Trayvon's parents deserve to be commended

[NNN0LHI]

Shame on the police officer who came to tell my parents some guy had shot one of their 17-year old sons. My dad was about the most easy going person I have known in my entire life. My mother not so much.

But if a police officer came to our house to tell my parents that an adult had shot and killed my brother or I while unarmed when we were 17 and then the police released the shooter ... well lets just say that officer had better be ready to react to some ultraviolence.

Even if an adult had just punched one of us boys I can guarantee there would have been some hell to pay. And I mean quickly. Like right now. I can remember my parents somberly telling us kids to tell them if any adult ever laid a finger on one of us immediately. They were using a tone of voice I never heard them use before or after that talk. They were real serious about this. Deadly serious.

How Trayvon's parents stayed calm and dignified though all of this I will never know. I am positive my parents wouldn't have.

Don

[Butterbean]

1. I agree. I would be calm and dignified, because I would be sedated. In a hospital.

That's about the only way I think I could ever be calm and dignified if something like this happened to one of my boys. I would lose it, quickly.

[Little Star]

2. I don't know how they have been able to remain so dignified....

They have certainly handled this most awful event in a way I personally don't think I would have been capable of. I admire them and hope they get the justice they deserve.

[dkf]

3. I don't see how it was reasonable to establish probable cause that night.

Quit blaming the officers, they were trying to follow a messed up law.

[EFerrari]

5. They tried so hard, they didn't bother to check his cell phone to id him.

That law doesn't say anything about disrespecting victims of homicide.

[dkf]

6. How does IDing Martin cause the arrest of Zimmerman on day 1?

[Bluerthanblue]

9. well, it may not have caused the arrest on day one, but

it would have clearly established that Trayvon had business being where he was, that he wasn't someone looking for trouble, and that could have led to knowing the facts revealed in the call he was involved in with his girlfriend just before he was killed.

I sure would have expected them to have made more of an attempt to find out just who the deceased was, before simply accepting Zimmerman's account of what happened at face value.

[dkf]

12. But they have to accept his version at face value until they can disprove it.

Isn't that the weird part of how this law works?

[EFerrari]

11. I'm sorry, your question doesn't make sense to me.

[obxhead]

7. Yeah, so very difficult.

Dead child on the ground with the murder weapon in Zimmerman's hand.

Probable cause was real fucking stretch at that point.

[madokie]

4. I agree with this

Back when I was growing up out in the country we didn't have much problem with situations such as this so I never got that talk from my parents and I never felt my parents would have been any different that yours were. I gave that talk to my two step sons and their friends though and I meant every word of it. Its a different world that my sons grew up in compared to my growing up.

[Horse with no Name]

8. Yep. If someone like Zimmerman had laid a hand on me

while I was growing up...my Dad would have seriously injured him.

No doubt if he killed or seriously injured me...he would have been dead as well.

I have to say that I would react the same regarding my kids and grandkids.

I could tell a couple of stories to back this up, but the truth is, they have stayed classy about this.

[Bluerthanblue]

10. I completely agree- and I admire and respect

them tremendously because of their self control and maturity.

I read that Trayvon's Dad fell apart with grief when the police arrived at his home early the next morning in response to his call placed because he was concerned that Trayvon hadn't come home, and hadn't been with his cousin as he'd hoped.

They have demonstrated such integrity and character.

His brother Jahvaris has as well.

I can't say the same for George Zimmerman's family, or friends.

so sad.