[Peace-discuss] Fw: [socialistdiscussion] Re: The Zimmerman case

[David Johnson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: John Reimann 
To: socialist discussion 
Sent: Monday, July 15, 2013 12:25 PM
Subject: Re: [socialistdiscussion] Re: The Zimmerman case


  

In investigating the trial a little further, I have to modify my original comments. I am writing an article on this, but it's clear that the lead prosecutor in this trial made some critical mistakes, including placing Zimmerman's defense into evidence as part of the prosecutor's case. This then eliminated the need for Zimmerman to testify, where he could have been ripped to shreds by any half way serious cross examination. Further, there was the chief police witness who testified under cross examination that he found Zimmerman to have been credible. In the first place, when does a cop every testify like that? Second, why didn't the prosecution object to the question?


True, the jury had to work with what they were given - within the system. And true the system itself is fatally flawed. But what they were given was extremely flawed due to the prosecution's presentation. Oh, and by the way, the chief prosecutor - Angela Corey - has a history of having tried an unusually high number of black youth as adults, even by Florida standards.




John



On Mon, Jul 15, 2013 at 10:17 AM, David <tialsedov at yahoo.com> wrote:

    
  John is absolutely correct. The jury could only follow the evidence admitted into court, with 'race' excluded, though of course the defense attorney used this often enough. In that sense the verdict was more or less predictable.

  It reinforces the the now legal ability of anyone to stalk, armed, any black youth and murder him. At least in Florida.

  I would maintain, legally, that this is *still* a violation of the stand your ground law which implies self defense, and not the stalking of a victim against the *orders* of the emergency 911 dispatcher! In that sense I think the *legal* (as opposed to the white power structure social context) defense was flawed as well yet that latter social context of believing the person 'up holding the law', Zimmerman,was 'believed' by the jurors.

  D.



  --- In socialistdiscussion at yahoogroups.com, John Reimann <1999wildcat at ...> wrote:
  >
  > I'd like to raise some points about the Zimmerman case.
  > 
  > In the US court system, the accused is innocent until proven guilty, and he
  > or she must be so proven "beyond a reasonable shadow of doubt."
  > 
  > Zimmerman's claim was that he was attacked by Martin, who had him down on
  > the ground and was hitting him. Under Florida law, in that situation he had
  > a right to use a gun to defend himself. His claim was never disproven.
  > 
  > I think that what this shows is the limitations of the capitalist legal
  > system. Zimmerman is a racist who provoked Martin by stalking him. But this
  > was legally irrelevant. And in different circumstances, socialists would
  > want similar issues to be considered irrelevant.
  > 
  > If somebody had a history of conflict with police and had demonstrated a
  > dislike of police and was at one point attacked and beaten by the cops,
  > socialists (and others) wold want this victim's past to be kept out of the
  > case.
  > 
  > I think that the deeper problem, therefore, is that in a system whose state
  > is rightfully considered the enemy of the masses of people, you have to
  > keep every safeguard possible against state persecution in the courts. The
  > problem is that this means that violent racists like Zimmerman will also
  > often go free.
  > 
  > John
  > 
  > -- 
  > "Poems don't belong to those who write them; they belong to those who need
  > them" - from movie "Il Postino"
  > Check out:https:http://oaklandsocialist.com and //
  > www.facebook.com/WorkersIntlNetwork?ref=stream
  >








-- 

"Poems don't belong to those who write them; they belong to those who need them" - from movie "Il Postino"
Check out:https:http://oaklandsocialist.com and //www.facebook.com/WorkersIntlNetwork?ref=stream

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