TRAYVON MARTIN,,,,,YOUR THOUGHTS
I promise I will answer with my thoughts too. This is another case where there are lot of questions and not a lot of answers. This case takes place in Sanford, Fl about fifteen minutes from my house. This case will be tried in Seminole County, my county. The Gran Jury is made up of folks from right here. It is a jury that has already been seated before Trayvon was killed.
First let me tell you Sanford is not a horrible town. It is a small town located on Lake Monroe. It has a downtown that has finally started to thrive with lots of art galleries and terrific antique shops. The town is sprinkled with beautiful old homes that date back to when Sanford was the celery capitol of Florida.
Sanford has an International Airport and is thrilled to have many tour groups from the UK. Larry Dale, President of the airport has done an excellent job of bringing in flights from all over the US. People laughed at him and he proved them wrong. Aerosim Flight School is there training pilots from all over the world to go to the airlines. This is where my son trained when Aerosim was called, Delta Connection.
What happened to Trayvon was horrible but lets not blame an entire town. I have worked with the police department through the supervised visitation center. I never once saw any indication of racism. Is there some in the police department maybe so. Once again don't blame the entire department.
This case will get sorted out but it will take time. Cool heads need to prevail.
The Sanford waterfront on Lake Monroe.
A view of the downtown area of Sanford.
Reader Comments
Page: 1 | 2 | 3 — Blog Index
I know we have aleady exchanged good mornings over on FB but I am at work now and pulling up some blogs.
You and Steve are going to have such a great time on y our next trip to Alaska.. I know you love that place!!!
So happy to learn all is well with your son and he is getting settled into his apartment with furniture this weekend!!!
Talk to you later.
Hello OBP, Zimmerman was the aggressor so I don't think the Florida Law he thinks will get him off actually will. You are right. We have to wait and see. Depending on the outcome of the investigation by the prosecutors, FDLE, FBI and others involved in the case there may be no grand jury. However if they find probable cause to arrest Zimmerman then of course we will be using a Grand Jury that has already been seated unless there are Fed charges and then it would go to a Fed Grand Jury. Just so much we don't know. I just want everyone to keep a cool head.
I am way to close to Sanford for comfort.
Hi Gams, not much longer and you will be free for a wonderful weekend.
I just wanted to comment here about our Pageant photo. You made a comment on FB, but I wanted to reply here, mainly because I am 'friends' with my principal on FB (plus almost our whole staff and many, many parents!)
Anyway, you made the comment that you were glad to see a man involved. Well, he actually isn't involved in the Pageant, per se. He completely and totally supports us, and makes a showing at one of the nighttime performances, but he doesn't help with any of the dances. We used to have a male teacher who did, but he moved to a class at UCLA about 3 years ago. We do have a male teacher that helped us with set production. Randy helps there too, and we get lots of help from the Navy base when we have performances. We get guys (and sometimes gals) come to help move the sets in between performances. The picture was taken for the 5th grade yearbook, so we wanted to include the principal and assistant principal.
You know, education, especially elementary, and at least in our district, is female heavy. You find a lot more males at the middle and high school level, but our campus only has 2 male teachers! Poor guys! We do actually have a lot of male special ed aides, but not so when it comes to teachers.
Anyway, I just wanted to explain that!
I hear you on the "bad press" giving to Sanford.
You know hubby's sister lives there and they live in a beautiful community and they took us around the city when we were there and it was lovely.
We ate a nice lunch at a resturant on the lake.
We saw all the sites to be seen and I was impressed.
All communities have areas that are questionable and are crime havens..but overall it really is a lovely safe community to live and work.
When they moved there they could have moved to any city in central Florida and they did their research and selected a beautiful home in Sanford about 5 yrs ago.
I think the case is changing every day as more evidence comes out. I am beginning to think both boys were at fault to some degree and it was a tragic accident that should have been avoided. I also want justice I would have hated for any child of mine to be killed in an accident that could have been avoided. The Press, Democrate/Liberal Politicians/Agitators, the President & Celebrities got involved way too fast picking their "side" without any facts. It seems they were just looking for a chance to have a "racial issue" and they created one with this situation. The press has done a really bad & biased job on this story.
Gams thank for your post. My fear today is the words "civil disobedience" are being used and that just spurs an already angry crowd into doing things that don't need to be done. The business owners should not have to suffer losing business due to this horrible situation. Got my fingers crossed that we will see no more blood shed.
you mentioned somewhere that you hoped this would go better than the casey anthony trial.....i'm afraid it won't but i agree it's another black eye for the orlando area.....
i see the similarity if it goes to court that there will be a not guilty verdict...however i think most people will feel zimmerman is guilty which i am one of those....however...under a bad law....i think there are enough holes that there is a reasonable doubt......seems that zimmerman knew all too well that dead men tell no tales....
and there will be a comparison of the two of how such a groundswelling of support came out for little casey...and initially...except for the black community there was little to mostly non existant support from anyone else....of course these are distint different situations besides color...in anthony we had a female...(sexist yes but not rascist) infant (innocent little life)..kidnapping (chance she was still alive)...and in trayvon....seventeen year old male (young punk)...and death (mortallity a sunject we usually try to ignore)...if the circumstances would have been different...i would think since the community showed such support for casey there would have been the same support for trayvon....
but yes...i also think race played a part...in how both sides...black and white viewed this tragedy...i believe the police...for race reasons...handled this case in the way that they did...maybe not in the fact that a white guy couldn't have murdered a black kid...but maybe more in the vein that here we have a case that if tried would result in a not guilty verdict that we had better end this case quickly so there is no black and white tension...however in this age of so much world wide media coverage...with so many electronic sources available to the public...that logic if indeed it was used has proven to be exactly the wrong pursuit....
not that bleack leaders haven't used this as reverse rascism either....when al sharpton and jesse jackson get involved...it's the usual grandstanding that they just love....
and no....i'm not giving a free pass to whites either...the stir over the comments by our president...was not rascist...our president just may know the male youth of florida...better than most....i have two florida boys...and both of them...and their male friends....wear hoodies 24/7/365 days of the year...hot or cold...now i didn't notice this same young male fashion trend when i lived in houston or now as i live in el paso...but when i heard the zimmerman 911 call... when he described what trayvon was wearing and what he was doing...my first thought was.....crap...this could have easilly described my sons...they looked like trayvon....
now some odds and ends....
without the presence of eye witnesses who actually visually witnessed the events....i doubt there would be any way that under the law as it stands in florida...i could call zimmerman guilty...just too much room for doubt...even though i feel the 911 tape shows the disposition of zimmerman.....that he purposely did not follow the directions of the 911 operator....and that the police video does not show the blood evidence that would have been apparent on zimmermans clothes if events transpired as he claims they did....the man murdered a young kid...i truly belive that...but under current florida law....i think he is not guilty
it bothers me that the police at first associated zimmerman under the neighborhood watch program....as that neighborhood is not registered under the program....he is not affiliated with any neighborhood watch organizations and he didn't follow the rules of the florida neighborhood watch program...it was a few weeks before reports stated zimmerman as "self appointed leader" of a neighborhood program...
i'm bothered by the release of information concerning zimmermand 2005 arrest...he had it expunged and as such their should have been no way for the press to garner that information....
a witness who heard the cry for help either thought or assumed it came from trayvon...however the police "corrected" her and told her zimmerman said that....
so yes ogal...i hope it only bruises the image of sanford...but i'm afraid it will lead to much worse before all is said and done
Thanks Ric, well thought out response. Wait and see comes into play. I am just afraid if we have to wait too long that there will be violence. I guess it may never be the same Sanford that it was before the shooting. Only time will tell.
As far as the case of Martin, I believe Zimmerman will have to face a lenghthy investigation, and will get whatever justice he deserves.
Here in CT we are going through a huge discrimination situation in a town called East Haven, with four officers and the chief arrested and fired for discriminaton against the Latino community.
From the Orlando Sentinel:
As the Trayvon Martin controversy splinters into a debate about self-defense, a central question remains: Who was heard crying for help on a 911 call in the moments before the teen was shot?
A leading expert in the field of forensic voice identification sought to answer that question by analyzing the recordings for the Orlando Sentinel.
His result: It was not George Zimmerman who called for help.
Tom Owen, forensic consultant for Owen Forensic Services LLC and chair emeritus for the American Board of Recorded Evidence, used voice identification software to rule out Zimmerman. Another expert contacted by the Sentinel, utilizing different techniques, came to the same conclusion.
Zimmerman claims self-defense in the shooting and told police he was the one screaming for help. But these experts say the evidence tells a different story.
Happy April ... hope it is a great month for you :)
When will we ever learn?
Hopefully the Orlando Sentinel and Mr. Owen profited greatly with this circus. Seeing as how they are so genuinely concerned with seeing justice done, maybe they will happily donate to the cost for the State to import and sequester a jury that did not hear about this article. That would be justice.
Gossip and curiosity can be very expensive.
Good point Shep. I guess we didn't learn. This is what caused the big jury move to Tampa - St. Pete in the Casey Anthony trial. No way to pull a jury from Orlando with all the pre trial news about the casee. Thank you for your input I appreciate your thoughts.
Florida's Government in the Sunshine law makes almost all records including police reports etc available to the public. That is another reason why trying a high profile case in the State of Florida extremely difficult.
Take care!
Ylee, I will now root for Kentucky. Kansas beat Purdue in the second round so I want them to lose. Ohio State did very well to last as long as they did. Sure hope there is no more violence in Lexington.
Just heard on the news that Trayvon's parents are asking the Justice Dept to find out why Norm Wolfinger's State Attorneys didn't charge Zimmerman and put him in Jail. Another piece of this huge puzzle.
This country should be ruled by Laws, not mobs. I am sure the States Attorneys knows more about the law than Trayvon"s parents!
Interesting thought Say No.
Have a Blessed and Happy Easter Weekend!
Easter Christian Graphics
HAPPY EASTER DEAR SARAH AND FAMILY. BLESSINGS GOING TO YOU ALL.
Easter Prayer
May all happiness be yours,
Your troubles fade away,
And only gladness reign within
Your heart, this Easter Day.
Anon
Hope this finds you doing well and wanted to breeze on by this Easter Sunday to wish you and yours, MANY ...
Thought you might also enjoy this adorable AC pic posted by HopeinHim on April 1st , and found in the Wunderground AC photo gallery this past week. It, too, seems so fitting for this Easter Sunday and for springtime in general. ENJOY!
Click on pic below for direct link to photo:
I hope you and your family have a blessed day.
Gus says hello to your foor legged, hairy ones!
He is napping now, after a busy morning of birdwatching outside. He's being allowed out unsupervised for short periods but only in the backyard, as it is fenced in.
Happy Easter to you! I see you're going halibut fishing - I'll have to find a pic for you of the halibut the guys pulled out when I was up there. At least I remember it as halibut - once I find the photo, I'll know for sure.
Hope your day's lovely, and full of enjoyment!
Shore good to hear from you. Yes my first attempt at halibut fishing. Wish I had Sarah Palin with me to hit them over the head after we get them into the boat. This is Steve's idea of fun not mine.
Texas sure has been hit hard with the tornadoes. Glad you and Emmy are ok. A scary time for all. I just happened to have MSNBC on and watched the entire event. I guess I won't worry about my porch furniture anymore after watching the semis fly in the air.
Hope you have a wonderful Easter afternoon.
Thank you all for you lovely Easter graphics. I will update the Trayvon Martin case a little later. There is news coming from Sanford, Fl.
The big news in the Trayvon Martin case is that Ms Cory, the lead prosecutor, from Jacksonville is not going to use a Grand Jury. She will make her own decision as to whether there will charges brought against George Zimmerman or not. This is just more wait and see what happens.
That's a gutsy call on her part.
The facts must be clear.
Suggests some cooperation on the part of Zimmerman...maybe.
That's not true.
You're toying with words to suit.
Update on the Martin case:
George Zimmerman's attorneys are no longer part of the case. For what ever reason Zimmerman is no longer in contact with them. Therefore they can not say they represent him. At this point they ere only legal representation pro bono and are not the attorneys of record with the court. That would only happen iF Zimmerman were charged in the murder case of Trayvon Martin.
The lead Prosecutor Angela Cory has told the media there will be a news conference in about 72 hours concerning this case.
As of this morning barricades have been put up around the intake area of the Seminole County jail. All of this leading to the thought that an arrest may happen soon.
George Zimmerman will be charged in the Trayvon Martin murder case. The lead prosecutor will speak at 6:00pm in Jacksonville, Fl.
Been hearing that we will learn something tonight at 6pm from Jacksonville. Glad they are getting it out of Sanford.
2nd Degree Murder is the charge against George Zimmerman. Let the court do its work.
George Zimmerman made his firs court appearance yesterday. Basically he was asked if he were represented by an attorney and he said yes. Mark O'Mara is his new attorney and at this point is acting pro bono. There is a bond hearing scheduled for Mr. Zimmerman next week and his Arraignment is to be on the 29th of May.
Many feel that he will not be bonded out for many reasons but it will be the final decision of the judge in this case.
If you ever wanted to see how the media works the Sanford courthouse and the Seminole county jail could show you how. It was a media circus similar to the Casey Anthony trial only in Seminole County not Orange County.
Judge Jessica Recksiedler is the judge for the Trayvon Martin case.
Judge Jessica Recksiedler
Her brief bio:
Occupation: Attorney
City: Altamonte Springs
Years in district: 38
Education: Bachelor of science, accounting, Florida State University, 1994; juris doctorate, Stetson University College of Law, 1997
Political experience: None
Other experience: Extensive civil and criminal jury trial experience and handled cases in courts all over the state. Board certified and recognized jury trial expert by the Florida Bar, which requires extensive qualifications. As part of the evaluation to become board certified, I was evaluated by the judges I had cases in front of and the attorneys I tried cases against on my ethics, professionalism, knowledge and skills. I prepare, write and grade the seven-hour board certification exam as part of Board Certification committee as appointed by the Florida Bar.
I agree; let this play out in court properly and stop trying the case,
either way, until it is properly done by trial.
Happy Earth Day from the middle of England:)
Hi Ogal, I saw how son has got a new place in Tampa....
Wish him well in his new home from me:)
In case you have been living under a rock I will update you on the Trayvon Martin case. Judge Kenneth Lester is the new judge assigned to the case. I had the privilege of working many times with this judge. He is a very fair man and runs a terrific courtroom. George Zimmerman has one of the finest defense attorneys in the Orlando area. I have worked with him too on Guardian Ad Litem cases.
Last night at midnight Zimmerman was released on $150, 000 dollar bond. He had to come up with $15,000 in cash. He was fitted with a GPS monitor on his ankle. A big while BMW whisk him away to an unknown place out of state. He must report in every three days.
He will return to Seminole Co on the 29th of May for his Arraignment. It was just said on the news that he may not have to return for his Arraignment.
Hopefully the city of Sanford will now return to somewhat normal way of life. All the media has moved out and will not return until later in May.
Police Chief Lee, head of the embattled Sanford Police Dept, was not allowed to resign. Thousands of letters came into the Sanford City Commission asking that he not resign. He has wonderful credentials and is retired from the FBI. He is truly a plus for Sanford. The police did not botch the investigation of the Trayvon Martin Case. They wanted Zimmerman arrested. It was the State Attorney, Norm Wolfinger that did not want Zimmerman arrested for whatever reason. Maybe he felt he could not successfully prosecute the case. Lots more to know. This is just the beginning.
It was also noted yesterday the Arraignment may be moved up to the 8th of May and Zimmerman may not be present. His plea will be entered by his attorney Mark O'Mara.
Viewing: 51 - 101
Page: 1 | 2 | 3 — Blog Index