Why is everything about race?

i don't know how much it applies, or even how true it is. i'm not a 911 operator, nor do i know anyone who is...

that said, i have heard that it is standard procedure to direct the caller to avoid ANY kind of confrontation if at all possible, no matter the circumstances, to avoid any liability.

i don't think the operator was wrong in tell him to not pursue, or engage young martin. zimmerman had a responsibility to his community (or felt he did) to investigate the situation. what happened after that is unclear.

racism is alive and well in the US, but it's not what some people make it out to be. from what i've seen, there is a lot more black on white racism than the opposite. got several racist black families that live on my street.

there are enough problems in this country, the media should not be trying to start a race war. in my opinion, that is all that they are doing (not that they can really do anything else effectively).

i dunno, that's the best my overworked, sleep deprived brain could come up with for a response. hopefully it made sense. doubtful, but i can hope.

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Originally Posted by olstyn

Suzuki, you're forgetting the part where the 911 operator told Zimmerman to break off the pursuit and he kept following Martin anyway. On the surface, at least, that sounds like he sought out the conflict that led to the shooting. Of course, none of us know all the facts, so we really should reserve judgment and let the legal system do its job. I agree that it's sad that the media feels the need to choose sides and spin things, rather than simply reporting the facts. If Zimmerman is telling the truth, then yes, it was a "good" shoot, but it also may be that Martin was guilty of walking while being black/wearing a hoodie. Hopefully the truth can be found in the end.

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olstyn: A 911 operator is a telephone operator. They have no authority nor liability with the information they provide. It is irrelevant if he followed the boy/man and even taunted him. Under the law, there is no excuse for violence. Under the law, Zimmerman had every right to defend himself against violence that he felt put his life in danger with lethal force. so far the legal system has done its job and Zimmerman has not been charged.

The Ted Nugent interview on Piers Morgan was great. Over 9,000 people were killed in 2011 by guns. Over 3,000 of them were Black/African American. Why is the "Black" community only concerned about this one case? My answer is: They want publicity and they want Obama to side with them in this election year and make a precedence.

I think its terrible that ANYONE is ever killed. However, I commend those who stand up for their rights and protect themselves. If Trayvon was only 70 feet/yards from his destination, maybe he should have ran home and called the cops if he felt his life was threatened or he was being harrassed. My bet is there was a confrontation and in the end there is always a loser.

I dont know about you guys but if some guy is following me home, I would confront him about it and if I thought I could, I might beat him up because I would feel that my safety had been threatened.

While 911 dispatchers are "just phone operators" he was still told to stand down and continued the pursuit anyway.

I don't think we will ever know the real truth and I think that no one in this situation gets a fair shake. the media it's a hateful, skewed group and we will never hear a whole and unbiased account of what happened.

sent from my EVO

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Originally Posted by jbean7916

I dont know about you guys but if some guy is following me home, I would confront him about it and if I thought I could, I might beat him up because I would feel that my safety had been threatened.

While 911 dispatchers are "just phone operators" he was still told to stand down and continued the pursuit anyway.

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Oh well, some operator told him to do something and he didn't. Sprint operator told me to upgrade and I refused...off to jail I shall go!!!! No difference under the law.

You plan to attack a man as a defensive tactic? WOW, JUST WOW!!!!:colbert::colbert:

The Point is why are we all talking a about it? Things like this happen every single day and it is not national news. The media portrayed treyvon as a little harmless kid, and Zimmerman like a white racist. When both couldn't be farther from the truth. Again it all boils down to everyone trying to make things racial when they aren't.

Well, the real problem, as has been stated numerous times before, is that there is spin coming from every possible angle on the Martin/Zimmerman case, which makes it very difficult to know what the real facts are. While I disagree with this statement, suzuki, it's about the only place where we differ:

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It is irrelevant if he followed the boy/man and even taunted him.

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Granted, the 911 operator's instructions are not legally binding, but IMO they were good advice, and I think that by following Martin, it's easily possible that he made Martin fear for his life. If you're walking alone after dark and a vehicle follows you, stops, and the driver gets out and pursues you on foot, you would most likely feel threatened (I know I would). It may be that Martin felt that running away wasn't an option anymore, and if you can't run, you have to fight.

While I own a gun and will likely have my permit to carry soon, and I support the everyone's right to defend themselves in the face of danger, I do have a problem with chasing someone down and starting a confrontation (if, of course, that's what happened - we just don't know). I think that as someone who has chosen to carry a weapon, you have a higher responsibility than "normal" people to avoid conflict, simply because deadly force, by definition, is a last resort, and you don't want to create situations where employing it may be necessary if it's at all possible to avoid them.

Now, if Martin had approached Zimmerman's vehicle, tried to pull him out of it, and gotten shot for his trouble, it'd have been an 8th page story and never have become national news, and rightly so. However, it's not 100% clear whether the shooting was righteous or criminal, at least as far as the information filtered through the media indicates. Hopefully the police will do their jobs thoroughly and well, and will either exonerate or indict Zimmerman as appropriate.

As I said in my earlier post in this thread, we all need to withhold judgment until after the investigation (and trial, if there is one) is complete. I personally am not on either side here; I just think that some of Zimmerman's actions were ill-advised (as were some of Martin's), and it's a shame that what seems to have been a misunderstanding had to lead to a death.

A misunderstanding does not result in a broken nose or cuts on a guy's head. An attack explains it well though.

If Martin has signs that he was shot in the back or pistol whipped, then I would side the Zimmerman stepped out of line. Too many neighbors praised Zimmerman and his neighborhood watch abilities to have him lash out on one teen without reason. A guy with a gun who has shown the willingness to use it, would have used it rather than start a fight. I can play the scenario out in my head and it sounds similar to what the Zimmerman family describes.

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Originally Posted by suzuki4life

olstyn: A 911 operator is a telephone operator. They have no authority nor liability with the information they provide. It is irrelevant if he followed the boy/man and even taunted him. Under the law, there is no excuse for violence. Under the law, Zimmerman had every right to defend himself against violence that he felt put his life in danger with lethal force. so far the legal system has done its job and Zimmerman has not been charged.

The Ted Nugent interview on Piers Morgan was great. Over 9,000 people were killed in 2011 by guns. Over 3,000 of them were Black/African American. Why is the "Black" community only concerned about this one case? My answer is: They want publicity and they want Obama to side with them in this election year and make a precedence.

I think its terrible that ANYONE is ever killed. However, I commend those who stand up for their rights and protect themselves. If Trayvon was only 70 feet/yards from his destination, maybe he should have ran home and called the cops if he felt his life was threatened or he was being harrassed. My bet is there was a confrontation and in the end there is always a loser.

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This is not true. I am a 911 dispatcher, and I can tell you right now I can most certainly be taken to court and charged if I give out improper information. I even have to give CPR instructions, literally, word-for-word by a card given to use and approved by a state doctor, along with other EMD protocol and police protocol in some instances. If not read, word-for-word, we can be sued, along with the town, and in some cases charged. We are liable for every word we say. I can tell you right now, if some numskull called me and told me there was a kid with a gun near him, or whatever the circumstances are, I'd would tell him DO NOT APPROACH HIM, get to a safe distance, and await the PROPER authority. Obviously, the person has the choice to listen or not. The first thing we do during a domestic dispute is to tell the caller to literally remove themselves as far away from the other person as possible, even if they need to wait down the street. Safety is our first priority, for all parties involved including my responders. Not sure where you got your info, but we are most certainly liable, why do you think ALL 911 calls are recorded??

P.S. I guarantee if you ever need to call 911 for a real emergency, you'll think of me as more than a freakin' telephone operator. ;)

Someone call me a telephone operator one more time...

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Originally Posted by jbean7916

I dont know about you guys but if some guy is following me home, I would confront him about it and if I thought I could, I might beat him up because I would feel that my safety had been threatened.

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Sounds like the makings of an episode of "When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong"...good luck with all that...

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Originally Posted by jbean7916

While 911 dispatchers are "just phone operators" he was still told to stand down and continued the pursuit anyway.

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If I told you to stop coming to this forum, would you?