The Trayvon Martin shooting

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

So Martin tried to defend himself and was shot by Zimmerman.

I don't know if he tried to defend himself or not. It kind of looks as if he simply refused to run away and was accosted then shot....that's not really my point.

The point is - when dealing with this law - if he did indeed try to defend himself by pushing, hitting, kicking, throwing something, etc, he had every legal right to do so.

If exercising that right to defend himself thus opens him up to being legally shot is the question. If that's the case, the law is indeed a complete and utter failure and a total mess.

[G. Keenan]

This seems like a no-brainer to me. If I see a guy I don't like the looks of, arm myself, leave my house, follow him, confront him, then kill him how can that possibly be self-defense? Especially when he is unarmed?

[heyzeus]

This seems like a no-brainer to me. If I see a guy I don't like the looks of, arm myself, leave my house, follow him, confront him, then kill him how can that possibly be self-defense? Especially when he is unarmed?

Because he's dead now, and can't say anything to refute your claim that you were "standing your ground" when he physically attacked you.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

Kid didn't live there, his dad's girlfriend did and he was just staying there for a while.

So, like Emmett Till.

Yeah. And that Till kid had it coming. I bet Martin didn't even call Zimmerman 'massah'. He deserved everything he got.

[Smith Corks One]

I think Robert Zimmerman needs to write a song about George Zimmerman.

[vinsanity]

Whomever survives, gets to claim they "stood their ground" and acted in self defense.

So the other person doesn't need to be armed for you to make this claim?

Innocent till proven guilty I believe is what he's saying here. Martin wasn't armed, Zimmerman is making the claim.

[jim]

How in the hell does the chief still have his job, and this vigilante psychopath his freedom? What in the hell is going on?

[vinsanity]

How in the hell does the chief still have his job, and this vigilante psychopath his freedom? What in the hell is going on?

Vote of no-confidence on the chief. The city manager would have to fire him. Norton Bonaparte. The ball is rolling though.

[jim]

How in the hell does the chief still have his job, and this vigilante psychopath his freedom? What in the hell is going on?

Vote of no-confidence on the chief. The city manager would have to fire him. Norton Bonaparte. The ball is rolling though.

I saw that. A whopping 3-2 vote. Again, WHAT THE HELL? How was the vote not 5-0? Or if there were 100, 100-0? Or 1000000-0?

[IMADreamer]

I'm sure like many municipalities their council is non political but it would be interesting to see if that vote was among party lines.