"It doesn't sound like this was a self defense."

If it doesn't sound like self defense to you, it obviously should not have looked like self defense to the cops responding to the call. And that is where the racism come in. If it was a 250 pound African American holdng a gun and standing over a dead, white, highschool student armed with candy, everyone who has a working brain that has not been poluted by racism that still permeates our society knows that that African American would be in jail at this very moment.

trayvon shooter told cops teenager went for his gun

http://gma.yahoo.com/trayvon-martin-shooter-told-cops-teenager-went-gun-030349812--abc-news.html

At the time I wrote the article I had no knowledge of Zimmerman's Hispanic heritage. It would have made no difference in my fundamental analysis.The self defense laws create a climate of vigilantism and encourages the use of lethal force.

The Trayvon Martin incident affirms my basic argument and the details revealed in the audio tapes indicated that racism was a factor. Zimmerman purportedly used a racial slur,he outweighed Trayvon by 100 pounds and packed a 9mm,he was told not to pursue Trayvon by the dispatcher,he ignored this order,actively pursued Trayvon,confronted him and killed him.

Does the above scenario sound like Zimmerman was fearful for his life and defended himself from a young boy who was heard crying,followed by a shot and silence?Or does this sound like an overzealous neighborhood protector that harbored certain racial biases and acted on them?

Your denial that institutional and social racism is not a factor in our society goes against reality. As Ron Kurowski wrote,"racism still permeates our society". It has been reported that banks redline,the subprime mortgage lenders targeted Blacks and Hispanics,black farmers were denied loans,racial profiling is common, blacks are 13% of the population yet make up nearly 40% of the prison population.I could go on and on.Here,I only wish to confirm that racism permeates our society.Allow me to suggest a book that explores these issues: "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander.

I agree Nick. Stop dividing us by race. This killing should not have happened as far as I understand the facts, but that could change depending on the investigation. We are a country of laws, so let the law run its course and see what happens.

It doesn't matter what race someone is, we are all Americans. Chicago had 46 shootings this past weekend, because of some stupid people. And it is not the guns fault, it is the user.

I do not agree that the writer of this piece "needs racism". I do not agree that the writer of this piece is perpetuating racism. And, I think it's a load of right wing rhetoric that "the black community has been enslaved by liberal and progressive policies, blah blah blah". That is a load of hooey that you are spewing while pretending someone else is using the situation for their own political purpose.

It's wonderful that you don't care what color, etc that people are. It would be even more wonderful if it were true of everyone but unfortunately, it's not.

This writer did not say that self defense laws create vigilantism. He said that vigilantism mentality is being legally sanctioned. Not the same thing.

You are right that no one knows what happened. But here is what we do know: Zimmerman was stalking Martin in a truck with a gun. We know this because of the 911 tape, which also indicates a racial aspect. The only other thing we know is Martin was unarmed and is dead after being shot by Zimmerman and Zimmerman hasn't been either arrested and charged or exonerated. The victim was drug tested but the shooter wasn't. The shooter's gun wasn't taken for evidence. That's not how the system is supposed to work is it? And while we're at it, let's not pretend that if Martin were the shooter and Zimmerman was dead that Martin would still be the one drug tested and he would be in jail during this, what we can laughingly refer to as, investigation.

Stephenie - This is the best comment of the evening. You are absolutely correct. Let's not forget the most important fact and the one true fact, a child is dead.

To everyone: I would not think if someone like Zimmerman had self appointed himself to patrol your neighborhood with a loaded gun that anyone would think it was a good idea. The only result of a non police officer walking around with a gun is innocent civilians being killed.

Nick,voice experts have analyzed one of the 911 calls and determined that the voice crying for help was not Zimmerman .
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/31/trayvon-martin-shooting-911-call-screams_n_1394224.html?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl2|se
This definitely conflicts with the witnesses account on the fox report that you show here. The video shown when Zimmerman was brought to the police station doesn't show Zimmerman with any grass stains ,blood stains,broken nose etc.
I also read a report from the mortician for Trayvon that said he did not find skinned or damaged hands on his corpse indicating that Trayvon was not in a hand to hand battle.

Your comments are truly pathetic. Since you obviously do not have the intellectual wherewithal to address on a substance level the important issues Mr. Torrence brought up in his piece, you have to resort to name calling and the demonizing of the messenger which is always the refuge of the ill-informed and ignorant. Your lack of understanding of the historical unfolding of the race issue in this country and the various ways it affects our society to this day is unique even when measured against a low information voter. And your simplistic argument that some sort of political agenda is being pushed is made more ridiculous the fact that you are the only one bringing up the subject of politics.

The tea-bagger mentality that so obviously burdens you does not permit any reflection on issues that don’t conform to your moronic world view and results in the asinine charge that progressives are the “real racists”.

You are the one who should be ashamed of your mind-numbing ignorance.

Trayvon was murdered February 26th. The 'outrage' you speak of did not happen immediately.

Pat Buchanan? Really? And anyone cares what this guy thinks why?

Mike- 2 weeks ago over 45 people were shot over a single weekend in Chicago. Im not sure how mant died as a result but it was close to 8.

Where are the tv promted marches run by the leaders.
We see news reports on the victims and neighborhoods, but no outpouring like this recent Florida incident.
I sure hope all the recent media and news conferences are not a political skewer in the fire to be used for the upcoming election.
This Florida death was tragic, but police, prosecutors do this job almost daily.
There are reasons to arrest, evidence to go to trial steps to take for proper conviction. Rush to judgement, jail or wrongful prosecution will always end up back in court with the victim being the survivor.

I would believe the police are doing their job investigating. I would bet that everyone in the community knows, hopefully the community is not exhibiting the "Code of Silence" that occurs so often and will actually assist in the investigation.
However, what are the reasons behind these shootings? Whatever the reasons are, the individuals are no less shot or no less killed. These reasons need to be addressed. Four people were shot in the 2700 block of Madison at a nightclub because an individual was denied entry, what is this individuals. Why did these four people get shot? It needs to be addressed.

Zimmerman hasn't been arrested, yet. But the police know where he is, he can't run. There is nowhere to go without being recognized. We'll all just have to wait and see what the Grand Jury decides.

Fox has the most anchors that have to apologize for their appauling behavior. They are a bunch of angry morons. Fox News declared that there are no poor people in this country since 97% of Americans own a refridgerator. A fridge. That still leaves 3% who don't. Ralph Cramden was living large in his one bedroom apt he shared with his wife, yet couldn't afford a telephone. Idiots.

The following are facts about persons defined as “poor” by the Census Bureau as taken from various government reports:

* 80 percent of poor households have air conditioning. In 1970, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.
* 92 percent of poor households have a microwave.
* Nearly three-fourths have a car or truck, and 31 percent have two or more cars or trucks.
* Nearly two-thirds have cable or satellite TV.
* Two-thirds have at least one DVD player, and 70 percent have a VCR.
* Half have a personal computer, and one in seven have two or more computers.
* More than half of poor families with children have a video game system, such as an Xbox or PlayStation.
* 43 percent have Internet access.
* One-third have a wide-screen plasma or LCD TV.
* One-fourth have a digital video recorder system, such as a TiVo.

For decades, the living conditions of the poor have steadily improved. Consumer items that were luxuries or significant purchases for the middle class a few decades ago have become commonplace in poor households, partially because of the normal downward price trend that follows introduction of a new product.

Liberals use the declining relative prices of many amenities to argue that it is no big deal that poor households have air conditioning, computers, cable TV, and wide-screen TV. They contend, polemically, that even though most poor families may have a house full of modern conveniences.

THE POOR IN AMERICA

Television newscasts about poverty in America generally portray the poor as homeless people or as a destitute family living in an overcrowded, dilapidated trailer. In fact, however:

* Over the course of a year, 4 percent of poor persons become temporarily homeless.
* Only 9.5 percent of the poor live in mobile homes or trailers, 49.5 percent live in separate single-family houses or townhouses, and 40 percent live in apartments.
* 42 percent of poor households actually own their own homes.

* Only 6 percent of poor households are overcrowded. More than two-thirds have more than two rooms per person.

* The average poor American has more living space than the typical non-poor person in Sweden, France, or the United Kingdom.
* The vast majority of the homes or apartments of the poor are in good repair.

By their own reports, the average poor person had sufficient funds to meet all essential needs and to obtain medical care for family members throughout the year whenever needed.

Of course, poor Americans do not live in the lap of luxury. The poor clearly struggle to make ends meet, but they are generally struggling to pay for cable TV, air conditioning, and a car, as well as for food on the table. The average poor person is far from affluent, but his lifestyle is far from the images of stark deprivation purveyed by advocacy groups and the media.

It is terrible that there are poor people in any country. Sara, what are you doing about it besides calling people idiots?

Michael - for the record, I called Fox News idiots. I did not directly call anyone on this posting an idiot.