Were you surprised by the Zimmerman verdict

[Dancing Fire]

of not guilty? ...I was not surprised by the verdict.

 

[sonnyjane]

I was shocked that there wasn't a thread about this started yesterday, presumably because it's going to get ugly, BUT...


I was surprised that he didn't get manslaughter. I didn't think Murder 2 would stick but I thought he'd get downgraded to manslaughter. That said, I'm not "surprised" by the verdict because I had a fear that would happen all along.

 

[AprilBaby]

Exactly what I expected.

 

[ruby59]

Based on the evidence, I agree there was not enough to convict.

 

[ClassyRocks]

I think the evidence was in Mr. Zimmerman's favor.

 

[Niel]

not surprised but disappointed.

 

[momhappy]

No, not surprised - it was what I had expected based upon what I saw/heard presented in the trial.

 

[TooPatient]

Somewhat surprised. VERY happy.

There wasn't enough evidence and that which I saw was in his favor.

 

[amc80]

Somewhat surprised. VERY happy.

There wasn't enough evidence and that which I saw was in his favor.

Agreed.

 

[Circe]

not surprised but disappointed.

Pretty much word-for-word what I was going to say.

 

[Laila619]

Very disappointed.

 

[kenny]

The public gets what the media feed us.
That's different than what the jury sees.

The verdict should be based on what the jury sees, the law and jury instructions.

That's why there is no place for me to form an opinion on what the verdict should be, so the verdict should be of no surprise to me.

 

[Karl_K]

I am kinda surprised that the jury followed the law instead of emotion.
Based on the laws in Fla. I feel the jury did their job properly.
Now if you ask me if I think the FLA. or the IL law(clearly manslaughter under IL law in my opinion) is more just that is a debate for another time.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Somewhat surprised. VERY happy.

There wasn't enough evidence and that which I saw was in his favor.

Agree, if the media and black community didn't put so much pressure on the DA's office this case would never had gone to trial.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Very disappointed.

Why?.. Think about it... why you think it took so long for the police to arrest Zimmerman? b/c there was not enough evidences.

 

[peacechick]

Based on what I saw of the trial, it was the expected verdict and the jury did their job. I don't think the prosecution did a good job at all. They should never have aimed for 2nd murder in the first place.

 

[JewelFreak]

Somewhat surprised. VERY happy.

There wasn't enough evidence and that which I saw was in his favor.

Agree, if the media and black community didn't put so much pressure on the DA's office this case would never had gone to trial.

This.

 

[tyty333]

As much as I wanted to hold Zimmerman accountable for killing someone that was walking
Through his neighborhood on a rainy night, the evidence was just not there.

I was not surprised after watching most of the case.

 

[SB621]

As much as I wanted to hold Zimmerman accountable for killing someone that was walking
Through his neighborhood on a rainy night, the evidence was just not there.

I was not surprised after watching most of the case.

TYTY in case you didn't see the trail or read the account it was much more then that. The kid attacked Zimmerman and gave him a blood nose and head lacerations. Last time I checked that was a bit more then walking through a community on a rainy night. I completely agree the trial went as it should and the outcome.

 

[LoveLikeCrazy]

Agree, if the media and black community didn't put so much pressure on the DA's office this case would never had gone to trial.

This!!!!

 

[Maria D]

I'm not black or part of the media but I'm very pleased there was a trial, regardless of the outcome. IMO, it's bad enough that it was legal for Zimmerman, a person who has shown criminally aggressive behavior in the past, to carry a concealed weapon. But to just take his word for it that he had to shoot and kill Martin in self-defense? How would that have been fair or just?

I was not surprised by the verdict.

 

[jmarshall]

Why are so many disappointed????

Based on the evidence, I'm not surprised

Based on the people in this country nowadays, I am surprised.

Very happy of the outcome.

 

[Smith1942]

I didn't follow the case and only looked up something about it when the verdict came in, and it was such huge news.

But it seems to me that if Zimmerman had simply left well alone then nothing would have happened. As far as I could tell, the kid was just buying some sweets and juice, and he phoned a friend to say that a man was following him. If Zimmerman hadn't started worrying at him, nothing would have transpired. That's the impression I got.

Generally, I look at cases like this in America and I know I'm in a foreign country. We don't have these tinderbox racial tensions in the UK which can easily ignite into huge protests, and you can't buy guns either. Of course, everywhere has its own problems. London is one of the most diverse, multi-cultural cities in the world and 99% of the time people co-exist perfectly happily, but then one or two extremists come along and ruin it for everyone. A recent example is the guy who killed the soldier in the street a few months ago in London. But the mix of guns and racial issues is particular to modern-day America, and I look at cases like these with complete amazement because it's all so foreign to me. One article said that one of the guys had been training at an MMA gym, but I have no idea what that is. When I read about the case, I'm probably missing a million cultural references so I can't say I'm that well-qualified to judge. Just seems to me that if the guy had been allowed to buy his sweets and go home, all would have been well.

 

[Circe]

I didn't follow the case and only looked up something about it when the verdict came in, and it was such huge news.

But it seems to me that if Zimmerman had simply left well alone then nothing would have happened. As far as I could tell, the kid was just buying some sweets and juice, and he phoned a friend to say that a man was following him. If Zimmerman hadn't started worrying at him, nothing would have transpired. That's the impression I got.

Generally, I look at cases like this in America and I know I'm in a foreign country. We don't have these tinderbox racial tensions in the UK which can easily ignite into huge protests, and you can't buy guns either. Of course, everywhere has its own problems. London is one of the most diverse, multi-cultural cities in the world and 99% of the time people co-exist perfectly happily, but then one or two extremists come along and ruin it for everyone. A recent example is the guy who killed the soldier in the street a few months ago in London. But the mix of guns and racial issues is particular to modern-day America, and I look at cases like these with complete amazement because it's all so foreign to me. One article said that one of the guys had been training at an MMA gym, but I have no idea what that is. When I read about the case, I'm probably missing a million cultural references so I can't say I'm that well-qualified to judge. Just seems to me that if the guy had been allowed to buy his sweets and go home, all would have been well.

This. From everything I've read, Zimmerman precipitated the incident. Murder might have been a stretch, but manslaughter seemed quite accurate ... but, the jury spoke, and that's that. I will be curious to see if there's a civil trial ... and if Florida and other stand-your-ground states perhaps choose to amend their laws. They seem problematic, in a number of ways.

 

[Amber St. Clare]

Based on what I saw of the trial, it was the expected verdict and the jury did their job. I don't think the prosecution did a good job at all. They should never have aimed for 2nd murder in the first place.

Totally agree with this. The prosecution did not prove the charges.

 

[OreoRosies86]

No surprised, neither happy or disappointed with the outcome. The facts were not there for the prosecution to pursue a guilty verdict.

I know this is a sensitive issue, but I never saw this case being racially motivated or a hate crime. Instead of vultures raising racial tension over this case, I would rather have liked to see the media spotlight the issue of Stand Your Ground and it's flaws. When one man with a power complex and enormous ego can take the law into his own hands and walk away from killing someone after being told to stay in his car, that is a law that needs to be re-examined and changed, if not abolished.

 

[Niel]

To me the evidence suggested it wasn't completely self defence. If bothers me that the fact is he is dead, and the defence didn't have sufficient evidence to prove it was self defence. Its suppose to be innocent until proven guilty, but the boy who died what assumed guilty just because he wasn't there to state otherwise. Manslaughter seemed very fitting in that case.

 

[dragonfly411]

I didn't follow the case and only looked up something about it when the verdict came in, and it was such huge news.

But it seems to me that if Zimmerman had simply left well alone then nothing would have happened. As far as I could tell, the kid was just buying some sweets and juice, and he phoned a friend to say that a man was following him. If Zimmerman hadn't started worrying at him, nothing would have transpired. That's the impression I got.

Generally, I look at cases like this in America and I know I'm in a foreign country. We don't have these tinderbox racial tensions in the UK which can easily ignite into huge protests, and you can't buy guns either. Of course, everywhere has its own problems. London is one of the most diverse, multi-cultural cities in the world and 99% of the time people co-exist perfectly happily, but then one or two extremists come along and ruin it for everyone. A recent example is the guy who killed the soldier in the street a few months ago in London. But the mix of guns and racial issues is particular to modern-day America, and I look at cases like these with complete amazement because it's all so foreign to me. One article said that one of the guys had been training at an MMA gym, but I have no idea what that is. When I read about the case, I'm probably missing a million cultural references so I can't say I'm that well-qualified to judge. Just seems to me that if the guy had been allowed to buy his sweets and go home, all would have been well.

This this this.

 

[Dancing Fire]

No surprised, neither happy or disappointed with the outcome. The facts were not there for the prosecution to pursue a guilty verdict.

I know this is a sensitive issue, but I never saw this case being racially motivated or a hate crime. Instead of vultures raising racial tension over this case, I would rather have liked to see the media spotlight the issue of Stand Your Ground and it's flaws. When one man with a power complex and enormous ego can take the law into his own hands and walk away from killing someone after being told to stay in his car, that is a law that needs to be re-examined and changed, if not abolished.

If TM was any other color other then black...there wouldn't be an arrest, or trial , or any national media coverage.

 

[Niel]

Even if you leave race out of the equation, the concept that a man can start a fight with an unarmed kid and end up killing him and not go to jail for it seems unjust.