Trayvon Martin Case

[12thMan]

Mooby, with all due respefct you're wrong friend. They didn't jump as soon as the story went national. It took the national media a while to respond and get involved. But the parents had to air their grievance to someone, didn't they? Off the top of my head, I could name a half dozen celebs, including the Miami Heat basketball team and Ray Lewis, and a few others who have been involved one way or another. So to make this about Al Sharpton is grossly unfair an frankly inaccurate. Ben Jealous and many other civil rights leaders have pushed for an arrest. To my knowledge, I've seen Jesse Jackson appear either on TV or with the family maybe twice. That's it.

But Al Sharpton is a red herring. This story is about the Martin family, a murdered teenager, and the Sanford community rallying to their side calling for an arrest. No one's calling for Zimmerman's head or publicly pronounced him guilty.

And since we're talking about due process and justice. Let's flip the coin for a second. The system has failed George Zimmerman horribly. Instead of collecting all the facts and properly detaining him, they allowed him to walk for a 40+ days and be prosecuted in the court of public opinion. The case, the evidence, and the possibility of this young man receiving a fair trial is now seriously in question. Whether he's ultimately convicted or not, he'll never ever have a normal life again. And that is a tragedy.

[12thMan]

I agree is that the optics of Sharpton and Jackson didn't help, gave people pause, and the focus on race became magnified.

[mooby]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

Mooby, with all due respefct you're wrong friend. They didn't jump as soon as the story went national. It took the national media a while to respond and get involved. But the parents had to air their grievance to someone, didn't they? Off the top of my head, I could name a half dozen celebs, including the Miami Heat basketball team and Ray Lewis, and a few others who have been involved one way or another. So to make this about Al Sharpton is grossly unfair an frankly inaccurate. Ben Jealous and many other civil rights leaders have pushed for an arrest. To my knowledge, I've seen Jesse Jackson appear either on TV or with the family maybe twice. That's it.

But Al Sharpton is a red herring. This story is about the Martin family, a murdered teenager, and the Sanford community rallying to their side calling for an arrest. No one's calling for Zimmerman's head or publicly pronounced him guilty.

And since we're talking about due process and justice. Let's flip the coin for a second. The system has failed George Zimmerman horribly. Instead of collecting all the facts and properly detaining him, they allowed him to walk for a 40+ days and be prosecuted in the court of public opinion. The case, the evidence, and the possibility of this young man receiving a fair trial is now seriously in question. Whether he's ultimately convicted or not, he'll never ever have a normal life again. And that is a tragedy.

12th, same respect to you as you are someone whose opinions I value on these boards. With that said, I don't want to make it seem like I'm singling out Jesse/Al for their involvement with this, because the story blew up without their help, and it was only natural they get involved with it once it happened. You are right in that they aren't the only high-profile people to get involved with this, because I am aware of plenty of people trying to bring attention to the cause (the Heat wearing hoodies to the game, the politicians wearing hoodies to work and subsequently getting kicked out for it, etc.) I'm just saying that I'm lumping in Al/Jesse with everyone else already saying Zimmerman should be locked up for murder because everybody else have already made their own conclusions before all facts have been revealed, and they have done the same thing.

The popular opinion is most definitely not to withhold judgement until all facts are known, and it's like you are saying (in your last paragraph, which I completely agree with), guilty or not the rest of Zimmerman's life will be horribly stressful on him as a result of all the hate coming in his direction. Now if he is guilty of racial profiling and intentionally murdering Trayvon it's an entirely different story, but I don't think it's as one-sided as the media is portraying it.

As far as "no one's calling for Zimmerman's head" well I beg to differ. A 10k bounty for a citizen's arrest and distributing leaflets advertising Zimmerman as wanted dead or alive sounds like the NBPP calling for Zimmerman's head. Now sure, maybe they started calling for a citizen's arrest once they realized putting a bounty on someone through the press isn't a smart move, but the intention remains the same. I highly doubt they were doing anything besides trying to incite violence against Zimmerman.

[12thMan]

Moob, nothing but love for ya man.

The Black Panther cats are majorly upsetting and I believe it's like a total of six of them.

[#56fanatic]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

I may be off, but some of you seem to have a problem with the fact that black leaders stood up and beat the drums of justice for Trayvon and his family.

That isn't the issue at all. They seem to stand up ONLY when those crimes are committed by white or in this case hispanic races. If this guy is guilty, great, throw his sorry ass in jail. But they have basically publically tried him all ready. Remember when the last time they stood up regarding a crime. It was against a bunch of white kids from Duke, basically condeming them before facts came out. Calling them rich silver spoon fed white boys. And that came back wrong.

What I am trying to say, as pointed out in a previous statement of mine, 85% of black men that are killed are killed by other black men. I dont recall seeing their faces all over the news asking for the justice of those individuals.

[Skins fan 44]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

You should follow Sharpton on Twitter if you have an account. He preaches a couple of times a month at a church in NY. He announces it.

Thank you. I may just do that. He always does have a good message when he preaches.

[12thMan]

Originally Posted by #56fanatic

That isn't the issue at all. They seem to stand up ONLY when those crimes are committed by white or in this case hispanic races. If this guy is guilty, great, throw his sorry ass in jail. But they have basically publically tried him all ready. Remember when the last time they stood up regarding a crime. It was against a bunch of white kids from Duke, basically condeming them before facts came out. Calling them rich silver spoon fed white boys. And that came back wrong.

What I am trying to say, as pointed out in a previous statement of mine, 85% of black men that are killed are killed by other black men. I dont recall seeing their faces all over the news asking for the justice of those individuals.

56Fan, you seem to be conflating civil rights and the rule of law with the plight of the black community at large. I'm neither a Sharpton supporter or apologist, but his role if you will, in the black community is - he speaks to civil rights issues. Admittedly while there is a civil rights component at play, black on black crime in and of itself is not a civil rights issue. It is, however, a gravely important one that needs to be addressed for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, there's an economic imperative as well as the achievement gap that needs to be bridged. There's an inextricable link between urban poverty, black on black crime, and education. It's one thing to march and "demand" that black men stop killing black men, it's another to start a conversation about the achievement gap in the black community or job programs to ensure employment post-prison. In other words initiatives and policies that directly impact urban poverty, particularly education, which tends to curb violent behavior, drug abuse, early drop out rates, and teen pregnancy. So you see, the murder of Trayvon Martin and black on black crime, are two distinctly different conversations that must be approached and unpacked differently in order to understand them and remedy the problem.

Now if you arguing that Al Sharpton, as a prominent leader in the black community, should broaden his scope and speak to some of the ills that have plagued the black community for decades, well he's actually doing that. It may come as a surprise to some that Al Sharpton and Newt Gingrich have teamed up with the President and the Secretary of Education on education issues.

Arne Duncan, Al Sharpton, and Newt Gingrich Join Forces - On Education (usnews.com)

Al Sharpton and Gingrich have appeared on Meet The Press and other venues across the country to champion initiatives that address education in minority communities. This is where it starts. You can't make some angry teen who is feeling disenfranchised put down his gun, but you can build up the schools around him so that the next kid named Trayvon won't resort to violence and drugs, but sees education as his ticket out of the hood.

Newt Gingrich and Al Sharpton team up to rally for education on tour - NY Daily News

Newt Gingrich Al Sharpton Education Tour - YouTube

[12thMan]

More Gingrich and Shaprton talking education on Meet The Press.


Secretary Duncan, Gingrich, & Sharpton talk Education Reform on 'Meet the Press' - YouTube

[NC_Skins]

Warning Graphic Photo: Possible New Evidence Shows George Zimmerman's Bloodied Head - Yahoo!

Guess he wasn't lying about the head injuries after all.

[RedskinRat]

Zimmerman update

EMMANUEL BURGESS - SETTING THE STAGE

On February 2, 2012, Zimmerman placed a call to Sanford police after spotting a young black man he recognized peering into the windows of a neighbor's empty home, according to several friends and neighbors.

"I don't know what he's doing. I don't want to approach him, personally," Zimmerman said in the call, which was recorded. The dispatcher advised him that a patrol car was on the way. By the time police arrived, according to the dispatch report, the suspect had fled.

On February 6, the home of another Twin Lakes resident, Tatiana Demeacis, was burglarized. Two roofers working directly across the street said they saw two African-American men lingering in the yard at the time of the break-in. A new laptop and some gold jewelry were stolen. One of the roofers called police the next day after spotting one of the suspects among a group of male teenagers, three black and one white, on bicycles.

Police found Demeacis's laptop in the backpack of 18-year-old Emmanuel Burgess, police reports show, and charged him with dealing in stolen property. Burgess was the same man Zimmerman had spotted on February 2.

Burgess had committed a series of burglaries on the other side of town in 2008 and 2009, pleaded guilty to several, and spent all of 2010 incarcerated in a juvenile facility, his attorney said. He is now in jail on parole violations.

Three days after Burgess was arrested, Zimmerman's grandmother was hospitalized for an infection, and the following week his father was also admitted for a heart condition. Zimmerman spent a number of those nights on a hospital room couch.

Ten days after his father was hospitalized, Zimmerman noticed another young man in the neighborhood, acting in a way he found familiar, so he made another call to police.

"We've had some break-ins in my neighborhood, and there's a real suspicious guy," Zimmerman said, as Trayvon Martin returned home from the store.

The last time Zimmerman had called police, to report Burgess, he followed protocol and waited for police to arrive. They were too late, and Burgess got away.

This time, Zimmerman was not so patient, and he disregarded police advice against pursuing Martin.

"These assholes," he muttered in an aside, "they always get away."

After the phone call ended, several minutes passed when the movements of Zimmerman and Martin remain a mystery.

Moments later, Martin lay dead with a bullet in his chest.

The whole article sets a far different perspective than the initial one. Worth a read for those who care.

No, I couldn't wait a month.

[mooby]

Very good read RR, thanks for sharing.

[saden1]

Originally Posted by RedskinRat

Zimmerman update

EMMANUEL BURGESS - SETTING THE STAGE

On February 2, 2012, Zimmerman placed a call to Sanford police after spotting a young black man he recognized peering into the windows of a neighbor's empty home, according to several friends and neighbors.

"I don't know what he's doing. I don't want to approach him, personally," Zimmerman said in the call, which was recorded. The dispatcher advised him that a patrol car was on the way. By the time police arrived, according to the dispatch report, the suspect had fled.

On February 6, the home of another Twin Lakes resident, Tatiana Demeacis, was burglarized. Two roofers working directly across the street said they saw two African-American men lingering in the yard at the time of the break-in. A new laptop and some gold jewelry were stolen. One of the roofers called police the next day after spotting one of the suspects among a group of male teenagers, three black and one white, on bicycles.

Police found Demeacis's laptop in the backpack of 18-year-old Emmanuel Burgess, police reports show, and charged him with dealing in stolen property. Burgess was the same man Zimmerman had spotted on February 2.

Burgess had committed a series of burglaries on the other side of town in 2008 and 2009, pleaded guilty to several, and spent all of 2010 incarcerated in a juvenile facility, his attorney said. He is now in jail on parole violations.

Three days after Burgess was arrested, Zimmerman's grandmother was hospitalized for an infection, and the following week his father was also admitted for a heart condition. Zimmerman spent a number of those nights on a hospital room couch.

Ten days after his father was hospitalized, Zimmerman noticed another young man in the neighborhood, acting in a way he found familiar, so he made another call to police.

"We've had some break-ins in my neighborhood, and there's a real suspicious guy," Zimmerman said, as Trayvon Martin returned home from the store.

The last time Zimmerman had called police, to report Burgess, he followed protocol and waited for police to arrive. They were too late, and Burgess got away.

This time, Zimmerman was not so patient, and he disregarded police advice against pursuing Martin.

"These assholes," he muttered in an aside, "they always get away."

After the phone call ended, several minutes passed when the movements of Zimmerman and Martin remain a mystery.

Moments later, Martin lay dead with a bullet in his chest.

The whole article sets a far different perspective than the initial one. Worth a read for those who care.

No, I couldn't wait a month.

What is the moral of the story?

[RedskinRat]

Originally Posted by saden1

What is the moral of the story?

Read it yourself and see if you can figure it out.

[saden1]

Originally Posted by RedskinRat

Read it yourself and see if you can figure it out.

I too dumb, can you help me figure it out?

[firstdown]

Not worth my time