Mob mentality and the rush to judgment...

[Grenadier]

The police report (there was no medical report) stated that he had an lacerations to the back of his head. Which he did not seek medical attention for, and which the police stated were not serious. This is not consistent with "bashed his head against the concrete over and over". And for that matter, if Zimmerman's head was being pounded into the concrete "over and over", how did he manage to draw and fire? You simply accept his story uncritically.

Again, you don't know what went on. The injuries he received are consistent with the story that he told, and the police agree. Right away, this puts a huge obstacle in an attempt to find him guilty beyond any reasonable doubt.

That is Zimmerman's story, which you again accept uncritically, and is contravened by other testimony - which you have ignored.

The testimony of Zimmerman was supported by the evidence, and the police. If there really is some piece of evidence that shows otherwise, I'd really like to see it. Until it shows itself, though, you still can't prove him guilty beyond any reasonable doubt.

Interestingly, it was leaked recently that the lead investigator wanted manslaughter charges, but the prosecutor disagreed. Who knows if it's true or *** covering, and it doesn't explain Chief Lee's statements, but it might cut against this.

Investigators do not decide what charges are brought forth. That is the sole decision of the prosecuting attorney. Thus, what the purported leak claims is of no relevance here.

That's not what I've called for. Don't be an *******, please.

Please feel free to attack the message. I choose not to engage in personal attacks here.


On another note, you somehow forgot to mention vandalism of school property in Martin's listing...

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Whats interesting though....if none of this stuff was ever posted, there would be no news, no papers, no magazines, nothing. And The Study, as we know it, would not exist.

True enough. We humans seem to be motivated by popular outrage, don't we? I'm even being motivated by outrage at the outrage. Backlash against the backlash, as it were. I suppose the history of the world is like that.

However, I believe it is also true that things are not disconnected from each other. Actions have consequences. One person posts on a forum about their disgust and anger, another reads it and writes an angry letter to the editor of the local newspaper, someone reads it and decides to plan a protest, someone attends the protest and starts urging action if the police won't act, someone hears that and finds the address they suppose is that of the object of their anger and tweets it, another retweets it and adds a threat, and....

None of it would have happened without the beginning actions. And while you're right, if no one made angry statements, the forums would be pretty dull, at some point a tipping point is reached. Some angry discussions never reach that point. Some do. But it seemed to me from the beginning that this case was going to be manipulated by the media and by those with an anti-police or race-based ax to grind to their own advantage. It just looked like a train wreck coming to me.

 

[Grenadier]

Even if you point out to the ones who received the tweets, that they got the wrong Zimmerman, there are a bunch of those in the mob who are out for blood, and would all but ignore such information. Sometimes, some people want to believe in something so much, that they'll go to extraordinary lengths to cling to that belief.

For example, if we look at the Crystal Mangum / Duke Lacrosse case, even after a lot of the information came forth, there were still many individuals who refused to believe anything except for the assertion that the Duke lacrosse players were guilty. To this date, some of those individuals still believe that Crystal Mangum got railroaded. The same could be said about the individuals who fervently believed in Tawana Brawley.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

http://rt.com/usa/news/arrest-panther-zimmerman-new-688/

The New Black Panther Party member behind the call for vigilante justice against Trayvon Martin's killer has been arrested.

*On Monday Hashim Nzinga was imprisoned for an unrelated weapons charge.

According to a Dekalb County Sheriff’s arrest warrant, Nzinga had a FN Herstal 5.7 x 28 handgun which was pawned.

Over the weekend Nzinga announced to the media that anyone who was able to capture Zimmerman, “dead or alive” would be handed a reward of $10,000.

The New Black Panther Party’s campaign to track and hunt down Martin’s killer was widely promoted with flyers and press conferences all across Sanford, Florida, the location of the black teen’s death.

Yes, it's all about justice. It's all about truth and honesty and beauty and all that happy horse crap. And no one is responsible for anything.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Spike Lee mans up - after the fact - for tweeting the wrong address for G. Zimmerman and urging people to 'take action' on the Zimmerman's house.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/15378837...ers-in-trayvon-martin-case/?playlist_id=87937

A) Tweeting the 'wrong address' is a bad thing.
B) Tweeting the 'right' address is ALSO a bad thing.

This vigilantism masquerading as popular outrage has to stop. More and more, our nation is turning into a mob of DIY justice morons. You don't understand our laws, you don't care that you don't understand, you just want to see someone strung up for a crime you feel has been committed. Justice my ***.

 

[Sukerkin]

Absolutely agree with your last there, Bill.

 

[Empty Hands]

More and more, our nation is turning into a mob of DIY justice morons.

I disagree, I think the opposite is true. People get upset, but they demand change from the system, they generally don't take matters into their own hands. When it does happen, it's usually an individual, not a mob. Lynch mobs used to be commonplace things - when was the last time something similar happened?

 

[Sukerkin]

I think Bill was meaning the mob mentality part of ranting for 'instant justice' which, of course, is no such thing rather than the actually carrying out such abhorrent vengeance.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I disagree, I think the opposite is true. People get upset, but they demand change from the system, they generally don't take matters into their own hands. When it does happen, it's usually an individual, not a mob. Lynch mobs used to be commonplace things - when was the last time something similar happened?

Sukerkin said it quite well for me. It's not so much the final action (like storming the house of a people incorrectly presumed to be the evil parents of the evil shooter). It's the mentality that permits such 'demands' to even be seen as legitimate. The 'demand for justice' is nonesuch. It's a demand for the appearance of justice as wished for by the mob.

To even demand the 'arrest of Zimmerman' betrays such a lack of understanding of how our legal system works, it boggles the mind. ARREST? Does anyone actually know what the purpose of arresting someone is? No, it's clear most do not. They see it as some form of official recognition that a crime has been committed, which it is not.

Zimmerman has not fled prosecution or otherwise absconded. There is, presumably, no indication that he will do so (else the police would have a good reason to perform an arrest). If charges are forthcoming, the police will seek an arrest warrant and take him into custody, at which time he'll be arraigned and a bail hearing set. If he is granted bail, he is then released again until trial.

So 'arrest Zimmerman' means WHAT, exactly?

The howling mobs are howling idiots, is what.