Monthly Archives: June 2012

Recapping George Zimmerman’s 2nd Bond Hearing

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In summation, TruTV cuts out for commercials at the worst timing ever. So, the below may not be fully complete but it’s what I gathered from their live courtroom feed…

The 2nd bond hearing was seemingly used to introduce more information rather than rule on a new bail.

“I understand what you’re doing. You’re almost doing a reverse Arthur. Putting in the evidence to show what you think…perhaps the state was unable to do so.” ~ Judge Lester

For example, O’Mara addressed witnesses and spoke about the Zimmermans spending/moving around the donations, George Zimmerman’s bloodied head (which apparently wasn’t actively bleeding when the EMT witness showed up) including medical records from the day following the shooting, and the fact that Zimmerman was ABSOLUTELY crying for help per Robert Zimmerman (this disagrees with George Zimmerman himself during a statement to Sanford PD, 2 independent forensics experts, the FBI, etc.).

De la Rionda introduced Zimmerman’s probation officer who confirmed that no booze or guns were found in his two visits to the Zimmerman’s residence. [Note: I’m guessing there’s something to suggest Zimmerman consumed alcohol or possessed a firearm while on probation.]

I was shocked at how O’Mara handled the bond hearing. He introduced a handful of things that were confusing to Zimmerman’s case such as medical records showing only a LIKELY broken nose/head abrasions requiring soapy water, now recanted MMA style fighting witness statement from “John” (witness #6…not #20 or #9 as O’Mara suggested), and admitting that his client was acting like a paranoid idiot when allowing his wife to lie under oath. To top it off, O’Mara asked if Zimmerman could address the judge one on one without cross examination in an attempt to explain his inaction during Shellie’s testimony. Of course, Judge Lester didn’t agree to the terms and said something like, “He shouldn’t be apologizing or explaining anything to me — it’s the court and judicial process that he’s accountable to.”

In the end, O’Mara claimed that Zimmerman should be granted bond again because he’s being unjustly charged with a crime and shouldn’t be locked up until the trial takes place in a year or so. That’s his #1 argument and completely contrived in my opinion. O’Mara never uttered the words Stand Your Ground but is, at the least, taking the self defense angle. In order to take a self defense angle, we’d have to hear from the person (Zimmerman) that was supposedly protecting himself (as the aggressor) for the charges to be considered unjust.

Update from 7/5 – Zimmerman’s 2nd Bail Set at $1 Million by Judge Lester:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57466693-504083/trayvon-martin-case-george-zimmerman-bond-set-at-$1000000/

I admittedly don’t get and/or follow law but another bail amount being set for Zimmerman after everything that’s known to date is absolutely ludicrous.

Without being said, the State of Florida has already proved their general judicial incompetence during Casey Anthony’s trial but is the entire judicial system in the US completely messed up or just Florida (and/or presumably most of the deep south)?

Thank you, CommonSenseForTheChange.

Judge Kenneth Lester’s court order:

http://www.flcourts18.org/PDF/Press_Releases/SKMBT_363-V12070510360.pdf

It was mentioned on twitter that the 2nd bail amount may have been set by Judge Lester to avoid the possibility of a higher court overturning the case.

http://twitter.com/coreybking/status/220934693984538625

Again, I’m no regular follower of the seemingly warped judicial system but if true, this explanation finally makes some sort of sense.

Update from 7/5 – Zimmerman’s Legal Team Pleads for Donations:

http://gzlegalcase.com/index.php/press-releases/34-regarding-the-one-million-dollar-bond-set-for-george-zimmerman

This is what our judicial system has come to?

And, O’Mara states Zimmerman isn’t a danger to society. Hmmmm. Trayvon Martin, the officer he punched at a bar, his ex-fiancée, those that hired him as party security, and his doctor’s records definitely noted a history of Zimmerman’s aggression.

Update from 7/6 – Zimmerman Out of Jail Again:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18748256

Judge Lester better hope Zimmerman can keep his thoroughly documented – even in medical reports – mood swings under control over the next year or so until the trial. Otherwise, Lester and O’Mara will have a lot of explaining to do.

Also, if her husband had mood swings caused by Vyvanse (see bottom of Zimmerman’s doctor’s report) during their time together, Shellie Zimmerman will have lied under oath…again.

Lastly, from the above BBC link:

“The racially charged Trayvon Martin case has divided the US.”

I highly disagree. If you thoroughly look into what happened during Trayvon’s final 30 minutes or so, there’s no divide…at all.

Update from 8/30 – Appeal Court Removes Judge Lester in George Zimmerman Case:
https://bcclist.com/2012/08/29/appeal-court-removes-judge-lester-in-george-zimmerman-case/

Thank you, CommonSenseForChange and willisnewtown.

The above posting is the 3rd of 5 postings that includes updates regarding the Trayvon Martin – George Zimmerman shooting. The others can be found here…

1 of 5…

https://bcclist.com/2012/03/27/trayvon-martin-george-zimmerman-map/

2 of 5…

https://bcclist.com/2012/05/14/trayvon-martin-george-zimmerman-court-proceedings-and-trial/

4 of 5…

https://bcclist.com/2012/07/12/trayvon-martin-george-zimmerman-2nd-evidence-release/

5 of 5…

https://bcclist.com/2012/08/08/stand-your-ground-hearing-for-george-zimmerman/

Note: The comment section for this posting has been disabled. This BccList.com forum posting — see the comment section here — is where the conversation is continuing.

Wedding Party Falls into Gun Lake After Dock Collapses – Shelbyville, Michigan

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My favorite parts of this video are to follow…

  1. The order/manner which the kid puts up the cones at the 1:20 mark. I’m not sure why I find this humorous…it’s almost like he a) over thought his task at hand or b) was somehow taunting the wedding party.
  2. The guy “rescuing” himself…and nobody else. His foot kick (:14 mark), half-hearted attempt to bring anybody up on board (:25 mark), and the camera panning out to show his move didn’t make much sense (:36 mark) made me laugh a lot.
  3. The fact that the wedding party was waiting on somebody. Who knows, maybe the shot gets done before the collapse if “Kat” is around? And, it sounded like at least one person didn’t even know if Kat was the name of the person they were waiting on.
  4. The person that claims the video will be going on facebook. I think he meant youtube since facebook gets 1 baby/kid video upload every 3 months.
  5. The human that can shake like an actual dog. He likely disrupted a perfectly good photo opp with all that shaking.
  6. The person that was worried about their ruined phone…instead of the ruined WEDDING! I’m sure the wedding party doesn’t think the wedding was ruined now but it probably felt otherwise then. Worth noting, this is the same person that could shake like a dog.

I also loved…

  • The rather informal bra adjustment (:03-:06) just seconds before the dock collapsed.
  • How everybody checked for their phones seconds after hitting the water.
  • The “Take Pictures” guy (:22 mark).
  • The high fivers (:49 mark).
  • The guy that still wanted to prove he’s got it by climbing aboard the mangled dock (:50 mark).
  • The guy that avoids the “Oh My God” chick at the :51 mark.
  • Stiffler’s Mom (1:31 mark).

George Zimmerman Video Reenactment Lies and Interview Discrepancies

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For some odd reason, Zimmerman’s defense released all this info…

http://gzlegalcase.com/index.php/press-releases/30-george-zimmerman-s-statements

I’m guessing the more info Zimmerman’s defense team releases, the more messaging they feel they can control? I’m not quite sure but nothing from the above link is flattering and/or helps their client’s cause.

So, I’ll start with the lies and discrepancies seen in Zimmerman’s video reenactment — it can be accessed here:

I’ll eventually get to the lies and discrepancies from Zimmerman’s interviews and statements. I’ll keep the comment section of this posting open but please try to cite only lies/discrepancies with Zimmerman’s video reenactment, interviews, statements, etc. If you’d like to comment on something else, the following blog posting is wide open!

https://bcclist.com/2012/05/14/trayvon-martin-george-zimmerman-court-proceedings-and-trial/

The major issues with Zimmerman’s video reenactment:

1) Zimmerman’s not able to effectively explain how nearly all the crime scene evidence and Trayvon’s dead body ended up so far south of the T. You can clearly see the investigators wanted this answer but instead Zimmerman starts walking south and “can’t remember” how he ended up where he did south of the T.

“I think I stumbled and I fell down.”

“I think I was trying to push him away from me.”

Of course, unless Zimmerman was “attacked” from the north (he stated Trayvon supposedly came from the south behind some bushes), there was no reason for Zimmerman to have ever been an inch south of the T.

Note: I assume Zimmerman recants the bushes comment from his initial report since he conveniently “didn’t see exactly where he (Trayvon) came from” during the reenactment video.

2) Zimmerman tries to show investigators that his scuffle with Trayvon Martin occurred behind 1211 Twin Tree Lane. The correct location was one house further south behind 1221 Twin Tree Lane.

Why short change how far he and the unarmed teen were from the T? Because, as mentioned above, Zimmerman had about 24 hours and I assume a few conversations with his father (a retired judge) to figure out he shouldn’t have been even an inch south of the T if he was simply returning to his vehicle when attacked from behind. Meaning, the closer to the T, the better for Zimmerman’s defense.

3) Frank Taaffe stated his friend was way further down the path (to the south) than what Zimmerman’s reenactment video suggests…

4) After Zimmerman’s 911 call ended minutes before, he should have been back in his Honda Ridgeline waiting for police as instructed — so, not anywhere near the T — when he was attacked.

Per Zimmerman’s video reenactment, let’s dissect his version of the happenings via a map (of course) and note some more discrepancies…

5) The non emergency dispatcher asked Zimmerman to report any other suspicious activity around the 1:34 mark of his call to police. If we believe anything Zimmerman has said – that’s been extremely tough so far during this entire case – he supposedly started following (or stalking, harassing, and preying upon) Trayvon Martin in his vehicle at this point. So, to reiterate, Zimmerman wouldn’t have moved his vehicle supposedly parked on the north side of the clubhouse at any point before the 1:34 mark of his call since he was giving a play-by-play of Trayvon’s front side and wasn’t asked to keep an eye on the unarmed teenager.

It would have taken Trayvon (almost exactly) 60 seconds to walk from where Zimmerman’s car was supposedly parked on the north side of the clubhouse to where he supposedly starts running (per Zimmerman’s call/reenactment). So, if Zimmerman left his parking spot at the 1:34 mark of his call – Note: I don’t hear anything that proves the car was in gear/following Trayvon – he would have seen Trayvon starting to run around 60 seconds later or around the 2:34 mark of his call.

When did Zimmerman first report seeing Trayvon run? The 2:08 mark of his call to police…about 34 seconds into Trayvon’s walk and his supposed vehicular pursuit.

60 seconds (time it would have taken Trayvon to walk away from Zimmerman’s vehicle before he started running)

– 34 seconds (the math from Zimmerman’s call)

= A 26 second gap.

6) Frank Taafee stated Zimmerman’s truck was parked facing west when he got out to pursue Trayvon (so, not east as Zimmerman indicated during his reenactment)…

Given 2) and 6) above, I assume O’Mara is going to have to trash Taaffe since the reenactments Zimmerman and he gave don’t even remotely coordinate. Given Taaffe’s nature, that may not play out too well for the defense.

7) MOST DAMNING: At the 6:09 mark of his reenactment video, Zimmerman stated Trayvon circled his eastward facing truck sometime after the teen took off behind the houses. So, this reappearance of Trayvon would have been after the 2:08 mark of Zimmerman’s call to police. Without being said, after Zimmerman sees Trayvon run at the 2:08 mark of his call, he never mentions him reappearing.

I’m not sure as to the significance of this fabricated story but I didn’t include Trayvon circling Zimmerman’s car in his reenactment map because it’s literally impossible and a flat out lie.

Note: The comment section for this posting has been disabled. This BccList.com forum posting — see the comment section here — is where the conversation is continuing.

Debating George Zimmerman Supporters Is Worthless

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I’m not sure why but I decided to get my hands dirty with some Zimmerman supporters recently on Twitter. In doing so, the obnoxiousness spilled over to the comment section of the original blog posting.

This was a mistake on 2 fronts — 1) The “debates” returned little/no results… 2) There are a handful of other loose ends I’ve been trying to tie up regarding Trayvon Martin’s murder and engaging Zimmerman supporters wasted a decent amount of time.

So, let’s take a look at the defense Zimmerman supporters offer for their confessed murderer and my responses…

“Zimmerman’s injuries are proof that he had every right to protect himself under Stand Your Ground (or Self Defense).”

If Zimmerman was attacked by Trayvon Martin – and the attack was unprovoked – Stand Your Ground (or Self Defense) could be considered by Judge Lester. However, Stand Your Ground (or Self Defense) is not applicable in this case seeing that Zimmerman unlawfully assaulted, harassed, stalked, and preyed upon Trayvon Martin before the scuffle began. Meaning, you can’t unlawfully bring on a confrontation and then be protected by Stand Your Ground (or Self Defense). And, it’s worth noting, only Zimmerman (who is accused of lying/withholding information during the bond hearing) has stated that Trayvon Martin started the scuffle.

Stand Your Ground clearly states…

A person is justified in the use of deadly force and does not have a duty to retreat if he or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another.

Of course, Zimmerman’s minor injuries — a LIKELY (but unconfirmed) broken nose, no brain injury/concussion, head abrasions that required no bandage the night of the shooting and warm soapy water as treatment, etc. — don’t reflect an attack that would have resulted in imminent death or great bodily harm.

Moreover, a lack of injuries/DNA on both Zimmerman’s and Trayvon Martin’s hands plus witness statements indicate there was only a mild scuffle – at worst – leading up to the fatal shot.

“Since Trayvon was acting suspicious, Zimmerman had every right to see what the unarmed teenager walking home with some snacks was up to.”

What was Trayvon Martin doing that was suspicious? Ducking under an awning during a rainstorm isn’t suspicious behavior. Wearing a hoodie during a rainstorm isn’t suspicious behavior. Running during a rainstorm isn’t suspicious behavior. Running during a rainstorm while somebody has been eerily watching you from their vehicle isn’t suspicious behavior either.

So, what was suspicious — being a black teen in a gated community? I contend that if Trayvon Martin was a white male/female, Zimmerman never watches, reports, chases, or murders him.

“If Trayvon Martin was so scared, why didn’t he just go home and lock himself inside after running away from Zimmerman?”

Brief background: I’ve settled on 2 maps (update: 4 total maps now…these 2 from 2012 and these 2 from 2013) since my original posting on March 27, 2012.

Most Zimmerman supporters that blame Trayvon for his death because he wasn’t at home when the confrontation began have only seen (some version) of this map…

https://bcclist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/trayvon-martin-george-zimmerman-map-911-call-timing.jpg

And, not this map (which lines up perfectly with Zimmerman’s call to police, DeeDee’s statement, Witness 2’s statement, and Brandy Green’s interview the day after the shooting)…

https://bcclist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/trayvon-martin-george-zimmerman-map-911-call-timing-v-2.jpg

Update from 6/27/2013: Or these 2 additional maps from 2013… https://bcclist.com/2013/06/27/two-new-maps-of-the-george-zimmerman-and-trayvon-martin-chase/

Moreover, Trayvon’s body wasn’t found with a key on it. Was he locked out? Regardless, is it illegal to sit on your back porch, catch your breath, and talk on the phone to your friend after being chased by a creepy man? After watching a few Scream movies, I probably wouldn’t go inside my house either in fear the perpetrator/murderer would follow me inside.

“The 911 operator never told Zimmerman to stop chasing, stalking, harassing, preying upon, assaulting, etc. Trayvon Martin.”

This is one of the more baffling points Zimmerman supporters are trying to make. As everybody has heard, between the 2:24 – 2:28 mark of his 911 call, the following is said…

Operator: Are you following him? [2:24]

Zimmerman: Yeah. [2:25]

Operator: OK. We don’t need you to do that. [2:26]

Zimmerman: OK. [2:28]

The wind interference from Zimmerman running stops around the 2:43 mark of his call. So, he eventually stops running but not until 17 seconds after the operator tells him the Sanford Police Department doesn’t need him following Trayvon.

Note: The wind interference stopping only means Zimmerman stopped running. Meaning, especially as map 2 and Dee Dee suggests, Zimmerman continued his pursuit of his unarmed neighbor.

“The 911 operator never mentioned that Zimmerman should return to his vehicle.”

This is another baffling argument that Zimmerman supporters are trying to make…especially since Zimmerman confirms that he’ll meet the officers near the mailboxes.

Operator: OK, do you just want to meet with them at the mailboxes then? [3:42]

Zimmerman:Yeah, that’s fine. [3:43]

Of course, shortly after the 3:43 mark, Zimmerman realizes he’ll need to end his unlawful vigilante pursuit of Trayvon if he returns to the vehicle. So, instead, Zimmerman offers a cellphone number that the responding officers can reach him at.

Zimmerman: Could you have them call me and I’ll tell them where I’m at? [3:49]

Operator: OK, that’s no problem.

You can’t fault the operator for taking Zimmerman’s suggestion of having officers call his cellphone number since A) The operator has already told Zimmerman to stop following Trayvon at the 2:26 mark and B) Zimmerman was strangely giving horrible directions to his parked vehicle the entire call.

“Tracy Martin said it wasn’t Trayvon crying for help during the 911 call where the fatal shot was heard.”

This tidbit of info from Officer Christopher Serino comes in page 56 of the original Evidence Dump…

http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/357450/trayvon-martin-documents-ocr.pdf

“On 2/28/2012 at 1030 hours, I met with Tracy S. Martin (next-of-kin) to the decedent, Trayvon Martin, and _________, at the Sanford Police Department 815 W. 13th Street. The purpose for this meeting was to provide the decedent’s next-of-kin with a status update of the progress of the investigation into the shooting death of his son, Trayon Martin.

In order to provide a better understanding to Mr. Martin as to why the individual who shot his son was not arrested and charged with homicide, I decided to allow Mr. Marlin to hear all six 911 calls received by the Seminole County Communications Center regarding the incident involving his son and George Zimmerman. In order to facilitate this, I escorted Mr. Martin and _________ from the interview room area to my work station desk. I played the recordings on my desktop, and upon playing the 911 call placed by_________ in which a voice is heard in the background yelling for help multiple times, I asked Mr. Martin if the voice calling for help was that of his son. Mr. Martin, clearly emotionally impacted by the recording, quietly responded “no”, This encounter was not audio recorded, and no further questioning in the matter was conducted. Sgt. Leon Ceisla Was present during the playing of the 911 tapes for Mr. Martin.”

What’s suspect about the above passage?

1) The fact that the 911 audio recordings weren’t played in the investigation room.

2) The fact that Tracy Martin’s supposed admission wasn’t recorded.

3) Officer Serino’s choice of defensive/hostile words (underlined) like “decided” and “encounter.”

4) The fact that the calls were played for an emotionally impaired Tracy Martin only 2 days after Trayvon was killed.

Lest we forget, the FBI can’t (yet) confirm with 100% certainty who the person is crying for help:

http://www.ktvz.com/news/31082617/detail.html

As part of an analysis released this week, the FBI did not make a final determination either way, citing several reasons, including the fact they came during “an extreme emotional state,” that there weren’t enough words to make a good comparison and that the sound quality was low and distant.

But, 2 independent experts — and I presume eventually the FBI — have confirmed the cries for help did not come from Zimmerman:

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-03-31/news/os-trayvon-martin-george-zimmerman-911-20120331_1_voice-identification-expert-reasonable-scientific-certainty

“Zimmerman had a concealed firearms license and had every right to be armed.”

From the Neighborhood Watch Manual for the National Neighborhood Watch Program:

Patrol members should be trained by law enforcement. It should be emphasized to members that they do not possess police powers and they shall not carry weapons…

http://www.usaonwatch.org/assets/publications/0_NW_Manual_1210.pdf

Trayvon Martin would be alive if Neighborhood Watch rules followed:

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-03-14/news/os-trayvon-martin-beth-kassab-031512-20120314_1_orlando-police-block-captains-zimmerman

National Sheriff’s Association Statement on the Neighborhood Watch Tragedy in Sanford, Florida:

http://www.sheriffs.org/content/nsa-statement-nw-tragedy-fl

What other arguments have you heard from Zimmerman supporters? Feel free to leave a comment (and your response)!

This is an excellent article from theGrio:

Trayvon Martin – 15 facts you need to know about the unarmed teen shot in Sanford, Fl by vigilante George Zimmerman

Note: The comment section for this posting has been disabled. This BccList.com forum posting — see the comment section here — is where the conversation is continuing.

BccList.com Surpasses 500,000 Visitors

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As long time commenter (and now contributor) Ryan “THE” Conservative can attest, BccList.com was never about traffic/number of visitors when launched in May 2008.

Meaning, at one point, Ryan mentioned something like: “This blog will be up to 100,000 visitors in no time.” I was thinking — at the time — 1,000 visitors reading my therapeutic rants would be pretty cool. Well, Ryan, you were right (and thank you for continuing to read my diatribes)!

Here’s a link to my first few postings on May 24, 2008.

https://bcclist.com/2008/05/24/

And…

“Why the blog?”

https://bcclist.com/why-the-blog/

Yes, back in the day, I was an awkwardly bitter person — especially towards the likes of Hillary Clinton, Carl Icahn, and john mccain.

While I still have little tolerance for Tea Party bigots (I.e. Fox News), horribly designed websites/services (E.g. Hotmail), etc. I’m pleased to have focused my attention elsewhere as of late. Thank you for reading…here’s to the next 500,000 visitors!

Note: I completely understand 500,000 visitors in over 4 years — or about 350 visitors a day on average — isn’t phenomenal (and barely blog posting worthy). 🙂