Posted on 06/23/2012 1:22:21 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law is complicating matters for prosecutors rushing to convict George Zimmerman. The law is clear that residents can meet force with force when they feel threatened.
Florida's Stand Your Ground law allows residents to use deadly force to defend themselves or their property, and when doing so, protects them from prosecution. This law may derail the prosecution of defendant George Zimmerman in the much-publicized case of a neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed teenager Trayvon Martin.
State prosecutors see the case as open-and-shut, arguing that Martin was simply a kid buying a soda at a convenience store. When Zimmerman called 911 to report a suspicious individual, police told him to stand down until they arrived; he did not.
While authorities note that the one possibly threatening detail about Trayvon Martin was a simple hooded sweatshirt, George Zimmerman claims that Martin physically attacked him.
Florida's Stand Your Ground law is clear: an individual has no duty to retreat from a public confrontation in which he or she reasonably perceives a danger. As the Miami Herald notes, Floridians are allowed to "meet force with force." In fact, Zimmerman was not initially arrested by police at all for this very reason.
And, the law receives strong support. A recent Quinnipiac University poll finds support for the state law at 56 percent, with only 35 percent opposed to it.
While he was eventually charged with second degree murder, state prosecutors have no easy task to explain why Stand Your Ground should not apply to George Zimmerman. In fact, anyone facing charges of murder or homicide in Florida should discuss their situation with an experienced criminal defense attorney who will hold the prosecution accountable for proving their case at every step and ensure the defendant's rights under state law are respected.
You are right. A 911 operator is NOT a policeman and has NO authority to ORDER anything. In fact he (the 911 operator) only "suggested" that he not follow Travon. ("We don't need you to do that"), was the actual statement. That sure as hell was NOT an ORDER. It is my understanding that Mr. Zimmerman did quit pursuing at that time.
The local news here in central FL started this whole thing by interviewing so called witnesses, you know the ones that want their 15 minutes of fame, or the ones with their voices & photos distorted.
I respectfully disagree. The white folks (You know us soda crackers, honkies etc.) will be mad if he is found guilty but will be civil about it.
If found totally NOT GUILTY Sanford will burn baby burn, with the NON Reverends Al & Jessie leading the way.
The biggest one that I forgot to mention was that Travon was such a sweet boy and such a good child.
He was a bad kid. He was in Sanford because he was expelled from school in Miami. He sold drugs, found with burglary tools and stolen items in his locker. He punched a school bus driver. This is just what is known no telling what all he really did.
Anything but a model child. . . .
The sad part is we have a GOP Governor and a GOP AG who support Black Racists like Al Sharpton.....this case should have never gone this far....and the Gov and AG can pull this case at any time
Also, my county is paying for this travesty....when our own State Atty correctly called this case early on...its not winnable. The only way the state can convict Zimmerman is to break the law themselves....which I am sure that Nazi Thug SA Angela Corey will try to do
Stand your ground does not apply in the Zimmerman case. Its about a modern-created “duty” to retreat if you have that option when you have are threatened/attacked. Zimmerman could not retreat from his attacker knocked down with his back on the ground. Accordingly, any article like this that mentions it in the Zimmerman case is either an idiot author or more likely is pushing their own anti-individual self-defense, anti-gun agenda.
That's why 'Pearson Hardman' only hires graduates of Harvard Law School. ;-)
Will the defense be able to introduce the information about the drink and skittles being part of a drug cocktail?
This is about equality and about whether or not there are now supposed to be special/protected groups of people who we're not even allowed to defend ourselves against when one of them goes crazy and tries to kill us.
funny how the tone changes if you include a few facts
Bath Salts imported from Miami
That thar' is funny!
Love the word "melanometricist." Did you coin that? Are you a Zappa fan?
You are correct, the statute does not use the word “feel” or “feels.” It says “reasonably believes.” In the law, the word “reasonable” is a signal that the belief is not measured by the actor’s sense of “reasonable,” but by the jury or judge (essentially, whether the public thinks such belief is reasonable under the circumstances).
I haven’t seen anything about bath salts in this case in print. Have you seen anything like that?
Right, and I would like to point out that it was after he talked to the prosecutor
against his attorneys advice and without his attorney, that charges were brought.
Imo, They did so because Zimmerman
was most likely seen as someone who would plea bargain his way out and the gun grabbers
could defame the stand your ground law and win one for socialism.
Also, his attorney left because of Zimmermans maneuver to speak to the police.
Maybe he would still be free, maybe not, had he followed the good advice of his Attorney.
OT.
Remember people, never talk to the police. Even if you're a witness don't do it.
As a witness a person should anon send the knowledge to the police and not directly
because if you get one thing wrong you can be arrested! Or if you know to much. Or if they think you know more!
Doing the right thing WILL get you arrested if the DA is having a bad day
or needs more prisoners to get re-elected.
In the past and portrayed on TV people feared retribution from those who they
witness crime against and would not speak to the police. Now the retribution should
be feared from both sides.
Inquiring minds want to know.
I'll just cop a "lean" until we hear.
Which would be a huge injustice if they mean pretending someone surprised by the unfolding of a dangerous situation with a split second to act upon his or her available information is supposed to choose as though having hours to ponder about it. Some statutes say “reasonable fear” which is a better metric IMHO.
Toxicology showed marijuana (THC). No telling if they tested for long term “lean” usage (ersatz i.e. Robitussin, or real i.e. codeine).
I was watching Fox News and some commentators on the newly released video. There are some really brain-dead people. And George Zimmerman might be the unluckiest guy in America.
Some idiot was talking about how the video was “exhibit #1” in convicting Zimmerman. THe part of it that I saw, it exonerated him.
This is now all agenda driven. The truth in theis case is dead.
The actual legal case may well end up letting George Zimmerman go, but this is about ginning up a huge public uproar about it among the useful idiotz.
I had read some of Trayvon's Facebook postings, but I don't "speak" Ebonics and I didn't understand what the term "Drank" meant.
As in "Purple Drank" and "Watermelon Drank."
Apparently, the little angel and martyr was making and using powerful drug cocktails.
This is an explosive revelation.
Where has our illustrious Media been on this?
I am sure that Andrea Mitchell, Al Sharpton, the Community Organizer, and Sheila Jackson Lee will get right on it.
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