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Trayvon Martin & racial profiling in America

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shimaspawn from Here and Now Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: In your bunk
#26: Mar 23rd 2012 at 7:42:00 PM

Draven, calm down. The OTC is for discussion, not ranting. Take a deep breath.

Reality is that, which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. -Philip K. Dick
RadicalTaoist scratching at .8, just hopin' from the #GUniverse Since: Jan, 2001
scratching at .8, just hopin'
#27: Mar 23rd 2012 at 7:42:48 PM

Zimmerman's a douchebag from the sound of it, but the Orlando PD officers all took oaths to prevent this thing from happening or punish the responsible party when it does. Zimmerman probably deserves to go to jail...but whatever idiot cops let him off the hook deserve to lose their badges, if not end up in a cell next to the shooter.
Might be why city council voted no confidence in the police chief, 3 to 2.

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.
VertigoHigh Since: Sep, 2010
#28: Mar 23rd 2012 at 7:46:24 PM

Don't end up like this guy.

My biggest fear is that the guilty won't get the punishment they deserve. That's what's really going to tick people off.

edited 23rd Mar '12 7:49:12 PM by VertigoHigh

LoniJay from Australia Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
#29: Mar 23rd 2012 at 7:48:02 PM

Wait, no charges have been pressed? You mean no charges have been pressed against Zimmerman?

Be not afraid...
drunkscriblerian Street Writing Man from Castle Geekhaven Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: In season
Street Writing Man
#30: Mar 23rd 2012 at 7:48:25 PM

@Taoist: good for them. Also, maybe give a smack to the individual officers who let a drunk shoot an unarmed teenager and then take is word that it was self-defense.

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~
BobbyG vigilantly taxonomish from England Since: Jan, 2001
TheDeadMansLife Lover of masks. Since: Nov, 2009
Lover of masks.
#32: Mar 23rd 2012 at 8:00:31 PM

I doubt the cops were helping Zimmerman do to racial reasons.

The man maybe white Hispanic, but he is not on the "Passing" side of white Hispanic.

Most likely the cops are corrupt as fuck. Not corrupt in the "Take bribes and look the other way" sense, but in the "Nobody gives a shit when a brown person dies, less paperwork for us" way.

Zimmerman may have killed him for being black or he may have killed him for being a "a gang member".

Please.
BobbyG vigilantly taxonomish from England Since: Jan, 2001
vigilantly taxonomish
#33: Mar 23rd 2012 at 8:01:51 PM

"Nobody gives a shit when a brown person dies, less paperwork for us"

And that's not due to racial reasons?

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VertigoHigh Since: Sep, 2010
#34: Mar 23rd 2012 at 8:02:45 PM

That is due to racial reasons. And once again, they've had racial tensions with minorities for a while now.

Of course, people like this are just going to pretend it's not.

That man is fool.

edited 23rd Mar '12 8:07:52 PM by VertigoHigh

drunkscriblerian Street Writing Man from Castle Geekhaven Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: In season
Street Writing Man
#35: Mar 23rd 2012 at 8:07:13 PM

Actually, my theory is that the cops tried to look the other way on Zimmerman's actions because of the nature of his claim. As I understand it, Florida has some pretty lax self-defense laws and those are a constant target of the anti-gun lobbyists in America. A case like this is what that lobby lives for. The fact that Martin is black is double points for them.

I have relatives in Florida, and among residents gun culture is pretty rampant. All three of my cousins who live there carry concealed. I think the police (who probably also carry concealed in their off-time and have strong feelings about gun ownership themselves) are simply trying to cover for someone who got drunk, got off the reservation and whose actions threaten something they want to do.

Add a pinch of racism and you've got yourself a dandy goody reason for a cover-up.

Now, I think this situation is a disgrace for a variety of reasons. One, the police need to do their job. Martin was a citizen of the US and a resident of Florida; his family pays taxes and is beholden to the Law, the Law needs to do its part to protect him (or in this case avenge him) and it did not. Two, Zimmerman is exactly the kind of person who does not need to own guns, and the various pro-gun lobbyists need to pull their heads out of their asses and recognize this. Three, this kid is dead. This warrants a thorough investigation, whether or not Zimmerman's claim of self-defense is accurate...and considering what we've already learned, it probably isn't, but that pales before the fact that its become obvious that the cops didn't even look.

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~
TheDeadMansLife Lover of masks. Since: Nov, 2009
Lover of masks.
#36: Mar 23rd 2012 at 8:08:41 PM

Maybe. I tend to separate passive racism from indirect and direct racism. It really doesn't feel right lumping them together.

Please.
drunkscriblerian Street Writing Man from Castle Geekhaven Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: In season
Street Writing Man
#37: Mar 23rd 2012 at 8:13:28 PM

@Dead Dude: I'd classify this one as "Indirect", but I'm not an expert.

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~
TuefelHundenIV Night Clerk of the Apocalypse from Doomsday Facility Corner Store. Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: I'd need a PowerPoint presentation
Night Clerk of the Apocalypse
#38: Mar 23rd 2012 at 8:14:06 PM

Some of the residents had complained about his method of doing business. One person complained to police about him trespassing and harassing him on his property.

The available evidence suggests this was a dirty underhanded thing. The guy severly abused his responsibility and limited authority.

Who watches the watchmen?
Gabrael from My musings Since: Nov, 2011 Relationship Status: Is that a kind of food?
#39: Mar 24th 2012 at 8:15:30 AM

Okay, so the local police haven't done their job by now, is there any other law enforcement agency that can jump in? Has the family started a wrongful death lawsuit or something like that?

"Psssh. Even if you could catch a miracle on a picture any person would probably delete it to make space for more porn." - Aszur
TheBatPencil from Glasgow, Scotland Since: May, 2011 Relationship Status: I'm just a hunk-a, hunk-a burnin' love
#40: Mar 24th 2012 at 9:07:38 AM

Jesus, it's like an episode of Life On Mars.

And let us pray that come it may (As come it will for a' that)
jejl from Inside a Hallow Volcano Since: Oct, 2009
#41: Mar 24th 2012 at 9:17:06 AM

The problem at work here is not mainly the police.

The police is just a manifestation of a deeper and more entrenched problem

Which is the arcane and deeply stupid character of the laws at play here.

edited 24th Mar '12 9:24:44 AM by jejl

"Man can believe the impossible, but can never believe the improbable.” - Oscar Wilde
Octo Prince of Dorne from Germany Since: Mar, 2011
Prince of Dorne
#42: Mar 24th 2012 at 9:37:21 AM

[up]Considering how reports were actively falsified, I think it's secure to say that it's both, and thirdly the social-mental problem of racism, too.

Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken. Unrelated ME1 Fanfic
Enkufka Wandering Student ಠ_ಠ from Bay of White fish Since: Dec, 2009
Wandering Student ಠ_ಠ
#43: Mar 24th 2012 at 10:50:12 AM

So, a race-swapped version of the Treyvon Martin shooting happened wednesday, right down to the claim of Stand Your Ground, and very different results occurred.

edited 24th Mar '12 10:50:33 AM by Enkufka

Very big Daydream Believer. "That's not knowledge, that's a crapshoot!" -Al Murray "Welcome to QI" -Stephen Fry
Joesolo Indiana Solo Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
Indiana Solo
#44: Mar 24th 2012 at 10:55:09 AM

I've been reading more on the subject, and I am now calling BS on all the people who claim it's racism.

This article points out several things that no one is paying attention to.

first off. "Zimmerman and his wife served as mentors to two teenage children of an African-American woman. Though funding was cut for the program under which they cared for the teenagers, the couple continued their efforts ON THEIR OWN taking the 13-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy on outings to a mall, a science center and a basketball game. They also helped in a fund-raiser for a predominantly African-American church, "

some empahsis added.

secondly

Sonner(Zimmerman's lawyer) says his client was injured that night with a broken nose and a serious cut on the back of his head. He said the injuries "were from Trayvon Martin, I assume."

So, the media is portraying him as a racist who shot the kid just because he was black. Meanwhile, he's helped african american churches and had his nose broken and got serious cuts on his body. Using something called "common sense" this would imply the kid attacked him.

[up] That is not a mirror. That is a guy that started physically fighting a kid over skateboard rules when he should have just told the kid to stop and called the police if the kid didn't. thats miles away from this, the only similarity is someone ended up dead.

This case was a guy who was injured by a kid in a hoddie in the middle of the night.

edited 24th Mar '12 10:58:47 AM by Joesolo

I'm baaaaaaack
stripesthezebra Since: Dec, 2011
#45: Mar 24th 2012 at 11:04:07 AM

[up]

The racism was on the part of the police who basically conducted a cover up when a black kid got shot, but decided to go all the way when a white guy gets shot.

Joesolo Indiana Solo Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
Indiana Solo
#46: Mar 24th 2012 at 11:05:07 AM

Thats weird, but I'm not complaining about that. I'm complaining about the people who are going to ruin zimmerman's life because they don't pay attention to facts.

I'm baaaaaaack
Enkufka Wandering Student ಠ_ಠ from Bay of White fish Since: Dec, 2009
Wandering Student ಠ_ಠ
#47: Mar 24th 2012 at 11:14:53 AM

the fact that he helped out black churches means very little. The woman who sold the anti-obama "Don't Re-Nig in 2012" bumperstickers stated the same thing despite the very, very obvious racist connotations behind the sticker.

and I'm quite sorry, but he's lying. Martin was on the phone when he was killed.

Very big Daydream Believer. "That's not knowledge, that's a crapshoot!" -Al Murray "Welcome to QI" -Stephen Fry
DrunkGirlfriend from Castle Geekhaven Since: Jan, 2011
#48: Mar 24th 2012 at 11:15:21 AM

@Enkufka: That's not race-swapped. It'd be race-swapped if a black man shot a hispanic teenager.

Combined with Joesolo's article, I'm more firmly in the "this is a problem with the police" camp. I'm not ruling out racism as an underlying reason, but I'm more inclined to believe that the bad press should fall on the PD here.

edited 24th Mar '12 11:18:09 AM by DrunkGirlfriend

"I don't know how I do it. I'm like the Mr. Bean of sex." -Drunkscriblerian
Enkufka Wandering Student ಠ_ಠ from Bay of White fish Since: Dec, 2009
Wandering Student ಠ_ಠ
#49: Mar 24th 2012 at 11:17:26 AM

fair enough.

Very big Daydream Believer. "That's not knowledge, that's a crapshoot!" -Al Murray "Welcome to QI" -Stephen Fry
DrunkGirlfriend from Castle Geekhaven Since: Jan, 2011
#50: Mar 24th 2012 at 11:18:15 AM

[up][up][up] Which is why there needs to be an investigation. Innocent until proven guilty and all that. There's not many eyewitnesses, and there's a LOT of conflicting information going around.

"I don't know how I do it. I'm like the Mr. Bean of sex." -Drunkscriblerian

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