Stand Your Ground
Saturday night 7/13/13 around 9:30 pm I heard the verdict of the George Zimmerman trial as I sat in Lounge of III on U st. in DC. The man was found not guilty of second degree murder. As I spoke to my friends and colleagues, which happen to be black people, I picked up on a lot of apathy. Many of whom I spoke with were upset but not surprised that Zimmerman would get off.
I spoke to my girlfriend about it and her thoughts toward the injustice was that this uncovers many of the state of Florida's flawed laws. I had one friend tell me that this verdict is nothing new and that people are making quite a bit of money off this case for it to be in the media. (I don't know how warranted that premise is but from what I know about the media industry, he has a good point) To be honest, I no longer want to hear anything about this case. It seems like just when this case reached it's climax more and more stories of injustice towards black people in the legal system are coming out, specifically cases that have tried to employ the stand your ground law. Let's take a look:
Back in May, a Florida woman got 20 years in prison for attempted murder for firing warning shot at her abusive husband, which she had a restraining order against. The judge overturned the Stand Your Ground defense. The woman going to jail is black. She refused to take a plea bargain of 3 years because she did nothing wrong. Now that she is found guilty of attempted murder, 20 years is the minimum sentence. Please sign the petition.
Another case very similar to the George Zimmerman trial is making it's way to court. Micheal Dunn, a 46 year old white man is being charged with first degree murder in the death of 17 year old Jordan Davis, who is black. According to a News Channel 5 article, Dunn asked Davis and three other teens to turn their music down, while parked next to them at a gas station. Dunn said he heard threats from the teens and grabbed his gun and fired into the vehicle. Police found no gun in the teens vehicle and Jordan was the only one that died from the incident. We don't know if Dunn will use the Stand Your Ground defense or the outcome but this is very telling of a deeper issue we have when it comes to race in America. This all took place in Jacksonville, Florida.
Finally, I saw this article earlier this morning concerning Howard Morgan, an off duty black cop in that was shot 28 times by 4 white officers in Chicago in 2005 and is facing sentencing. Morgan was pulled over for a routine traffic stop, forced out of his vehicle, and eventually shot at by the officers. After being left for dead, he survived and is now being charged with attempted murder of the four officers that brutalized him. Howard's vehicle was crushed before any forensic evidence could be gathered and Howard was never tested for gun residue on the weapon in question that he allegedly used. Please read more about this case and sign the petition on Change.org to help free Howard Morgan.
From mainstream media to social media the Zimmerman trial has been one pinch that is uncovering where we are in terms of race relations. It won't go away nor can a conversation about race be avoided. I remember learning that in history class that blacks were once counted as 3/4 a person. This was an intelligent way to keep black people from being protected under the rights listed out in the Constitution. I hate to say it because I can't believe it, but this trial and the subsequent cases that are being uncovered are showing that black people are not seen as citizens and therefore will not be protected under the laws of this very nation which we largely built.
I just want to leave you with this. #WeAreNotTrayvonMartin
I spoke to my girlfriend about it and her thoughts toward the injustice was that this uncovers many of the state of Florida's flawed laws. I had one friend tell me that this verdict is nothing new and that people are making quite a bit of money off this case for it to be in the media. (I don't know how warranted that premise is but from what I know about the media industry, he has a good point) To be honest, I no longer want to hear anything about this case. It seems like just when this case reached it's climax more and more stories of injustice towards black people in the legal system are coming out, specifically cases that have tried to employ the stand your ground law. Let's take a look:
Back in May, a Florida woman got 20 years in prison for attempted murder for firing warning shot at her abusive husband, which she had a restraining order against. The judge overturned the Stand Your Ground defense. The woman going to jail is black. She refused to take a plea bargain of 3 years because she did nothing wrong. Now that she is found guilty of attempted murder, 20 years is the minimum sentence. Please sign the petition.
Another case very similar to the George Zimmerman trial is making it's way to court. Micheal Dunn, a 46 year old white man is being charged with first degree murder in the death of 17 year old Jordan Davis, who is black. According to a News Channel 5 article, Dunn asked Davis and three other teens to turn their music down, while parked next to them at a gas station. Dunn said he heard threats from the teens and grabbed his gun and fired into the vehicle. Police found no gun in the teens vehicle and Jordan was the only one that died from the incident. We don't know if Dunn will use the Stand Your Ground defense or the outcome but this is very telling of a deeper issue we have when it comes to race in America. This all took place in Jacksonville, Florida.
Finally, I saw this article earlier this morning concerning Howard Morgan, an off duty black cop in that was shot 28 times by 4 white officers in Chicago in 2005 and is facing sentencing. Morgan was pulled over for a routine traffic stop, forced out of his vehicle, and eventually shot at by the officers. After being left for dead, he survived and is now being charged with attempted murder of the four officers that brutalized him. Howard's vehicle was crushed before any forensic evidence could be gathered and Howard was never tested for gun residue on the weapon in question that he allegedly used. Please read more about this case and sign the petition on Change.org to help free Howard Morgan.
From mainstream media to social media the Zimmerman trial has been one pinch that is uncovering where we are in terms of race relations. It won't go away nor can a conversation about race be avoided. I remember learning that in history class that blacks were once counted as 3/4 a person. This was an intelligent way to keep black people from being protected under the rights listed out in the Constitution. I hate to say it because I can't believe it, but this trial and the subsequent cases that are being uncovered are showing that black people are not seen as citizens and therefore will not be protected under the laws of this very nation which we largely built.
I just want to leave you with this. #WeAreNotTrayvonMartin
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