Lessons to Learn from Trayvon Martin's Death
A message from SafetySmart Lilburn for neighborhood watches.
Many of you have heard of the recent incident in Sanford, Florida in which Trayvon Martin ended up dead, allegedly at the hand of George Zimmerman. Mr. Zimmerman called in a report to the police department stating that a young black man in a hoodie was entering his gated community and he (Zimmerman) was the neighborhood watch. Despite advice of the dispatch person that Zimmerman allow the police to handle the situation, he persisted and the 17-year-old ended up dead.
Lessons that neighborhoods can learn from this situation:
- Neighborhood Watch is a great way to become friendly with your neighbors and recognize what is unusual and suspicious. It is not about enforcement.
- Neighborhood Watch is a passive exercise. Neighbors are discouraged from putting their lives or lives of other people in jeopardy: get a tag number or description, but remain unengaged and at a safe distance.
- The role of watch members is to notify the police or sheriff of suspicious activity and then step back to let officers of the law to resolve the issue.
- Carrying a weapon is ill advised, but particularly when threat to life is a possibility.
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Maj Variola
2:28 pm on Saturday, March 24, 2012
On the other hand, it is always legal to follow someone and even question them. They needn't respond.
But if they (6'3 footballer) attack the questioner, self defense is appropriate with whatever tools are handy. Evolution wins.
(Unless you think GZ punched himself)
You don't need Fla laws' permission to defend yourself.
....
"Carrying a weapon is ill advised, but particularly when threat to life is a possibility." you could not be possibly more wrong..
Marcus Kabel
8:13 pm on Saturday, March 24, 2012
Zimmerman was bigger. He outweighed Martin by 80 pounds. But that aside, I wonder how threatened any of us would feel if a guy followed us by car, then got out and trailed us on foot, in the dark on empty streets. So maybe, maybe, Martin exercised his right of self-defense. None of the witnesses to come forward so far saw their encounter. We don't know if the voice some geard calling "Help me" was Zimmerman or Martin. I understand why real Neighborhood Watch programs say don't approach, just report. This whole thing could be a tragedy of misunderstandings that would never have happened if Zimmerman had listened to dispatch and stayed in the car.
Thor Johnson
6:59 am on Sunday, March 25, 2012
Very good advice Margot... Although, at this particular time joining a Neighborhood Watch may seem ironic it is an excellent way to get involved.
Neighborhood Watch programs are an ideal way to begin participating in your community. They foster communication. You get to know who lives where you do. Neighborhood Watch Groups represent tremendous opportunity to learn, first hand others cultures, religions and customs. We don’t have to rely on rumor, gossip and fear mongering.
If you want to get involved in a Neighborhood Watch Program, Contact Margot by “emailing the author” right next to Margot’s name at the top of the article... In case you don’t know, Margot Ashley is the President of SafetySmart Lilburn, Inc. a nonprofit all volunteer organization whose primary effort is to help start Neighborhood Watch Groups in 30047.
David Lloyd
7:00 am on Sunday, March 25, 2012
Both Marcus and Maj are correct in one sense; this could have been avoided. We do not have the entire story. I don't know where Marcus got his info but one witness says Martin was on top of Zimmerman and Zimmerman was bloody and beaten when the police arrived. We have also been told that the 6'2" football player was on a 5 day suspension from school at the time, so apparently he was not the 80 lb angel that we have been led to believe.
So there are a couple of lessons to learn. 1) know the facts before you try to cause a race riot, as Sharpton is trying to do, and 2) know when you decide to attack someone on a dark night - they might be carrying a gun! and 3) Carrying a weapon is well advised, particularly when threat to my life is a possibility.
Marcus Kabel
11:08 am on Sunday, March 25, 2012
I see now there is omne Orlando TV station report that I hadn't seen before. This is the one that apepars to be the basis for a witness seeing Martin on top of Zimmerman. http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/state/witness-martin-attacked-zimmerman-03232012 I'd just note that at this point this witness, who won't let himself be named, hasn't been confirmed by any other reporting I've seen. His is the only one of multiple witness accounts so far that says this. And if his account is true, we still don't know how the fight started. But like David Lloyd says, this death could have been avoided.
NC Henry
4:53 pm on Sunday, March 25, 2012
How many 17 year old angels do you know? How many of them deserve to die for walking through a gated community with a couple of snacks on them? I doubt anyone was in danger that night of being Skittle whipped and robbed at tea point. The tragedy in this is not that a perfect angel was killed it is that a young man was targeted for whatever reason Zimmerman chose, was hunted down and his life taken from him. Honestly in this case NO ONE wins.
dlschoen
4:34 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
It 'appears' that Zimmerman had a better "Character evaluation" than Martin did - which includes that we have also been told Martin was a 6'2" football player - - on a 5 day suspension from school at the time, so apparently he was not the 80 lb angel that we have been led to believe' - - needless death - - sorrowed to see how much more this has contributed to the Racism in our country and truly disappointed in that it's taken away from all the bigger issues facing the USof A! Not that the death wasn't a big issue - - but there needs to be time spent on our 'GETTING AMERICA BACK'!!