There seems to be no end to the proliferation of puzzling information in the wake of the tragic killing of Trayvon Martin. While the evidence suggests that George Zimmerman racially profiled Trayvon Martin before killing him, many now wonder whether the Sanford Police posthumously profiled Trayvon as well by failing to conduct a thorough and professional investigation of his death.
Let's review the facts.
We now hear leaks telling us that Trayvon was a delinquent who was suspended from school for marijuana possession, that he was investigated for jewelry theft, that he attacked a bus driver, and made aggressive tweets under the name "NO_LIMIT_N***A" (which neither Twitter nor the Martin family have confirmed is Trayvon Martin's). These leaks paint a picture of Trayvon as a young black male aggressor, and Zimmerman as the victim. Are these leaks attempts to distract from the real issue in the case -- the Sanford Department Police's failure to conduct a thorough and professional investigation of this homicide?
And the shortcomings of the Trayvon Martin homicide investigation (or lack thereof) keep piling up. The most shocking aspect of this tragedy is the apparent failure of the Sanford Police Department to fully investigate this homicide when it occurred one month ago. As best we can tell, the Sanford Police Department accepted the explanation of George Zimmerman that he acted in self-defense and failed to take sufficient steps to determine whether the other evidence in the case corroborated or was in conflict with his explanation. During the first 24 hours after Trayvon Martin's death, the Sanford Police Department's investigation should have included the following steps:
Clearly these procedures were not followed in this case, but why not? Are the Sanford Police Department's failures simple incompetence, or was the Department purposefully dragging its heels? Either way, the press leaks characterizing Trayvon Martin as the young black male aggressor and Zimmerman as the victim are detracting from the facts and failures of the Sanford Police Department.
These puzzling pieces must bear out answers. The Martins and the American public want answers. Every family deserves to know the circumstances under which their loved one died, regardless of whether the killer claimed self-defense. Families must not be left wondering what happened.
So now is the time for the Department of Justice to establish protocols for all state and local police to follow in the investigation of every homicide, even if a homicide may have been in self-defense. The police must never be permitted to rely solely on the word of a killer without conducting a thorough investigation.
We sadly cannot change Trayvon Martin's death, but we can take steps to ensure he did not die in vain. If the Department of Justice establishes homicide investigation protocols for state and local police departments, this will be part of an enduring memorial to Trayvon Martin's legacy, and hopefully spare other families the grief of not knowing the circumstances under which their child was killed.
Deborah Ramirez, a professor of law at Northeastern University School of Law and Founder of the Partnering for Prevention and Community Safety Initiative (PfP), testified before the United States House Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties on Tuesday about this case.
Tara Lai Quinlan, a New York attorney, and Director of the Partnering for Prevention and Community Safety Initiative (PfP) at Northeastern University School of Law, is currently pursuing an LLM in Criminal Law, Criminology & Criminal Justice at King's College London.
"..Let's review the facts.." - yeah, that's a good idea -let's- review the facts.
"..We now hear leaks telling us that Trayvon was a delinquent who was suspended from school for marijuana possession, that he was investigated for jewelry theft, that he attacked a bus driver.."
Okay, I believe you said you wanted to review the facts? You forgot to mention another "leak", that this wasn't his first suspension from school.
So let's define terms here - if pieces of information paint an unflattering picture of a black kid they're "leaks", not facts. Skittles and iced tea of course aren't categorized as "leaks".
"..These leaks paint a picture of Trayvon as a young black male aggressor.."
You mean as opposed to the picture you and others prefer to paint of him as still 12 years old, skipping down the street with candy and iced-tea as the wild-eyed racist vigilante gunned him down with a cruel glint in his eye, utterly unprovoked?
Apparently you'd prefer the public not be aware of the more complete portrait of Trayvon - a kid who'd repeatedly gotten himself into trouble, who was adopting a "gangsta" persona and had a history of violence.
-cont'd-
"..Are these leaks attempts to distract from the real issue in the case.."
The *real issue* is what happened that night. Was Trayvon the aggressor or not? The ones who seem to be interested in misdirection are those who've already decided he's a victim because he's black.
"..Every family deserves to know the circumstances under which their loved one died, regardless of whether the killer claimed self-defense. Families must not be left wondering what happened.."
Good lord - the bias here is almost comical. Who cares what the KILLER says, what REALLY happened?? What are you going to say if it turns out it happened exactly as Zimmerman says it did? I.e. - Trayvon Martin approached him, got belligerent and violent.
Somebody was yelling for help on that one 911 call. Looking pretty solidly like it was Zimmerman yelling for help, not Martin as was unquestioningly asserted early on. No doubt you see it as yet another inconvenient "leak" that there are corroborating witnesses who saw Martin assaulting Zimmerman.
I issue you a challenge that I've issued to others. Outline a plausible scenario that fits the witness accounts, Martin's front chest wound, the 911 audio, the police report - that shows it going down some other way besides how Zimmerman says it did.
Do you think Zimmerman simply shot Martin after Martin stood there for some time yelling for help? Does that really make sense to you? Or does it make more sense that the kid copped a "badass" attitude and went off on Zimmerman?
Zimmerman was taken into custody. There is video of him being escorted (while handcuffed) from a police cruiser to the police headquarters for an interview. Also the lead detective wanted to charge Zimmerman, but the State Attorney wouldn't let him. With such glaring errors I really don't see how your column has any value.
Every State mandates an autopsy when someone dies by gun shot.
* Zimmerman should have been taken into custody on the night of the shooting
Clearly these procedures were not followed in this case"
No? And yet, here's video of George Zimmerman being taken to the police station, just hours after the shooting:
http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/29/10915887-police-video-shows-george-zimmerman-shortly-after-trayvon-martin-shooting
There are lots of other errors in this piece, too. For example, the police did take evidence, including Zimmerman's clothes.
Maybe you should revise this piece. This time taking actual facts into consideration.
In handcuffs. In other words, he was TAKEN INTO CUSTODY.