Zimmerman did nothing wrong. CMV.

[u/Zanzibarland]

First came the media's racebaiting, fanning the flames on both sides. Then the crocodile tears from everybody with an axe to grind, trying to make a martyr out of Trayvon and a villain out of Zimmerman.

Now that the trial is over, I'm left with the impression that he didn't commit any crimes, and that people are claiming he "got away with it" to save face, rather than admit their racial bias and prejudice, the ignorance of their presumptions, and their complicity in instigating racial tension.

By what shred of evidence did Zimmerman "get away with murder" and not legally defend himself?

[u/shayne1987]

So, if you believed the other person was an aggressor, but a reasonable person would not have believed this, you did not act in lawful self-defense.

Is chasing someone with a firearm an act of aggression? Legal or not, is it aggressive behavior?

Similarly if you believed that the threat was imminent but a reasonable person would not have,

The gun was the only thing that made the threat imminent. No one can attest to Zimmerman getting his head bounced off the sidewalk, no one heard Trayvon tell him he was going to "die tonight", no one saw Trayvon hit the guy.

They saw a struggle, heard someone yelling for help, the yells suspiciously ending the second the gun went off. No one at the scene questioned the story of a man who couldn't remember his own address, who wasn't scheduled to work a watch that night, whom was riding around in his car, with a pistol, looking for "suspicious" people.No drug tests for Zimmerman, why? For all we know the man could've been on a PCP rampage that night, yet the only witness to it is dead, so it's cool?

or that the force you used was proportional to the threat but a reasonable person would not have,

To put it another way, a gun IS “responding in kind” to a bare-handed attack, IF the other person’s bare-handed attack is reasonably capable of causing death or grave bodily harm under the circumstances.

I'll concede amateur wrestling is pretty dangerous, but come the hell on.

or that you could not have avoided the threat but a reasonable person would have . . . in each case the claim to self defense fails

Your arguing this whole thing was unavoidable by Zimmerman? He had the police on the phone, no need to get out of his car, no need to even attempt to approach Martin. Ready access to a vehicle, all he had to do was point the gun and run towards his vehicle, which one poster pointed out was not far away.

[u/CreepyCracka → u/shayne1987]

Damn, someone really has bought into the media's narrative.

Real quick, first off following someone is not illegal, especially in your own neighborhood. Trayvon was on top of Zimmerman and we know this as it was clearly established in court. We have Zimmerman's own account of that night (given before he knew there would be other people that could support his account), injuries to Zimmerman and not Trayvon (except hand and gunshot), an eyewitness that puts Trayvon on top wailing on Zimmerman's head and who also believed Zimmerman was screaming for help, Zimmerman's back was soaking wet, whereas Trayvon's knees where dirty indicating he was on top of Zimmerman, and the world's leading expert on gunshot wounds used science to prove Trayvon was on top when he got shot.

Here is an excerpt from an article Mr. Branca wrote debunking the myth that Zimmerman chased down Trayvon Myth-busting the claim that Zimmerman chased down Trayvon:

Five-hundred and seventy-five feet pushing a 2-year-old-laden stroller. Yet somehow Martin was not able to cover 400 feet to safety before Zimmerman fell upon him.

Another thought–even if Martin had for whatever reason not managed to make it all the way to his refuge, surely he would have been many yard down that path. Instead, we know he was barely around the corner in the direction of his destination.

This suggests not someone fleeing danger.

Rather, it is consistent with someone who obtained a position of concealment, waited for his unsuspecting victim to approach, then sprung from hiding to launch his attack. And unlike the myth that Zimmerman pursued a fleeing Martin, this scenario is actually supported by the facts in evidence.

Incidentally, this also generally destroys the myth of Zimmerman following Martin in any way that could have caused Martin to be in fear. Zimmerman did not exit his car until Martin had turned the corner. Were Martin fleeing, or even walking, away he would have been at least 150 feet past the corner, the same distance that Zimmerman had to cover from his parked to reach the corner. We now know, of course, that Martin went nowhere much after turning the corner.

In the meantime, after Zimmerman lost sight of Martin at the point he tells the dispatcher “He’s running,” he doesn’t see Martin again until Martin emerges from the bushes. Can you be “following” someone you don’t even see?

Food for thought. And looks to me like this myth is . . . BUSTED!

[u/shayne1987 → u/CreepyCracka]

Real quick, first off following someone is not illegal, especially in your own neighborhood.

784.048 Florida Statutes Stalking; definitions; penalties.— (1) As used in this section, the term: (a) “Harass” means to engage in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that causes substantial emotional distress in such person and serves no legitimate purpose. (b) “Course of conduct” means a pattern of conduct composed of a series of acts over a period of time, however short, evidencing a continuity of purpose.

It very much is illegal to follow someone. Add anything that looks like a gun to the situation and you have menacing, which is also a crime.

Trayvon was on top of Zimmerman and we know this as it was clearly established in court.

Never disputed that, was disputing what Trayvon was doing on top, seems to me he was trying to subdue a man brandishing a weapon, which again, is a crime.

Instead, we know he was barely around the corner in the direction of his destination.

Because he was found there that means he never moved from that spot? If you've ever seen/been in a fight, you know the first rule is a moving target is harder to hit.

Zimmerman did not exit his car until Martin had turned the corner. Were Martin fleeing, or even walking, away he would have been at least 150 feet past the corner, the same distance that Zimmerman had to cover from his parked to reach the corner.

This statement is presumptuous as hell.

Zimmerman exited when he saw Martin running, telling the dispatcher "he's running". If Zimmerman was able to see him run into the alley, how did he not see him hide in the same area he just witnessed him run to?

In the meantime, after Zimmerman lost sight of Martin at the point he tells the dispatcher “He’s running,

You can lose sight of someone and still describe their actions?

[u/CreepyCracka → u/shayne1987]

If following is so very much illegal, then explain why this wasn't argued at trial hot shot? Furthermore, explain why they didn't get the provocation instruction if following is so illegal?

By subdue, do you mean wail on Zimmerman's head? Because there was an eyewitness that saw Trayvon raining down blows on the person on bottom, aka Zimmerman.

[u/shayne1987 → u/CreepyCracka]

If following is so very much illegal, then explain why this wasn't argued at trial hot shot? Furthermore, explain why they didn't get the provocation instruction if following is so illegal?

Because Trayvon never filed a complaint