Lessons from the George Zimmerman Trial

The verdict is in and it was a somewhat surprising NOT GUILTY on all counts.

I admit that I was surprised that the jury didn’t even convict on the manslaughter charge.

Even though Zimmerman’s shooting of Trayvon Martin has been ruled self-defense by the jury, Zimmerman is likely going to have to “look over his shoulder” for a very long time due to the publicity surrounding this case.

Some Observations

• Be “Fit to Fight”
  • Get up to speed on your cardio conditioning and your unarmed combatives
• Not every problem is a gun problem.
  • Carry additional “less lethal” options on you
    • Pepper gas is very useful.
• If you join a neighborhood watch…
  • Work in pairs
  • Wear clothing that clearly identifies you and your partner as Neighborhood Watch
  • Have a GPS on you.
  • Be CPR certified
    • You are more likely to need to use CPR than anything else.
  • Know your rules of engagement and FOLLOW THEM.
    • Neighborhood Watch works a lot life a store’s loss prevention specialist or security guard.
    • The mission is “Observe and Report.”
• Know to properly report suspicious activity
  • Memorize your local police department’s non-emergency number
    • The emergency telephone number is for LIFE THREATENING emergencies not just a teenager dressed in clothing that gives off a “low fashion signal”. (Hat tip to BradP)
  • Learn the behavioral signs of suspicious activity and be able to articulate them over the phone
    • Is the potentially suspicious person carrying anything?
    • Is he checking multiple front doors to see if they are unlocked?
    • Is he peering through windows and doors?
    • Is he loitering in a parking lot or by an ATM?
• Your car is a 2000+ pound weapon.
• Read Massad Ayoob‘s work on the legal aftermath of a self-defense shooting
• Do your research on common self-defense scenarios
• Follow all instructions from the 911 dispatcher.
  • If you are told not to follow a suspicious person, then don’t follow that suspicious person.
  • This is what really could have hung Zimmerman out to dry during the trial.

  Stay safe out there. A fight avoided is a fight won.

Related articles

• Quotes and reaction to Zimmerman verdict (ntrcsr7.wordpress.com)
• Zimmerman Trial Exposes the Failure of Law Enforcement to Protect Us From Crime (joemiller.us)
• The Tragedy of Trayvon Martin – IRL (theshortgamer.wordpress.com)
• Zimmerman Trial Jury To Begin Second Day Of Deliberations (huffingtonpost.com)
• Quotes and reaction to Zimmerman verdict (wtvm.com)
• George Zimmerman jury begins 2nd day of deliberations (abclocal.go.com)