Though we know many of the details leading up to the killing of Trayvon Martin, the actual physical altercation between him and GZ will remain forever a mystery. Nobody knows who threw the first punch. We know that at one point a witness saw TM on top of GZ, which does not tell us anything about the fight other than at some point, GZ was losing.
And yet it is a widespread meme that TM "assaulted" GZ, prompting his "self-defense". Indeed, the only reason I'm writing this diary is because this meme seems to be accepted by many people even on this website.
And so, a friendly reminder to all those who go around saying that it was TM who assaulted GZ: not only do you not know that, you are basing your "knowledge" on the account of a man who (based on known facts) was clearly intent on a confrontation with TM, and whose story has multiple holes consistent with the phenomenon of being a big fat fucking liar.
We know that GZ did not have to pursue TM after he called the police, and was even told that he did not have to do so by the 9/11 dispatch, but pursued (with his gun) anyway. We know GZ was in a particularly aggressive state of mind ("fucking punks", "these assholes always get away", being armed). We know that GZ claimed TM jumped out of the bushes, and we know that although the bushes did exist, they were certainly not giant man-height bushes right up against the sidewalk. We know GZ claimed he got out of his truck to look for addresses and street signs in a neighborhood he had lived in for years, the neighborhood he had patrolled numerous times as the "neighborhood watchman". We know that GZ claimed TM was bashing his head into the sidewalk multiple times, and we know the medical examiner testifying for the prosecution stated that not only were his wounds "insignificant" and "not life-threatening", they could have been the result of a single punch to the face followed by the back of GZ's head hitting the pavement. According to the prosecutions testimony, "The injuries are so minor that the word slam implies great force. There was not great force used here."
We know that Trayvon was walking home to his Dads with Skittles in his pocket.
Personally, I see absolutely no reason to assume that Trayvon began the physical altercation. Furthermore, I find the concept of anyone accepting GZ's story as fact to be highly dubious.
Of course, according to Florida's abhorrent self-defense laws, who started the physical altercation apparently doesn't really matter. If GZ "felt" his life was in danger, he is apparently entitled to use deadly force, even if his life was not truly in danger (which, according to the prosecutions testimony, it wasn't). That is another discussion in itself; the purpose of this diary is more narrow. I am disturbed by the meme of TM assaulting poor GZ and would like to help expose it.
So please. The next time you are involved in a discussion on this case, on this site or elsewhere, and you run into the "TM had no right to assault GZ" meme, kindly point out how absolutely baseless it is. Why would you believe GZ's story when he was so obviously set on a confrontation with Trayvon, and when his story is so full of holes? Do you have any good reason for it? It's a question worth asking.
8:27 PM PT: Holy shit, I come home from work and this is 214+. I was hoping people would see it, but damn.
I will address the comments within the comments, but there have been a few things pointed out in them that are legit and the pertaining passages have been edited appropriately.