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Sunday, July 13, 2014

The InJustice of the century, one year later #J4TM

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#Trayvon Martin

Today marks the one year anniversary of the miscarriage of justice of the century,  when the 5 white and 1 Hispanic, all female jury,  acquitted George Zimmerman for the murder of Trayvon Martin
 What we do know is that the Trayvon Martin case says a lot about the state of our politics at the moment.  It’s not very post-racial and, yes, it is very tense and polarized.  Certain elements in the political process, including decision makers from state legislatures to Capitol Hill, are holding the gun.  People of color are in the cross-hairs.  And the only thing we seem to be armed with these days is a high unemployment rate and a sense that the future is not looking as bright.
One year later, the jury is still anonymous.
 To date, little is known about the mainly faceless jurors who deliberated for more than 16 hours before rendering George Zimmerman's fate. Five white women and one black Hispanic woman were on the main panel; four alternate jurors, two men and two women, were also selected. Juror B29 told ABC she believed Zimmerman "got away with murder" but that she had to "grab our hearts and put it aside and look at the evidence." Alternate juror E54 told WOFL he "supported the verdict." Juror B37, the first juror to speak, told CNN that Zimmerman was "justified in shooting Trayvon Martin" but that he "had good in his heart, he just went overboard." She initially planned to write a book about her experience but withdrew after major backlash against her comments.

One year later, violence against unarmed black people continues.
Spare us the invocations of "black-on-black crime." I will not respect the lie. I would rather be thought insane. The most mendacious phrase in the American language is "black-on-black crime," which is uttered as though the same hands that drew red lines around the ghettoes of Chicago are not the same hands that drew red lines around the life of Jordan Davis, as though black people authored North Lawndale and policy does not exist. That which mandates the murder of our Hadiya Pendletons necessarily mandates the murder of Jordan Davis. I will not respect any difference. I will not respect the lie. I would rather be thought crazy.
One year later, Rachel Jeantal blames herself for the jury's actions.
Immediately, I heard newscasters referring to her prior testimony, which I had watched on video, as combative and aggressive. And I felt my pressure start to rise.
These kinds of terms – combat, aggression, anger – stalk black women, especially black women who are dark-skinned and plus-sized like Rachel, at every turn seeking to discredit the validity of our experiences and render invisible our traumas. By painting Rachel Jeantel as the aggressor, as the one prone to telling lies and spreading untruths, it became easy for the white male defense attorney to treat this 19-year-old, working-class black girl, a witness to the murder of her friend, as hostile, as a threat, as the one who needed to be regulated and contained and put in her place.

One year later,  we still have Stand Your Ground Laws, as a matter of fact, Stand Your Ground  laws were  expanded in Florida.

One year later,  neither President Barack Obama, the media, or any racial incident has forced the nation to talk about race in any sort of serious way.
So yes, let's have a real discussion about race and racism.  I mean a real hope-to-die, get it all out in the open discussion.  It's times to drain the poison off, so that this nation can heal.  The whole world is watching.  I don't know about you people, but I don't plan to set my clock back, I plan to set it forward.

One year later, The Justice Department is still investigating the death of Trayvon Martin.

One year later and Trayvon Martin is till dead.

We are the ones that failed.
Truth first then justice.
We’re the ones that failed. Not us specifically, but the people who knew and understood the truth and common sense and had the format to speak out about it. We let another narrative take place so we can avoid calling what we are seeing what it really is.
"Trayvon belongs to all of  America and until you see him as your child too, we all remain in bondage."

Rest in Freedom Sweet Child, we will never forget you.

21 comments:

Brian said...

Juries should have the right to remain anonymous. They didn't ask to be put on the jury. They were summoned by the court. They picked because neither side objected to them. They should be free to make their decision without pressure. And they should not have to spend the rest of their lives defending that decision. The only person that they should have to explain their decision to is the judge presiding over the case so that he/she can be sure that the decision that juror made was not coerced.

If a juror decides to go public afterwards, it is that jurors choice.

And it probably won't affect just the jurors involved in the case. People that shared their name would probably also be harassed as well.

Redeye said...

Did you feel the same way about the O.J. Simpson jury?

Brian said...

I can't say I agreed with the verdict but I blamed it on the prosecution not making it's case against an overpowering defense team. O.J. had the best defense money could buy. I also didn't agree with the Casey Anthony verdict, but I do think that the jury in that case should have been able to move on with their lives without their names being made public as there some of them did report being harassed even after a 3 month cooling off period where their names were kept secret.

Redeye said...

If you recall one of the jurors had a book deal before the ink dried on the verdict, so much for her wanting to "go on with her life without being harassed". It's too bad #Trayon couldn't have walked home from the store without being harassed and shot through the heart. I don't blame the jurors. I would want to remain anonymous too.

Redeye said...

PS The OJ Simpson jury did not choose to remain anonymous and they were and are still being harassed.

Anonymous said...

Leave Zimmerman alone. He was found NOT GUILTY just like O.J. Why was Zimmerman called white by our kind when he is Hispanic/White but Obama is called black even though he is black/white. LOL Have you seen the latest news about Lawrence Campbell,the cop killer.Could be be Obama's son?

P.S. George should have never followed him but he also should have never turned and went back to confront Z. I also disagree with the liberal media showing a 3-5 year old picture of T. They should have showed the up to date ones!!

Redeye said...

PS Trayvon didn't "went back to confront Z".

Anonymous said...
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Brian said...

The juror had signed with an agent but didn't have a book deal. She was planning to have the agent work on getting her a book deal but social pressure put an end to the agent representing her and she dropped the idea of writing a book.

PS I wonder if the OJ jury had the option of remaining anonymous. Most juries don't have that option. Usually the judge has to decide that and usually it is done in high profile cases. The Casey Anthony jury was only allowed to remain anonymous for 3 months, then anybody could get their names by submitting a request. I do believe that all juries should have the option of being anonymous.

PPS Whether or not Trayvon went back to confront Zimmerman is debatable. Only George Zimmerman is left to tell us what happened. Everybody else is just speculating. If people think GZ is lying, the only way to find out now is to get him talking and looking for changes in his story.

Redeye said...

I don't think George Zimmerman lied, I know he lied, so does the jury, that is why they remain anonymous. I don't blame them. #TrayvonMartin

Brian said...

If the jury knows that Zimmerman lied, why didn't they convict?

As to why they remain anonymous, look to the public response to the shooting. Spike Lee tweeting the address of the wrong George Zimmerman which forced that family out of their home. The New Black Panther party offering $10,000 for the "capture" of George Zimmerman. There is a real threat of violence from a nut job that "knows" George Zimmerman was guilty.

Redeye said...

If the jury is sure of their verdict why do they remain anonymous? Funny they would be afraid of violence by a nut job when they let one go free. #TrayvonMartin

Brian said...

Actually as of April, the jurors in the Trayvon Martin case, according to the Orlando Sentinel, are no longer anonymoun. Zimmerman's lawyers argued for a 6 month cooling down period. The trial judge agreed but did not set a timeline for when the names would be made public but the names were given to the Orlando Sentinel.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/trayvon-martin-george-zimmerman/os-george-zimmerman-juror-names-20140403,0,6109228.story

Brian said...

So they knew their names would be eventually made public once enough time had passed to allow everybody to cool down. And they still didn't convict.

Redeye said...

The names were given to the Orlando Sentinel? That's nice.

Brian said...

Other news organizations have gotten the names as well. The jurors sorry has not changed. They're gut feeling was that he was guilty but the prosecution failed to prove that he was guilty.

Redeye said...

Blame it on the prosecution. Oh, OK.

Brian said...

Most legal analysis I have read on the case said that the verdict was correct. That the prosecution had a weak case and did not provide evidence that supported a 2nd degree murder charge.

Former President Jimmy Carter said the jury made the "right decision" based on the evidence presented by the prosecution. Carter said, “It’s not a moral question, it’s a legal question and the American law requires that the jury listens to the evidence presented.”

Alan Dershowitz told the BBC that the verdict was "right" and that there was "reasonable doubt" as to Zimmerman's guilt.

Alan Dershowitz also said "She (State Attorney Angela Corey) submitted an affidavit that was, if not perjurious, completely misleading. She violated all kinds of rules of the profession, and her conduct bordered on criminal conduct. [...] Halfway through the trial she realized she wasn't going to get a second degree murder verdict, so she asked for a compromised verdict, for manslaughter. And then, she went even further and said that she was going to charge him with child abuse and felony murder. That was such a stretch that it goes beyond anything professionally responsible. She was among the most irresponsible prosecutors I've seen in 50 years of litigating cases, and believe me, I've seen good prosecutors, bad prosecutors, but rarely have I seen one as bad as this prosecutor."

Redeye said...

Why am I not surprised most legal analysis you have read agree with the verdict? #TrayvonMartin

Brian said...

Well have you read any legal analysis that disputes the verdict? If so, can you post links.

The closest I can find is this article from Slate which isn't a legal analysis, just a in depth analysis from somebody that admits they were upset with the verdict. It is a very interesting read.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/frame_game/2013/07/trayvon_martin_verdict_racism_hate_crimes_prosecution_and_other_overreactions.html

Redeye said...

I don't care what the verdict was, George Zimmerman got away with murder. #J4TM