The Murder of Trayvon Martin

[christiangirl]

Postings are going around Facebook that say "In case you want to take the law into your own hands:" followed by George Zimmerman's address and phone number. I presume they were taken from the phonebook.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by christiangirl

Postings are going around Facebook that say "In case you want to take the law into your own hands:" followed by George Zimmerman's address and phone number. I presume they were taken from the phonebook.

I pray that those ignorant people do not find Zimmerman. If they harm him, I hope they are arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

The New Black Panther Party has a $10K bounty for Zimmerman's arrest. Zimmerman is understandably "hiding." I do not know why the NBBP would start a bounty if it has not been determined that Zimmerman should and will be arrested. This bounty encourages people to ignore the law and arrest Zimmerman, anyway, most likely physically harming or killing him unless the bounty specifically states not to do so.

Much respect to the people who have taken the time to research this incident, regardless of which side they weigh in on, and stage peaceful protests and expressions of opinion.

[DrPhil]

Wellllllllll, here's the thing about raising issues that are not central, the side issues become the topic. As with any discussion of opportunities and facilitating factors for crime and victim precipitation, the average person will be distracted from the main issue. Yes, how we look and our demeanor matter. Newsflash. How we look and our demeanor especially matter for power minority groups--i.e., women, racial and ethnic minorities, and GLBT--who have higher rates of victimization for certain types of offenses. Newsflash.

Zimmerman's attorney is betting on this newsflash becoming the main topic because people cannot multitask and are easily sidetracked. Instead of problematizing the potential offender, the potential victim is problematized. The topic has now become what Martin was wearing, whether he was suspended from school a few times, and whether there was a trace of marijuana on one of his school bags weeks ago. What in the samhell does that have to do with anything? Well, they are saying that Martin was a bad kid (read: typical Black male youth who should not have been in that gated community in ther first place--or at least should have been wearing a 3-piece suit to buffer the effects of his badassness). Moreover, they will present it as Martin is the one who was violent toward Zimmerman. Zimmerman was therefore "standing his ground." However, it is also the case that Martin could have been "standing his ground." But, that will not fly in the eyes of the law (I don't care about public opinion) if Martin is portrayed as a weed-selling kid who kept getting in trouble at school for walking on hallways he was not supposed to walk on and so forth.

[TonyB06]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Wellllllllll, here's the thing about raising issues that are not central, the side issues become the topic. ...

Zimmerman's attorney is betting on this newsflash becoming the main topic because people cannot multitask and are easily sidetracked. Instead of problematizing the potential offender, the potential victim is problematized. The topic has now become what Martin was wearing, whether he was suspended from school a few times, and whether there was a trace of marijuana on one of his school bags weeks ago. .....

Who decides what the "main" issues are? This is what I was saying in my earlier response to k_s. That's why I used the absurd example of whether white guys should be worried if tomorrow morning everyone else in America woke up and was suddenly "apprehensive" about the "ominous look" of white guys in ties?

It's that absurdity that has some people obliquely making Trayvon somehow culpable in his own death becuase of how he was dressed.

Whether he called himself a "no limit nigga" on his twitter page is irrelevant;
whether he got suspended for marijauana use is irrelevant. The boy had the right to get back to his daddy's house alive. Period.

I'm up to >>here<< this week with people's "impressions." Feel however you want to feel about people's attire, but if you can't deal with your impressions then stay your a$$ in the house.

[DrPhil]

@ TonyB06

The main issue is whether Zimmerman should be arrested and tried for the incident to get this away from the court of public opinion and let a judge and jury determine whether Zimmerman was lawful. Legal and extralegal factors will be considered and the main issue will be what Zimmerman and Martin were doing in that context that sparked and fueled the incident. It may not matter what Zimmerman and Martin were wearing other than how surface level appearance can fuel perception (raise your hand if you always act based on perception). Did Zimmerman have the legal right to be, what I consider, Billy Badass? Zimmerman did not know that Martin had gotten trouble in school just as Martin probably did not know that Zimmerman was (what some consider overzealous) neighborhood watch.

Just like when a robber enters a family's home, sure we can think the family was dumb for not having a security system and leaving their doors unlocked. That is victim precipitation. Moving on, the robber is still a robber because the robber was uninvited.

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

The main issue is whether Zimmerman should be arrested and tried for the incident to get this away from the court of public opinion and let a judge and jury determine whether Zimmerman was lawful. Legal and extralegal factors will be considered and the main issue will be what Zimmerman and Martin were doing in that context that sparked and fueled the incident.

I agree. This is near getting out of control and I personally blame the media with their "bits and pieces" reporting style concerning this incident. They are leaving a lot of room for people to make their own assumptions here, which is not good regarding an incident of this level (see NBPP and their "bounty"). The general public doesn't know all that went down that night so lets hope all parties stay cool headed while the numerous agencies investigating this do their thing.

[thetalady]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

The general public doesn't know all that went down that night so lets hope all parties stay cool headed while the numerous agencies investigating this do their thing.

Too freakin' late for that..... I think it will be a miracle if Zimmerman lives through this.

[I2K Beta Mu]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

Again, folks can do what they want, but just realize that it may or may not cause others to perceive you a certain way.

And what I'm saying to you is folks are going to perceive you in a certain way regardless of what you wear.

Originally Posted by Senusret I

Yes, you can.

Thank you.

[amIblue?]

Late to the thread, but I think the only thing that Trayvon Martin could have worn to have avoided Zimmerman would have been a white boy costume.

So sad that this child was murdered.

[knight_shadow]

Let's try this again.

1. NO, Trayvon did not deserve to die because of his outfit.

2. YES, Geraldo was an idiot for saying that the outfit resulted in his death.

BUT

1. Taking Trayvon out of the picture, we all know that if you dress a certain way, people will perceive you a certain way.

If k_s walks past you on the street at night with a business suit and a briefcase, you will probably react differently than if k_s walked past you on the street in Timbs, a beater, and XXXL pants that are sagging. Does this mean that one k_s is better than the other? No, but it does mean that one k_s will be PERCEIVED a different way.

2. Geraldo is a media personality. He doesn't make money if nobody cares about what he has to say. To all the people who say "HOW DARE HE!? WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS!?" -- it's giving him headlines. It's making him relevant again.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

If k_s walks past you on the street at night with a business suit and a briefcase, you will probably react differently than if k_s walked past you on the street in Timbs, a beater, and XXXL pants that are sagging. Does this mean that one k_s is better than the other? No, but it does mean that one k_s will be PERCEIVED a different way.

And while I agree, sometimes regardless of what you wear, you can still be seen as a stereotype. You and I both know that.

Just because I am tall with dredds does not make me a basketball player from Jamaica who likes to smoke weed and been to jail.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

Just because I am tall with dredds does not make me a basketball player from Jamaica who likes to smoke weed and been to jail.

Is your battle with the stereotype why you got mad at me years ago for singing Buffalo soldier, dredloc Rasta to you? LOL. That was funny as hell.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Is your battle with the stereotype why you got mad at me years ago for singing Buffalo soldier, dredloc Rasta to you? LOL. That was funny as hell.

It's the assumption that IMO is offensive.

I get/got it.

What really irks me, and understand where I am coming from, in some places, the islands (Jamaica and the Bahamas) the natives there automatically assume that I fit that stereotype.

Ok check this: JUST by looking at me


In the states, I am assumed that I can play basketball

In the islands, I am a weed smoker

In Europe, I am an artist or in a band.

In Africa, my hair is fake ( so many people wanted to touch my hair!!!!)




All of this is assumed before one talks to me to get to know me.

When me and my wife went to Israel, we were the last ones of our tour group to disembark from the boat and the first and only ones detained and patted down.

The only place where I traveled that we got no attention has been Canada. Go figure.

[Sadfly]

I haven't kept up with the specifics but I am curious.

Was that Trayvon's house in that neighborhood?

If not, why was he there?

[Senusret I]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Is your battle with the stereotype why you got mad at me years ago for singing Buffalo soldier, dredloc Rasta to you? LOL. That was funny as hell.

LMAOOOOO!!!!!! Throwback!