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The Color of Guilt: The Boy With the Candy and The Man With the Gun
In the wake of a Gallup poll showing that blacks and whites in this country offer stunningly divergent views of the Trayvon Martin shooting, Charles Blow, in an op-ed piece in the New York Times, explores a longstanding racial divide - famously noticeable, in reverse, in the O.J. Simpson case - and "perception of unequal treatment (that) eats away at the psyche of men and boys of color and...is its own tragedy." Graphics say it all.
"That makes this case simultaneously simple and complex. In the decision not to charge Zimmerman, was the boy with the candy accorded the same presumption of innocence as the man with the gun?...This is the good fight. This is about restoration of faith. Until there is a trial for George Zimmerman, the whole justice system is on trial."
A young activist on white privilege: "I am not Trayvon Martin."
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Show AllThe DA & the Police Chief apparently 'consulted' w Zimmerman's dad who's a retired Hi-Magistrate of VA court system the night of Trayvon's killing, & then they decided to over-rule the lead investigator's advice that Zimmerman be arrested & charged w manslaughter for killing Trayvon.
The DA had previously let the [white security guard] killers of another unarmed Black youth go uncharged under dubious circumstances in a 2005 shooting. Note these excerpts from article 'Trayvon Martin and Crime in the Suites' - from Werner Lange's blog posts Monday, 02 April: } 'As material facts surrounding Trayvon Martin’s killing continue to emerge, it is increasingly clear that this sordid case of crime in the streets is compounded by crime in the suites, especially the one located in the State Attorney’s office for Florida’s 18th Judicial Circuit headed, for decades, by Norman R. Wolfinger, a prosecutor with a very troublesome track record on race relations and selective prosecution... For reasons not fully explained, Wolfinger took it upon himself to drive some 50 miles on the night of the killing to the crime scene in Sanford and personally intervene in this case...
In a case hauntingly similar to Trayvon Martin's killing, Wolfinger also failed to file any charges against two White security guards who shot and killed a 16-year old Black boy on July 16, 2005. Travares McGill, who had no driver’s license, was in a parking lot of a Sanford apartment complex dropping off a passenger when the security guards approached him without identifying themselves and flashed a bright light into his face causing him to panic and drive off. The guards, claiming self-defense, opened fire with their 9mm pistols and two bullets struck the youth in the back; one penetrated his heart and killed him. After two months of no action in this case by Wolfinger, the local NAACP held a protest meeting demanding the guards be brought to justice. Wolfinger responded by claiming he could not take action or even answer questions about the killing since he had not received a report about it from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. However, even after receiving that report, Wolfinger still declined to file charges against the guards, one the son of a former police officer and the other a police volunteer who had been accused of using racial slurs in an unrelated case. Four months after the killing of McGill, the county grand jury handed up indictments of manslaughter and shooting into an occupied vehicle against the guards.' {
So what exactly does presumption of innocence mean in a practical legal sense? It means that the cops can't just lock you up w out probable cause based on real evidence [there's plenty of probable cause to arrest Zimmerman for 2nd degree murder, voluntary manslaughter or at the very least stalking & assault w a deadly weapon- PS: Seems Zimmerman forgot all about Trayvon's right to 'presumption of innocence']. And that you can't be imprisoned indefinitely [Gitmotized] without a fair trial [Zimmerman's entitled to his day in court to prove his innocence or at-least make the prosecution prove his guilt- beyond a reasonable doubt]. And that you can't be made to incriminate yourself [ala tortured confessions using so-called 'Extreme' Interrogation Techniques]. And if you're acquitted in a fair & impartial trial, you're entitled to your freedom & given the 'benefit of the doubt' RE your innocence without threat of double jeopardy [seems like a whole lot of folks conveniently forget about this RE: the OJ Case & acquittal].
This is not a case of a NRA gun-nut vs racism [though the gun-lobby's agenda likely contributed to this situation]- This is likely a case of a Bigoted NRA gun-nut cop wanna-be!
I really liked the girl in the video. It shows that good parenting out there exists. To see such a young person have her head screwed on right gives me hope. I've met others in her age group that share her perspective and to me that proves that critical thinking skills are not a thing of the past.
The fact that 61% of non-blacks polled said that hey didn't have enough facts to pass judgement was actually a positive sign. None of us do have all of the facts even though we tend to jump to conclusions. The counter response that 51% of blacks are convinced of Zimmerman's guilt is understandable as the shooting appears to be directed at people of color. As for the 7% that said Zimmerman is definitely or probably not guilty is also understandable as these are the people who listen to Rush Limbaugh, watch Fox and vote Republican. I'm surprised the number here wasn't higher actually!
While I consider the Trayvon Martin shooting a tragedy, I still feel this is another attempt by the mainstream media to divide the 99% while redirecting attention from the more serious crimes being committed by our politicians and their sponsors in D.C. Charging Zimmerman, punishing the police and even reprimanding the justice system will not fundamentally change anything. The solutions are rooted in scrapping the current institutions of power, replacing corporatism with empathy and egalitarianism, throwing out the investor capitalism rule book and exchanging patriotism and blind faith for humanism and reason. Yet the media will claim a victory for America and everything we stand for if this single case is prosecuted. It's merely the 1% throwing us some scraps from their table.
SpaceCadet said: "Charging Zimmerman, punishing the police and even reprimanding the justice system will not fundamentally change anything. The solutions are rooted in scrapping the current institutions of power, replacing corporatism with empathy and egalitarianism, throwing out the investor capitalism rule book and exchanging patriotism and blind faith for humanism and reason."
While this is absolutely true, we get there step, by bloody step. Any step toward justice is a step taken in the direction of your vision. Change is not always a sudden flipping over of the current situation, but, like the saying goes "Freedom is a constant struggle".
"I really liked the girl in the video. It shows that good parenting out there exists."
That girl was the epitome of self-righteous and ignorant juvenile arrogance. She is not only certain that she knows the "correct" way to respond to this tragedy and that tens of thousands of more seasoned activists are wrong, but she has the audacity to demand that such people NOT do what they're moved by a mature and informed empathy to do.
If her parents had any part of that, then shame on them.
Ummmm...you wouldn't by any chance own one of those "We are Trayvon Martin" tee shirts, would you?
He is wearing an "I Am George Zimmerman" t-shirt, but for a very different reason than the one proposed by the young woman in the tape. The poor persecuted Georges of the world! They may be held accountable under the law one day! They may not be allowed to kill with impunity!
Poor George. Narrowly escapes from a skittle assault and then has people saying he had no right to defend himself. People who obviously never had to face the threat of skittles in their eyes. What many people don't realize is that skittles, properly placed, could also have caused blow-back in George's gun. He's lucky he's still got his gun hand.
While the young woman in the video did make some good points, she failed to realize that:
A) Zimmerman was a minority himself; he's part Hispanic.
B) She could've made these points in afew simple sentences instead of going overboard in a whole bunch of garble about so-called white privilege, especially because there are many poor whites who are as badly off as the blacks.
I have to say that I have not encountered even ONE "white" person, and many would be self-described "rednecks", in the large facility in which I work that don't acknowledge the fact that Mr. Zimmerman should have been arrested following the killing.
In addition, with the ever changing descriptions, to wit; we now learn that Mr. Zimmerman is 5'9" and 170 pounds, "not in good shape/condition" and Mr Martin was 6'3" and 150 pounds. This case has evolved so much, I do not find an answer in the poll of "unclear from available information" to be in any way unreasonable or racist.
Every framing aspect has changed; old FAT white man became young hispanic FAT man, became young hispanic male with an average build. Baby faced, young teen victim became tall and wiry older teen. All white and wealthy gated community became thoroughly integrated, very middle class gated community.
My question is: why all the muddy water? No wonder people are confused.
IF the powers that be in Florida allow this case to be fully and fairly investigated and tried, then we will see what the color of guilt is. Abby Zimet demonstrates her personal point of view is preconceived; "all in or all out". She doesn't see any center. She has all ready assigned.
No George Zimmerman wasn't 5'9'' and simply out of shape and Trayvon Martin 6' and in great shape as the lamestream media say. The best we can do is say that the Z man was three inches taller and outweighed Martin by from 80 to 100 pounds based on accounts in detail about the two coming from both this website and, if I'm allowed, CounterPunch. Also now the local law enforcement and the vigilante man's lawyer are piling on. See below a progressive journalist.
The Second Killing of Trayvon Martin
by JOHN ESKOW
The cowardly police in Sanford, Florida, who sanctioned the murder of an unarmed black teenager by a racist vigilante named George Zimmerman, have now assassinated Trayvon Martin a second time, by leaking scurrilous and irrelevant “news” about him. This age-old dirty-trick of cops—compounded by a blitzkrieg of propaganda from Zimmerman’s lawyer, The Orlando Sentinel, and one apparently unhinged black “friend”–has been, so far, fairly successful in muddying the narrative on the public airwaves. So let’s take a moment to sift through the cops’ slurs and innuendoes and see where, if anyplace, they take us.
About the salient facts there is no dispute. Zimmerman, a cop wanna-be who was also probably a small-time informant, a pathetic, chubby, Chaz-Bono-lookalike who’d twice been arrested for hitting a woman; Zimmerman, son of a judge, safe from reprisals; George Zimmerman, who calls black kids “coons” and “assholes,” who was strictly warned not to pursue Trayvon Martin, refused this direct order over the phone and instead grabbed his 9-millimeter gun and waddled off to blow a hole in the chest of a kid who had committed no wrong.
No all humanity originally being black isn't in the least abstract. I'm proud of it. Abstract that! All biology, anthropology, evoltutionary psychology, and any other discsipline studying the human race has said we were all black originally. Sub Saharan Africa is the birthplace of humanity and civilzation. That's not an abstract matter. It's simply a fact as is evolution.
The racist lamestream media has been backing the Z man. Why all this hot air to the contrary!
No modern humans originally came from anywhere in Europe. The Neanderthals who did aren't regarded by biologists to my knowledge nor evolutionary psychologists as human. Now deal with that. Those of us who have two human ancestors trace our origins back to sub Saharan Africa. I have doctor who's a specialist and he and I have talked about this and he has no problem saying just this. He's a European Caucasian. Now deal with that.
"The Neanderthals who did aren't regarded by biologists to my knowledge nor evolutionary psychologists as human."
Actually they were human, but not homo sapiens sapiens. Our last common ancestor to Neandertal Man was from Africa (homo rhodesiensis) so I am guessing that Neandertal man developed in Africa as well and migrated to Europe.
Indeed we all trace our origins back to Africa.
Actually all shades of brown to be precise. Take a piece of black paper and one of white paper to the streets and try to find skin of either color. You can not. However, point well taken. For we all are direct decendents of the single brown woman from Africa. Enjoy!!!
That CounterPunch would publish such a counterfactual and biased propaganda piece as the one from John Eskow is an indictment of their journalistic integrity.
That you should push this vigilante ignorance here is an indictment of your integrity as a person.
There is far too much conflicting evidence in this case to pin blame on anyone except the politicians and the NRA who pushed the Stand Your Ground law through in Florida over the objections of the whole law enforcement community.
"The best we can do is say that the Z man was three inches taller and outweighed Martin by from 80 to 100 pounds based on accounts in detail about the two coming from both this website and, if I'm allowed, CounterPunch."
That is not true or at least we don't know what is true. We don't get to judge this one, but at some point we need to see the facts, the coroner's reports, the booking details, the paramedic's notes. All that has bearing and right now we are simply echoing what we hear from sources that vary wildly.
Also the unedited tape of the calls are quite different than what we are hearing and experts cannot hear the word *coon* on the tapes.
He was not given a direct order to stop following, the dispatcher suggested at 2:26 in the call that they "don't need you to do that". They didn't say to stop, only that they didn't need him to follow. It is too bad the recording isn't better so we could hear what he says under his breath.
Anyway, we need the facts at one place and time and we are getting them and echoing them and that is the same rush to judgement that we accuse the Republicans of over and over.
There should be no dispute; he should have been promptly taken into custody. However, he only weighed (20) pounds more than Trayvon and you can plainly see that he (Zimmerman) is NOT in great shape,
"...chubby, Chaz-Bono-lookalike."
ROFLMAO - I thought that exact same thing. The everchanging factoids presented regarding the "shape" of Mssrs Zimmerman and Martin comes from the media; but they are all distractions and intended to divide and stir up trouble amongst the people. I like the way some others said "the older human being killed the younger human being" - ya strip all the garbage that is being spun, and that's the root of the situation that has to be dealt with.
You need to see this video of Zimmerman via Keith Olberman 3/28th shortly after he was taken in police custody:
http://current.com/shows/countdown/videos/jonathan-turley-assesses-the-legal-value-of-video-showing-george-zimmerman-after-the-trayvon-martin-shooting
He is walking, fit as a fiddle, with a sprightly,healthy, limber gate - you can see from his form fitting t shirt, he works out, is loose, flexible, moves easily.
This disturbed individual killed this poor child inside of 1-2 minutes from jumping him while he was talkig on a cell phone. It is not easy to kill somone that quickly in the manner that he did. There was NO TIME for this teen to do what Zimmerman claimed - and be where he was, in the condition he was in, after Trayvon was dead. They know this through the phone records on Travon's cell, the 9-11 call with TRAYVON screaming - since a voice forensics expert has ruled out Zimmerman's voice, and an eye witness at a window who saw him kill the child as Trayvon screamed - and get up easily,afterward, uninjured. Futhermore, they now know UNEQUIVOCABLY that Zimmerman was lying though his teeth - he is so low that he even claimed it was himself who was screaming - via the tape analysis, it's ruled out, FACTUALLY.
There is no center in a case where the factual evidence is so clear. There are only the facts. Zimmerman was trained to kill like that. He killed Travon Martin becaue he knew he could when he got close enough to see that he was a child. He's an assassin. And there's much evidence to indicate no only murder, but premeditation. And stll, they haven't even arrested and charged this pig! He's a trained killer wh decided someone walking down the street was "guilty" of god know what in his sick mind, because he's black! And he knew the police would be on his side.
Oh give me break! The only one who got to be an executioner is George Zimmerman! Along with his clan of good ol boys including people like you.
We want George Zimmerman ARRESTED and you racist twits whine and moan about the law POSSIBLY applying to yourselves and a power structure that has been playing judge and executioner for centuries!
Now the young woman on the tape is right about this: you SHOULD be wearing a t shirt that says "I AM GEORGE ZIMMERMAN." Wow! So perscuted! The murderer arrested and charged!
You WSs are SO intellectually dishonest, or, shall we say, vacuous, entirely.
And I bet you are a True Believer in capital punishment, too.
I have already responded to your dribble about who, here, is the jury and executioner, you deceitful hypocrite! As for mind reading - and what exists above your shoulders, if anything - seeing as you have written down your thoughts, and I have read them, yes!
I am looking for the iggy button.
I for one am not a" true believer" in capital punishment but in the black God in Heaven and pray to him often. Hell, I couldn't even vote for Slick Willy when he had that retarded black kid lynched back in that 1992 presidential campaign.
Also I tried to get in this. This young woman is a very decent person. Now that's that.
Those of us who know "which way is up" and "where we came from" know we're really black from way back. We embrace that with our humanity and say "We're black and we're proud."
I do not believe in capital punishment, either. I believe firmly, without doubt, George Zimmerman should be arrested and charged with murder. Possibly even first degee murder.
As I said in my first comment on this board, whereever it is, I think this young woman is a very decent person, too. I also think the people wearing "I am Trayvon Martin t shirts" - or - chanting "I am Trayvon Martin" as they march through the streets of NYC are very decent people too.
Why should any of them be pointing fingers at one another? Don't we have more important things to be concerned about, and in unison?
Bottom line, it's not about race - it's about economics and justice. This young woman could easily be treated just like Trayvon Martin, and very quickly - with all her so-called privilege, very quickly, meaningless.
Duplication deleted!
Deleted (figured it out)
Almost nothing of what you've posted here is consistent with the evidence that's been made available so far.
You are the true bigot, for you have judged and condemned a man without facts or reason, but merely based on assumptions and deep-seated prejudice.
What the evidence so far tells us is that Zimmerman overstepped his responsibility out of concern for his neighborhood, and made some mistakes which resulted in an unnecessary confrontation in which he was injured, afraid and responded in an unfortunate way.
There is no evidence of any racial motivation or premeditation, but there is evidence that Zimmerman had previously and very publicly defended a homeless black man who was beaten by a cop's son, and castigated the Sanford police department for ignoring the incident and not making an arrest.
I believe in this case, too, there should have been an arrest of Zimmerman and a more thorough investigation. But the Sanford police, who wanted to charge him with manslaughter, were hamstrung by the state's attorney and the Stand Your Ground law.
"Almost nothing of what you've posted here is consistent with the evidence that's been made available so far. "
Then you are just a bald-faced liar, as everything I have posted is in the online newspapers, and you prove how desparately you wish to conceal the truth about this horrendous crime.
I notice you state "there should have been" - not only - there SHOULD BE AND WILL BE an arrest of this killer - despite your ilk - and not for manslaughter - but MURDER. There is also evidence of premeditation because he followed this poor boy - and after being instructed by the police not to!
"Then you are just a bald-faced liar, as everything I have posted is in the online newspapers"
Right. And the newspapers couldn't possible publish anything other than the truth. The reality of the situation is there are numerous conflicting accounts of the events of that night, and the absolute truth is not clear. Should Zimmerman be arrested? For sure. Should the cops get off their lazy asses and do their jobs for once and conduct a proper investigation? Definitely! What we shouldn't do is engage in lynch mob mentality.
On a side note, over at the "American Everyman" blog, they're talking about the theory of all the "race-baiting" going on lately is to distract the population from some of the more questionable legislation being pushed through government. Classic divide and conquer. A plausible theory.
http://willyloman.wordpress.com/2012/04/08/race-baiting-on-good-friday-and-the-lord-spaketh-and-said-let-there-be-five-stories-to-divide-the-people/
Elmysterio, the information I have referenced from the newspapers are known facts about the case. What witnesses have stated, what appeared in video, what voice forensic analysis tells us, what the phone records reflect as to what time, exactly, Trayvon was assaulted, what the police records reflect as to what time the police arrived, what Zimmerman said happened, and the factual evidence that shows he is lying. Certainly newspapers should be read critically, but this is the kind of information we hope to derive from critical reading using a wide range of reputatable sources. That is exactly what I have done. So, sorry, but reporting facts, decrying injustice, and insisting upon an arrest is not "promoting a lynch mob mentality." You, on the other, are obscurating and mischaracterizing my posts. As for that poster, they are, indeed, a bald-faced liar, not to mention a vehement racist. If the shoe fits, let him wear it!
" the information I have referenced from the newspapers are known facts about the case."
How do you know? You don't. You weren't there. You are relying on 3rd party information. You can't say FOR SURE what the papers are reporting is the absolute 100% factual truth. You just can't. For the most part, the majority of the "facts" are hearsay.
Now don't mistake this for a "defence of racism". Nothing could be further from the truth. (Sucks that one has to make this disclaimer otherwise the oversensitive get all bent out of shape). There are only 2 100% for certain facts. 1. Treyvon Martin is dead. 2. George Zimmerman killed him.
"wide range of reputable sources" <--- Notice I corrected your spelling
There is NO such thing as a "reputable source" in the main stream media. Period. They all have their various slants and hidden agendas. Some of what they print is fact, other bits, not so much.
What it really comes down to is YOU personally, no matter how much you believe to the contrary, do not know EXACTLY what happened the night Treyvon lost his life. Period.
When I said "promoting a lynch mob mentality.", I didn't necessarily single you out. It's more of a statement reflecting the overall sentiment.
In the video that you've linked to, Zimmerman looks to be approx 5ft- {9-11}in tall, 200lbs, fit & muscular [IE: The only obvious physical advantage Trayvon had over Zimmerman was height. In fact Zimmerman is apparently both bigger, stronger & likely just as fit!]. He is definitely NOT distraught [which flies in the face of dubious claims that Zimmerman was the one crying on the 911 tape & that he's been so distraught after killing Trayvon that he supposedly hasn't been able to stop crying since]. There are NO obvious injuries, bruises, scratches, bandages, NOR Any Blood on his Shirt [remember there are claims he had a bloody broken nose & that he shot Trayvon while Trayvon was on top of him beating him] that are indicative of a life or death struggle & a severe beat down! As Zimmerman claims!
IMO: This video, - Plus Trayvon's girl-friend's account of Trayvon being pursued & then confronted by Zimmerman- while she was on the phone w him, - Plus the account of the closest ear-witnesses [Mary Cutcher & her room-mate] of what they heard outside of their back-door, where Zimmerman shot Trayvon to death, who after hearing a boy crying & screaming & then a gun-shot & then the crying stopped- went immediately outside to find Zimmerman standing over Trayvon's body holding a gun... - Is about as much smoking gun evidence as is needed to impeach & arrest Zimmerman, without actually witnessing Zimmerman pull the trigger in broad-day at close range!
Let Zimmerman have his day in court & then try & explain away all of the above evidence against him- period. And let the DA & police chief in a court of law, under oath - facing potential perjury charges, explain why, w such evidence against Zimmerman, they still over-ruled the lead homicide detective's judgment that Zimmerman be arrested & charged for man-slaughter.
I'm not looking for Vigilante' {in}Justice [tell that to Zimmerman]- just TRUE Justice, in accordance w the evidence for probable cause & then meted out in the Court of Justice!
Interesting how these Zimmerman supporters attempt to characterize the demands for AN ARREST as if they were mob cries for lynching. They have it quite in reverse, don't they! There is nothing further from lynching that the simple demand for justice to be carried out, as it should have, from the beginning, in accordance with the laws on the books. The real lynching is Zimmerman's murder of Trayvon Martin and the miscarriage of justice in the Sanford police department. Right in line with the south's usual "administration of justice" - where whites could lynch and kill blacks with impunity and never be arrested. The Zimmerman supporters are stepping in time with their racist southern lineage.
The attorney for the Martin family was interviewed on Democracy Now! She said that the girl is a key witness in the case. The police didn't even get the phone records; the family had to hire an investigator to do their job for them. The phone records show that the line disconnected one minute before the reported police arrival time. The girl suddenly heard Trayvon say, "Why are you following me?" indicating that he had suddenly come up upon the teen. Then she heard scuffling before the line went out. The sounds were then picked up by the 911 caller to the police with the recorded screaming - that we now know with certainty was Trayvon's since the voice experts have scientifically ruled out Zimmerman's voice (also showing that Zimmerman was lying through his teeth). And the witness at the window saw Zimmerman kill Trayvon on the LAWN as Trayvon screamed. Therefore, he killed him in about a minute or two - on the lawn - and well away from the sidewalk where he also lied about Trayvon bashing his head into the cement. And then the witness saw him get up, fine. He doesn't touch his nose or his head in pain. He's not stumbling or anything, as if he has a concussion. And as the video shows - walking with that sprightly gait. Not acting at all as if he has a head injury.
This guy was fine after killing Trayvon Martin. The only problem he had, was how he was going to cover it up - which is why he looked worried. Zimmerman is very physically strong, though he is inordinately weak in character and morality. Height is not a given advantage. I am also sure that Zimmerman has trained for these kinds of assaults in order to have done what he did to Trayvon with that amount of speed, dexterity, and vicious professionalism. He basically - and very efficiently - it appears, also muffled the sound of the shots between the boy's body and the ground - which may be why the witness at the window heard them more like loud pops, and Trayvon's screams more like squeels.
But Zimmerman is now shown to have been lying tremendously to the police. About screaming, about having his head bashed into a sidewalk, etc. Any evidence of lying is immediate grounds for arrest. They also returned a murder weapon to this character. Just unbelievable. I think he should be arrested and charged, not only with murder, but 1st degree murder, since he followed the child, and, after being told not to, by the police. And I am not a death penalty supporter. So no one can tell me I'm trying to execute someone without a trial. I am outraged over the injustice, and to a child, no less, and I wish to see this criminal arrested and answering to the law in the courts. Too bad if these southern bigots don't like having to answer to the courts like anyone else. Sure, they have the freedom to think as stupidly as they wish, but they don't have the right to stalk and murder. Yes indeed, let Zimmerman tell a court exactly what happened in that last minute between the phone disconnecting and the police arriving, with the child screaming in the background. And yes, indeed, let Zimmerman tell a court how it was he who was screaming. What a lynching, to these characters. Confronting the facts.
I totally agree w every thing you've said except for this One Point- It ain't just the South. Mr Chaimberlain was in NY, Rekia Boyd in Chicago, Anna Brown in St Louis, Kendrec McDade in LA, etc, etc, etc.... So this ain't just confined to 'Good Ole Boys' in Ole Dixie-land!
Malcolm X once said 'It ain't just the South. If you're Black [or Brown] & you're south of the Canadian Border - You're in the South!'
"Anna Brown in St Louis"
Now, the Anna Brown case is the one that disturbed me the most. In my opinion, her tragic story is the one that epitomizes the cold, callus nature of mainstream American Society. You can argue the "system" failed her, and you would only be partially correct. The nurses at the 3 different ERs failed her. The police and fire department failed her. Those are the PEOPLE responsible for treating Anna as nothing but a piece of shit. To me, the casual disregard of this young woman who was obviously not well speaks volumes; more so, in my opinion anyways, of a vigilante shooting or a off duty cop with an itchy trigger finger.
"Interesting how these Zimmerman supporters attempt to characterize the demands for AN ARREST as if they were mob cries for lynching. "
Umm. There are many who's mentality is exactly that of a lynch mob. Perhaps not you personally, but c'mon, you can't deny that is the general "popular" sentiment.
I so appreciate this young person’s courage and righteous anger. We need more people like her. However, she seems to assume that all white people have the same amount of privilege. Speaking as a poor white woman who struggled to raise a child alone in our unjust society, I can tell you this is not the case. Race matters and class also matters. She is right, I am not Trayvon Martin, I am not Troy Davis but I am NOT George Zimmerman either, please don’t assume that I am. I think the tee shirts are a way to take a stand against injustice, to come together as the community we hope one day we will be and say not in my name.
And clearly, that poster would never be a George Zimmerman, to begin with, or -for that matter (since you raise the issue) - the Duke Lacrosse team - though you, we see, strongly identify.
The "IF" is exactly what I DID read, troll, as you pathetically attempt to reach out to your fellow white and make them consider that they, too, could be George Zimmerman. Though you, I am sure, could!
It is George Zimmerman who judged Trayvon Martin with extreme bias. And now he dead. Killed with obvious malice and evidence of premeditation. The perception that he killed him, and in such a horrible way, is not a matter of prejudice, but fact. An innocent child is dead, and his murderer still has not been charged or arrested. More extreme bias from a system that hasn't worked in this case! Why? Because Trayvon Martin is black, and becaus George Zimmerman's father is a corrupt judge, and the former head of the police and former d.a. are corrupt, too! If saying as much makes me "character flawed" in the eyes of a bunch of ignorant southern racists and bigots, I thank the powers that be for giving those failings to me!
Nice to see that you have absolute authority when it comes to the "Truth". One thing the human brain is extremely proficient at is "filling in the blanks" when presented with an incomplete picture. It does it so well, we hardly notice. By being 100% certain that Zimmerman "Killed with obvious malice and evidence of premeditation", you are only speculating.
Who is funding ALEC and their Racial Terrorism
"Stand Your Ground (AKA license to kill)" laws?
Those are the Brothers who should be removed from civilization.
I certainly think race was a factor. But I also wasn't there, and I don't know exactly what happened. Trayvon was probably scared - understandably - and probably also had the right to "stand his ground" given that a strange armed man was trailing him in his car. Although I think this would have played out quite differently, had the roles been reversed. I hope it leads people to re-think vigilantism.
There is no evidence that race was a factor, other than the fact of previous burglaries in the neighborhood, possibly by black youth, making Zimmerman rightly suspicious.
Yes, Trayvon was likely scared, and it's just as likely that Zimmerman was scared when he was being pummeled on the ground (his wounds are real).
The most likely scenario, given what we know so far, is that Trayvon DID choose to stand his ground and fight, and took Zimmerman by surprise which made him feel in danger and without recourse other than deadly force.
That doesn't excuse what either party may have done, but it makes it far more complex than most are willing to admit.
What a sickening liar you are: "likely scared" "Pummeled on the ground."
He was terrfied being followed by this pig - and too bad for you - there is a witness to attest to that! What human being - let alone a child or more vulnerable person - isn't afraid when followed? Have you ever been followed? It's a terrifying experience, you f.a.h.
He's a brutal coward who murdered a screaming child and then even had the balls to say that he was the one screaming and being hurt.
There was no time for him to be pummmeled - and he was not injured in such a manner - as shown on video and witnessed clearly from a window when he got up, fit as a fiddle. Your Zimmerman is shown to be blatantly lying about screaming, when voice analysts have falsified the voice as his. So he is not even credilble, in addition to all evidence showing otherwie.
And you know all of this! So you are as dishonest as he is.
And what about the fact that Blacks also lived in the area [IE: Trayvon's Father & his dad's fiancee'] - which presumably Zimmerman should have known & taken into consideration [FYI: Zimmerman called 911 forty-one Xs to report only allegedly 'suspicious' Blacks. I wonder if there was ever anything worth reporting even once in those 41Xs- because once Zimmerman called 911 to report even a 9yr old Black kid as 'suspicious'!]. And also what about that F-C-ING COON Remark just before Zimmerman Shot Trayvon to DEATH!
What is hard to understand is that one person had a gun and chose to use it, from all accounts was itching to use it, and who is free to go while the other peson is dead for no apparent reason, even if there was a scuffle. Who started it? Why is this so hard to see? I hope that in the minds of all the doubters, saying let's wait and see, it is not actually because Trayvon was black. What is evident is that every black person still walks in fear, especially black men. And women have to worry if their husband, brother, father or son will come home safely. Professional black men are stopped by police for driving in the "wrong" neighborhood or in one famous case, for entering their own home. The deaths of Anna Brown, Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr. and murder charges against Howard Morgan are also in the news. This is only the tip of the iceberg of a long history from lynchings to jail on false charges, to still at risk. We can indeed question whEther there was any justification for Zimmerman--at all--shooting Trayvon Martin. The exception of course would be if the gun went off accidentally but Zimmerman still picked the fight from all reports. I'm just very tired of people, including our military, thinking that it's OK, or a good thing to kill others, whatever the reason.
We can legitimately question Florida's concealed weapons permitting and why a man with a record (expunged) of battery and possible domestic violence would be issued one. But there is no evidence that Zimmerman was "itching to use" his gun, only that he had wanted to be a cop and took on as close a role as he could as a Neighborhood Watch volunteer.
And there is no evidence that Zimmerman "picked the fight" beyond carefully keeping track of the person he thought to be "suspicious" after a series of burglaries so that he could point the police in his direction when they showed up.
Yes, the fear of blacks in America is very real and not to be discounted. But, just as most violence against blacks is perpetrated by blacks, few know that in the old South 90% of the lynchings were white on white. The lynching of blacks didn't begin in earnest until the North "liberated" the slaves by destroying the Southern landscape in a prelude to Shock and Awe (Sherman's march to the sea, in which he destroyed buildings, crops, livestock and farm equipment to ruin the vanquished).
Just as the history of the Civil War is mostly a Northern myth and more complex than we're taught in school, this incident is terribly complex and anything but clear.
Your hubris and lying knows no limit- It is you who is proposing myth to defend racism, defend slavery, to defend your own privilege.
You are disgusting.