I doubt a neighborhood watch person has any authority under the law at all aside from what any other citizen has. I'm not sure what your point is though as it relates to my response to another poster.
WHY this bozo thought it was proper to do anything other than calling in the cops for cop work I can’t fathom. It’s called neighborhood WATCH, not neighborhood SHOOT.
George Zimmerman wasn't actually on watch that night. He was out on an errand, when he happened tosee Trayvon Martin, and thought it suspicious. If you haven't listened to the 911 tapes, then do so, because I'm guessing that you haven't. Zimmerman doesn't sound unreasonable, angry or racist. Just concerned, and since there had been criminal activity in the area enough to justify this concern by the residents there, Zimmerman's initial actions are not unreasonable. He thought it odd that someone would be in the rain "walking around and looking about." That might catch my eye too if I were in similar circumstances.
The sad part about this is that tensions in this country are so high that ordinary people like Zimmerman thought it best to be cautious rather than just offer the kid a ride and get him out of the rain. Unfortunately, people who don't want to know the facts about this case because they have other agendas will only make the current situation magnitudes worse.
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On both sides.