walking while black - Trayvon Martin

[Disciple]

....Not only was Zimmerman disregarding the 911 Dispatcher's directions, he disregarded the Neighborhood Watch instructions he received from the police.
....
Actually, Kip, my initial reaction to your question took off in an entirely different direction from what you posted.

My thought was, if Zimmerman had been unarmed?

They would both still be alive.

Possibly both alive. Would depend on how many times GZ's head was slammed into the ground. But, I agree, they very likely would both be alive.

And, yes, GZ disregarded instructions. That's not breaking the law, and I understand his motivation.

In the example I gave about my daughter's neighborhood, it's like GZ's neighborhood. There have been a rash of burglaries, then you see somebody lurking around and call the cops and the guys are always gone by the time the cops arrive. If my daughter's neighbor had called 911, she would have been told not to follow these guys (it would have been good advice for her own safety). She, in fact, thinks she was stupid to have done what she did; she acted instinctively. She fortunately wasn't injured and her actions resulted in arrests and the recovery of a lot of stolen property.

When I first read about the killing of TM, I was ready to convict GZ and give him the DP. But as more information has come out, it's turned into a very complex case.

We can agree that Zimmerman ignored two sets of instructions, one about how to conduct himself as a Neighborhood Watch Officer in general and one about how to conduct himself with respect to Martin.

We can also agree that his actions were not illegal.

But shall we now consider WHY he was told what he was told?

Because following someone - anyone - so closely that the suspect/ultimate homicide victim asked him why he (Z) was following him (M) WAS SIMPLY NOT HIS JOB.

THAT is what we have law enforcement for: trained and paid to take risks, rely upon experience and judgment, handle things professionally and to protect the community.

What do you think the 911 Dispatcher would have said if he had known that Zimmerman was armed? I doubt that the instructions would have changed. More like amplified and put into unambiguous plain English: "Stay away from him before someone gets hurt. We'll handle this."

Ilegal? No.

Criminally stupid? Absolutely.

Common sense is many things. Unfortunately, it is not common.