Posted on 07/06/2013 12:33:54 PM PDT by servo1969
Considering the wonderful job Andrew Branca has done covering the George Zimmerman trial, I’ve been relegated to something approaching potted plant status here.
It ain’t broke, so I ain’t gonna fix that. But I will weigh in with my own thoughts on the case and the trial.
As you know, I covered the case from the inception, focusing on the racial narratives and media mishandling of “evidence” leaked or revealed in court filings.
I’ve also listened to almost all of the trial, and those parts I missed because of my relocation I’ve accounted for through Andrew’s coverage.
My overall impression of the trial doesn’t really deviate from my overall impression of the pre-trial phase: This is a case which never should have been brought, and would not have been brought except for racial politics.
Florida prosecutors made an initial decision not to prosecute after the police investigation. Those prosecutors did what prosecutors should do, take a disinterested and dispassionate view of the evidence in determining whether the state could prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The facts known at that time of the initial decision not to prosecute do not materially differ from the facts known now that the prosecution has rested its case.
What changed along the way was that the Martin family through the Parks and Crump law firm, assisted by agitators like Al Sharpton, launched a campaign to portray the decision not to prosecute in racial terms. The media was an all-too-willing accomplice in stirring up public protests alleging that this was a racially motivated killing.
NBC published an edited tape purporting to show that Zimmerman considered that Martin was suspicious because black; in reality the full tape showed that Zimmerman identified Martin as black only in response to a later police question. Allegations were made that Zimmerman used the word “coon” to describe Martin, when even the prosecution now acknowledges that the word used was “punk.”
The “hoodie” was mentioned only when the 911 operator asked Zimmerman to describe Martin’s clothing, yet the “hoodie” has become the image most associated with the case and is used to put a racial context on Zimmerman’s concern. That did not stop college and law students from holding rallies in which students wore hoodies in solidarity with Martin, as if that were the reason a shot was fired.
The false racial narrative of the case created such public pressure and threats of ongoing protests and potential violence that Special Prosecutor Angela Corey was appointed, and the inevitable decision to file the case was made. Corey has shown herself to be particularly thin-skinned as to criticism of her decision to prosecute.
The prosecution never let go of its desire to inject racial politics into the case. Only by virtue of a judicial ruling barring the use of the term “racial profiling” was the prosecution stopped. Once it became clear that the racial angle could not be worn on its sleeve, the prosecution acted as if it never really intended to go there anyway.
But the prosecution has gone there the best it could, seeking to introduce evidence of prior 911 calls from Zimmerman in which the suspicious person was black.
The prosecution also serially struck whites from the jury, leading the Judge to overrule two of the strikes.
The prosecution also is obsessed with showing that Zimmerman “followed” Martin as part of “profiling” even though that has no legal significance under the law as Zimmerman was permitted to follow whomever he wanted. The legal question is who commenced the physical altercation and what the status of that physical altercation was at the time of the use of deadly force.
On that point, the evidence in the form of physical injuries and eyewitness testimony points to Trayvon Martin as the aggressor under the law and Zimmerman having a plausible case of self-defense.
The prosecution case has not shaken the prime factual basis for a finding of not guilty — Trayvon Martin was on top of George Zimmerman punching him at the time of the shot. At best for the prosecution, there is somewhat conflicting eyewitness testimony on this point, which itself raises reasonable doubt.
I kept hoping that the prosecution would come forward with evidence to change my mind and justify the prosecution — perhaps bullet trajectory showing Zimmerman was on top when Martin was shot. But that evidence never came.
Instead we had a pathetic prosecution attempt (rejected by the Judge) to introduce dubious audio “expert” testimony. We have been subjected to the spectacle of the prosecution repeatedly attacking the police witnesses called on the prosecution’s case because the police found Zimmerman’s various accounts of the night essentially consistent.
Yet nothing has changed the basic equation: Regardless of who you think has the better argument at this stage, it’s hard to see how a finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt could emerge from a dispassionate view of the evidence.
Yet a finding of guilt remains a possibility given how the prosecution is handling the case and its willingness to spin the facts to convince the jury to convict.
I think Andrew had it right when he described the prosecutors’ argument on the motion for acquittal. While that argument was before the Judge only, it is a preview of closing arguments:
Mantei provided the State’s counter to the motion for a directed verdict in a manner that cannot readily be described in language suitable for a family-accessible blog. To say it was histrionic, lacking in factual evidence, and rife with abject fabrications, would be to put the matter too kindly.
The spin spun by the prosecution could result in a finding of guilt, but what does that tell you?
It tells you that this is a prosecution which has to build conjecture upon conjecture, argumentative hyperbole upon hyperbole, just to get to the jury. It is a prosecution devoid of dispassionate prosecutorial discretion and on a mission to convict rather than to see justice done.
Reasonable people can differ on whether George Zimmerman committed a crime under the law. Reasonable people cannot differ on whether there is evidence of that crime beyond a reasonable doubt. That’s why prosecutorial discretion is so important, and that’s why this case is a travesty.
The original prosecutors were not so invested in the case. Only the false racial narrative put this case in the hands of those who want to win at all costs.
If there were any truth left in media today, a story of the true History of this case would have hit the major newspapers by now. Well done... dang shame it would never make the op-ed pages of the big papers. Maybe the Washington Times... maybe.
LLS
IMHO, this is EXACTLY why mom should parade a long line of black witnesses (maybe wearing hoodies) of the good Zimmerman has done for the black community by acting as mentors, defending the homeless, etc. Let’s get the elephant out of the room and easy enough for the low information voters to follow.
If both Zimmerman and Martin were of the same race or ethnic background, this case would never have seen a courtroom.
If Martin had been white and Zimmerman black, this case would never have been a courtroom.
If Martin had been any other ethnic background besides black, and Zimmerman were white, this case would never have seen a courtroom.
I always thought it strange that this case never even hit the national news until about a month after it happened. Bloggers and race baiters kept pushing the story for their own purposes, and then the national media finally picked it up and ran with it.
And upon learning that Zimmerman was Hispanic, the media, who in their zeal to enflame the situation did not do much fact checking, decided that Zimmerman was a “White Hispanic”, so they could keep their narrative alive that a white man shot an innocent black boy.
This whole case reeks on so many levels, from the news media coverage, to how it got in the media, to the lies and fabrications in the media, fabrications told by those allied with the Martin side of the case.
I hope and pray it all ends peacefully and that justice is properly served.
yet the band plays on. I lay this now upon the shoulders of that POS judge. She should have nipped this all the in bud rather than being pro prosecution. Once past that and fully aware of all the evidence, both on and off the record, she should have acquitted. Yet, she turns down the motion in a nano second and directs they continue.
The only thing between Zimmerman now and certain death in jail is 6 members of the jury. Hopefully they take their oath seriously but since the judge has not, why should they?
If this judge had been preciding over the OJ case, he would have been in the death chamber by now.
Echoes of an earlier case. Something about a place called Duke . . . Black on White . . . get Whitey . . . public pressure to mount a kangaroo court . . . prosecutorial abuse . . . becoming rather common now that the thugs and looters have taken over.
It is the same thing the media is doing to Paula Deen. Just because a racial slur was supposedly used, the media ran with it without waiting for the facts to come out. Now we are hearing that Lisa Jackson’s lover is refuting everything that Lisa Jackson said in her deposition. Paula Deen is going to be suing some asses off....just like Zimmerman should do after this trial is over.
We see that the rule in this politically correct world is that anyone violating political correctness is targeted for destruction.
The only thing between Zimmerman now and certain death in jail is 6 members of the jury. Hopefully they take their oath seriously but since the judge has not, why should they?
They're not members of the legal so-called "profession."
Yes indeed and it is sickening.
LLS
They are trying to avoid black riots. It won’t do any good. The blacks will riot anyway. Meanwhile poor old GZ’s life is ruined. I hope he can write a book and sell the movie rights so he can get some of his life back.
I predict that before this week is out that Sybrina and Tracey will be slinking down in their seats thinking that everybody is looking at them and they will be right. By Thursday they may be noticeably absent as will a lot of their former supporters. Only those who drew the short straws will be there.
the eliet media is already cutting coverage.
Bondi on down should be investigated for this lynch mob trial.
I hop gz ends up owning the tm copyrights.
Uncle Chip, I would bet they sit it out to the bitter end, because they know they can have the obligatory ruckus when the verdict is read on live TV.
The ruckus on the street will start soon after. The twitterverse is going to be going mad.
Folks, SYG covers your car too. Don’t let the ferals pull you out and do a Reginald Denny on you.
“the elite media is already cutting coverage.”
I expect they will broadcast little or none of the Defense’s case, and act as if the D. didn’t have one.
I'm no fan of this judge by any stretch of the imagination. She has made it blatantly obvious that she is biased in almost every ruling she has made. As I have said previously, I've even seen her interpret the testimony of a witness who was still on the stand right in front of the jury using her own twist.
Having said that, there is no way on earth any judge in their right mind would make the acquittal decision on this case. As wrong as it may be, throwing the case out would invoke the burning of Oakland and Watts, and this argument would NEVER be laid to rest on top of it all. No one wants to give them any excuses at this point and most certainly, no one wants to be the person responsible for giving Sharpton an excuse to be on TV anymore than he already is.
and may I say that the judge did the defense a favor by giving the defense the last word of the day, and two powerful witnesses...the uncle was great and honest....that is the weekend, not Martin’s Mom....
That would be consistent with their history of spiking any facts that don’t match their narrative.
I may be in the minority, but I don’t forsee any mass rioting. The media will do its best to gin some up, but the public’s not really behind them at the moment, and just the simple fact that it takes over a week to cover all the reasons Zimmerman is innocent will undercut their efforts. A couple of small disturbances here and there maybe, that’ll be it.
The jury did that. They were given the choice and chose to continue.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.