In the legal process, numerous scenarios always must be followed: First, if all goes as per usual, a Preliminary Hearing is in order.
Zimmerman is now in custody at an undisclosed location in Florida after charges were filed against him today in the latest American Criminal Justice Brew-Not-So-Hah-Hah that has divided, consolidated, most of the U.S. following 45 days since the curious shooting of unarmed Trayvon Martin.
If anyone feels that prosecutor Angela Corey dodged details, she did not for anything other than allowing the future legal machinations to unfold in the proper way. She did what is correct. Nothing at all should be brought forward until a trial/hearing is in progress. If any of us were in Zimmerman's position, we would be relieved to know that at the very least our case would not be compromised by public opinion, foolish "slips of the tongue" by biased prosecutors.
The brilliance of Corey's presentation in the midst of an enormously tempestuous, controversial, internal (by now) focus of concern is to be applauded.
There is a reason why we have Court Proceedings. To say or imply anything other than the basic facts of an arrest is the way to go.
And, despite my personal feelings that racial profiling is at the base of the killing, I will, at least in this case, hope that all stones will be unearthed; that justice will be more than considered, but acted-on in a fair and just way because, regardless of the holes in the American Way of Often Non-Justice, anyone of sound mind ever wanted was a sincere, serious, fair and clear investigation into what has become the tip of the Racial Iceberg in our unfortunately prejudiced (against both Whites and Blacks/Hispanics/Others) society.
It is a serious shame that it was the death of a kid of colour who was apparently doing nothing but Walking While Black to bring to the surface the deep-seated anger of both Whites and Blacks to the forefront.
I am not writing anything unusual from what the pundits, et al, have been saying and writing. But I will not stand back and pretend I haven't been touched by this because it is an example of how far the human race has to go in the evolution of tolerance of RACE RELATIONS.
Before I end this simple post, please think about what I have written below - and draw your own conclusion(s).
Think about it: Did you ever wear a hoodie walking alone and have a car or person follow you as you went on your way? White or Black, etc., I know that as a woman, another "minority" based on the GOP and most of the world, I would sure as hell stand up for myself if someone got out of their car and asked me what I was doing in the neighborhood.
Reminders: Despite ID and a cell phone found on/with the victim, his body was placed in the morgue as a "John Doe" for 3 days before his family was notified.
Assumptions by Sanford police: Victim had to have been guilty of something or else what other reason would the shooter have had to kill him?
Question: Why did the police not notice the lack of any wounds on the hands and body of the victim if he had been beating the shooter in what was deemed to be "a fight for his ('shooter') life"? Why were no crime scene photos taken? Truly think about it if you are not a Racist, yet "on the fence" with this situation.
Image via: http://www.bfmcmillen.com
Barack says we need to have a conversation about race in America .. Fair enough. But this time, it has to be a two-way conversation.. White America needs to be heard from, not just lectured to.... This time, the Silent Majority needs to have its convictions, grievances and demands heard. And among them are these:
ReplyDeleteFirst, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known.. Jeremiah Wright ought to go down on his knees and thank God he is an American.
Second, no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the ' 60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream. Governments, businesses and colleges have engaged in discrimination against white folks -- with affirmative action, contract set-asides and quotas -- to advance black applicants over white applicants. Churches, foundations, civic groups, schools and individuals all over America have donated their time and money to support soup kitchens, adult education, day care, retirement and nursing homes for blacks.
We hear the grievances. Where is the gratitude??
Barack talks about new 'ladders of opportunity' for blacks. Let him go to Altoona ? And Johnstown, and ask the white kids in Catholic schools how many were visited lately by Ivy League recruiters handing out scholarships for 'deserving' white kids...? Is white America really responsible for the fact that the crime and incarceration rates for African-Americans are seven times those of white America ? Is it really white America 's fault that illegitimacy in the African-American community has hit 70 percent and the black dropout rate from high schools in some cities has reached 50 percent?
Is that the fault of white America or, first and foremost, a failure of the black community itself?
As for racism, its ugliest manifestation is in interracial crime, and especially interracial crimes of violence. Is Barack Obama aware that while white criminals choose black victims 3 percent of the time, black criminals choose white victims 45 percent of the time?
Is Barack aware that black-on-white rapes are 100 times more common than the reverse, that black-on-white robberies were 139 times as common in the first three years of this decade as the reverse?
We have all heard ad nauseam from the Rev. Al about Tawana Brawley, the Duke rape case and Jena . And all turned out to be hoaxes. But about the epidemic of black assaults on whites that are real, we hear nothing.
Great piece. This was very, sloppy, police work and yes charging him with 2nd degree murder, is what I had anticipated- since it does not appear as a murder 1 case. But rather a case of a redneck, ignorant, wanta-be, cop, asshole, who is racist, and who's insanity, got way out of control, resulting in the killing of another human being.. However, I agree,that they could not charge him until, they had enough to support the charges- or they would neverbe able to get a conviction in court. Why is it always FLORIDA???
ReplyDeleteAnon #1 - Your research is excellent, and I thank you for taking the time to express your feelings/attitudes. There are accurate points in your commentary. However, w/out going into a rant of my own, please know that not all public programs are for Blacks. Whites w/ serious financial burdens also benefit.
ReplyDeleteAnon #2 - Florida is one of the largest "mixed-bags" of peoples and peculiar legal practices/laws in the U.S. Thank you for your feedback on this issue. Let's hope serious changes can be made in the SYG law. I want the ability to protect myself and home/family should an intruder threaten my life. I believe everyone should have the right to Stand Their Ground in an appropriate venue, but not in what looks to me like an aggressive stalking.
Thanks Shauna. Glad you liked my research. :) John
ReplyDeleteGet the guns out the hands of civilians...what is this a vigilante, gun-slinging nation? RIP to Trayvon. Thank you for stepping up Ms.Z...
ReplyDeleteML - Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteJohn - You always make me think whether I agree or not.