Not Only Is Trayvon My Son, I COULD Have Been Trayvon

Back in March of 2012, President Obama leaped into the Zimmerman case proclaiming that if he had a son he would look like Trayvon.  Today, less than a week after George Zimmerman was found not-guilty Obama announced that he could actually could have been Trayvon 35-years ago.

You will find the text of Obama's speech below:

President Obama:  I wanted to come out here, first of all to tell you that Jay is prepared for all of your questions and is very much looking forward to the session.  The second thing is I wanted to let you know that over the next couple of weeks, there's going to obviously be a whole range of issues-immigration,economics, et cetera--we'll try to arrange a fuller press conference to address your questions.

The reason I actually wanted to come out today is not to take questions, bt to speak to an issue that obviously has gotten a lot of attention over the course of the last wee--the issue of the Trayvon Martin ruling.  I gave a preliminary statement right after the rule on Sunday.  But watching the debate over the course of last week, I thought it might be useful for me to expand on my thoughts a little bit.

First of all I want to make sure that, once again, I send my thoughts and prayers as well as michelle's to the family of Trayvon Martin, and to remark on the incredible grace and dignity with which they've dealt withthe entire situation.  I can only imagine what they're going through and it's rearkaable how they've handled it.

The second thing I want to say is to reiterate what I said on Sunday, which is there's going to be a lot of arguments about the legal issues in the case--I'll let all the legal analysts and talking heads address those issues.  The judge conduced the trial in a professional manner.  The prosecution and the defense made their arguments.  The juries were properly instructed that in a case such as this reasonable doubt was relevant, and they rendered a verdict.  And once the jury has spoken, that's how our system works.  But I did want to just talk a little bit about context and how people have responded to it and how people are feeling.

You know, when Trayvon Martin was first shot i said that this could have been my son.  Another wy of saying that is Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago.  And when you think about why, in the African American community at least, there's a lot of pain around what happened here.  I think its important to recognize that the African American community is looking at this issue through a set of experiences and history that doesn't go away.

There are very view African American men in this country who haven't had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store.  That includes me.  There are very few African American men who haven't had the experience of walking across the street and hearing the locks click on the doors of cars.  That happens to me--at least before I was a senator.  There are very few African Americans who haven't had the experience of getting on an elevator and a woman clutching her purse nervously and holding her breath until she has a chance to get off.  That happens often.

And I don't want to exaggerate this, but those sets of experiences inform how the African American community interprets what happens one night in Florida.  And it's inescapable for those people to bring those experiences to bear.  The African American community is also knowledgeable that there is a history of racial disparities in the application of our criminal laws--everything from the death penalty to enforcement of our drug laws.  And tat ends up having an impact in terms of how people interpret the case.

Now this isn't to say that the African American community is naive about the fact that African American young men are disproportionately involved in the criminal justice system ; that they're disproportionately both victims and perpetrators of violence.  It's not to make excuses for that fact--although black folks do interpret the reasons for that in a historical context.  They understand that some of the violence that takes place in poor black neighborhoods around the country is born out of a very violent past in tis country and that the poverty and dysfunction that we see in those communities can be traced to a very difficult history.

And so the fact that sometimes that's unacknowledged adds to the frustration.  And the fact that a lot of African American boys are painted with a broad brush and the excuse is given well, there are these statistics out there that show that African American boys are more violent--using that as an excuse to see sons treated differently causes pain.

I think the African American community is also not naive in understanding that statistically somebody like Trayvon Martin was statistically more likely to be shot by a peer than he was by somebody else.  So folks understand the challenges that exist for African American boys.  But they get frustrated, I think they feel that there's no context for it and that context is being denied.  And that all contributes I think to a sense that if a white male was involved in the same kind of scenario, that from top to bottom both the outcome and the aftermath might have been different.

Now the question for me at least, and I think for a lot of folks, is where do we take this?  How do we learn some lessons from this and move in a positive direction?  I think it's understandable that there have been demonstrations and vigils and protests, and some of that stuff is going to have to work its way through, as long as it remains nonviolent.  if I see any violence, the I will remind folks that that dishonors what happened to Trayvon Martin and his family.  But beyond protests or vigils, the question is are there some concrete things that we might be able to do.

I know Eric Holder is reviewing what happened down there, but I think it's important for people to have some clear expectations here.  Traditionally, these are issues of state and local government, the criminal code.  And law enforcement is traditionally done at the state and local levels, not at the federal levels.

That doesn't mean though that as a nation we can't do some things that I think would be productive.  So let me just give a couple of specifics that I'm still bouncing around with my staff, so we're not rolling out some five-point plan, but some areas where I think all of us could potentially focus.

Number one, precisely because law enforcement is often determined at the state and local level, I think it would be productive for the Justice Department, governors, mayors to work with law enforcement about training at the state and local level in order to reduce the kind of mistrust in the system that sometimes currently exists.

When i was in Illionois, I passed racial profiling legislation, and it actually did just two simple things.  One, it collected data on traffic stops and the race of the person who was stopped.  But the other thing was it resourced us training police departments across the state on how to think about potential racial bias and ways to further professionalize what they were doing.

And initially, the police departments across the state were resistant, but actually they came to recognize that if it was done in a fair, straightforward way that it would allow them to do their jobs better and the communities would have more confidence in them and, in turn be more helpful in applying the law.  And obviously law enforcement has a got a very tough job.

So that's one area where I think there are a lot of resources and best practices that could be brought to bear if state and local governments are receptive.  And I think a lot of them would be.  And let's figure out are there ways for us to push out that kind of training.

Along the same lines, I think it would be useful for us to examine some state and local laws to see if it--if they are designed in such a way that they may encourage the kinds of altercations and confrontations and tragedies that we saw in the Florida case, rather than diffuse potential altercations.

I know that there's been a commentary about the fact that the "stand your ground" laws in Florida were not used as a defense in the case.  On te other hand, if we're sending a message as a society in our communities that someone who is armed potentially has the right to use those firearms even if there's a way for them to exit from a situation, is that really going to be contributing to the kind of peace an security and order that we'd like to see?

And for those who resist that idea that were would think about something like these "stand your ground"  laws.  I'd just ask people to consider, if Trayvon martin was of age and armed, could he have stood his ground on that sidewalk?  And do we actually think he would have bee justified in shooting Mr. Zimmerman who had followed him in a car because he felt threatened?  And if the answer to the question is at least ambiguous, then it seem to me that we might want to examine those kinds of laws.

Number three--and this a long-term project--we need to spend some time in thinking about how do we bolster and reinforce our African American boys.  and this is something that Michelle and I talk about.  There are a lot of kids out there who need help who are getting a lot of negative reinforcement.  And is there more that we can do to give them the sense that their country cares about them and values them and is willing to invest in them?

I'm not naive about the prospects of some grand, new federal program.  I'm not sure that that's what we're talking about here.  But I do recognize that as President, I've got some convening power, and there are a lot of programs hat are being done across the country on this front.  And for us to be able to gather together business leaders and local elected officials and clergy and celebrities and athletes and figure out how are we doing a better job helping young African American men feel that they're a full part of this society and that they've got pathways and avenues to succeed--I think that would be a pretty good outcome from what was obliviously a tragic situation.  And we're going to spend some time working on that and thinking about that.

And then finally, I think it's going to be important for all of us to do some soul-search.  There has been talk about should we convene a conversation on race.  I haven't seen that be particularly productive when politicians try to organize conversations.  They end up being stilted and politicized, and folks are locked into the positions they already have.  On the other hand, in families and churches and workplaces, there's the possibility that people are a little bit more honest and at least you ask yourself your own questions about, am I  wringing as much bias out of myself as I can?  Am I judging people as much as I can, based not on the color of their skin but the content of their character?  That would, I think be an appropriate exercise in the wake of this tragedy.

I Believe Trayvon Hit (Zimmerman) First - Rachel Jeantel

Rachel Jeantel, star witness for the prosecution, said that Trayvon threw the first punch when Zimmerman and he met face-to-face.

There was much debate as to who initiated the fight that lead to Trayvon's death and whether Zimmerman shot Trayvon in self-defense but it is interesting to learn now that Jeantel believes that Martin struck the first blow.

Remember the media has continuously fed the masses the story that Zimmerman attacked Martin when in fact the opposite is true.  In the end Trayvon paid the ultimate price for his decision to go "whoop ass" on George Zimmerman.

Despite the aggressive push to paint Zimmerman as a card-carrying-KKK-racist, this case was NEVER about the color of Martin's skin.  Even the Martin family's attorneys announced that this case was NEVER about race.

In other news, Gabe Finger, a high school intern, asked Jay Carney a very relevant question considering the multiple death threats that have been made against George Zimmerman in the wake of the not guilty verdict.

Finger asked, "Because of the death threats received by George Zimmerman and his parents, is the president going to take any action for THEIR security or are they on their own."  Good question Gabe considering the fact that the DOJ has recently begun soliciting email tips in the Zimmerman civil rights probe.

Charge Of Child Abuse Against George Zimmerman A Leap Too Far?

In another watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat moment, the prosecution in the George Zimmerman case tried to add a lesser charge of of Aggravated Child Abuse to the jury instructions.

The state argued that since Trayvon was seventeen at the time of the shooting.  In such cases the fact that the perpetrator did not know the victim's age is not considered a defense.

According to Don West, the defense was not notified until 7:30 a.m. this morning.  I'm sure there were many who viewed this as a Hail Mary pass to get a conviction, any conviction, at any cost.  Frankly after learning of this charge I wondered why the state didn't toss in a parking violation or a charge of jay walking.

Thankfully these charges were tossed by the judge.

In yet another WTF moment in the trial sideshow, Bejamin Crump, the lawyer for the Martin family lets us know that 'who" screamed doesn't matter when asked about the state's concession that Trayvon Martin was probably on top of George Zimmerman during the struggle.

Then again this is the SAME Benjamin Crump who said that this case was never about racism despite repeatedly stating publicly that this case was absolutely about racism.

We only need to look as far as the former police chief, Bill Lee who testified Monday in this case to see that the arrest of George Zimmerman was indeed racially motivated.

Lee admitted to CNN's George Howell in an exclusive interview that he was pressured by city officials to arrest Zimmerman to placate the public rather than a matter of justice.

He claims that "It was (relayed) to me that they just wanted an arrest.  They didn't care if it got dismissed later.

Raise Your Voice! And Not Your Hands

The "twitter-verse" is rife with threats of riots looting, and racial violence if George Zimmerman is acquitted.  As a matter of fact, the New Black Panthers have promised to oversee a "rebellion" if Zimmerman is acquitted.

Around noon, dozens of Miami Police officers lined up for riot training.  Police were armed with batons and horses and ran through various formations preparing for the worst.  The fact that this "training" happened at a time when the jury will soon be deliberating the fate of George Zimmerman is purely coincidental we are told.

In Broward County the sheriff’s has released a series of public service announcements to preempt any possible violence.  In one video a group of teens are lined up in front of the camera.  Two teenagers shout out lines such “Raise your voice!  And not your hands.  We need to stand together as one, no cuss, no guns.  Let’s give violence a rest because we can easily end up arrested.”

Sheriff Scott Israel then comes in behind the teenagers and wraps up the video with the line, “I’m Sheriff Scott Israel and law enforcement does have your back.”

Sheriff Israel is quick to reassure citizens that they have no concrete reason to believe that a specific violent incident will happen if Zimmerman walks free.  He does argue that it's better safe than sorry and encourages everyone to keep any protest peaceful.

Objection Your honor. My Witness Is Detrimental To My Case

Can you un-ring a bell?  Most would say no and that's why it was pretty powerful that court ended with a statement from Detective Chris Serino saying that he found Zimmerman's account of the events leading up to the death of Trayvon Martin credible.

Today, before the jury was lead back into the courtroom, prosecuting attorney Bernie de la Rionda asked the judge to strike Detective's Serino statement arguing that the statement was improper.  De la Rionda's position is that one witness isn't allowed to give an opinion on the credibility of another witness.

Defense attorney Mark O'Mara argued it was proper because Serino was vetting Zimmerman's veracity in his probe.

After hearing arguments, Judge Debra Nelson told jurors to disregard the statement made by Detective Serino.  While technically this can be seen as a plus for the state the jurors have already heard this testimony from Detective Seriono as to his professional opinion as to Zimmerman's veracity.

Dr. Valerie Rao was called by the prosecution to provide her assessment of Zimmerman's injuries based on PHOTOS.  Dr. Rao said that Zimmerman's injuries were insignificant and could have been the result of a single blow.

On cross, Dr. Rao acknowledged she was appointed by state attorney Angela Corey, who is overseeing the prosecution of Zimmerman.  She also conceded that while Zimmerman's injuries were consistent with one punch it was possible that he may have been hit repeatedly.

It's interesting to note here that Dr. Rao has been the subject of recurring complaints from coworkers dating back to 2009.  The complaints include:  touching cadavers with her bare hands, washing her feet in the autopsy sink, and performing autopsies on inmates to create a revenue stream.

Prosecutors asked a judge to allow them to introduce school records indicating that Zimmerman took a class that addressed Florida's self-defense law.  Prosecutors claim that this will prove that he had knowledge of the law, even though he claimed he didn't in an interview with talk show host Sean Hannity.

Is Prosecuting The Zimmerman Case A “Fool’s Mission”

The state called their  twenty-third witness Dr. Hirotaka Nakasone to the stand today. Once again it appeared that the state was laying the foundation for the defense's claims of self defense.

 Dr. Nakasone's is an FBI voice analysts who testified that it's not possible to determine who is screaming on the 911 call that recorded screams and the fatal shot. Dr. Nakasone also testified that a cellphone distorts the human voice and it for that very reason the FBI won't use cell phone recordings for analysis.

This testimony is crucial since the state asserts that the voice crying for help belongs to Trayvon Martin.

Another witness for the state also contradicted the narrative for the state  when Officer Doris Singleton said that in her opinion Zimmerman did not show any anger or animosity for Travyon when he spoke to her about the incident.

Remember, the prosecution MUST show that Zimmerman acted with ill will or a depraved mind in order to get a second-degree murder conviction.  Officer Singleton's "NO" may prove to be problematic for the prosecution.  

Jurors also hear testimony from the lead detective in the case, Officer Chris Serino.  During the cross examination Officer Serino recounts that he informed Zimmerman that there was a video of the incident shot on Martin's celllphone.

Officer Serino said that he believe Zimmerman answered, "Thank God, I was hoping somebody would videotape it."

When asked by the defense lawyer, Mark OMara if Officer Serino felt Zimmerman was telling the truth he answered Yes.

Again, NOT good for the prosecution.  

A Teenage Boy Is Dead And By The Way It's All About Me

I didn't learn about Alicia Stanley's interview until the day after it was televised but when I learned that she concurred with the parents of Trayvon Martin that this case was not about racial profiling I knew I had to watch.  After all this is Trayvon's step mother one would have to believe that she also cares this dead teen.  What I learned very quickly upon watching this video was that this interview was much more about Ms. Stanley than it was about giving insight to the final hours of Trayvon's life.

First of all I wrongly assumed that Ms. Stanley was the woman who was engaged to Travyon's father and owned the condo where he was staying.  As you already know that one should never assume especially when we are talking about this case.

Alicia Stanley met Tracy Martin about a year before he offically divorced from Trayvon's mother Sybrina Fulton.  Tracy and Alicia were married for 14 years before he met Brandi the woman who owned the condo were Trayvon was staying that night.

Alicia tells viewers that in fact SHE was the one who was there for Trayvon and that he stayed at HER house 85% of the time.

Alicia says that she never knew the Trayvon that the press has portrayed and the she saw him.  Her words speak to the love she held for the young man she helped raise

I always find it interesting that two people can see or hear the exact same thing but come away with diametrically different memories of the same event.  What I noted was pain Ms. Alicia expresses about the loss of Trayvon as well as the fact that she did not believe that the tragedy of this young man's death was not caused by a rabid racist named George Zimmerman

On the other hand I noticed that she received a great deal of criticism because she was very offended that she was not sitting in the front row at the funeral. Still others were upset that Alicia intimated that the relationship between Trayvon and his own mother may not have been a close and loving one.

It is interesting to note that Trayvon's school attendance and grades began to suffer once he returned to live with his mother.  His records also indicate multiple school suspensions for vandalism, vulgarity, theft, burglary, drug use, and street fights.One could easily say that the warning lights were flashing but the adults in his life were not heeding the warning.

Trayvon was at an age when kids really need control and stability.  While Trayvon may have indeed liked living with his mother because it allowed him freedom to do as he pleased deep down he felt like a rudderless ship drifting in a sea of uncertainty.

Did Trayvon, like many young people struggling with the lack of developemental skills to navigate a world he sees as a threatening place/  When he saw that Zimmerman was following him, did he  seek control  by becoming aggressive, argumentative, impulsive and agitated?  He was only feet from the condo where he was staying, why did he not go home?  Why did he not call 911 when he first saw Zimmerman and felt he was being followed rather than hang on the phone with a friend?

Remember, Zimmerman was not charged in the shooting originally because there was no grounds to disprove his account of self-defense and the assertion that Martin had attacked him.

According to Zimmerman Trayvon asked Zimmerman if he had a problem.  Zimmerman said no and reached for his cell phone, he told police.  Trayvon then said, "Well you do now" or something similar and punched Zimmerman in the nose according to the account he gave police.

Not only does some eye witness testimony affirm Zimmerman's account but so does some of the physical evidence.

I can't help but think that if one adult had said, "This is not about me, this is about Trayvon this situation may have turned out differently."







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Trayvon Martin's Family Now Claims This Case Is NOT About Race

Are you sitting down?  Trayvon's attorney, Darryl Parks declared that race is NOT a part of this trial.

During the first couple days of trial the prosecutors argued that Zimmerman profiled Trayvon Martin due to his race.  Parks however, insists that "we never claimed this was about race,"

Reporters asked if that statement doesn't come across as disingenuous after the parents appeared with Civil Rights leaders claiming that race was the 800 pound gorilla in the room. The headlines and talking heads repeated the mantra that Zimmerman was not arrested for shooting Trayvon due to unequal justice between for minority victims.

Let's be honest this circus has never been about anything BUT race.  The state caved to demands that came from the community and yes, even the President of the United States who insisted that race wasn't just the primary reason for Zimmerman but indeed the ONLY reason that he shot the unarmed teenager.

Demands for Zimmerman's arrest were stoked when NBC News edited the 911 tape of Zimmerman's call to the police to falsely portray him as a racist.  Racial tensions were stirred further when prominent black figures like Spike Lee and Jesse Jackson who immediately portrayed this incident as an assault on the black community.  Even President Barack Obama got on the race bait train stating, "If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon."



A large segment of the population, particularly the black population are demanding that Zimmerman be punished.  Many are vocal that riots may ensue if these demands are not satisfied.

There were/are fears of Rodney King type riots if there is no conviction and when one listens to the evidence it sounds less and less like there will be one.

In fact,  political strategist Charles D Ellison warns that, "There is a risk of a flashpoint as intense as the aftermath of that fateful Los Angles police brutality verdict in 1992," if Zimmerman walks free

This video is a must see!!!!

Rachel Jeantel - Round Two

Rachel Jeantel returned to the stand today to continue her cross-examination.  It is obvious to even the most casual observer Ms. Jeantel has been instructed as to proper courtroom decorum.

West says that Jeantel had earlier said to Trayvon, "Whate are you talking about"  Later her testimony was that Zimmerman had asked Trayvon "What are you doing around here?"  Since both statements were made under oath, this could be a difficult situation for the prosecution.

One thing I find particularly odd is that according to Jeantel's testimony, Trayvon's mother Sybrina Fulton was sitting next her as she gave her interview with the state's attorney and law enforcement for the first time.  I don't believe this is standard procedure.

Later, Jeantel was asked to read a letter that was sent to Martin's mother describing what she allegedly heard on a phone call moments before he was shot.

A hush went through the packed courtroom when she admitted that she couldn't read the letter because she doesn't read cursive.

As a teacher, hearing Rachel admit that as a student on the cusp of graduation is unable to read is a tragedy.  Many people are sidestepping the fact that her speaking skills will cripple her in the job market determined to show how PC they are.  The fact is that in an already tight job market Rachel will experience a great deal of difficulty in finding and keeping a job based on the skills she brings to the workplace.  Couple this with the attitude she displayed yesterday we should be asking why the schools, her parents, and the community didn't provide with the life skills she will need as she continues in her life after this trial.

In a case the highlights charges of racial profiling and race relations I find this young lady's testimony a sad testament to the chasm that lies in the education available to inner-city students all these many years after the advent of busing and integration.

I'm on the subject of cultural divide an incident happened today showing the need for lawyers to become more social media savvy.

During a proffer Bernie de la Rionda asked a witness (Jenna Lauer) if  why she was following Robert Zimmerman, Jr (George Zimmerman's brother) on Twitter.  She claimed she didn't think she was.  At that moment de la Rionda acted like he had a Perry Mason moment and strode up to the stand computer in hand.  He pointed out that Robert Zimmerman was "FOLLOWING" and asked her suspiciously about his proof that she was following him.  In fact Robert Zimmerman was following her but she did not follow back.  Heck I have people following me that I don't follow back I hope none of them are involved in any nefarious actions or I may find myself questioned about who is following me.

de la Rionda didn't seem to be one to let a good conspiracy theory lie said, "Well if you're not following him why is he asking to follow you?"  He pointed to the area on the side of twitter that comes under the category "Who To Follow"  Right at this moment Hanes (the underwear folks) and Verison are in my que.  Sorry guys not going to follow back  It was then pointed out that she had never tweeted not once.

I found the moment of the allegation that she might be pulling something over on him funny in the sense of showing his age.  I know if I have questions about social media I ask a teen because they are all over it.  Maybe Mr. de la Rionda should hire a teen to translate social media for his firm.

Key Witness For The Prosecution Testifies At The Zimmerman Trial Today

Here's today's updates in the trial of George Zimmerman.

An alternate juror, identified as a 22-year old single Hispanic man was dismissed for reasons unrelated to the case.

After reviewing case law, the judge has ruled that the state may introduce calls George Zimmerman had previously made to the police.

Today the  prosecution put their star witness in the George Zimmerman on the stand prosecution The witness, 19-year-old Rachel Jeantel (Dee Dee, aka Diamond) was the last person to speak to Trayvon before he was shot.

In April of 2012 Jeantel told Florida investigators that a scared Martin told her he was being followed by a white man as he walked through a gated community in Sanford. Jeantel contends that she heard Martin ask the man, "Why you following me for?"  The "old man," she added replied, "What you doing around here?

Earlier this year, government lawyers acknowledged that Jeantel lied under oath when she claimed that the reason she did not attend Martin's funeral was due to a hospitalization.

To say that Ms. Jeantel does NOT seem to grasp the gravity of the situation is an understatement. At one point she asks attorney John West if he watches the show The First 48 Hours.  Later, when she learns that West would need more hours of cross-examination and redirect, Jentel gasps "WHAT!"

Ms. Jeantel has used her Twitter account to occasionally comment about the murder case.

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