Serious students of the Trayvon Martin case are reading every article in the Orlando Sentinel about the case religiously. Actually, a piece that appeared in the Sentinel on Monday (Police: Zimmerman says Trayvon decked him with one blow then began hammering his head, by Rene Stutzman) has practically reversed many people’s attitude about what happened on a rainy Sunday evening at some generic-looking townhouses somewhere in Florida.
If you haven’t read Rene’s article by now, you get an F in this class! Sanford is located in the greater Orlando metropolitan area, so it only makes good sense that the Sentinel would get the scoop on the controversial Trayvon Martin shooting. I noticed this week, that most of the content of our favorite talk shows, was a spin-off of Rene Stutzman’s amazing scoop. Really, she must have received a leak from the Sanford Police, where they disclose what George Zimmerman told the police.
Whether it’s true or not, is a different story; that is, Trayvon had attacked Zimmerman that rainy night, punched him, and got him down on the ground, and began to slam his head against the concrete pavement. It was only after this attack that George shot the young man. And now we’re hearing the person yelling for help (on the ubiquitously rotated 911 tape) was none other than Zimmerman himself.
Furthermore, the Sentinel reports that an unidentified witness has corroborated it was George who yelps out (audibly heard on the tape – then we hear the single shot, which is also clear as a bell). It occurred to me, voice patterns are just like DNA, each person’s are unique. Audio experts could do a test of Zimmerman’s voice, sound prints and determine whether he is the one despairingly yelling out on the tape.
Well, as you know, the startling release of a police tape showing George handcuffed, and getting out of a Sanford squad car, is yet another game changer (a quarter power phrase, that keeps popping up in print news coverage, as well as TV reporting). One observation I made last night (when watching both JVM and NG), is that Zimmerman’s supporters deem the video as GRAINY. I’ve seen surveillance videos that were 100% grainier!
The tape of Zimmerman taken into custody is anything but grainy. You can see his face, head, nose, and red jacket rather clearly. If he did sustain any injuries by way of fist blows from Trayvon, they must have been benign or light blows. Do I detect, however, a slightly swollen nose? An image of Zimmerman could be enhanced, using powerful photographic software, that could blow up his visage on a high resolution computer screen. Maybe then we might detect a broken nose.
Is the reporting coming out of the Sentinel objective? You may want to read their articles and judge for yourself. I believe it is so myself. The OS is not saying that Zimmerman was attacked ferociously by Trayvon, they’re just stating that’s what he told the police. It looks as if the Sanford police had initially arrested Zimmerman (and were serious), since we see him handcuffed and about to be booked on homicide charges. And yet, we’re hearing, a prosecutor urged them to set George free. Who authorized his release?
This is one of the oddest aspects to this case. George is mysteriously set free, after they determine not enough evidence was gathered to charge him. And yet, we’re also hearing, the crime scene wasn’t ever secured. The OS is a news source closest to this catapulting case, so if you’re serious about learning what really happened to Trayvon Martin, you’ll want to read and collect these OS articles. Still I have to emphasize, news articles are secondary sources, not primary sources.
Trayvon Martin: George Zimmerman’s account to police of the Trayvon Martin shooting. – Orlando Sentinel
