When "Neighborhood Watch" Gets Out of Hand

[Antitrust32]

Thank god Zimmerman does not live in my town, Ocala. Half the town would have been shot dead by now.

Originally Posted by Antitrust32

Thank god Zimmerman does not live in my town, Ocala. Half the town would have been shot dead by now.

Agree with you on the first sentence. Not sure where you're coming from in the second.

I don't live in Ocala proper, but around 15 miles away on a small horse farm in "horse country." Not much crime here, except for the occasional domestic dispute. You must be referring to the Shores, or the Forest, or maybe the area around 40 downtown.

You do know, of course, that local neighborhood watch programs are very highly regulated around town. None are armed, none are ever supposed to follow anyone, and all are supposed to report anything suspicious to the police/sheriff.

[Riot]

You may remember this story about Jean Kalonji and his wife Angelica, the purchaser of a foreclosed home in Newton County GA. While changing the locks on their new home, they were threatened and held at gunpoint by two of their white neighbors.

When the local sheriff deputies arrived they arrested the Kalonjis without checking to find out if they were the homeowners, and took no action against the men who threatened and assaulted Jean and Angelica with their firearms and held them against their will for no apparent reason other than that 61 year-old Jean Kalonji was black.

Well, it seems the Newton County Sheriff's Department has had a change of heart about the actions of these two vigilantes (though the Kalonji's lawyer's meeting with the Sheriff and the local DA on Monday may have helped clarify the situation for them).

Yesterday, Robert Canoles and his son, Branden, were taken into custody and charged with "aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal trespass."

Frankly I am surprised, but also grateful that the Newton County authorities reversed themselves and made the proper decision to charge these two morons.

These idiots took it upon themselves to assault a 61 year old black man and his 57 year old white spouse and cause them to fear for their lives merely for lawfully occupying their own property.

Nonetheless, shamefully, both men reacted with defiance and an utter lack of remorse at what they had done to these two innocent people.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/0...2nd-Amendment-

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by Riot

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/0...2nd-Amendment-

I thought you didn't like partisan news sources. You are constantly bashing Fox for being partisan but you seem to love getting news from left-wing sites. I don't get it.

With regard to this story, if this is the worst thing that ever happens in this country, I think we're in pretty good shape. I think the thousands of people getting robbed, beaten, and murdered in this country is a slightly more serious problem than what happened in this case. It was an unfortunate misunderstanding but at least nobody got hurt.

I was dog-sitting for my brother about 5 months ago. He lives about 35 miles from me. I decided to go for a run around his neighborhood. I was doing my regular run/walk when I noticed a police car following me. Then another police car came. They finally pulled in front of me and got out of their car. They said that they had gotten a couple of calls about me. They claimed that people said I appeared to be walking sort of aimlessly and it looked like I might be lost. The police wanted to know who I was, what I was doing there, etc.

I was a combination of slightly amused and slightly annoyed. Why in the world would anyone think I looked suspicious and/or menacing? I'm 5'9 and weigh 145 pounds. I guess it was just one of those things when you're in a neighborhood that you don't live. You just don't quite look like you fit in. I've never been pulled over running in my neighborhood.

Anyway, I didn't give the cops any attitude. I was extremely friendly and cooperative. I answered all their questions. I told them my name. I gave them my address. I told them what I was doing there. They thanked me and I was on my way.

I know this isn't nearly as bad as what some people go through. They didn't pull a gun on me or anything like that. But I could have still gotten mad and told them they had no right to question me. I was minding my own business. I didn't break any laws. But I didn't get mad. I figured the bottom line was that they had good intentions. They were just trying to protect the neighborhood.

I'd rather have a neighborhood where residents and police are conscientious and are looking out for the residents than a neighborhood where nobody cares.

By the way, the crimes they charged the people with in that case are a joke. They charged them with "aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and criminal trespass". Are they kidding? Those people didn't have any criminal intent. They may be stupid and they obviously don't know the law. But they had good intentions. They thought their neighbor's house was being burglarized. Why would you charge those people with the same crimes that you would charge real criminals with, who actually break into a house with criminal intent and hold people against their will? It's absurd. They should be charged with some type of simple misdemeanor related to improper brandishing of a gun. If the Kalonjis want to sue them for $25,000 for their trouble, that would be fine too. But to charge these people as if they had criminal intent is beyond absurd.

[Riot]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

I thought you didn't like partisan news sources. You are constantly bashing Fox for being partisan but you seem to love getting news from left-wing sites. I don't get it.

With regard to this story, if this is the worst thing that ever happens in this country, I think we're in pretty good shape.

The story isn't "left wing". It's about moronic armed vigilantes who broke the law and endangered fellow citizens. Yeah. That's illegal, and no, self-appointed armed vigilantes are not good.

Zimmerman did the same thing, played armed vigilante, and a kid, doing nothing illegal, is dead. Bending over backwards imagining blame scenarios where it's all the victims fault says alot.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by Riot

The story isn't "left wing". It's about moronic armed vigilantes who broke the law and endangered fellow citizens. Yeah. That's illegal, and no, self-appointed armed vigilantes are not good.

Zimmerman did the same thing, played armed vigilante, and a kid, doing nothing illegal, is dead. Bending over backwards imagining blame scenarios where it's all the victims fault says alot.

My comment wasn't about it being a left-wing story. My comment was that I found it interesting that you seem to always post stories from left-wing sites. You constantly knock Fox News for being a partisan news source. Yet you seem to love partisan news sources. You love them as long as they have the same ideology as you.

You said, "Bending over backwards imagining blame scenarios where it's all the victims fault says alot." My response to you is that bending over backwards imagining some type of negative intentions in order to vilify altruistic people (who were only trying to help their neighbors) says alot.

By the way, if you read the article about Zimmerman you would have noticed that his black neighbors defended him. In addition, you would have noticed that Zimmerman and a black friend of his opened up a business together. Zimmerman is such a racist that his business partner was black. LOL.

[Danzig]

911 dispatcher:
Are you following him? [2:24]
Zimmerman:
Yeah. [2:25]

911 dispatcher:
OK.
We don’t need you to do that. [2:26]

Zimmerman:
OK. [2:28]

911 dispatcher:
Alright, sir, what is your name? [2:34]

Zimmerman:
George. He ran.


ok. 911 says don't follow. zimmerman at that point had lost him. why didn't he just go back to his vehicle, since he'd been told not to follow? but no, he ignored what he was told, and took things into his own hands.

[Riot]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

My comment wasn't about it being a left-wing story.

I've tried to post stories from Big Government or World Net Daily, but I find them woefully deficient, generally, in facts

So if I can't find the original AP story, I'll post where I find it, be it Daily Beast or Daily Kos.

I figure most here are smart enough to pick out the factual parts of the story, and separate it from (and ignore if they wish) the opinion if it's there.

Zimmerman profiled a black kid and now that kid is dead because of Zimmerman, at his hand.

We'll see if the court feels there should be a punishment for that. I sure as hell hope so.

Edit: Breaking: CBS Evening News reports that Zimmerman lied to the court regarding how much money he had. They told the court the Zimmerman's couldn't raise bail, that's he's indigent, and the family couldn't make the $15,000 10% of bail.

Whoops. Turns out Zimmerman knew at that time he had over $150,000 cash in his account, raised from his "support me" website. He just wasn't telling anybody about it ... not his lawyer, not the judge.

The real George Zimmerman is a liar, apparently. Can we trust his story about what happened with Trayvon, when he lies to the judge at his bail hearing?

This is a big deal. He may have screwed himself with his lie.

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by Ocala Mike

Agree with you on the first sentence. Not sure where you're coming from in the second.

I don't live in Ocala proper, but around 15 miles away on a small horse farm in "horse country." Not much crime here, except for the occasional domestic dispute. You must be referring to the Shores, or the Forest, or maybe the area around 40 downtown.

You do know, of course, that local neighborhood watch programs are very highly regulated around town. None are armed, none are ever supposed to follow anyone, and all are supposed to report anything suspicious to the police/sheriff.

yes.. shores, marion oaks, downtown, and the area I live in (475A & 312).. I've read about more violent crime in Ocala the past 5 years I've lived here than any other place I've lived. plus Ocala is robbery central. The horse farms are great and beautiful and safe! But the dense population area's are low income with a pretty good crime rate.