walking while black - Trayvon Martin

[Adub]

It goes both ways these days. The Hispanic kids at my son's school loudly disparage the white kids. It started in elementary school (5^th grade). All of a sudden it wasn't "cool" to hang out with non-Hispanics.

Just curious, do your kids go to school with any/many Blacks? I'm kind of thinking not.

And down here, we call Mexicans Mexicans.

[sally]

My son has more black friends than white, and he's further from black than an albino redneck. Just the guys though, not the girls, he says they're batshit crazy. I'll have to ask him about the Mexicans.

[Maggot]

Zimmermans fate is sealed.

Don't be so sure. There are a LOT of yanks out there who fully support Zimmerman, loving guns and hating niggers is as American as apple pie.

I will not pollute this thread with an answer to this.

[Cynical Ninja]

I will not pollute this thread with an answer to this.

That's because you know I speak the truth.

[Jimbone]

Don't be so sure. There are a LOT of limeys out there who fully support CN, loving meat pies and hating Paki's is as British as her majesty's arse.

Fixed.

[username]

It goes both ways these days. The Hispanic kids at my son's school loudly disparage the white kids. It started in elementary school (5^th grade). All of a sudden it wasn't "cool" to hang out with non-Hispanics.

Just curious, do your kids go to school with any/many Blacks? I'm kind of thinking not.

And down here, we call Mexicans Mexicans.

Blacks probably make up about 3% of the school population. Why?

Is Mexican pc? I don't know why I refer to Mexicans as Hispanic; I just always have.

[HairOfTheDog]

Is Mexican pc? I don't know why I refer to Mexicans as Hispanic; I just always have.

A large portion of the caregiver population here is Hispanic. Some from Nicaragua, some from El Savador, some from Mexico... All Spanish speaking.

If I don't know someone's country of origin, I use "Hispanic" as well. Assuming that someone Hispanic is from Mexico here is a wild guess.

[Cynical Ninja]

Don't be so sure. There are a LOT of limeys out there who fully support CN, loving meat pies and hating Paki's is as British as her majesty's arse.

Fixed.

It ain't my fault your wonderful fucking country is still one of the most institutionally racist countries in the world you septic motherfucker.

No amount of editing is going to change that undeniable fact. Maybe if you did something to try and change that instead of flinging shit at other countries to try and distract people about how much of a racist nation you are and will always be.

[HairOfTheDog]

Jury selection rolling along...

Attorneys for both sides in the George Zimmerman trial continued Monday to drill down into what potential jurors have heard about the case in the media.

One potential juror, a white male with a salt-and-pepper beard down to his chest, told the court he donated $20 to Zimmerman's defense fund, saying it wasn't a lot but, "I don't really have a lot to spare either." Prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda grilled him about why he didn't include that fact on his questionnaire and whether the donation would affect his opinion in the trial.

"You still think, even though you've already contributed to his defense, that you can sit there and just want everybody to disregard the fact that you've contributed to his defense? You think that’s being fair?" asked de la Rionda.

"I said I could keep an open mind. I would not want to say whether he was guilty or innocent without listening to all of the facts," said potential juror H27.

This juror also said he was "70% firm" in his opinion that Zimmerman was innocent. "I think Mr. Zimmerman was trying to do the right thing and things kind of spiraled out of control," he said.

The judge didn't ask him to return to court for further questioning. (HOTD: Well, there's a shocker )

Snipped from:
http://www.hlntv.com/article/2013/06/17/...-6?hpt=ts1

[Maggot]

Ya think? It will be awhile before the entire jury is picked including the extras.

[HairOfTheDog]

Ya think? It will be awhile before the entire jury is picked including the extras.

Well, at least the process is working in weeding out those obviously biased; seen one from both sides now.

I believe the court still anticipates the 10 final jurors to be selected by end of the week. But, I wouldn't be surprised if goes into week 3 either.

[Maggot]

Don't they have a few extras that are just there listening in case one juror croaks halfway through?

[HairOfTheDog]

Don't they have a few extras that are just there listening in case one juror croaks halfway through?

Yes.

The total final jury = 10.

All 10 are in the jury box and listen all the way through the trial. Six of them will decide the verdict. It's not known which 4 will serve as alternates until verdict deliberations begin.

(There are usually 2 alternates for 6 person juries in Florida, but Judge Nelson is planning for contingencies. Good idea, imo.)

[HairOfTheDog]

Voir doire is rolling along, but it's really looking like the jury won't be seated by end of this week, more like early next week. IMO.

Here's the status from HLN, as of end of day today:
-Prosecutor Bernie De La Rionda asked 40 potential jurors today about their families, their careers and even their criminal histories.

-There were some moments of levity. Multiple jurors said they enjoyed drinking beer. The courtroom erupted in laughter when one potential juror said he participated in competitive barbecue contests, but has not won any awards yet.

-De la Rionda also asked the potential jurors about their exposure to firearms.

The jurors’ attitudes toward guns may be an important factor in how they view Zimmerman’s decision to pursue the unarmed Martin with a gun the night of the shooting.

Most of the jurors said they either own a personal firearm or have family or friends who own guns. One candidate said he was a member of the National Rifle Association. Another said he goes to a shooting range every few months. Only a few of potential jurors said they had limited exposure to guns.

Next in the process:
-The 40 potential jurors will return to court Thursday morning at 9 a.m. for questions from the defense.

-After the defense finishes its line of questioning, the process of whittling down the pool to the six jurors and some number of alternates will begin.

Both sides will have the chance to keep or strike jurors. Each side has 10 peremptory strikes -- which means they will have 10 opportunities to eliminate potential jurors without having to disclose their reasons -- and an unlimited number of strikes “for cause,” for such reasons as bias or hardships.

[Cynical Ninja]

This jury selection process is like a gameshow.

[username]

The jury has been picked. All 6 jurors are women. I'm not sure about the alternates.

[Duchess]

Hallelujah!

[HairOfTheDog]

The jury has been picked. All 6 jurors are women. I'm not sure about the alternates.

Just read that the alternates have been selected as well.

The six jurors who will decide George Zimmerman's fate have been chosen, and they are all women.

The four alternate jurors consist of two women and two men.

The prosecuting and defense attorneys have referred to the jury members as five white women and one black or Hispanic woman. HLN does not have access to the juror questionnaires and cannot confirm this.

Correction: I posted upthread that it wouldn't be known which four of the ten were alternates until verdict deliberation, same as other jury trials that I've followed. Wrong assumption on my part.

Opening statements are scheduled for Monday morning at 9 a.m. ET.

[HairOfTheDog]

Interested to hear what others think about the jury composition.

I'm really surprised by it.

All women, all but one white.

I know De la Rionda got some of his strikes for cause denied by the judge; a few of the potential jurors he wanted gone were not booted.

You never know what a jury's gonna do and how their interaction will affect the verdict. But, I think O'Mara had a better day in final jury selection than did the prosecution.

On the other hand...all but one of the jurors is a mother.

P.s. Where the heck is Adub? Interested in her take too.

[F.U.]

I find it odd that a jury of all women is called a jury of piers, when the defendant is a male. That being said I think that the jury should be able to give a verdict based on the facts that are presented. Sex, race, age, firearm ownership, etc should have no bearing on the verdict . . . I would think not anyway.