zimmerman. Perhaps, in hindsight, not the best decision. Nonetheless, he had no verbal or physical contact with Martin whatsoever. When he returned to his car, he was approached by Martin, from behind. When asked if he had a problem, Zimmerman said no and turned his back on Martin. Clearly, he was attempting to avoid a confrontation. Zimmerman then took out his phone. I speculate that Martin figured Zimmerman was going to call 911, and decided to preempt that. He blind-sided Zimmerman, knocking him to the ground. Again, Martin was not wearing a sign that said, "I'm not quite 18 yet". Martin jumps on Zimmerman and proceeds to pound his head. Zimmerman managed to draw his weapon and fire.
Bad luck for Trayvon.. He made a decision that cost him his life. He could have continued on his way home (assuming he wasn't really casing the neighborhood) and nothing whatsoever would have occurred. Instead, he decided to be a punk and confront Zimmerman. It turns out that this was his final bad decision.
I have zero sympathy for Trayvon Martin. Had he not been smoking weed in school, he would not have been suspended. Had he not been suspended, he would have been in class rather than wandering through a private, gated community (we call that trespassing in my community) behind the townhouses, not on the street. The gates and fence were there for a reason; to keep uninvited, non-residents out. So, why was he skulking around behind the townhouses? If his intention was to go home, why not walk the sidewalk? Would an innocent "teenager" look for trouble and confront Zimmerman? Would he be skulking around behind people's homes? Going out to buy Skittles... My ass.
Here's couple of statistics from the National Gang Center: 40% of violent gang members are under 18 years of age. 42% of murders committed by gang members are attributed to members under 18. So clearly, a 17 year old is quite capable of horrific violence. Thus, we cannot give them a pass simply because they are not yet designated as adults.
One last thing... You have emphasized the fact that Zimmerman was carrying a firearm. So what? That doesn't have the slightest bearing on the facts leading up to the confrontation by Martin. Zimmerman's gun was legal. Rarely do I leave my home unarmed. Should I be unexpectedly assaulted by a criminal, who probably won't state that he's under 18; exercising my right to defend myself with my firearm somehow would make me the bad guy? No, it would make me a survivor, something the criminal could not claim.
