Tag: Trayvon Martin

The List of What Young Black Males Can’t Do Grows Longer

Trish

When I saw this sobering warning from Twitter about an image related to the trial of Michael Dunn, the man who fired 10 shots into a vehicle occupied by four black male teenagers, killing one, 17-year-old Jordan Davis, I steeled myself for the worst. I do the same when I suspect I am about to see something that’s going to stay with me, like a tale of horror visited upon an animal.

I braced myself as much as I could, deciding it might be worth the psychic damage, and clicked, “View photo.” Here’s what appeared.

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George Zimmerman Arrested Again

Trish
George Zimmerman's most recent mug shot

Police in Seminole County, Fla. must be getting tired of seeing George Zimmerman’s face. The man who shot and killed the unarmed teen Trayvon Martin and was then acquitted of murder under one of the country’s most lax definitions of self-defense* was arrested again, this time for domestic violence against his current girlfriend. WESH-Orlando:

He was arrested at about 1 p.m. Monday at his girlfriend’s home on Topfield Court in Apopka following a 911 call. Neighbors told WESH 2 News that they didn’t know the woman was dating Zimmerman, and they thought the man might have been an undercover cop because he walked around like an officer.

Neighbors said they thought [Zimmerman] might have been an undercover cop because he walked around like an officer

Neighbors said his truck had been parked in the neighborhood for about a month.

Let’s review.

  • Zimmerman was let off scotfree for killing Trayvon Martin.
  • Zimmerman was let go without being issued a ticket 15 days after the end of his murder trial, when he was pulled over for speeding in Texas and told the officer he was carrying a gun.

    • […]

Zimmerman is the Gift that Keeps On Giving in Florida

Trish

$200,000 – $300,000

Amount George Zimmerman is asking the state of Florida to reimburse him for hiring expert witnesses, providing depositions, and other trial costs aside from attorney’s fees. Zimmerman was acquitted after he profiled, stalked, and finally shot and killed unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin last year. Since the trial, Zimmerman has been pulled over for speeding in Texas, and forced his lawyers to apologize after he was photographed taking a merry tour of the factory that made the gun he used to kill Martin.

Flashback 2007: Black Homeowner Convicted of Second Degree Manslaughter after Shooting Trespassing White Teenager

Jon Ponder

White, left, and Cicciaro
From the beginning, there have been nagging “what if” questions about the racism underpinning the murder trial in the Trayvon Martin case. Chief among these: What if the races of the murderer George Zimmerman and his 17-year-old victim, Trayvon Martin, had been reversed?

If the confessed killer of a white teenager had been a black man, would it have taken 45 days — or 45 minutes — to charge him with a crime? Would it have sparked serious outrage if this African-American self-confessed killer had asserted on, say, MSNBC that he had no regrets about murdering his young white victim?

And now, in the wake of the jury verdict Saturday night, there is a new question. Would Zimmerman have been acquitted by a predominantly white jury in Sanford, Fla, if he had been black and his teenaged victim had been white?

We can only speculate about how the race reversal might have played out in Florida, but there is an analog to it from 2007 in a white enclave of suburban Long Island that suggests that the Zimmerman trial would have had a different outcome if the races had been reversed:

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Trayvon Martin Murder Case Shows State Legislatures are Letting Gun Extremists Call the Shots

Trish

Guns

Is it self-defense if you pick a fistfight and then, when you realize the other person is winning, shoot to kill?

Laws that protect and encourage gun violence are moving America closer to becoming a society based on the whims of thousands of tiny militias

That’s the question legal reporter Dan Abrams poses in a column that gets to the heart of the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman mess.

Abrams finds that Florida’s NRA/ALEC written “Stand Your Ground” law contains two exceptions that could mean the answer is yes and that Zimmerman will go free.

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NRA Introduces Hoodie with Built-In Gun Holster

Buck Banks

635psFrom the blatant exploitation of a tragic event department comes news that the National Rifle Association has created a hoodie with a built-in holster for a pistol. It appears the organization for gun nuts is seeking to cash in on the hoodie furor surrounding the murder of Trayvon Martin. Here’s the catalog description:

We want concealed carry to fit around your lifestyle — not the other way around. That’s why we developed the NRAstore™ exclusive Concealed Carry Hooded Sweatshirt. It’s the only garment of its kind we know of! Made from a pre-shrunk, heavyweight 50% cotton/50% polyester blend, we’ve taken a standard 9 oz. fleece sweatshirt design and added a full-body polyester lining for added warmth, durability, wind resistance and weight distribution. Inside the sweatshirt you’ll find left and right concealment pockets. The included Velcro®-backed holster and double mag pouch can be repositioned inside the pockets for optimum draw. Ideal for carrying your favorite compact to mid-size pistol, the NRA Concealed Carry Hooded Sweatshirt gives you an extra tactical edge, because its unstructured, casual design appears incapable of concealing a heavy firearm – but it does so with ease! Includes drawstring hood, cotton/spandex ribbed cuffs and waistband, two front pouch pockets and a discreet black zipper. Includes one Velcro® holster and one Velcro® mag pouch. Colors: Black, Navy. Made in USA.