Gonna have to weigh in on this one....

I'm gonna weigh in on the Zimmerman Trayvon issue as a former police officer. 

The complete facts of the case aren't out.  This in mind, I'm going to analyze this just from what's going around and what's out at the moment. 

First, Zimmerman wasn't a commissioned law enforcement officer.  He was a private citizen who was a member of a neighborhood crime watch.  This in mind, Zimmerman has certain freedoms law enforcement don't enjoy, he also has certain restrictions that only commissioned law enforcement enjoy.  For example, there is no law against "following someone" as a private citizen (leave that up to your definition of "following someone".)   However, the law of unintended consequences is that if someone feels threatened and you are following them noticeably, depending on who you follow, you could be attacked out of fear or a number of other things.

Second, while Zimmerman wasn't a commissioned law enforcement officer, his description of Trayvon Martin as "suspcious" BECAUSE was wearing a hoodie doesn't on the surface meet the definitions of probable cause to take action as a law enforcement officer or do anything really....of course, what was the weather like, is wearing a hoodie in that weather unreasonable and therefore suspicious?  What's the weather like in Florida?  What time of day was it?

But then does wearing a hoodie indicate a crime was committed and if so what kind of crime?  I've seen PLENTY of things in my time as a police officer that looked "suspicious" but I couldn't put my finger on it and it didn't add up but I couldn't do anything about it. 

Further, it has been shown that Martin was suspended from school for apparently drug-trafficking on his school campus. 


At any rate - what is being overlooked in all of this is that Zimmerman was attacked - or at least there was a fight.  The media and those who are agitated makes it sound like Zimmerman shot Martin while driving by for wearing a hoodie.  It is important to note that Zimmerman did show restraint with his firearm as he was pretty badly injured before using it.

Let me ask the questions that nobody else is asking: (We call this critically thinking in college - something the media is loathe to do if not unskilled in). 
Was he trafficking drugs - or had finished trafficking drugs or was on his way to traffic drugs - and wearing a hoodie so nobody would see his face and he could get through unnoticed but a neighborhood watch captain was onto him because a hoodie looked suspicious for the circumstances, Martin got agitated and then a fight broke out and he ended up shot?

And now blacks are calling for the death of a Hispanic man while claiming he's white and our president turns a blind eye in the name of "street justice"?

Meanwhile our society forgets "innocent until proven guilty?"

It sounds like Zimmerman put himself into a bad situation (A very bad situation, now someone's dead and  people want him dead), then when things went further south he defended himself as he was able after sustaining some serious injuries which is why people carry a firearm - for personal defense - although not to be used to justify putting yourself into a bad situation and back yourself up out of it - and now the black community is trying to call Zimmerman "white" and going after whites for all this when Zimmerman is Hispanic/Latino.  Meanwhile, the same communities that would urge us to not jump to conclusions on race issues are more than happy to jump to conclusions and are issuing wanted posters with bounties - all acts of domestic terrorism and our president is tacitly condoning this - meanwhile they speak out against violence.  None of this was in Dr. King's dream that I ever hear. Nor is it in our Father in Heaven's desires for us in the land of the free.  By their fruits ye shall know them. With what judgement ye judge ye shall be judged (hastily without all the facts on the surface based off emotion and history of other people's actions?)


I will point out, Martin had only ONE bullet hole in him.  In the chest.  Center mass.  Right where you're supposed to shoot to "cancel the threat."   What if he'd had 10 shots?  What if he'd been shot in the groin?  In the head?  What if there'd been two Hispanics who shot Trayvon?  What if there'd been two black kids and one hispanic?  While people focus on what did happen, maybe they need to look at what DIDN'T happen?

At this point, coulda - shoulda - woulda - doesn't carry much weight in terms of what happened.

It's unfortunate a youth is dead and a man's life is being threatened in all this. Meanwhile, I know there are others who have been brutally murdered and raped in the very recent past that there isn't such a firestorm over because they weren't minorities. In fact, minorities commit many of those such crimes - again not nearly the outcry. (HOW COULD YOU SAY MINORITIES COMMIT CRIMES!???  Let's get real.  Every race commits crimes - it isn't exclusive to whites against minorities nor are minorities exclusively excused because of their indigent circumstances to commit crimes - it flows every direction).  Its more unfortunate how our society is responding to this without critical thinking or waiting to see what happened and letting all the facts of the case roll in.

Just my thoughts while this unfolds.