OT- Zimmerman v. Martin

[CA renter]

[quote=briansd1]Ca renter has a tendency to defend public workers no matter what.

Are the police professionals or are they vengeful savages? I’m glad the beating was caught on tape and I’m glad the “polical” trial sent a message that it’s not acceptable behavior by the police.

ca renter, you like to compare us to northern Europe and the benefits that the state there bestows on public employees. Public employees there are much more respectful of their follow citizens.[/quote]

Hogwash, Brian. I don’t defend public employees “no matter what.” As a matter of fact, I’m often one of their biggest critics. I only defend them when they are being wrongfully accused of something or when somebody makes false or ignorant statements about them.

There is no doubt that totally unjustifiable, horrific, criminal police brutality exists; but the Rodney King incident isn’t one of those instances, IMHO.

[blahblahblah]

I find this story fascinating. Just two months ago, an unarmed teenager was gunned down and murdered in his own apartment by plainclothes cops in NYC. Even though Al Sharpton lives there, he wasn’t holding rallies afterwards. But now he’s jetting down to Florida and lecturing us all about injustice.

Why this particular case and why now? I don’t believe it’s because anyone in any position of power actually cares one whit about that poor young man or his family.

[davelj]

[quote=ocrenter]It is the South.

This is expected.[/quote]

Just a point on what defines “the South” (being from the South myself).

Florida is IN the South – geographically – but it is not OF the South. Culturally, Florida is completely different from the aggregate of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas, which are culturally somewhat similar (at least compared to Florida).

Culturally, Florida has more in common with California or New York than with Georgia, et al. Just clearing that point up.

[Anonymous]

I never watched the “full” Rodney King video.

Decided to take a trip down memory lane:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAc718W8axM

I really don’t see any evidence of King fighting anyone. His reaction looks like that of someone in a panic because the blows keep coming even after he submits.

It’s good to know that two of the thugs did time.

[Anonymous]

[quote=CA renter]As a matter of fact, I’m often one of their biggest critics.[/quote]

Yeah right.

Your list of public employee criticisms is as long as your list of socialist European countries.

Thanks for the laugh!

[sreeb]

Apparently the 911 dispatcher asked Zimmerman the race of Martin. NBC edited the request out from the transcript so it looked like Zimmerman just offered up Martin’s race.

[blake]

[quote=sreeb]Apparently the 911 dispatcher asked Zimmerman the race of Martin. NBC edited the request out from the transcript so it looked like Zimmerman just offered up Martin’s race.[/quote]
Call transcript:

Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. Or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.

Dispatcher: OK, and this guy — is he black, white or Hispanic?

Zimmerman: He looks black.

NBC’s spliced audio version:

Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He looks black.

[blahblahblah]

[quote=blake][quote=sreeb]Apparently the 911 dispatcher asked Zimmerman the race of Martin. NBC edited the request out from the transcript so it looked like Zimmerman just offered up Martin’s race.[/quote]
Call transcript:

Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. Or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.

Dispatcher: OK, and this guy — is he black, white or Hispanic?

Zimmerman: He looks black.

NBC’s spliced audio version:

Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He looks black.
[/quote]

This thing stinks to high heaven. As I pointed out earlier, another unarmed black teenager was murdered by cops in Sharpton’s hometown of NYC. He doesn’t protest one peep and most people have never heard the story. Now we have this other murder 2 months later and all of a sudden it’s national news and his mug is on every TV screen from coast to coast. And NBC is now caught red-handed modifying reality in an effort to sway opinion.

The question is — why now and why are they promoting this so much? Kids are dying in poor neighborhoods every day and it doesn’t make news. It’s like they are deliberately trying to stir something up…

[CA renter]

[quote=pri_dk][quote=CA renter]As a matter of fact, I’m often one of their biggest critics.[/quote]

Yeah right.

Your list of public employee criticisms is as long as your list of socialist European countries.

Thanks for the laugh![/quote]

You know nothing about me…and nothing about Europe, either.

[Anonymous]

Boy I would look like a real fool right now if someone were to name just one socialist country in Europe. (I can’t think of any myself, but only because I know “nothing…”)

Back on topic:

This story didn’t become a phenomenom because of any one person’s or group’s agenda. Nobody controls what stories grow into national issues.

These stories occasionally gain traction and snowball because the media is a feedback system.

The reason “they” are talking about this story so much is because “we” are talking about it so much.

[KSMountain]

Does anyone know the age of Trayvon in the photo we always see?

is he 17 in that photo? Is there no more-current photo of him?

[Hobie]

If my kid just died, the last thing on my mind would be trademarking his name.

Peace out until we have a proper ‘legal’ investigation. Allan nailed, btw.

[svelte]

[quote=KSMountain]
Svelte, I read the Wikipedia entry this morning in its entirety. I also skimmed the report of the independent commission (which was highly critical of LAPD). I have to say you pulled quite selectively from the wikipedia page in order to make your point.
[/quote]

I try to minimize my words – my point was they were convicted.

And they were!!!

Whether you like it or not.

[zk]

[quote=pri_dk]I never watched the “full” Rodney King video.

Decided to take a trip down memory lane:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAc718W8axM

I really don’t see any evidence of King fighting anyone. His reaction looks like that of someone in a panic because the blows keep coming even after he submits.

It’s good to know that two of the thugs did time.[/quote]

It’s right at the beginning. King jumps up off the ground and lunges at one of the officers. This was after he’d thrown two officers off his back. These officers were in danger, and it’s not their job to further endanger themselves in that situation. Which is what they’d have been doing if they tried to got in close enough to do more than whack him with batons. He’d shown superior strength, he’d attacked the officers, and he was not willing to comply. Asshole’s lucky they didn’t shoot him.

[Anonymous]

[quote=zk]It’s right at the beginning. King jumps up off the ground and lunges at one of the officers.[/quote]

I see some blurry figures but I’ll agree that’s likely what it was.

[quote]This was after he’d thrown two officers off his back.[/quote]

Is that on the video? Or are you adding some context to help with “interpretation?”

Now of course King was a troublemaker resisting arrest. He should have been convicted of that crime and the crimes he committed leading up to that.

But anyone that doesn’t see a bunch of cops beating the crap out of a guy well after he was subdued just doesn’t really want to see it.

[Author]

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