By now you have heard the story about the senseless death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.  Trayvon was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman while patrolling his neighborhood.  Zimmerman acting as a wannabe cop suspected Trayvon to be a shady character in his neighborhood and felt the need to take matters into his own hands.

Against the orders of the 911 dispatcher, Zimmerman carrying a legally concealed weapon pursued Trayvon and what we know some kind of altercation occurred which led to the shooting death of Trayvon at the hands of Zimmerman.  Since that tragic night Zimmerman has claimed self-defense….

Ummmm, yeah so Zimmerman is going to claim self-defense when HE was the one pursuing someone he referred to as “a real suspicious guy”???

Up until recently the story was suspicious, but once the city of Sanford (Florida) released the 911 tapes from that night it became clear that Zimmerman’s self-defense was not adding up.

“This guy looks like he’s up to no good or he’s on drugs or something,” Zimmerman told the dispatcher. “It’s raining, and he’s just walking around looking about.” The man tried to explain where he was. “Now he’s coming towards me. He’s got his hand in his waistband. And he’s a black male…Something’s wrong with him. Yup, he’s coming to check me out. He’s got something in his hands. I don’t know what his deal is…These assholes, they always get away.”

After discussing his location with the dispatcher, Zimmerman exclaimed, “Shit he’s running,” and the following sounds suggest he left his vehicle to run after Martin.

“Are you following him?” the dispatcher asked. Zimmerman replied: “Yep.”

“Okay, we don’t need you to do that,” the dispatcher warned. (from Mother Jones)

So how can Zimmerman even claim self-defense when it looks like he initiated the event?

In Florida there is a law called “Stand Your Ground”; enables people who perceive a threat to use deadly force without first trying to retreat from a confrontation.  This law was meant to protect citizens, but due to what I believe are flaws this law seems to lead to more of a vigilante mentality.

Without a doubt we want citizens to feel safe, but this is not the Wild Wild West!

A very good point was made by several commentators concerning this shooting…  If this was a police officer involved shooting, more than likely that officer would be removed from duty or place on administrative duties (desk jockey) until further investigation.  In this case Zimmerman is still allowed to walk the streets with his legally concealed weapon; what makes Zimmerman better than cop???

Nothing!!!

Thanks to the work of people like this case has been brought to the national stage.  The Department of Justice and the FBI just announced that they will be launching a probe into what happened in Sanford.  The “Stand Your Ground” is dangerous and according to reports there are 16 other states with a more lenient interpretation of the law.

Something needs to before we lose another Trayvon Martin….

If there is something to be said, “It’s On Broadway” to step up and say it!!