FBI considering hate crime charges against Zimmerman #1

[Karmady]

Oh, but he did admit it and freely admits it now if you are claiming he was innocent. His story is that the officer did not identify himself to GZ so GZ interferred and pushed the officer. GZ had no right to push, touch, proke anyone. The arrest was being made by an ATF officer for a person accused of underage drinking. GZ did not bother to ask what was going on just inserted himself and ended up pushing the officer. I bet that ATF agent now regrets letting GZ off so easily. jmo

Iirc, the officer restrained George's friend first AND did not identify himself. Intervening on behalf of someone you believe is being assualted doesn't make one a criminal say, like vandalizing cars and pulling knives on people does. In fact, it's totally consistent with my op where I said, if anything, George appears to have a strong bias against criminals.

Frankly, I don't care whether anyone here thinks George is a criminal or not. This all started with a response to my post that said he was definitely a criminal because of a non-existent misdemeanor conviction. If you or any other person wants to think he IS a criminal because of that incident, I can't stop you and if I have before, I'm no longer going to try.

 

[gypsyblue]

Simple, when viewing a person wearing a hoodie from the side, you cannot see their face. His arms and legs were covered by clothing as well. It was not until he turned to GZ that he SAW some skin. The color of the clothing was not covered. Seriously, PICTURE someone in a full outfit, with a hoodie covering their head and a hand tucked into their waistband. Not tell me, what color is their skin? You don't know, because you cannot tell.

then I really wonder what made him "think" he was black....

 

[LambChop]

Most 21 year old guys who see one of their friends in the middle of something are going to stick up for their friend first before the questions come.

What does the ATF agent have to do with a hate crime btw?

It doesn't. Again, I was answering a post that had gone off topic. I will try to restrain myself in the future.

 

[Dr.Fessel]

When I was just a little older then George I got involved in some stuff like that and even handed out flyers at a public library. I wrote a lot of letters to the newspaper too on different things. I just have a feeling he has other writings out there and the FBI is looking for them.

 

[gxm]

Here's the link. The information comes from Austin, a 16 year old boy who mows the Zimmerman grass and who likes George. GZ hosed down boys who he thought were bullies.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/02/u...rompts-a-review-of-ideals.html?pagewanted=all

Here's the three paragraphs that feature Austin's comments. BBM and RBM.

It seemed in character. A 16-year-old boy named Austin, who for a long time has mowed the lawn at the Zimmerman home in Lake Mary, described George Zimmerman as a role model for younger boys, often providing advice while throwing a football around or shooting hoops.

George would stick up for a chubby boy in the neighborhood who was being bullied, recalled Austin (who, like Stephanie, asked that his last name not be used). “And if George saw bullies walking by his house, he would pull out his hose and spray them down and tell them they were wasting their time and to go and do something else.”

Mr. Zimmerman was also security-minded, Austin said. “He would knock on people’s doors at night and say that it was late and that ‘You better close your garage door.’ ”

This teen also describes GZ as a "role model" who would play football and basketball with the neighborhood kids. He also describes GZ sticking up for a kid who was being bullied. And, importantly, he does not describe GZ hosing "kids on bikes." He, apparently, sprayed "the bullies" when they walked by his house. I would imagine that if the hosing had been severe enough to cause injury, the kids or their parents would have called the cops. Lastly, GZ apparently reminded people in the community to close their garage doors at night. None of Austin's comments support the speculation that GZ was a gun-toting madman bent on killing a black teenager.

JMO, OMO, and MOO

 

[gxm]

A propensity to perceive an injustice or crime when there is none and then act to correct it. That is the kind of stuff the FBI will look at.

It was not an ATF agent if I remember right it was a Florida State Trooper working with ATF and his friend was handcuffed sitting down on the ground with others who were arrested.

BBM.

But where's the racial animosity element to charge GZ with a hate crime? I just don't see how this relates to the shooting.

 

[Lovelymountains]

Funny how the same kid thinks of him as a role model:

It seemed in character. A 16-year-old boy named Austin, who for a long time has mowed the lawn at the Zimmerman home in Lake Mary, described George Zimmerman as a role model for younger boys, often providing advice while throwing a football around or shooting hoops.

I wouldn't want my children associating with him nor would I want them to take any advice he might offer. We see where it got him. I would use him as a role model, allright. A model of what not to do.

 

[cityslick]

I wouldn't want my children associating with him nor would I want them to take any advice he might offer. We see where it got him. I would use him as a role model, allright. A model of what not to do.

Apparently most kids in the neighborhood (unless you were a bully who like to pick on little kids) didn't think this way.

I don't know how I feel about him spraying water on kids, but I also know there a whole lot of adults who wouldn't do a damn thing if they see a kid getting bullied by another simply because they don't think it's their problem.

 

[Dr.Fessel]

BBM.

But where's the racial animosity element to charge GZ with a hate crime? I just don't see how this relates to the shooting.

Well I would imagine they would be looking for writings or posting along the lines of black teen thugs over running the neighborhood, doing all the crime, can't trust them, and other such ramblings. Wrongly perceived injustice in Georges mind along the lines of what happened at the bar. It would be an injustice in Georges mind and one he would have to straighten out. Just some of the things I think they are looking for. IMO

 

[gxm]

Am I the only person who doesn't think spraying kids with a water hose is a big deal? If my kids came home complaining of getting sprayed, I'd tell them to go dry off and probably play the world's smallest violin for them.

MOO.

 

[cityslick]

Well I would imagine they would be looking for writings or posting along the lines of black teen thugs over running the neighborhood, doing all the crime, can't trust them, and other such ramblings. Wrongly perceived injustice in Georges mind along the lines of what happened at the bar. It would be an injustice in Georges mind and one he would have to straighten out. Just some of the things I think they are looking for. IMO

What about standing up for the injustice of a cop beating a homeless black man?

 

[suzihawk]

Apparently most kids in the neighborhood (unless you were a bully who like to pick on little kids) didn't think this way.

I don't know how I feel about him spraying water on kids, but I also know there a whole lot of adults who wouldn't do a damn thing if they see a kid getting bullied by another simply because they don't think it's their problem.

If he blasted my child with a hose, I'd have assault charges pressed before the water was dry on that sidewalk. JMO

 

[LynnM]

Some of the evidence collected is George Zimmerman's emails. Reference was made during the bond hearing about an email in which he said something about Tracy Martin.

I'm assuming that these emails aren't confessions (certainly all of the relevant ones can't be) so why haven't they been released or have they been and I missed it?

I'm wondering if there's any racial hostility expressed in those emails.

 

[AJ Noiter]

I wouldn't want my children associating with him nor would I want them to take any advice he might offer. We see where it got him. I would use him as a role model, allright. A model of what not to do.

Hindsight is always 20/20. Just sayin'

On topic. I think the fact that the State of Florida isn't pursuing a hate crime speaks volumes. The FBI's investigation wasn't new, the information that they were going door to door wasn't new, and as far as we know there's only been one person come forward to justify any claim of racism. I say one person because the anonymous caller can't be questioned about it and Witness #9 doesn't want to be involved in the case. One person saying "he's racist" doesn't mean he was.

 

[cityslick]

If he blasted my child with a hose, I'd have assault charges pressed before the water was dry on that sidewalk. JMO

Perhaps the kid shouldn't be picking on little kids then. Then the mother of the kid your kid was picking on would press charges against you.

 

[gxm]

Well I would imagine they would be looking for writings or posting along the lines of black teen thugs over running the neighborhood, doing all the crime, can't trust them, and other such ramblings. Wrongly perceived injustice in Georges mind along the lines of what happened at the bar. It would be an injustice in Georges mind and one he would have to straighten out. Just some of the things I think they are looking for. IMO

But the problem that I see with this line of speculation is that it can't be separated out as a racial issue because GZ's "perceived injustices" do not appear to center on any one race. He appears to be an equal opportunity injustice hound. He sees it from all angles.

JMO, OMO, and MOO.

 

[cityslick]

Some of the evidence collected is George Zimmerman's emails. Reference was made during the bond hearing about an email in which he said something about Tracy Martin.

I'm assuming that these emails aren't confessions (certainly all of the relevant ones can't be) so why haven't they been released or have they been and I missed it?

I'm wondering if there's any racial hostility expressed in those emails.

I think you may be talking about text messages and I know those haven't been released yet but should be?

 

[gxm]

If he blasted my child with a hose, I'd have assault charges pressed before the water was dry on that sidewalk. JMO

I believe the article says "sprayed," not blasted. It's not like he opened a fire hose on anyone. Personally, I would never call the cops on something so minor.

MOO.

 

[Dr.Fessel]

What about standing up for the injustice of a cop beating a homeless black man?

Really when I read that 4 page statement it was not about the homeless blackman in fact I think his race was only mentioned once in the whole thing. It was really about the injustice of not arresting the perp and the dirtiness of the PD for protecting him.

What he wrote was all true it turned out and in a strange twist several of the officers in that debacle responded to the shooting.

 

[cityslick]

Really when I read that 4 page statement it was not about the homeless blackman in fact I think his race was only mentioned once in the whole thing. It was really about the injustice of not arresting the perp and the dirtiness of the PD for protecting him.

What he wrote was all true it turned out and in a strange twist several of the officers in that debacle responded to the shooting.

I think his pattern is that he is against injustice no matter the skin color, if his involved with the homeless man case is to be believed. Someone who has a racial issue isn't going to go out of their way to rail about an injustice over a black man.