http://abcnews.go.com/US/trayvon-martin-creepy-ass-cracker-final-moments/story?id=19490796#.Ucwow53D9jp

Travon was creeped out. This goes to his state of mind and it's an important issue for the jury to hear.

And her immediate impression was that Zim was "a rapist" to which TM responds "don't play."

....she wouldn't have testified to that. I'm convinced of it. She wouldn't risk throwing in a potentially inflammatory term unless she was actually interested in truthfully testifying to what she heard.

And I believe that's what she's doing.

She's not polished, but that doesn't mean she's not telling the truth.

...or are smart enough to know that language can change and has changed for her generation. They use "nigga" to mean "man" or "dude" or even "my peeps". They say things an older generation believes to be racist, and yet they have no animosity towards the person they are labeling; it's just a description to them. "Cracker" isn't racist when TM says it, it's actually no different than the dispatcher wanting to know "black, white, or hispanic?".

There is a old Florida culture about "crackers" being 19th century cattle ranchers, who got their name by cracking their whips while herding cattle. There's cracker cuisine and cracker architecture, and cracker culture was popularized by "Yearling" author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. There's nothing intrinsically racist about "crackers" in that sense.

Granted, "cracker" can also have a somewhat negative connation as a term that blacks might use against whites they deem racist, and that's quite possible Trayvon meant to describe Zimmerman in that context. Even so, I don't see that necessarily as a negative for the case, as it showed Trayvon appeared naturally suspicious of Zimmerman.

And in no way is either "cracker" or "n___a" as derogatory or inflammatory as "n_____r."

especially if the prosecutor comes as frightening and humiliating her to the jury, it could work in her favor. The jury may be more sympathetic to her.

It's more important for her to come across as honest than educated or brave. If she were too "smooth" or too perfectly articulate in her testimony, it could be less believable.

Also, does the Prosecution have a chance to repair any damage by re-questioning after the cross?


The way you have put it certainly does sound sad...

teens who are/were late bloomers when it comes to maturity.

I hope she gets the emotional support she will need, regardless of the outcome of this trial.

or something to that effect but I can only imagine the pressure of being in the middle of this with half the country watching. She is 19 and will start 12th grade in the fall.

The defense got her to say "creepy ass cracker" four times in the space of 60 seconds so they certainly are jumping on that but to me it just makes her testimony seem 100% honest. TM was the one being stalked so I don't find it surprising that he uses generally derogatory terms to describe Zim and it is an environment where race is the first thing people notice about a stranger. It is not TM who volunteered to drive around the neighborhood and call 911 every time he sees a person of a different skin color. Using a racial slur and running away from that person is VERY different from using a slur and chasing that person (with a gun no less).

It also seems like both TM and the young lady knew immediately in their gut that something was very wrong. She immediately thinks that Zim is "a rapist" to which TM responds, perhaps nervously, "don't play."

Miz t. said that was said by the witness.
I missed it.

"It certainly seems like she can't read well enough to protect herself from perjury charges. She was asked to read a transcript of her deposition and it seems apparent that she was faking it. "

Rachel was asked to read her letter to Trayvon's mother that was written for her by her friend. Her friend wrote it in cursive. It was clearly stated by Rachel that she couldn't read CURSIVE.... this doesn't mean she can't read well. Most schools stopped teaching cursive for kids in her age group. My own grandson can't read cursive for the same reason.

5 lines of the transcript of her deposition.