Is George Zimmerman Telling The Truth?

[Jon Tees]

Is his version of events what really went down the night Trayvon Martin was killed and was it really self defense or was Zimmerman looking for a victim and when he found one he provoked them until they snapped and he had an excuse to shoot them and make it look justified? If it wasn't Martin would it/could it have been someone else who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time that of course being anywhere within the vicinity of George Zimmerman on that particular evening?

[J-Reb]

I don't think we'll ever know for sure but with the way the prosecution is going, they don't stand a chance.  Their "star" witnesses have been a disaster.

[Cory]

I dont think he was out of his rights (for my assumption of the situation) but at the end of the day a gun should have never been involved, and thats on him. Fists would have sent the same message.

[Justin]

The man weighed almost a 100 pounds more than Trayvon.  He took MMA classes 3 times a week and it was on tape that he was told not to follow him, but he admitted to doing so anyways.

[Cory]

...but I think a side issue is that people like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are making these situations worse, and ALL about race. I think the two biggest racists in America need to shut the fuck up about these situations, because all their doing is fueling a fire that doesnt need to be there.

[Justin]

By the way, those pictures don't mean anything.  He's not the only person to smoke and flip off a camera off.  Not to mention his holding a gun has nothing to do with the situation since he didn't have a gun on him.  Oh, and when was it a crime to wear a hoodie?  That's character assasination if I've ever seen it.

[Midas]

By the way, those pictures don't mean anything.  He's not the only person to smoke and flip off a camera off.  Not to mention his holding a gun has nothing to do with the situation since he didn't have a gun on him.  Oh, and when was it a crime to wear a hoodie?  That's character assasination if I've ever seen it.

The point I believe he is trying to make is that by choosing the least damning photo of the group the media and people circling the case are trying to paint Martin as a innocent victim who was prayed upon by this guy who "Took MMA 3 times a week" and was "100 pounds more then him"...

The photos above paint a negative picture of Martin and hurt the perception of him being a innocent kid killed by a big bad man...

IMO it is all about public opinion and I could see some news guys in a room saying "Fuck that... Use the one with the hoodie, we want people to be sympathetic of the kid not thinking the little punk got what he deserved".... I actually think of the character of Don Keefer on HBO's Newsroom saying this to the staff...

My opinion is indifferent however I will say that dismissing the pictures and implying that they mean nothing is bullshit... Pictures mean everything as they define us... A kid blowing smoke like he did in the pic, holding a handgun and flipping off the camera implies he was a young kid who thought he was a tough guy and wanted everyone to know it much like a young girl on facebook who is in love with One Direction would post pictures of them...

Believing the kid was a wannabe tought guy paints a different picture of the night in question then what the media was trying to make it out to be...

By the way, those pictures don't mean anything.  He's not the only person to smoke and flip off a camera off.  Not to mention his holding a gun has nothing to do with the situation since he didn't have a gun on him.  Oh, and when was it a crime to wear a hoodie?  That's character assasination if I've ever seen it.

I wouldn't say that... I would say it is presenting all the facts and allowing people to draw their own conclusion...

[Justin]

So if I see a picture of you flipping off the camera and wearing a hoodie I can assume that you are up to no good and are guilty of something?

[Dorling]

So if I see a picture of you flipping off the camera and wearing a hoodie I can assume that you are up to no good and are guilty of something?

So if I see a picture of you smiling at the camera and wearing a nice shirt I can assume that you're a nice guy who has never done anything wrong ever?

[Justin]

So if I see a picture of you smiling at the camera and wearing a nice shirt I can assume that you're a nice guy who has never done anything wrong ever?

Nope...it's just a picture at that moment in time.

But I encourage you the next time that it's cold outside, don't wear a jacket, sweatshirt or anything of that nature, because if you do you might be pegged as being up to no good.

[Dorling]

My point was that it's just balance. Show a picture of the dude in a family photo, show a picture of him throwing up a gang sign wearing a hoodie. To be truly representative you should really show both.

In the same way that you say it looks bad, the other end of the scale also is not entirely true.

However, all pictures lack context. There are pictures of me drunk, shouting, throwing up. There are pictures of me not doing that. You wouldn't show the first ones and assume I'm always drunk and shouting.

[Dorling]

Besides, isn't he wearing a hoodie in the supposed 'good' picture?

[Justin]

My point was that it's just balance. Show a picture of the dude in a family photo, show a picture of him throwing up a gang sign wearing a hoodie. To be truly representative you should really show both.

In the same way that you say it looks bad, the other end of the scale also is not entirely true.

However, all pictures lack context. There are pictures of me drunk, shouting, throwing up. There are pictures of me not doing that. You wouldn't show the first ones and assume I'm always drunk and shouting.

Understood, but that's not a gang sign.  That's totally different. 

But the thing is, the young man was walking in the cold with his hoodie on, carrying a bag of skittles and a snapple.  Zimmerman saw him, automatically pegged him to being up to no good, called the police they told him not to follow, but he did anyways while carrying a gun. 

[Dorling]

I don't know the ins and outs of the story, my point was about the photos. Putting up pictures of him playing with guns and flipping off the camera is no more character assassination than it is demonising the guy that shot by only putting up pics of him looking like an innocent, loving, family child.

[Midas]

So if I see a picture of you flipping off the camera and wearing a hoodie I can assume that you are up to no good and are guilty of something?

You can assume what you want... That is the beauty of free will... We as humans take in information on a daily basis and form conclusions and thoughts about all of it...

Some people see Kim Kardashian and see a woman who is glamours and successful while others see a chick who did the nasty on video and became famous.

Everything we see we draw conclusions on based on what we see and what we have experienced... I am not saying that Martin was a little thug because I didn't know him but I am saying that the perception I have is he was a little thug based on what I saw and what I know from encounters during life...

Is it fair? No... But it is life... If you saw a picture of me with a hoddie on flipping off the camera then you could draw any conclusion you want and how could I or anyone fault you for coming to that conclusion based on what you saw...

My point was that it's just balance. Show a picture of the dude in a family photo, show a picture of him throwing up a gang sign wearing a hoodie. To be truly representative you should really show both.

In the same way that you say it looks bad, the other end of the scale also is not entirely true.

However, all pictures lack context. There are pictures of me drunk, shouting, throwing up. There are pictures of me not doing that. You wouldn't show the first ones and assume I'm always drunk and shouting.

Exactly...

In conclusion let me try to make my case a little bit more clear about how we as a society draw conclusions and make educated assumptions based off it...

Note Justin that I am not judging or  being a asshole just trying to make a point so don't get upset because...

Post #780 of the picture thread is of you and your wife on your wedding day...Now first off your wife is Black and the people in the background are Black which could either be her family or yours and or friends of both... I say possibly your family because while you are white complected you could be mixed for all I know... Actually you look Hispanic kind of like the guys I would encounter in Humboldt Park here in Chicago...

Now like it or not I have live a full life seeing many things and as shitty as it is you basically make assumptions and it leads to stereotypes... Do all Black people drink Grape soda? No... Do only Black Peopl drink Grape Soda? No... I sale Grape Soda here in my restaurant and I have never sold a can to anyone besides a black person... What does this mean? Nothing really but in my perception black people like grape soda allot... Is this true? Who knows... But from what I see it is my conclusion...

I look at you in this picture and I see the short hair, short trim goatee and ear ring and based off the Black wife and black people in the picture I draw this conclusion...

You grew up around mostly black people in your life and prob went to a school that was mostly black... You hung out with them and experienced first hand how the police force can be with making assumptions and harassing young people hanging out just because of the color of their skin... This basically leads you to take the side of Martin in this scenario because you have seen first hand that judging a book by it's cover can lead to bad things...

Now am I right? Prob not... I am sure if I am wrong you will tell me but I have made a assumption based off no real knowledge of you or your life and right or wrong it is what it is...

The pictures being shown by the media lead me to believe that they want everyone to tune in and follow the case to see if this young innocent black kid gets justice for being murdered... (And don't kid yourself this is about black and white) so if they put a picture of him blowings smoke or throwing up the finger no one would care if he got justice because they based off what they know would assume he deserved it...

It's fucked up but this is the world we live in... IMO...