I apologize to anyone offended by what one prominent black conservative called my ‘very practical and potentially life-saving campaign urging black and Hispanic parents not to let their children go around wearing hoodies.’Geraldo Rivera • In an email to Politico, sort of apologizing for the comments he made regarding Trayvon Martin’s choice of attire on the night he was killed. Although Rivera stands by his beliefs, he said he’s received nothing but ridicule and hatred since making the statement, and even admitted that his son was “ashamed” of him. So, in response, he felt the need to apologize to anyone offended by his “crusade to warn minority families of the danger to their young sons inherent in gangsta style clothing; like hoodies.” In other hoodie-related news, this. source (via • follow)
So why this desire to paint Martin, rather than the man who shot him, as the guilty party? Partly, of course, it’s just a reaction to his death becoming a cause célèbre on the left—it’s the same sort of impulse that leads some conservatives to delight in “Fry Mumia” T-shirts. Beyond that, though, some on the right are deeply invested in the idea that anti-black racism is no longer much of a problem in the United States, and certainly not a problem on the scale of false accusations of racism. You might call these people anti-anti-racists. They are determined to push back against any narrative that would suggest that a black man has been targeted for the color of his skin.
The Daily Beast’s article is largely a response to a Daily Caller piece that published a series of tweets from an account owned by Martin. We think it has something to do with Obama taking an interest in the story — kinda like how Rush Limbaugh found a way to criticize Michelle Obama’s trip to Target, the mere association with the president is enough to make Martin a target.
windupbirdchronicle asks: you had my follow for about a day, before you neglected to mention the circumstances surrounding the reports that Trayvon Martin "attacked" George Zimmerman.
» SFB says: We’ve been covering the story for weeks, and our full reports show the context you’re looking for. We were just trying to report the most recent element of the story. We’ve covered both sides of this story; we were merely relating the latest information reported by the local newspaper. I hope you reconsider; stories have multiple sides and we were merely pointing the latest information that the local newspaper, the Orlando Sentinel, reported. Context and fairness is important, and ultimately, we have to point out information that doesn’t necessarily agree with earlier parts of a story. — Ernie @ SFB
(Edit: Added link to post this responds to)
From MSNBC.com:
The man who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, setting off a nationwide outpouring of anger, told police that Martin knocked him down with a single punch and slammed his head into the sidewalk several times — an account that police said witnesses have corroborated, according to The Orlando Sentinel.
Important to note.
It sounds pretty obvious to me. If that was a racial epithet that preceded the attack on Trayvon Martin, we definitely have a hate crime.Drexel University law professor Donald Tibbs • Suggesting that, if George Zimmerman, the gunman in the shooting of Trayvon Martin, used a racial slur to describe Martin (as has been suggested by many who listened to the 911 tapes before Martin’s shooting), the federal government could charge Zimmerman with a hate crime. Others disagree on this sentiment, but the Justice Department could decide this depending on what evidence they find. Or, depending on whether the state of Florida chooses to charge Zimmerman themselves, they may not act at all. Zimmerman’s attorney claims his client, who is half-white and half-Hispanic, acted in self-defense and was injured in the incident.
Speaking to Anderson Cooper on CNN, the lawyer for George Zimmerman, Craig Sonner, stood behind his client’s claim that he acted in self-defense, saying Zimmerman suffered a broken nose and a head laceration from Trayvon Martin before killing him. He also touched on a specific inaction or inattention that’s inflamed anger directed at the Sanford Police Department’s handling of the case – Sonner has only spoken to Zimmerman on the phone, and admits he doesn’t know precisely where he is, though he assumes he’s “still in the area.”
(Source: mediaite.com)
I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin’s death as George Zimmerman was.Geraldo Rivera • He continued:, saying that “every time you see someone sticking up a 7-11, the kid is wearing a hoodie. Every time you see a mugging on a surveillance camera or they get the old lady in the alcove, it’s a kid wearing a hoodie.” Geraldo eventually concluded that, Million Hoodie March aside, “you can not rehabilitate the hoodie.” We predict that these comments won’t be controversial at all. source (via • follow)
“I can only imagine what these parents are going through,” Mr. Obama said from the White House Rose Garden, “and when I think about this boy, I think about my own kids, and I think every parent in America should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this and that everybody pulls together, federal, state and local, to figure out how this tragedy happened.”
Mr. Obama said he is glad the Justice Department is investigating the shooting and that Florida Gov. Rick Scott has formed a task force to investigate the incident as well. The president suggested he was sympathetic to the notion that the shooting was racially motivated.
“You know, if I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon,” Mr. Obama said.
“All of us have to do some soul-searching to figure out how does something like this happen,” he continued, “and that means that we examine the laws and the context for what happened as well as the specifics of the incident.”
Obama’s comments come at a time when interest in the case is growing and leading to significant changes in the Sanford, Fla. police department. Florida Gov. Rick Scott has assigned a task force to review the “stand your ground” law which has come into question in recent days.
My mother, Ada Sharpton passed in the early hours of this morning. She was my all. I hope God will give her now, PEACE. I love you, Mom.The Rev. Al Sharpton • In a tweet earlier this morning revealing his mother had died. Despite this sad news, he still chose to travel to Florida to attend a rally against the shooting of Trayvon Martin: ”I am on the flight to Florida and will move forward with our plans to protest the killing of Trayvon Martin. My MOM would have wanted me to,” he tweeted a short time later.
Over the last few weeks, the Trayvon Martin shooting has thrust itself squarely in the public spotlight. It’s obviously touched, devastated, and outraged many people, often in equal measure. One person to be counted amongst those in a profound state of grief – Martin’s girlfriend, a 16-year-old who was speaking to him on the phone moments before the fatal shooting. The phone records were released by the attorney representing Martin’s family, Benjamin Crump, who says the teen is now “traumatized beyond anything that you can imagine.” source
State Attorney Norm Wolfinger this morning released a prepared statement, saying he would have a county grand jury hear evidence April 10.
His office, with the help of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, is reviewing and collecting evidence in the case, his statement said.
“I respectfully request that the public remain patient as this process moves forward,” said his statement.
It appears that public pressure is working to encourage that something get done in the case.
Copyright 2009-2013 Ernie Smith • Ask us stuff! • E-mail us • Follow us on Twitter • Follow us on Facebook
If you think Politico commenters could find nothing to get angry about in regards to the Trayvon Martin story, you’d be wrong. HyperVocal has some pretty shocking lowlights.