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#1334304 - 03/23/12 01:36 AM
"This Generation's Emmett Hill"
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Ayuveda
Senior Member
Registered: 04/05/10
Posts: 6367
Loc: Imagine
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Emmett Till and Trayvon Martin
Is Trayvon Martin this generation's Emmett Till?
By David A. Love
03/22/2012
Trayvon Martin may very well become this generation's Emmett Till.
The February 26th shooting death of 17-year-old Martin by George Zimmerman -- a self-appointed neighborhood watch captain in Sanford, Florida -- has captured national attention and garnered universal outrage.
Martin was gunned down near his father's home, wearing a hoodie and armed with little more than an iced tea and Skittles. The senseless killing of an innocent boy, and the failure of the police to arrest the professed gunman, is now a turning point in American history, and not just for African-Americans. And you'll find this case at the intersection of racial violence, civil rights and criminal justice.
In August 1955, Emmit Till, 14, was lynched in Mississippi while visiting relatives, reportedly for flirting with a white woman. He was dragged at gunpoint, was beaten and shot, his eye gouged out, and his body thrown into the Tallahatchie River -- weighted down by a 70-pound cotton gin. Till's corpse was badly mutilated, and his mother insisted on an open casket funeral to show the horrific crimes committed against her son. And black mothers today, like Mamie Till, worry that their sons are targets. They fear the worst will happen; that someone will tell them their black boy is dead.
As Mrs. Till warned her son in Chicago before he went down South, "Be careful. If you have to get down on your knees and bow when a White person goes past, do it willingly."
Till's admitted abductors, two white men, were tried and acquitted of murdering and kidnapping. They later confessed to the crime in a magazine interview. In death, the Chicago teen was a flashpoint in the civil rights movement, placing the spotlight on the treatment of black people in Mississippi.
Fast forward 57 years, and Trayvon Martin, not unlike Till, could potentially have a large impact on the nation's psyche. The racial implications of the Martin killing are clear. Although described by his father as "a Spanish-speaking minority with many black family members and friends," Zimmerman is heard in the 911 call mumbling about "f**king coons."
Trayvon Martin's killing continues to expose the problems black men face, the low priority they are assigned as black victims, and the unfair treatment they face at the hands of the police and in the justice system.
Unfortunately, there have been too many Emmett Tills and Trayvon Martins, each a catalyst in his or her own right.
n 1963, four black girls were killed in the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama by the Klu Klux Klan. The bombing sparked nationwide condemnation, and was a factor leading to the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Michael Griffith, 23, was hit by a car and killed in Howard Beach, NY in 1986. A mob of over 10 white teens had chased Griffith onto a highway after beating him and his friends.
Black teen Yusef Hawkins, was shot to death in 1989 after being attacked by a mob of white youths in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. The killing, which reflected New York's racial tensions, galvanized the civil rights community and led to the defeat of Mayor Ed Koch in his reelection bid.
Amadou Diallo, 23, was killed by four plainclothes NYPD officers who believed his wallet was a gun. The officers admitting they fired 41 shots at the Guinean immigrant. The 1999 Diallo shooting galvanized the anti-police brutality movement in New York and around the country, leading to the over 1,700 arrests in mass protests.
Sean Bell, 23, was killed by undercover and plainclothes NYPD police officers in a hail of 50 bullets in 2006. The officers, who were acquitted of all charges, said they believed Bell and his friends were armed when they shot at their car.
On New Year's Day in 2009, Oscar Grant, 23, was shot in the back in a San Francisco BART station, face- down and execution-style, as police officers stood over him. An officer was sentenced to two years for second degree manslaughter.
In September 2011, the state of Georgia executed Troy Davis, a black Savannah resident who was convicted of murdering a white police officer in 1989. The Troy Davis case received worldwide attention in light of evidence pointing to his innocence, including 7 of 9 eyewitnesses recanting or contradicting their testimony. Over 1 million people signed a petition to stop his execution. Civil rights and anti-death penalty activists view the execution of Troy Davis as a turning point in the use of the death penalty in the United States.
And now the spotlight is on the Sunshine State, where apparently it has become easier to purchase a gun and kill an innocent black man, but far more difficult for a black man to vote. In 2005, then-Florida Governor Jeb Bush signed the state's "Stand Your Ground" law -- the first in the nation and the reason why Zimmerman has not yet been arrested. The law eliminates old legal precedent by allowing citizens to use deadly force without retreating when they feel threatened outside the home. Critics maintain that the law, of the law, which exists in at 24 states, encourages people to shoot first and claim self-defense, and promotes a Wild West mentality and racial vigilantism.
The National Rifle Association, the powerful gun lobby, and the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council are pushing for Stand Your Ground laws in all 50 states.
Meanwhile, Florida Governor Rick Scott -- who resigned as CEO of Columbia/HCA after paying $1.7 billion in criminal fines for overcharging the federal government in a Medicare fraud scheme -- is violating the civil rights of black Floridians. His administration has asked a federal court to throw out a section of the Voting Rights Act, a hallmark of the civil rights movement which provides federal protection to voters of color in states with a history of racial discrimination.
Scott went back to the future by requiring nonviolent felons to wait five years after completing their sentences before applying to have their voting rights restored. In doing so, he resurrected Jim Crow-era felony disenfranchisement laws designed to keep freed slaves from voting.
And according to the U.S. Department of Justice, Florida's harsh voting restrictions, which also include restrictions on early voting and third-party registration, amount to intentional discrimination.
The poor treatment of black people in Florida and elsewhere provides a backdrop for understanding the killing of Trayvon Martin. Nearly six decades ago, Emmett Till was murdered at a time when the lives of black boys were not highly regarded, and the rights of black Americans were under siege. Well, here we go again. The lessons people learned back then are the lessons we must once again learn today.
_________________________
Sometimes, tear gas can make you see better.
-graffiti in Athens
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#1334353 - 03/23/12 11:47 AM
Re: "This Generation's Emmett Hill"
[Re: Ayuveda]
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ProAct
Senior Member
Registered: 07/19/10
Posts: 1194
Loc: New York State, Seneca County
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What a terrible shame. RIP to the young fellow, Trayvon and comfort to his family. Jail to Zimmerman
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#1334553 - 03/24/12 07:48 AM
Re: "This Generation's Emmett Hill"
[Re: Ghosts]
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Ayuveda
Senior Member
Registered: 04/05/10
Posts: 6367
Loc: Imagine
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Common sense in short supply. Let's play blame the victim.
Does wearing a hoodie automatically put a target on a dark-skinned young man’s back? According to Geraldo Rivera, the answer is yes. The Fox News commentator opined on air today that Trayvon Martin, the unarmed 17-year-old who was shot and killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, was asking for trouble — because he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt.
As Rivera told Fox & Friends cohost Brian Kilmeade, he believes that parents of “black and Latino youngsters” shouldn’t let their children go out wearing hoodies: “I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin’s death as George Zimmerman was.”
How’s that, you ask? Let Rivera explain: “When you see a kid walking down the street, particularly a dark-skinned kid like my son Cruz…. What’s the instant association? It’s those crime scene surveillance tapes. Every time you see someone sticking up a 7-Eleven, the kid’s wearing a hoodie.”
Fox News host Geraldo Rivera sparked outrage—including from his own son, apparently—by suggesting on Friday that Trayvon Martin, the unarmed Florida teen shot dead last month by a neighborhood watch volunteer, courted violence by wearing a hoodie. That piece of clothing killed Martin, according to Rivera "as surely as George Zimmerman."
"I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin's death as George Zimmerman was," Rivera said on Fox and Friends. "You have to recognize that this whole stylizing yourself as a gangsta—you're going to be a gangsta wannabe, well people are going to perceive you as a menace. That's what happens. It is an instant, reflexive action."
Rivera continued: "There are some things that are almost inevitable. I'm not suggesting that Trayvon Martin had any kind of weapon or anything. He wore an outfit that allowed someone to respond in this irrational, overzealous way. And if he had been dressed more appropriately—I think unless it is raining out or you are at a track meet, leave the hoodie home."
In fact, it was raining out when Martin was killed.
After co-host Steve Doocy noted that New Yorkers on Wednesday had held a "Million Hoodie March" in support of Martin, 17, Rivera added: "You cannot rehabilitate the hoodie."
_________________________
Sometimes, tear gas can make you see better.
-graffiti in Athens
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#1334555 - 03/24/12 08:35 AM
Re: "This Generation's Emmett Hill"
[Re: Ayuveda]
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Ghosts
Senior Member
Registered: 06/02/00
Posts: 2894
Loc: Seneca Falls
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No way am I blaming the victim. I also believe that all the facts are yet to come out. My first impression, based on what has been reported and hearing the 911 calls, is that the young black man was not the aggressor. Bottom line, I believe the shooter's guilt or innocence will /should be determined by a jury.
Interesting points Rivera made about the hoodie. I love my hoodies and wear them often. I wear the hood up when the temperature is chilling or windy or it's raining just like the young man. It is hard to believe that the hoodie (or Jeb Bush) would be a motivation to kill.
On a personal note, it was a young, white male that only put his hoodie up just before he approached my house for, what appeared to be, an attempted burglary. Fortunately (or not), I was home and foiled it. Due to multiple acts of vandalism (by young white males), I have multiple security features in place.
Edited by Ghosts (03/24/12 08:37 AM)
_________________________
I'M CONFUSED . . .wait, maybe I'm not.
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#1334580 - 03/24/12 11:52 AM
Re: "This Generation's Emmett Hill"
[Re: Chicago Jesus]
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Cuzi Sedso
Senior Member
Registered: 11/06/11
Posts: 1428
Loc: NY
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I wonder what the reaction would be if Zimmerman, who is known to carry a gun and thus could be considered by some to be a potential threat, was shot and killed by someone who then claimed he/she was acting in "self-defense?"
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#1334613 - 03/24/12 04:00 PM
Re: "This Generation's Emmett Hill"
[Re: VM Smith]
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Cuzi Sedso
Senior Member
Registered: 11/06/11
Posts: 1428
Loc: NY
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What testimony? I haven't seen anything that suggests that any statements were given under oath, nor is there anything to suggest that police questioned anyone else before releasing Zimmerman. Whatever physical evidence was collected could hardly have been subjected to forensic analysis before he was released. While your answer of "who knows?" is appropriate for such a hypothetical question, it's also chilling -- to think that a person's life could be taken and know that the person who fired the fatal shot could possibly just walk away based on his or her say so.
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#1334638 - 03/24/12 07:31 PM
Re: "This Generation's Emmett Hill"
[Re: Chicago Jesus]
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Chicago Jesus
Senior Member
Registered: 01/16/12
Posts: 6188
Loc: Cocktails with Regie and Tiger
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Eyewitness Who Called 911: Zimmerman Was On Ground Being Attacked By Trayvon Martin, Yelling For Help Before He Shot Him…
I’m not saying he is or isn’t guilty but nearly every “news” account portrays Zimmerman as having simply walked up to Trayvon Martin and shot him for being black. Any way you look at this it’s a tragedy, but the left all the way up to Obama is going full-throttle with the racial aspect (even though Zimmerman is Latino) and declaring him guilty of killing Trayvon Martin simply because he’s black. Like I said, I’m not claiming Zimmerman is innocent by any means, but a lynch mob mentality has ensued and exacerbated a hundred fold by a president who thinks he can score cheap political points by telling America “his son would look like Trayvon Martin” and essentially declaring Zimmerman guilty.
SANFORD, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) – Investigators with the Sanford Police Department are still trying to figure out exactly what happened during an altercation which resulted in a fatal shooting in the Twin Lakes area. The shooting happened just after 7 p.m. Sunday evening on Twin Trees Lane. A man who witnessed part of the altercation contacted authorities.
“The guy on the bottom, who had a red sweater on [Zimmerman], was yelling to me, ‘Help! Help!’ and I told him to stop, and I was calling 911,” said the witness, who asked to be identified only by his first name, John.
John said he locked his patio door, ran upstairs and heard at least one gun shot.
“And then, when I got upstairs and looked down, the guy who was on the top beating up the other guy, was the one laying in the grass, and I believe he was dead at that point.”
On Monday afternoon, a FOX 35 News crew met with Tracy Martin who said the victim in the shooting is her 17-year-old son, Trayvon, who was visiting from Miami.
“He walked out of the house to go to the store. He was going to the store,” she said. “He doesn’t know anybody here. He just came down here, so he was bored, so he walked down to the store. He was on his way back home. I’m living down here. He was sitting on the porch and this man killed him.”
Police said the shooter, identified as 25-year-old George Zimmerman, surrendered immediately. He has been questioned, but no charges have been levied and no arrest made.
_________________________
Liberty anywhere is a threat to Collectivism everywhere.
Remember.... Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
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#1334640 - 03/24/12 07:45 PM
Re: "This Generation's Emmett Hill"
[Re: Chicago Jesus]
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mimi33
Member
Registered: 01/30/02
Posts: 423
Loc: seneca falls, ny, usa
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From the reports I've read, Zimmerman has called 911 "dozens of times" in the past few months to report what he called "suspicious" characters. I think he was possibly suffering from some sort of mental illness. I also think that if someone were following me, I would feel very threatened. We don't know what happened to make Zimmerman actually get out of his car, but if someone were following me and then pulled up and got out of their car, I would be extremely anxious. If they approached me, I would be immediately defensive. If he tried to hold me there (he was waiting for the police), I would have fought with him. We are talking about a 17 year old boy here, he was probably scared out of his mind of this crazy person who was following him in their car. This is such a senseless thing that happened, and it's only my opinion, but it seems to me, in kindergarten talk, that Zimmerman started it. I don't believe you can start a fight with someone and if they start winning that fight, you can shoot them and call it "self defense".
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