In Reply: "George Zimmerman substantially contributed to the altercation that occurred and set the events in motion that lead him to fire his weapon and kill that kid."

In reply to the following comment at the Politico.com post "Who are the real thugs? - Roger Simon":

"Fair enough, but the dispatcher wasn't. This is the same guy the local police invited to wear a uniform and patrol the neighborhood in a patrol car (strangely ZImmerman the vigilante declined). Talk about mixed messages. But the whole premise is silly, when i was a teenager, older folks were always seeing what i was up to, following me in a store, etc. The idea that you cant follow a guy you claim you saw peeking into windows in the rain in a neighborhood with a lot of thefts is absurd." - markbuehner

I didn't say you can't... I said it was foolish to do so. That suspicious individual--if he thinks you're some kinda creep looking to do HIM harm (and if you don't think that some unknown creepy adult following him, first in his car and then on foot, likely appeared just as suspicious and up to no good to Trayvon as Travon appeared to George--and really MORE suspicious, because Trayvon thought George was targeting him, not intimate objects in a townhouse where no one was home--you're willfully deluding yourself), or if he actually IS up to no good--may well react violently. The risk isn't worth the reward. Unless someone is in imminent danger of being harmed, approaching--or worse, actually confronting an unknown individual that you believe may be up to no good is just stupid.

I agree with the ultimate legal verdict--though I did want there to be a trial--but when it comes to common-sense blame, George substantially contributed to the altercation that occurred and set the events in motion that lead him to fire his weapon and kill that kid.

From the time they first saw each other, Trayvon spent most of his time moving away from the suspicious individual he saw. George spent most of that same time moving toward the suspicious individual he saw. Were it not for the actions George took--following Trayvon in his car and on foot (legal, but stupid)--neither of them would've been hit or shot, and we'd likely never've heard either of their names.
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Posted Thursday, February 20, 2014, 1:31 PM

In Reply: "Neighborhood watch generally instructs their volunteers not to follow, interact with, or confront anyone suspicious."

In reply to the following comment at the Politico.com post: Who are the real thugs? - Roger Simon:

"No- dispatch said they didnt NEED him to, they have a legal and civil liability if he were to be hurt (which he was). On the other hand, the burglar that was caught earlier in that neighborhood was seen by construction workers who called 911 and were ASKED to follow and see where the suspect went. And its an odd position you take that neighborhood watches instruct members not to watch." - markbuehner

Neighborhood watch generally instructs their volunteers not to follow, interact with, or confront anyone suspicious. If the behavior is serious or suspicious enough to call the police about, it's serious enough that the volunteer should not insert himself into the situation, even accidentally. (Also, they instruct their volunteers not to carry firearms while patrolling.)

((And yes, I know Zimmerman was just going to/from the store, and not formally patrolling... There's also some question as to whether he was even a part of the neighborhood watch, anymore...))

As for dispatch, the intent was pretty clear to me, anyway, but it would've been better if the "advice" was more direct. (The dispatcher in the Zimmerman / Scheibe dispute where he broke her iPad was MUCH more clear when speaking to the girlfriend:

"I want you to stay away from the house right now until we get there. We need to see the situation."

If only Zimmerman's dispatcher had been as clear...
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Posted Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014, 1:29 PM