I'll Say It - the Trayvon Martin Verdict is Wrong
First, if states have these dumb "stand your ground" laws, then you're going to see some very odd verdicts.
That issue notwithstanding, I find the verdict innocent (of even manslaughter) is completely baffling.
For me, mainly it's about the "trail" that Zimmerman left behind. He was the source of his own problem. From start to nearly finish, he lead the way. In the end, Trayvon, like many young men before him, decided to fight back from being stalked. (And, it is likely he wasn't just annoyed but probably a little scared. After all, his father lived at that complex so why would this guy continue to follow him?)
Mr. Zimmerman complained, at two different times, to police/911 that "these punks always get away." He might go look in the mirror because I think he's right.
One thing we did learn from OJ Simpson, if you cannot find justice in the criminal court, go after the person in civil court.
One thing that cannot be denied - this whole issue of teenaged boys walking around by themselves - is a problem.
My experience is that people fear/worry about teen boys (and especially boys of color). But one of my sons has a disability that could present itself wrongly to police and I always lived in fear that something might happen and his behavior be wrongly interpreted by police. So we talked about how to talk to police (as ALL parents should be things - do - happen, no matter what great kids you have).
I am saddened and disappointed.
Comments
So, in light of how outraged we all are about the Zimmerman verdict, maybe we can take a look at ourselves. Not because any of this is our fault, of course, but because the only thing we only truly CAN control is our own thoughts and actions. Who are WE afraid of that maybe we shouldn't be?
parent
Van Jones asked on CNN if he should have his kid dress in a tux to go buy Skittles and obey any order a white man gives him. Good question.
P
I'm not persecuting Zimmerman. He could easily have been found guilty under the manslaughter charge and yet it didn't happen.
Steve, I am astonished that you would rake a dead child's youthful dopiness up like this. No one said he was an angel but he didn't deserve to be shot for trying to get home from a 7-11. Did Zimmerman know any of this when he stalked Trayvon? Nope. He did his own racial profiling.
No, I don't have to respect the decision; we have to abide by it. That's all. And I hope the feds will file a civil case.
Again, I ask everyone to NOT put words into any commenter's mouth.
The justice system failed here (or there is no justice here, or at least in Florida) but a person's background does not in any way justify violence against that person.
Reader
HP
That being said, there is a lot of data out there that shows that states that have stand your ground laws, are much more likely to excuse the killing of people of color by whites. Blacks killing blacks and whites killing whites did not get the same level of pass. This indicates to me that as a society we are condoning the profiling and fear of people of color especially young black men.
HP
However, I do not think that our attempt at desegregating the Seattle Public Schools and integrating some of them had "disastrous results."
For a while folks of one color felt less frightened going into communities made up of other colors. The desegregation program broke this color barrier and now people of color live all over and in every community of our city.
For a while our school curriculum changed and was more representative of all cultures, for a while students sat together (even at lunch) and played together and studied together. Some of us were there in "the day" and experienced the positive effects of desegregation, inclusion and integration. We were able to do this "without a court order."
Thank you again for providing a forum for honest dialogue.
Other reality
WSDWG
I'm hearing African-American families having The Talk with their sons. They are telling them that - innocent as they may be - a lot of people perceive them as threatening. The Talk is about how to demonstrate that they are non-threatening and how to de-escalate conflict even if doing so might be galling and insulting to them.
I see a striking resemblance between this Talk, or at least the rationale behind this Talk, and the talk I hear about the sexual harassment of women. In that case people are telling men that - innocent as they may be - a lot of women perceive them as threatening. This talk is also about how to demonstrate that they are non-threatening and how to de-escalate potential conflict even if doing so might be galling and insulting to them.
I'm not saying that there is an exact match all the way down the line with these two, but in this narrow space the match is strong.
That's interesting in itself.
The difference that I find REALLY compelling is the reaction. I'm not hearing that the young Black men are rejecting the wisdom of the advice about their interactions with White people nor am I hearing that they or anyone else thinks the advice is foolish, insulting, or an acknowledgement of guilt.
However, I see a strong backlash to the same advice given to men in the interactions with women including claims that such advice presumes or implies guilt, that it's insulting, or that it's just foolish.
Just to be clear, women are the subject to much more violence from men than White people are from African-Americans. Women's fears of men are significantly more justified than those of White people have about Black people. Check this out from Louis CK.
To me, the conviction that many White men have, that they are entitled to the presumption of innocence in their interactions with women when not granting the same presumption to Black men, or, more precisely, by not opposing (or even recognizing) a near-identical presumption of threat perceived about Black men, is a clear product of privilege.
Folks keep asking for examples of privilege. This strikes me as a good one.
I DO see some thoughtful commentary by Charlie and Melissa, some first-hand reports of what it's like to be black in Seattle, and a "new" visitor who apparently feels Trayvon's past, real or not, contributed to his death.
What are YOUR views on the de facto segregation in Seattle's schools and neighborhoods? What do YOU think about the verdict?
I come from privilege, I won't deny it. But from Seattle to Boston and everywhere in between that I've been, I see people of color treated as "less than", especially black males, teen or otherwise. That happens even when I am with them, if it's a place dominated by whites. So I think what happened in Florida was a miscarriage of justice, and I think Trayvon was targeted for being who he was-a black male in a white community. And the laws being what they are in Florida, his killer was found innocent.
Regular Reader
It doesn't matter what happened after that. He instigated the altercation, he killed a young man. If he had followed what HIS OWN block watch organization says are good rules, and followed the advice of the police, Trayvon would be alive today. Zimmerman caused the un-necessary death of Trayvon Martin, no ifs, ands, or buts.
Trayvon Martin: Zimmerman was not following Neighborhood Watch 'rules', Susan Jacobsen, Orlando Sentinel:
"George Zimmerman, who coordinated the Neighborhood Watch at a town-house community in Sanford, shot and killed unarmed Miami Gardens high-school student Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26, sparking a collective rage that has spread nationwide and beyond.
Chris Tutko, director of Neighborhood Watch for the National Sheriffs' Association, said Zimmerman broke some cardinal rules.
First, he approached a stranger he suspected of wrongdoing.
'If you see something suspicious, you report it, you step aside and you let law enforcement do their job,' Tutko said. 'This guy went way beyond the call of duty. At the least, he's overzealous.'
Second, Zimmerman carried a handgun. Police departments and sheriff's offices that train volunteers advise them never to carry weapons — though Zimmerman broke no laws by doing so because he has a concealed-weapons permit.
'There's no reason to carry a gun,' Tutko said.
Police said Zimmerman was running an errand in his SUV — with his gun — when he first spotted Trayvon walking back from 7-Eleven about 7:15 p.m. Zimmerman called police to report Trayvon as suspicious, and although a dispatcher said he didn't need to follow the teen, the two got into a scuffle...."
HP
I think SC ably details the many wrongs committed by Zimmerman, in addition to many *actual* contributing factors, like a wanna-be hero armed with a hidden gun, a frightened, anxious teen being followed by a stranger, and all kinds of criminal and racial profiling which prejudiced Zimmerman against Martin before he ever left his vehicle.
That some, however, prefer to link and exploit this tragedy for their own personal agendas is disgusting.
If you've read recent posts on this blog, then you'll recognize the pattern.
WSDWG
Verifier
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Verifier
I've kind of always thought bigots were people who think of their race, religion, etc. was above or better than others. Reader sounds angry, but not bigoted. If anything he is saying he OPPOSES a program that would place anyone not required by law to BE placed above others' needs.
At least, I think so.
Regular Reader, not the other one.
Just getting rid of the program is not the answer. We need to address academic rigor for all students. But there is real racism in this city, and institutional racism in the educational system. I wish we could talk about it without being attacked. I don’t have the answers, but I would like to see more discussion.
Doesn't it make sense to look at this as a socioeconomic problem? Neighborhoods with high levels of poverty not surprisingly have schools with low test scores. Is there something the city council can do to improve conditions for children living in these neighborhoods?
Lynn
Budget Reader,
APP@Lincoln has some of (if not the)lowest FRL (.5%) and Special Ed (2.4%) percentages in the district. The total budget includes those amounts. I compared APP@Lincoln's budget to Lafayette's because they have similar enrollment numbers. Basic ed allocation per student at APP is $4,688 and at Lafayette it's $4,639.
Lynn
7/16/13, 5:34 PM
This seems to help answer your second question regarding ableism.
Does Lafayette still have self-contained Spectrum?
--enough already
Lynn
Poor capacity planning has created turf wars between APP and other cohorts and groups where they didn't used to be, which subjects APP kids and families to a battery of insults and complaints from people who forget that APP never asked to be at Hamilton or Lincoln, for example, until the district crowded them out of their own schools by closing too many schools.
And you don't see bigotry from one who claims the moral high ground against anyone they disagree with? You don't think such persons think they are inherently better than others? Do you at least appreciate the irony and hypocrisy?
This thread is about Trayvon Martin, let's not forget, and the consequences of prejudice, ignorance and yes, *actual* bigotry by those who claim the right to judge and bully others they don't see as equals. WSDWG
This thread was about a court decision about a teenager. I put it up for a discussion about teenaged boys (especially of color) and how we perceive them both in our society and our schools.
And someone hijacked it to talk about APP.
Is APP segregated? Yes but not by design. (And I may not have thought Bob Vaughan an effective director of the program but he tried very hard to find more students of color. That can be documented. That schools/principals may have fought off those efforts or parents rejected them is not his fault.)
I don't think the problems at HIMS are about APP. They are about putting too many programs in one school that is now overcrowded. That's the issue.
Also, you may note that I eliminate a comment that called someone else a name.
We are NOT going to have name-calling. Maybe I'll have to be more vigilant but everyone who wants to comment here should understand that we will NOT tolerate it.
And, if it continues, we will only have comments that we preview and/or some people will not be allowed to comment.
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