With Racial Roles Reversed, Three Self-Defense Cases That Went The Other Way

By Annie-Rose Strasser

scalesGeorge Zimmerman was acquitted in the murder of Trayvon Martin over the weekend, successfully using a claim of self-defense to convince six jurors that he was right to shoot and kill the 17-year-old Martin. The case centered around the question of whether Martin was physically aggressive toward Zimmerman in any way — the defense claimed that the teenager bashed Zimmerman’s head into the concrete — or if Martin was simply a victim. Ultimately, the jury decided, the prosecutors could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Martin didn’t engage Zimmerman in a fight, prompting him to use deadly force in self-defense.

Self-defense cases are fairly common in the American justice system. And while in Zimmerman’s case, many feel that justice was left undone for the shooting victim — and that the boy’s race, black, and the man’s, white hispanic, were a deciding factor — the roles are often reversed; there have been notable cases in recent years where what seem to be reasonable self-defense claims by black defendants are dismissed by a jury:

Read More With Racial Roles Reversed, Three Self-Defense Cases That Went The Other Way | ThinkProgress.

Posted in News from the Soul Brother | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

White Supremacy Acquits George Zimmerman

Trayvon Martin Rally Sit-In - Sanford

Trayvon Martin Rally Sit-In – Sanford (Photo credit: werthmedia)

 

By Aura Bogado

 

A jury has found George Zimmerman not guilty of all charges in connection to death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. But while the verdict came as a surprise to some people, it makes perfect sense to others. This verdict is a crystal-clear illustration of the way white supremacy operates in America.

 

Throughout the trial, the media repeatedly referred to an “all-woman jury” in that Seminole County courtroom, adding that most of them were mothers. That is true—but so is that five of the six jurors were white, and that is profoundly significant for cases like this one. We also know that the lone juror of color was seen apparently wiping a tear during the prosecution’s rebuttal yesterday. But that tear didn’t ultimately convince her or the white people on that jury that Zimmerman was guilty of anything. Not guilty. Not after stalking, shooting and killing a black child, a child that the defense insultingly argued was “armed with concrete.”

 

In the last few days, Latinos in particular have spoken up again about Zimmerman’s race, and the “white Hispanic” label especially, largely responding to social media users and mass media pundits who employed the term. Watching Zimmerman in the defense seat, his sister in the courtroom, and his mother on the stand, one can’t deny the skin color that informs their experience. They are not white. Yet Zimmerman’s apparent ideology—one that is suspicious of black men in his neighborhood, the “assholes who always get away—” is one that adheres to white supremacy. It was replicated in the courtroom by his defense, whose team tore away at Rachel Jeantel, questioning the young woman as if she was taking a Jim Crow–era literacy test. A defense that, during closing, cited slave-owning rapist Thomas Jefferson, played an animation for the jury based on erroneous assumptions, made racially coded accusations about Trayvon Martin emerging “out of the darkness,” and had the audacity to compare the case of the killing of an unarmed black teenager to siblings arguing over which one stole a cookie.

 

Read More White Supremacy Acquits George Zimmerman | The Nation.

 

Posted in News from the Soul Brother | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Man knocked unconscious, cracks skull in Manhattan after racial slur: witnesses

By Thomas Tracy

An unidentified man was hospitalized with a massive head injury Friday following an apparent bias-fueled attack in the West Village, witnesses and officials said.

Witnesses on Greenwich Ave. near W. 12th St. said the white man — who cops said is in his 30s — was belting back beers outside Benny’s Burritos about 5:30 p.m. when he began mouthing off to a black customer in the outdoor seating area.

“You n—–s are why I lost my job,” witnesses overheard the man say.

Outraged, the black man punched the bigoted boozer, sending him reeling backward onto the rain-slick sidewalk.

The man’s head cracked open on the concrete, said one witness who did not want to be named.

“He was lying on his back unconscious with his arms and legs spread out,” said the witness, who described the man as “well-dressed.”

“His eyes were rolled back in his head.”

Read More Man knocked unconscious, cracks skull in Manhattan after racial slur: witnesses – NY Daily News.

Posted in News from the Soul Brother | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Guns Turn Cowards into Brave Men

tomjoynerblog's avatarBlack America Web

When rapper Lil Wayne used offensive lyrics that included the name of Emmett Till, it sparked a conversation about whether or not much of this generation actually knew him or why or how he died.

Now, this generation has an Emmett Till of its own, Trayvon Martin. The circumstances of their murders have some eerie similarities and the fact that one happened in 1955 and the other almost 60 years later in 2012 makes it more significant.

The more I see and learn over the years, the more I’ve come to believe that some things will never change, no matter how much progress we make or who’s in the White House. That post-racial America conversation that everyone wanted to have makes less sense than ever. I’d be foolish to say we’re in the same spot that we were in the 1950s as African Americans, but I’d also be…

View original post 348 more words

Posted in News from the Soul Brother | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

1 Black Man Is Killed Every 28 Hours by Police or Vigilantes: America Is Perpetually at War with Its Own People

By Adam Hudson

imagesPolice officers, security guards, or self-appointed vigilantes extrajudicially killed at least 313 African-Americans in 2012 according to a recent study. This means a black person was killed by a security officer every 28 hours. The report notes that it’s possible that the real number could be much higher.

The report, entitled “Operation Ghetto Storm”, was performed by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, an antiracist grassroots activist organization. The organization has chapters in Atlanta, Detroit, Fort Worth-Dallas, Jackson, New Orleans, New York City, Oakland, and Washington, D.C. It has a history of organizing campaigns against police brutality and state repression in black and brown communities. Their study’s sources included police and media reports along with other publicly available information. Last year, the organization published a similar study showing that a black person is killed by security forces every 36 hours. However, this study did not tell the whole story, as it only looked at shootings from January to June 2012. Their latest study is an update of this.

These killings come on top of other forms of oppression black people face. Mass incarceration ofnonwhites is one of them. While African-Americans constitute 13.1% of the nation’s population, they make up nearly 40% of the prison population. Even though African-Americans use or sell drugs about the same rate as whites, they are 2.8 to 5.5 times more likely to be arrested for drugs than whites. Black offenders also receive longer sentences compared to whites. Most offenders are in prison for nonviolent drug offenses.

Read More 1 Black Man Is Killed Every 28 Hours by Police or Vigilantes: America Is Perpetually at War with Its Own People | Alternet.

Posted in News from the Soul Brother | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

When will it End?

1045158_10151468822662541_33507666_n

Posted in Soul Brother Presents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Affirmation

946255_669613896386951_1613298622_n

Posted in Soul Brother Presents | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Angelus Domini

Posted in Soul Brother Presents | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

My Thoughts

thSixteen months ago I changed my profile picture to Trayvon Martin and said at the time I will not change it back until the trial concludes. Yesterday the trial concluded and I am not going to change my profile picture. Emmitt Till, Amadou Diallo, Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin are the reasons why I will not change the picture. Black men old and young are being killed and imprisoned (yes, imprisoned in modern day slavery) because of the color of their skin. I was taught the “special” rules of behavior of being a Black Man in America. Why do we have to have these rules? Why are people scared of me and my brothers? Why do my brothers and I have to work 1000% harder and be 1000% times better than our counterparts. Why are we singled out as being disruptive, hostile, savage, and violent? How do I explain to my godson and all the younger black men that now we can’t even walk in peace without fear? I find this difficult to reconcile in my mind and in my heart. I’m sorry if I’m about to piss people off but, God will not deliver us!!! We must deliver us!!! We must exercise the one right that the other folks are trying to take away from us-the right to VOTE!!! We must take advantage of the one system that is difficult for us to afford-EDUCATION!! We must not turn the other cheek but whip a$$ using these two most powerful weapons at our disposal! Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Meek Mill, and all other entertainers that reinforce a “stereotype” it’s high time for you to take up the mantle of responsibility and change your lyrics and your example to our youths!!! There I said it. They are not to blame but they as well as the rest of us have some culpability in this verdict because of our ECONOMIC decisions. We as a community have enriched the very people whose “artistic” vision denigrate and emasculate our community. America yesterday sent a message not just to Black America but to the WORLD that the life of a young person DOES NOT MATTER if they are BROWN!!! The power to change this is OURS!! The way to DEMAND change is thru our ECONOMIC POWER!! MONEY=POWER and we MUST start utilizing that power in a cohesive and focused way to change not just the laws but perceptions. Let our anger unite us to incite change to the paradigm. I do not want to see another generation of Black youth to learn rules of survival that are ONLY specific to our experience. HOODIES UP!!! HOODIES UP!! HOODIES UP!!

Posted in Thoughts of the Soul Brother | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Power of a Minute

Grand Central Terminal Famous Clock

Grand Central Terminal Famous Clock (Photo credit: Manu_H)

By Mary Kupferle

Minute prayers are possible for anyone to practice. No matter where you are, you can call upon the presence of God. Take that minute, in spite of anything, in the midst of anything, regardless of the place or circumstance.

Take a minute before getting out of bed in the morning. During morning activities, every so often stop for another minute. Quiet your thoughts, anxieties, rushed feelings, and again feel yourself enfolded in the presence of God. Everything that seemed so pressing will become secondary. An awareness of being in control will fill you and you will go forward with order and confidence.

During the noon and afternoon hours, keep faithful with the minute prayer. Stop frequently, and whenever possible close your eyes, looking within to the presence of the Lord, to His light, to His quiet reassurance.

The more rushed you are, the more urgent things appear, the more important it is to stop for one quiet minute in which you turn to the inner light, the presence of God within you.

Read More The Power of a Minute | Unity.

Posted in Soul Brother Presents | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment