No, I'm saying that Zimmerman was not in his rights to ask what Martin was doing there as 'neighborhood watch'. He's not a damn cop, he has no right to ask what a kid is doing around, much less that he should expect an answer just because. Also, this is the same man who called 911 100s of times because he was paranoid and who shouldn't have been given any kind of power, even one that is really title only such as neighborhood watch. As pointed out earlier, he thought a young child was suspicious.
Since when is someone not within their rights to ask a question? Just because Martin doesn't have to answer doesn't by any stretch of the imagination mean that Zimmerman is not allowed to ask. I'll give you another example. Not three or four weeks ago, I was pulling into the parking lot of the Boys and Girls Club where my son goes after school. I saw a younger guy run through the parking lot, darting in front of me, looking over his shoulder, with his hoodie up. He ran right by the club and down their side stairs. When I got out of my car, I noticed that he was hanging around to the side of the club. This is a place where occasionally cops have to bust up people from drinking and making drug trades -- and there are children in that building. I went inside and reported it to the workers there. They're all in their early twenties and that night all of them were young women. So, I went outside with two of them and the guy was hanging around the side. I asked him if he had a kid at the club. He said no. I asked what he was doing there, since kids were here and he had no business here. He started stammering, threw his hands up, and took off. At the base of those stairs were two other guys who took off running too. Did I have a right to ask them what the fuck they were doing there? YES. They could've said nothing. But I had a right and a reason to ask the question, even though I don't own the property.
There is a reason neighborhood watches are formed, and as other articles have mentioned, that neighborhood had experienced several burglaries fitting the age and race of Martin. Zimmerman had a right to ask just like any one of us has a right to ask questions. It's also consistent with what
that gated community appointed him to do. There is absolutely nothing illegal about having a neighborhood watch. Frankly, the current incident aside, it's one of the best things that can happen to a community.
Also, I thought it would be obvious when I said paragraph directed at me that it would be the two paragraphs addressed at me.
No, what is disrespectful is trying to come up with the events to make one party look more at fault for what happened. Mostly, that it was the kid's fault. Which again, I have seen.
The problem with the stand-your-ground law is it is highly up to the claimer to use it and the only one who can actually defend themselves about it is usually dead or incapable of defending themselves. We have a law here in Georgia too that does the same thing. People are already trying to change it here in Georgia cause of the Martin case. However, dad has always told me it only applies in our home or my car. Technically, it doesn't. But it's what he told me.
Also, you can't tell me that there isn't a smear campaign going. You can't. It's a lie otherwise.
So the media would likewise be disrespectful by calling Zimmerman a white man who shot a black kid (knowing the turmoil that can cause) as well as calling him "self-appointed" -- right? I don't see investigating why Martin was in the neighborhood is a "smear campaign" and I find the fallacious false choice of "you're lying" or "it's a smear" to be problematic. The answer to why he was in the neighborhood when he didn't live there was because he had been suspended from school -- not for tardiness, but for having a baggie that had marijuana residue in it. Those facts in and of themselves don't make Martin less innocent. But there's nothing wrong with getting all the facts, including why he was there in the first place. There is nothing wrong with
complete information -- and that is what we need to wait for before we jump to conclusions.
