Are you fellow nigerians watching what is unfolding? How can they not arrest the killer but they are quick to arrest a black male if he kills someone.

Someone needs to get Cap28 to comment.

I have been following this case since the day he was shot - this case leaves a nasty taste in my mouth and is truely shocking. So the life of a black child in the west is really nothing.

Anyway I have more to say but I have to go now will be back later when less busy

Justice for Trayvon Martin

Caty hooding on for Tray. . . Do I look suspicious?

Miami Heat planning tribute for Trayvon Martin tonight vs. Pistons..MIAMI — Dwyane Wade and LeBron Ringless James were only a few miles away from Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26, participating in the NBA All-Star Game, on the night the unarmed black teenager wearing a hooded sweatshirt was shot to death by a neighborhood crime-watch volunteer.

They never knew the teenager, but today, they decided it was time to speak out.

Wade posted a photo of himself from a previous photo shoot wearing a hooded sweatshirt to his Twitter and Facebook pages this morning.
Among the hashtags James linked to the photo: “WeWantJustice.”

“As a father, this hits home,” said Wade, who has 10- and 4-year-old sons.

The girl who poured powder on Kim K got arrested. . Just fucking powder on a stinky pornn star. . Smh

In the Trayvon Martin case---- They are now saying that the screams for help in the 911 call are from George Zimmerman. Apparently there is an eyewitness now that saw the whole thing in action. But I heard the 911 call. It sounded like a kid, not a 30 year old man. Also, I heard George Zimmermans call to 911 where he tells the dispatcher that he is following the "suspect" and the dispatcher told him not to. Yet he did anyway. Trayvon was wearing a hoodie, holding Arizona tea and skittles in one hand and his cell phone in the other. He had NO weapons on him, yet the POS Zimmerman is justified in his murder! They say that Trayvon was beating Zimmerman. Well, let's see--Trayvon was being followed by a stranger with a gun I would think I would defend myself too. Just sayin! It is also said that during Zimmermans 911 call he mumbled something that sounded like Fucking Coons. We don't know what transpired after Zimmermans 911 call to the shooting. But I believe that this was a racial killing and Zimmerman needs to be put in jail. I DO NOT believe that Trayvon did ANYTHING wrong at all! Hoodies for Trayvon

This case has made me so angry. We all know the truth, but people still deny. This happened to a CHILD. This could've been your child. Where is the compassion? Just shows that blacks aren't viewed as human.

[flash]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCsoXwpDVW4[/flash]

Trayvon Martin Was Murdered

Horus: [flash]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCsoXwpDVW4[/flash]

Trayvon Martin Was Murdered

Absolutely. .


@Topic just in case anyone here's willing to participate: Hoodie Rally for Trayvon Martin - - - SHAPE Community Center Harambee Site 3903 Almeda Houston, TX 77004 (Wear Your Hoodies!) Time: 5pm same time as Sanford Florida

Trayvon Martin and his dad

Why are people surprised about this? This happenes all the time first Troy Davis noww Trayvon. BLack men are all in prison by racist cops and juddges. White kids get away with crimes all the time. Trust me, I have been to America and seen or heard about it. I knew one whitek id was selling weed and he got a slap in the wrist. A black kid ding the same would get a jail sentence. The cops treat whites better than blacks. So before all you Nigerians rush to praise America remember thi s is how blacks are tgreated in America. It doesn't matter if you are Nigerian Jamaican or Afro Brazilins, as long as you are black you are a second class citizen.

White Americans have white privilege. Watch videos by Tim Wise to understand more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3Xe1kX7Wsc

For every 1000 blacks who move us 1 step forward, there's a dim black that will move us 1000 back. Joe Oliver-the token black 'friend'-is defending Zimmerman now. *Jesus take the wheel*

George Zimmerman, Son of a Retired Judge, Has 3 Closed Arrests
Hmmmmm... Now here we go smells like an episode of Law And Order...
Did George Zimmerman have help from his father, a retired judge, in clearing his name in three separate arrests?

That’s the question that’s being asked now that more information on Trayvon Martin’s 28-year-old killer is being revealed. Robert Zimmerman, a former Orange County magistrate judge, recently wrote a letter to The Orlando Sentinel defending his son, who’s been dragged through the mud for shooting the unarmed 17-year-old last month. In the letter, the senior Zimmerman asks people not to jump to conclusions and insists that his son didn’t follow the young boy home as he walked through their gated community.

“He would be the last to discriminate for any reason whatsoever. The media portrayal of George as a racist could not be further from the truth. At no time did George follow or confront Mr. Martin. When the true details of the event became public, and I hope that will be soon, everyone should be outraged by the treatment of George Zimmerman in the media,” wrote Robert Zimmerman.

Now more info is being dug up on his “victimized” son through public records and revealing his checkered past.

According to a records search on George, he was previously arrested for domestic violence, resisting an officer without violence and most shockingly, resisting an officer with violence — a felony charge that surely could have landed him in prison.

All three of those arrests, however, were mysteriously closed with no semblance of charges for the Florida resident. So how was someone with a violent past including that of battery against an officer able to carry a 9 mm handgun? Maybe that’s a question Robert Zimmerman should answer …

George Zimmerman had felony assault on police officer charge in ’05 & 2 domestic assaults

Last edited Sat Mar 24, 2012, 09:48 AM USA/ET – Edit history (2)
From the Orange County, FL Circuit Court Clerk of the Court Records page: [link to myclerk.myorangeclerk.com]
Record Count: 4
Search By: Party Exact Name: on Party Search Mode: Name Last Name: Zimmerman First Name: George Case Status: Closed Date Filed On or After: 01/01/2005 Date Filed On or Before: 01/01/2006 Sort By: Filed Date
Case Number Citation Number Style/Defendant Info Filed/Location/Judicial Officer Type/Status Charge(s)
2005-CF-009525-A-O
ZIMMERMAN, GEORGE MICHAEL
10/05/1983

07/18/2005
Div 10
OKane, Julie H

Criminal Felony
Closed

CR-RESISTING OFFICER WITH VIOLENCE
BATTERY ON LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER
2005-MM-010436-A-O
ZIMMERMAN, GEORGE MICHAEL
10/05/1983

07/18/2005
Orlando
Miller, W Michael

Misdemeanor
Closed

CR-RESISTING OFFICER WITHOUT VIOLENCE
2005-DR-012980-O

ZUAZO, VERONICA vs. ZIMMERMAN, GEORGE M

08/09/2005
Div 44
44, TBA

Domestic Violence
Closed – SRS

2005-DR-013069-O

ZIMMERMAN, GEORGE M vs. ZUAZO, VERONICA A

08/10/2005
Div 46
White, Keith F

Domestic Violence
Closed – SRS

http://rollingout.com/culture/george...losed-arrests/
__________________

Bobby Rush Gets Kicked Off House Floor For Wearing Hoodie For Trayvon



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ougHdwR8PhI

Pics of Trayvon 9 days before his death (shared by his family)

Looked like a loving guy. So sad Looked like a loving guy. So sad

@topic,

I understand the rush to judgement by y'all, but can you just chill till all the facts come in before you start prosecuting Zimmerman? Besides, more facts are coming out among which is the one which proves that NBC doctored the 911 tape they released. ABC News too has admitted that the video they released and their comentary was misleading.

What happened to Trayvon is a tragedy but the tragedy is compounded if the society collectively destroys an innocent man who was only trying to defend his community and his life from imminent danger.

I am also reminded of the Duke Lacrosse case where the same susects came out to destroy the lives of some kids simply because they were white. They played the lady (Black skinned woman) as the victim but history has now proven otherwise. Up till tomorrow, I have not heard any apology from Sharpton and his ilk regarding the damage they did to those boys' future. The criminal justice system needs to be allowed to play out. Making this political is unwise. Even Obama got himself involved with this even though he paid a political price the last time he waded into such a case.

If we are outraged, let us be outraged by all murders. The Black on Black murder rate and the Black on White murder rate keeps rising while White on Black murder rate keeps falling. I don't take serious outrages that have political undertones and this one smells to high heavens.

Tayo-D:
@topic,

I understand the rush to judgement by y'all, but can you just chill till all the facts come in before you start prosecuting Zimmerman? Besides, more facts are coming out among which is the one which proves that NBC doctored the 911 tape they released. ABC News too has admitted that the video they released and their comentary was misleading.

What happened to Trayvon is a tragedy but the tragedy is compounded if the society collectively destroys an innocent man who was only trying to defend his community and his life from imminent danger.

I am also reminded of the Duke Lacrosse case where the same susects came out to destroy the lives of some kids simply because they were white. They played the lady (Black skinned woman) as the victim but history has now proven otherwise. Up till tomorrow, I have not heard any apology from Sharpton and his ilk regarding the damage they did to those boys' future. The criminal justice system needs to be allowed to play out. Making this political is unwise. Even Obama got himself involved with this even though he paid a political price the last time he waded into such a case.

If we are outraged, let us be outraged by all murders. The Black on Black murder rate and the Black on White murder rate keeps rising while White on Black murder rate keeps falling. I don't take serious outrages that have political undertones and this one smells to high heavens.

What a $tupid comment. George Zimmerman was an innocent man defending himself? He was the one that followed Trayvon Martin after the 911 dispatcher told him not to. He's the one that approached the boy. And audio forensic experts have said the voice that is screaming for help is not the voice of a man in his late 20s, but a teeanage boy. As for the video of George in the police headquarters, there was no blood on George. None. Not on his clothes, not on his face, not on the back of his head. If your nose is broken, it will bleed like crazy and you'll need multiple bandages. There were none. And since George claimed Trayvon was on top of him and shot him at close range, wouldn't Trayvon's blood be on his clothes? He wasn't even taken to a hospital. It's also known that George called the cops 46 times since January 2011 about suspicious figures aka black males. Turns out they lived in the same neighborhood George lived in. And all Martin was doing at that time was talking to his girl on his cell phone, which I hope will be released soon, with a bag of Skittles and a can of iced tea. Those are the facts of this case. Look it up yourself. And yes, NBC did distort the tape by removing a comment Zimmerman made about Martin. I'm not saying he should be executed. What I'm saying is this case should be in a court of law ASAP.

What the hell does the Duke Lacrosse case have to do with this case? You're making a ridiculous strawman argument and comparing apples to bok choy. What are you, Jesse Lee Peterson? Why the hell should Al Sharpton apologize when he was NOT involved in that case? As for the claim they were targeted because they're white, that is so laughable. Prove it. Don't use Fox News as a source. As for President Barack Obama, so what if he made a comment about this case? Presidents in the past have made comments about local cases that become national news.

Also, the fact that you think no one black is paying attention to black-to-black crime is funny because I can create a dossier refuting that. As for black-to-white crime, your claim is false because the overwhelming majority of crimes are intraracial. You seriously need to step away from Fox.

@A.D.M.,

What a $tupid comment.

This statement does not make your argument any more plausible. Can you disagree without being diagreeable? Just try!!!

George Zimmerman was an innocent man defending himself?

That is his story, which by the way was corroborated by eye witnesses. The Police must have believed him to release him after 5 hours of intensive interrogation. It's note-worthy that he didn't plead the fifth nor ask for a lawyer during this interrogation. By the way, what has happened to our justice system that presumes inocence until proven guilty?!

He was the one that followed Trayvon Martin after the 911 dispatcher told him not to. He's the one that approached the boy.

He followed the boy quite alright (and that is what vigilantes do in their communities), but who approached is still a matter to be determined. According to Zimmerman, he was on his way back to his truck when Trayvon approached him. This is something that the justice system will need to prove one way or another and it is irresponsible to jump to conclusion that is not proven as yet.

And audio forensic experts have said the voice that is screaming for help is not the voice of a man in his late 20s, but a teeanage boy.

Did the expert say it was the voice of Trayvon for sure? So you expect people's voice to remain the same in a life and death struggle. Don't let people play on your intelligence here.

As for the video of George in the police headquarters, there was no blood on George. None. Not on his clothes, not on his face, not on the back of his head. If your nose is broken, it will bleed like crazy and you'll need multiple bandages. There were none. And since George claimed Trayvon was on top of him and shot him at close range, wouldn't Trayvon's blood be on his clothes? He wasn't even taken to a hospital.

You are going to town with outdated facts. ABC News have now admitted that the video they are showing was taken only after Zimmerman was cleaned up after seeing a Doctor. They admit there was indieed a gash on his forehead and that the Police report indicate same. Obviously, these networks have worked people like you into a frenzy based on innacurate information and yet you will not back down and wait for all the info to come out.

It's also known that George called the cops 46 times since January 2011 about suspicious figures aka black males.

It is also known that Trayvon was into drugs! My point being what has that got to do with this case?

Turns out they lived in the same neighborhood George lived in. And all Martin was doing at that time was talking to his girl on his cell phone, which I hope will be released soon, with a bag of Skittles and a can of iced tea. Those are the facts of this case. Look it up yourself. And yes, NBC did distort the tape by removing a comment Zimmerman made about Martin. I'm not saying he should be executed.

As I've proved to you earlier, you are the one venting over inaccurate information. Not only did NBC doctor the tape, ABC did the same. Both are now just admiting that fact. It's funny how the edits are geared towards a particular agenda. Never mind that their agenda may end up destroyin the life of an individual who may yet be justified by the criminal justice system.

What I'm saying is this case should be in a court of law ASAP.

And what I'm saying is that our justice system resumes innocence until one is proven guilty. The Police have interrogated this guy extensively and have no reason to think he was lying. That is part of the procedure. Let it work itself out and stop putting unnecessary presure on people who know how to do their jobs.

What the hell does the Duke Lacrosse case have to do with this case? You're making a ridiculous strawman argument and comparing apples to bok choy. What are you, Jesse Lee Peterson? Why the hell should Al Sharpton apologize when he was NOT involved in that case? As for the claim they were targeted because they're white, that is so laughable. Prove it. Don't use Fox News as a source. As for President Barack Obama, so what if he made a comment about this case? Presidents in the past have made comments about local cases that become national news.

All these cases bear the same mark. Presume the white party is guilty before the end of an investigation. Obama had to have a beer summit to walk back his lack of judgement and I believe he has shown same here by interjecting himself into the situation. The Republicans also paid dearly for it when they interjected themselves in cases they had no business with such as the Sarajevo case.

Also, the fact that you think no one black is paying attention to black-to-black crime is funny because I can create a dossier refuting that. As for black-to-white crime, your claim is false because the overwhelming majority of crimes are intraracial. You seriously need to step away from Fox.

Everything I have mentioned are based on facts and I will prove that to you with real numbers. As I have said before though, you have been fed a bunch of misinformation by people with an agenda. They have sent you to town with the talking point that it is another case of white on black crime ignoring that the overwhelming murder on blacks were commited by blacks. They ignore that Zimmermann is half hispanic because it is an inconvenient fact. I bet you that there would have been no outrage about this incident if Zimmerman was black. That is what pisses me off about this whole incident!

Tayo, mine is if it were a white guy who was killed, do you think they will just let the black guy to home same day?


My only problem is why not do the same to Zimmerman?
oh you are right to kill a thief, well done bruv, go home/bed. case closed. Not so right you know.

@armyofone,

Tayo, mine is if it were a white guy who was killed, do you think they will just let the black guy to home same day?

I cannot answer that question because it is hypothetical and there is no data to back up the insinuation. If the law is followed to the letter, there is every possibility that the Black guy will go scott free if there is no basis to detain him. Zimmerman never asked for a lawyer an was willing to make a statement and aswer questions. Guilty people are not likley to do such.

My only problem is why not do the same to Zimmerman?
oh you are right to kill a thief, well done bruv, go home/bed. case closed. Not so right you know.

Zimmerman has every constitutional and God-given right to defend himself if he felt his life was in danger. The truth is that if really Trayvon was the assailant and he succeeded in killing Zimmerman, this case will not receive the national attention it is getting.

The bottom line is this. The entire nation has been driven to a freny because of innacurrate information provided by networks with agendas. We need to put faith in our law enforcers and criminal justice system.

Let Zimmerman, like every accused have his day in court and not intimidate the system into punishing someone who may be innocent. Are you guys happy that the Black Panther have now put a bounty on him? No one is saying anything about that nor is Obama condemning that situation. This again is why I said Obama shows a lack of good judgement in geting into this situation. His silence on the Black Panther issue suggests his approval of such extra-judicial activity. He's only got a lot to lose.

Tayo-D:
@A.D.M.,

This statement does not make your argument any more plausible. Can you disagree without being diagreeable? Just try!!!

Sure, but don't get your feelings hurt because I find your comments to be funny.

That is his story, which by the way was corroborated by eye witnesses. The Police must have believed him to release him after 5 hours of intensive interrogation. It's note-worthy that he didn't plead the fifth nor ask for a lawyer during this interrogation. By the way, what has happened to our justice system that presumes inocence until proven guilty?!

Yeah, he's innocent until proven guilty, but the evidence that's been released so far is not in Zimmerman's favor. Sorry.

He followed the boy quite alright (and that is what vigilantes do in their communities), but who approached is still a matter to be determined. According to Zimmerman, he was on his way back to his truck when Trayvon approached him. This is something that the justice system will need to prove one way or another and it is irresponsible to jump to conclusion that is not proven as yet.

So you want people to just shoot first and ask questions later? You want people to shoot each other all over the U.S.? You sound like some dumba$$ NRA nutjob. It was George that followed Martin even after the 911 dispatcher told him not to.

Did the expert say it was the voice of Trayvon for sure? So you expect people's voice to remain the same in a life and death struggle. Don't let people play on your intelligence here.

Let's see, who am I gonna believe? Folks who spent numerous years in the field of audio forensics or an Internet user who has no background in law enforcement? Now, I'm no audio forensics expert, but even I have to say the voice sounds like a teenager, not a grown man. Try listening.

You are going to town with outdated facts. ABC News have now admitted that the video they are showing was taken only after Zimmerman was cleaned up after seeing a Doctor. They admit there was indieed a gash on his forehead and that the Police report indicate same. Obviously, these networks have worked people like you into a frenzy based on innacurate information and yet you will not back down and wait for all the info to come out.

You are a dumba$$. Where are the medical records? You're assuming he went to a doctor. How do you know? You're just gonna trust the cops? Where is this gash? And the broken nose? Try pulling something smart out of your a$$ next time.

It is also known that Trayvon was into drugs! My point being what has that got to do with this case?

Nothing. Did you know he also beat up a cop in 2005 and his ex-fiance put a restraining order against him? Can you show where Trayvon was into drug usage?

As I've proved to you earlier, you are the one venting over inaccurate information. Not only did NBC doctor the tape, ABC did the same. Both are now just admiting that fact. It's funny how the edits are geared towards a particular agenda. Never mind that their agenda may end up destroyin the life of an individual who may yet be justified by the criminal justice system.

You sound like a butthurt conservative, lol. What is this political agenda?

And what I'm saying is that our justice system resumes innocence until one is proven guilty. The Police have interrogated this guy extensively and have no reason to think he was lying. That is part of the procedure. Let it work itself out and stop putting unnecessary presure on people who know how to do their jobs.

Newsflash, some cops don't know how to do their jobs. Some are corrupt and don't really give a damn about certain folks.

All these cases bear the same mark. Presume the white party is guilty before the end of an investigation. Obama had to have a beer summit to walk back his lack of judgement and I believe he has shown same here by interjecting himself into the situation. The Republicans also paid dearly for it when they interjected themselves in cases they had no business with such as the Sarajevo case.

Some say Zimmerman is Hispanic. Of course, there are black Hispanics, white Hispanics, etc. Perhaps he's a mestizo. Who cares? As for Obama, there was nothing wrong with what he did.

Everything I have mentioned are based on facts and I will prove that to you with real numbers. As I have said before though, you have been fed a bunch of misinformation by people with an agenda. They have sent you to town with the talking point that it is another case of white on black crime ignoring that the overwhelming murder on blacks were commited by blacks. They ignore that Zimmermann is half hispanic because it is an inconvenient fact. I bet you that there would have been no outrage about this incident if Zimmerman was black. That is what pisses me off about this whole incident!

You're a fool and you're a waste of space. You're the one who's been fed bad info. This case has nothing to do with black-on-black crime. Again, apples and bok choy. And I can create links showing blacks do care about what goes in their neighborhoods.

@A.D.M.,

You're a fool and you're a waste of space. You're the one who's been fed bad info. This case has nothing to do with black-on-black crime. Again, apples and bok choy. And I can create links showing blacks do care about what goes in their neighborhoods.

I can see you have anger management issues. Despite ignoring your first verbal assualt, you decided to follow through with another. Is this how you received your education (if you have any)? I have addressed all the points you and others have raised and showed how you are venting over misinformation. My expectation is that a rational person would simmer down and re-evaluate his position based on those new information. It is obvious that you are no ratinal person and I do not see a need to continue wasting time on you.

Please feel free to ignore my postings in the near future. I will not be brought down to your base level of character asasination and incoherent rantings.

Tayo D,
I'm not one to be driven by some cheap frenzy.
Let the court tell him he is not guilty and should go instead of the police.

you should be a republican strategist

armyofone: Tayo D,
I'm not one to be driven by some cheap frenzy.
Let the court tell him he is not guilty and should go instead of the police.

That the guy was released by the Police does not mean he is free from prosecution. Tayvon's family or anyone else could still file a criminal or civil lawsuit against Zimmerman. The bottomline is that the Police can only hold you in custody for so long. They either charge you if they have evidence that you've committed a crime or they let you go. They obviously did the later because they do not have sufficient evidence to detain Zimmerman. If however in the future they have such evidence, then they can arrest and charge him appropriately.

armyofone: you should a republican strategist

This has nothing to do with politics. It is simply allowing the justice system to work without undue influence. During all that frenzy brought about through misinformation, Sharpton accused the Police of not doing any investigation nor even cordoning off the murder scene with yellow ribbons. Problem is that he lied. Part of the police report released two days ago proved otherwise. In the meantime, his misinformation has set many drones into a frenzy all across the globe and created divisions and enmity amongst neighbors. That is nothing more than compounding the already tragic event.

I can't believe Tayo D

zolzlolz: I can't believe Tayo D

Let me tell you what I can't believe. That so far, I am the only objective one on this forum. I am asking for due proces of the law to play itself out and others are seeking jungle justice.

Haha uncle Tayo is never afraid to stand alone
Armyofone, my sister how now?

@topic,
Such a tragic story. I want to believe that the justice system is colorblind, but the truth is we all (including cops) racial profile every single day. If Zimmerman was killed & Trayvon had lived, would he have been charged or released? All we have are our speculations. While they have not found evidence Zimmerman is guilty of murder - I personally think he is 'guilty' - of what I don't know. I do know what we know about him testifies to his overzealousness.

-Anyone who calls the police that often and over frivolous things like 'doors left open' or 'people playing loud music driving by'...like seriously dude? overzealousness.
-And my biggest gripe with him - the 911 operator told him NOT to follow Trayvon and he did, why? overzealousness.
-And in following Trayvon he knew he had a concealed weapon, what were his intentions? overzealousness.

Being a neighborhood watchman does not confer on you any authority whatsoever, and walking around with a gun[/b]AND [b]seeking out confrontations with people on the street - is incredibly reckless. His actions directly led to the death an innocent person, and saying you're sorry is not going to bring him back. Claiming 'self-defense' when you're the one who went to look for trouble - with a loaded gun - to me will not suffice. Is there nothing in these facts that the police can at least charge him with? If I were Trayvon's parents or family I too would be demanding someone be held accountable.

^^^^^all that said,
The media lust of opportunists like Al Sharpton & co that are swarming all over this story, using it to plaster their faces all over tv...just plain sad. In this I'm 100% with TayoD and Juan Williams (a black liberal, see his spot-on article below). Black on black crime statistically outnumbers white/hispanic on black - stupendously & overwhelmingly so. Where are the Sharptons & Jacksons to mobilize protests for us to stop killing each other? especially as these numbers are disturbingly on the rise year after year, or are we upset only when someone of another race kills one of us? This is why I find it hard to respect them and the so-called 'civil rights movement' they claim to be leaders of. Much like charity, civil rights must begin at home.

Fantastic article for all of us to consider well. I could not agree more with Williams on every point.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303404704577307613183789698.html
The Trayvon Martin Tragedies
The recent killing of Trayvon Martin needs more investigation. But where's the outrage over the daily scourge of black-on-black crime?
By JUAN WILLIAMS


The shooting death of Trayvon Martin in Florida has sparked national outrage, with civil rights leaders from San Francisco to Baltimore leading protests calling for a new investigation and the arrest of the shooter. But what about all the other young black murder victims? Nationally, nearly half of all murder victims are black. And the overwhelming majority of those black people are killed by other black people. Where is the march for them?

Where is the march against the drug dealers who prey on young black people? Where is the march against bad schools, with their 50% dropout rate for black teenaged boys? Those failed schools are certainly guilty of creating the shameful 40% unemployment rate for black teens.

How about marching against the cable television shows constantly offering minstrel-show images of black youth as rappers and comedians who don't value education, dismiss the importance of marriage, and celebrate killing people, drug money and jailhouse fashion—the pants falling down because the jail guard has taken away the belt, the shoes untied because the warden removed the shoe laces, and accessories such as the drug dealer's pit bull. Supposedly all of this is just entertainment and intended to co-opt the stereotypes. But it only ends up perpetuating stereotypes in white minds and, worse, having young black people internalize it as an authentic image of a proud black person. There is no fashion, no thug attitude that should be an invitation to murder. But these are the real murderous forces surrounding the Martin death—and yet they never stir protests. The race-baiters argue this case deserves special attention because it fits the mold of white-on-black violence that fills the history books. Some have drawn a comparison to the murder of Emmett Till, a black boy who was killed in 1955 by white racists for whistling at a white woman. The Martin case is very different from the Emmett Till case, in which a white segregationist Mississippi society approved of the murder of a black child. Black America needs to get out of the rut of replaying racial injustices of the past.

All minority parents fear that children who embrace "gangsta" fashion, tattoos and a thug attitude will be prejudged as criminal. Recall what Jesse Jackson once said: "There is nothing more painful to me at this stage in my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery. Then look around and see somebody white and feel relieved. . . . After all we have been through. Just to think we can't walk down our own streets, how humiliating." That is the unfair weight of being black in America for both the black person who feels the fear and the black teen who is judged as a criminal.


Despite stereotypes, the responsibility for the Florida shooting lies with the individual who pulled the trigger. The fact that the man pursued the teen after a 911 operator told him to back off, and the fact that he alone had a gun, calls for him to be arrested and held accountable under law. The Department of Justice is investigating the incident and the governor of Florida has appointed a special prosecutor to review the case.

But on a larger scale, all of this should open a serious national conversation about how our culture made it easier for this type of crime to take place. As President Obama said last week, "I think all of us have to do some soul searching to figure out how does something like this happen. And that means we examine the laws and the context for what happened, as well as the specifics of the incident." While civil rights leaders have raised their voices to speak out against this one tragedy, few if any will do the same about the larger tragedy of daily carnage that is black-on-black crime in America. The most recent comprehensive study on black-on-black crime from the Justice Department should have been a clarion call for the black community to take action. There is no reason to believe that the trends it reported have decreased since 2005, the year for which the data were reported. Almost one half of the nation's murder victims that year were black and a majority of them were between the ages of 17 and 29. Black people accounted for 13% of the total U.S. population in 2005. Yet they were the victims of 49% of all the nation's murders. And 93% of black murder victims were killed by other black people, according to the same report.

Less than half of black students graduate from high school. The education system's failure is often a jail sentence or even a death sentence. The Orlando Sentinel has reported that 17-year-old Martin was recently suspended from his high school. According to the U.S. Department of Education's Civil Rights Office, in the 2006-07 school year, 22% of all black and Hispanic K-12 students were suspended at least once (as compared to 5% of whites). This year 22% of blacks live below the poverty line and a shocking 72% of black babies are born to unwed mothers. The national unemployment rate for black people increased last month to over 13%, nearly five points above the average for all Americans. The killing of any child is a tragedy. But where are the protests regarding the larger problems facing black America?