If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
Prejudice can kill. George Zimmerman saw a young black male wearing a hoodie, and made a decision that reflected the dictionary definition of prejudi...
The belief that male "black teens" are inherently more likely to be criminals is ingrained in our society. It has seeped into our institutions in the form of racial profiling, and too often it poisons the judgment of those who are supposed to protect us.
I've toyed with the idea, based on covering many "sensational" criminal cases for various publications, that strong and protracted media scrutiny should mean that justice is better served. But I'm afraid that's wishful thinking.
In Till's day, a black person's "place" was in the field or in the back of the bus. If a black man was found "out of his place," he could be jailed or lynched. In Martin's day -- in our day -- a black person's "place" is in the ghetto. If he is found "out of his place," he may be treated with suspicion, frisked, arrested -- or worse.
As Trayvon Martin's death comes back into the national consciousness, we should be mindful of the devastating potential of centuries of brainwashing, especially when combined with gun violence.
I have never seen a man facing a murder rap be able to raise thousands of dollars because of that murder rap and yet be treated with kid gloves for the way he managed those thousands of dollars.
While there are troubling undertones of racial suspicion and fear in Trayvon Martin's killing which must be addressed as justice is sought, the fact is that most Black young people murdered by guns are killed by Black shooters -- just as most White children and teens murdered by guns are killed by White shooters. Sadly the tragedies of Tucson, Aurora, Newtown and elsewhere made clear that none of us are safe anywhere or immune to the pervasive threat of gun violence. We are all in the same boat and must act together to stop the plague of violence. Gun safety laws that only apply in one city or state can't fully stop our national epidemic of gun proliferation and violence any better than we can stop a flu epidemic by vaccinating one family.
The Oprah Winfrey Network is not only about Oprah, but she is the foundation. When a foundation does not do what it is designed to do -- provide support and structure -- the house can not stand.
Whether it was draconian voter ID laws, the shooting death of young Travyon Martin, or the attacks on women and the workers of America, I went into each challenge concerned that they had outmaneuvered us financially. But in the end, I left convinced that money could not buy genuine commitment.
No one likes kids blasting their crappy music. No one likes babies crying on airplanes either. But you don't get to kill them.
The goal of equal rights, equal justice, and equal opportunity for every child in America may not have been realized yet, but it's still the goal we have to meet in order for America to finally live up to its promise. Let's all make sure that happens in Trayvon's case.
By: Robyn Gee Attorneys for George Zimmerman, the man charged with the second-degree murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Feburary of this year, a...
The Watch is obviously fiction, but sadly, when unstable people can buy such powerful weapons, we need to do more than just hope that they'll only be aimed at bad guys and aliens.
Zimmerman's theological argument for killing Trayvon Martin makes total sense to me in that I actually believe that Zimmerman has convinced himself of what he has verbally stated -- that this is God's plan.
George Zimmerman, a Florida neighborhood watch member charged with the murder of Trayvon Martin in Florida, used it this week in an interview with Sean Hannity. But the phrase and accompanying dangerous theology is bigger than Zimmerman.
For a Faustian donation, you could gain access to this character; for a relative price you could leave a fleeting comment and he'd try his best to respond. You could become a part of the story. It was a ticket to the circus.
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