Justice for Trayvon

By now, most of you have probably heard of Trayvon Martin, the 17 year old, African American boy who was fatally shot by George Zimmerman on February 26^th. By all accounts, Martin was walking to the store, when he was spotted by Zimmerman, the community watch coordinator.  Zimmerman called police to report suspicious behavior by Martin which he described as, “just walking around, looking about” in the rain. He also reported that Martin looked like, “he is up to no good, on drugs or something”. When Zimmerman told the police dispatcher that Martin had begun running and that he was following him, the dispatcher said, “we don’t need you to do that”.  You can hear the full audio of Zimmerman’s 9-1-1 call here: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/videogallery/68871920/News/George-Zimmerman-911-call-reporting-Trayvon-Martin

What happened next is disputed, but what we do know is that whatever happened resulted in the death of Trayvon Martin.  Zimmerman claimed self-defense under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” provision which states that a person does not have to retreat before using deadly force, if he believes it is necessary to do so to prevent great bodily harm to himself. Zimmerman has stated that Marin approached him, began beating him, breaking his nose and smashing his head into the ground, before Zimmerman was able to get to his gun. Martin’s girlfriend, who was on the phone with Martin shortly before the shooting, said Martin was scared and was wondering why Zimmerman was following him. Zimmerman was not charged at the time of the shooting.

Since that time, public outrage over the handling of the case has resulted in numerous protests and demonstrations across the country.  The FBI opened an investigation to determine if Martin’s rights had been violated.  Many are calling it a racially motivated hate crime. On Wednesday, 45 days after Martin’s death, Zimmerman was charged with 2^nd degree murder.

My question to you this week is two-fold. “Do you think race had anything to do with the shooting, or the way police handled the case? Do you agree with Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” provision?  Why or why not?”  You must answer all questions to earn full credit.  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, April 18^th, 2012.

Standing on Shaky Ground

This past weekend, Michael Dunn, a white, 47 year old was convicted on several counts of attempted murder for fatally shooting Jordan Davis, a 17 year old black male.  The jury failed to reach a verdict on the 1st degree murder charge, resulting in a mistrial for the charge.  Dunn is currently awaiting sentencing on the other charges and could face 60 years in prison.

Dunn was at a convenience store when he encountered Davis and his friends, who were sitting in a parked car, playing loud music.  The music was defined by the defense attorney in the case as "thug music".  Dunn and Davis got into a verbal argument about the music, before Dunn pulled a 9mm handgun out and shot multiple times at the car full of teenagers.  Dunn said he felt like his life was in danger, that he thought he saw a shotgun in the car, and acted in self-defense, according to Florida's controversial Stand Your Ground law.

This isn't the first time the Stand Your Ground law has resulted in the death of a young, black male.  You may remember the Trayvon Martin case last year, in which George Zimmerman fatally shot Martin after an altercation.  You can read my thoughts and your fellow student comments on the Martin case here:  http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/2012/04/justice-for-trayvon.html
When Zimmerman was later acquitted of all charges, I blogged about the case again, which you can read here: http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/2013/07/justice-for-trayvon-part-2.html

Florida's Stand Your Ground law, which is becoming popular in states all around the country, allows individuals to use deadly force to defend themselves, without any requirement to evade or retreat from a dangerous situation.  Supporters say it gives power to the victims and allows people to protect themselves.  Opponents say the law goes to far in allowing deadly force, even if an individual only thinks they are in a dangerous situation, which may not actually be the case.

So my question to you this week is, "What do you think of the Stand Your Ground law?  Do you think Michael Dunn should be convicted of 1st degree murder in the killing of Jordan Davis?"  Answers are due no later than Sunday, February 23rd, 2014

Justice For Trayvon - Part 2

I’m sure by now you all have heard about the Trayvon Martin case.  Martin was a 17 year old, unarmed, high school student who was fatally shot after an altercation with George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch coordinator.  I initially blogged about the details of the case last year, shortly after Zimmerman was arrested for murder, 45 days after Martin’s death.  You can read my initial post, including Zimmerman’s 9-1-1 call and see your fellow students’ comments here: http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/search?q=trayvon

On Sunday, a jury found Zimmerman not guilty of the charges, which set off demonstrations around the country protesting the verdict.  The jury found Zimmerman innocent under Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law, which allows individuals to use “justifiable force in self-defense when there is reasonable belief of unlawful threat”.

So my question to you this week is two-fold.  “Do you agree or disagree with the jury’s verdict?  Do you agree with “Stand Your Ground” laws – why or why not?”  You must answer both questions to earn full credit.  Answers are due no later than Sunday, July 21^st, 2013.

Every Life Matters

On our first blog post, I asked you all what you were most interested in learning about this quarter. You had many interests, but one that was mentioned repeatedly was the "Black Lives Matter" movement and police brutality.  Shortly after you responded to that post, a video went viral which depicted a South Caroline school resource officer violently arresting a student while in class.  If you didn't see the video, you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq4BR5KHuqA       The officer, Deputy Ben Fields has since been fired.

The “Black Lives Matter” movement started all the way back in 2013, when George Zimmerman was acquitted of murdering Trayvon Martin, an unarmed African American teenager.  I’m sure most you are familiar with the case, but for those of you who aren’t, you can read about the case and see what your fellow students thought at the time here:  http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/2012/04/justice-for-trayvon.html

 The movement, which campaigns against police brutality, really gained momentum when another unarmed African American teenager, Michael Brown, was shot and killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri.  I blogged about that case too and you can read the post here: http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/2014/12/hands-up-dont-shoot.html

Now it seems we are regularly hearing, and in some cases actually seeing, police shooting, choking, or otherwise fatally injuring unarmed individuals, oftentimes minorities.  The “Black Lives Matter” activists highlight a long history of racial abuse and injustice towards minorities by the police.  As a result of their work, many cities are requiring police to wear body cameras, in addition to their dashboard cameras, to have a more accurate record of what transpires during these encounters. 

Another result of this movement has been the “opposition,” or those who support the police officers.  They argue that police officers put their lives on the line every day, and that many of the “victims,” were actually criminals which is why they encountered the police in the first place.

I’ll admit, I’m torn on these issues.  I was raised to respect police officers.  I have several friends and family members who are police officers.  I know they’re faced with split-second, life-changing decisions every day.  That being said, I also know that when I’ve been pulled over with my Black friends, we’ve been treated differently than we would be if I was alone in the car.  In many cases, I’ve witnessed our Constitutional rights being violated.  So, my question to you this week is, “What have been your experiences with the police?  Do you think the police often resort to violence when there are other, less volatile ways to accomplish peace?”  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, November 11th, 2015 - which is also Veteran's Day.  To al those of you who have served in our armed forces - thank you!!  You are the true American heroes!

Every Life Matters

The “Black Lives Matter” movement started all the way back in 2013, when George Zimmerman was acquitted of murdering Trayvon Martin, an unarmed African American teenager.  I’m sure most you are familiar with the case, but for those of you who aren’t, you can read about the case and see what your fellow students thought at the time here:  http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/2012/04/justice-for-trayvon.html

 The movement, which campaigns against police brutality, really gained momentum when another unarmed African American teenager, Michael Brown, was shot and killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri.  I blogged about that case too and you can read the post here: http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/2014/12/hands-up-dont-shoot.html

Now it seems we are regularly hearing, and in some cases actually seeing, police shooting, choking, or otherwise fatally injuring unarmed individuals, oftentimes minorities.  The “Black Lives Matter” activists highlight a long history of racial abuse and injustice towards minorities by the police.  As a result of their work, many cities are requiring police to wear body cameras, in addition to their dashboard cameras, to have a more accurate record of what transpires during these encounters. 

Another result of this movement has been the “opposition,” or those who support the police officers.  They argue that police officers put their lives on the line every day, and that many of the “victims,” were actually criminals which is why they encountered the police in the first place.

I’ll admit, I’m torn on these issues.  I was raised to respect police officers.  I have several friends and family members who are police officers.  I know they’re faced with split-second, life-changing decisions every day.  That being said, I also know that when I’ve been pulled over with my Black friends, we’ve been treated differently than we would be if I was alone in the car.  In many cases, I’ve witnessed our Constitutional rights being violated.  So, my question to you this week is, “What have been your experiences with the police?  Do you think the police often resort to violence when there are other, less volatile ways to accomplish peace?”  Answers are due no later than Wednesdays, September 9^th, 2015.  I hope you all have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend!

America's Black and Blue

**Warning – the video links in this post contain graphic footage.  Viewer discretion is advised.**

July isn’t even over yet and already it has been a month filled with violence, devastation and grief.  It was the day after we celebrated our nation’s independence when Alton Sterling, 37, was shot and killed by police outside of a convenience store.  Police were responding to reports of a man with a gun.  Bystanders captured the shooting on video which you can watch here: http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/06/us/baton-rouge-shooting-alton-sterling/index.html

The very next day, another man, Philando Castile was shot 4 times during a traffic stop.  Castile has been pulled over for a broken taillight. The aftermath of the shooting was live streamed by Castile’s fiancée, who states in the video that Castile told the officers he had a weapon, which he was legally allowed to carry, and was reaching for his license when the officer began firing into the car.  Castile’s 4 year old daughter was in the backseat.  You can watch the video, which includes the officer, with his gun still trained on a dying Castile, here:  http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/07/07/philando-castile-police-shooting-minnesota-gringras-pkg-erin.cnn

This wasn’t the first time we've heard about shootings of unarmed, Black men.  You can read my posts and your fellow students’ thoughts on Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown here: http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/2012/04/justice-for-trayvon.html and here: http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/2014/12/hands-up-dont-shoot.html  However, these two shootings, so close together, and with the accompanying video, set off a firestorm of protests around the country.  It was during one of these protests in downtown Dallas, that Micah Johnson, a 25 year old military veteran opened fire on police, killing 5 and injuring 7 others.

My thoughts on this issue are a jumbled mess.  I was raised to respect police officers.  I have friends and family members who are police officers.  I know that each day they put their lives on the line and are forced to make split-second decisions to save lives.  That being said, I also can’t ignore these videos or the countless other lives that have been taken unnecessarily by police officers.  I know that when I’ve been a car with my Black friends, we’ve been treated differently during traffic stops than when I’m alone, or with my White friends.  In some cases, our Constitutional rights have been violated.  I don’t have the answers, but my heart breaks at the thought of all this violence. 

So my question to you this week is, “How do you feel about these incidents?  What has been your experience with the police?  How do you think the country should start to heal?”  You must answer all questions for full credit.  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, July 27^th, 2016.

Straight Outta Bloomington

It might surprise you to know that I’m a big rap fan.  You see, rap and I grew up together – we’re almost the same age.  Even though I grew up in Bloomington, somehow I could still relate to many of the lyrics I heard in rap songs.  I’m not sure if it was the poetry of rap or the beats, but somehow at a young age, I gravitated to the music – and I’ve been a fan ever since.  Which is why I was excited to finally watch “Straight Outta Compton,” after missing it in the theatres and waiting for what seemed like forever for it to come out on demand.

Even though I knew the general history of N.W.A., the movie really brought to light the repeated encounters they had with the police.  From being harassed for “literally just standing there” as Dr. Dre put it, to being censored about their controversial song, “F--- the Police,” N.W.A had long-standing issues and involvement with the police.  The timing of this movie can’t be coincidental - the story of five young men from South Central rapping about police brutality and hood unrest in 1988 still resonates today, in an era of Trayvon Martins, Michael Browns, and Sandra Blands.

It’s on your minds too – police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement was one of the top answers when I asked you what you were most interested in studying in class this quarter.  This isn’t the first time I’ve blogged about the issue.  You can read one of my posts, along with links about the individual cases mentioned above, and your fellow students’ comments, here:  http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/2015/11/every-life-matters.html

It seems we are regularly hearing, and in some cases actually seeing, police shooting, choking, or otherwise fatally injuring unarmed individuals, oftentimes minorities.  The “Black Lives Matter” activists highlight a long history of racial abuse and injustice towards minorities by the police.  As a result of their work, many cities are requiring police to wear body cameras, in addition to their dashboard cameras, to have a more accurate record of what transpires during these encounters. 

Another result of this movement has been the “opposition,” or those who support the police officers.  They argue that police officers put their lives on the line every day, and that many of the “victims,” were actually criminals which is why they encountered the police in the first place.

I’ll admit, I’m torn on these issues.  I was raised to respect police officers.  I have several friends and family members who are police officers.  I know they’re faced with split-second, life-changing decisions every day.  That being said, I also know that when I’ve been pulled over with my Black friends, we’ve been treated differently than we would be if I was alone in the car.  In many cases, I’ve witnessed our Constitutional rights being violated.  So, my question to you this week is, “What have been your experiences with the police?  Do you think the police often resort to violence when there are other, less volatile ways to accomplish peace?”  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, February 3rd, 2016

Black Lives Matter...But To Who?

It has been a long week.  Most of you know I was traveling this past week to Baltimore.  Baltimore’s murder rate has been on the rise, so much so that the mayor has requested help from the FBI because the Baltimore police can no longer control the high rates of violent crime.

Meanwhile, in Texas, Jordan Edwards, an unarmed, African-American 15 year old, was shot and killed by police.  The officers had received a call about a teenage house party where they believed under-age drinking was occurring.  When the police arrived, the teens did what many teens would do in that situation – they scattered and tried drive off.  The police first said they saw a vehicle reversing aggressively at them; however body camera evidence later showed the vehicle was driving away from the officers.  Officer Ray Oliver fired into the car of teenagers, killing Jordan with a shot to the head.  Bloodwork showed none of the teens had been drinking at the time of the incident.  I’ve blogged far too frequently about the killing of un-armed African American men.  You can read my thoughts and your fellow students’ comments here: http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/search?q=trayvon and here: http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/2014/12/hands-up-dont-shoot.html and here: http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/2016/07/americas-black-and-blue.html

I was raised to respect police officers.  I have friends and family that serve in the police department.  I understand that they often have to make split-second, life-changing decisions.  That being said, we can’t ignore the history of racism in this country, particularly within the justice system.  We all have biases – perhaps those biases come into play more when you’re faced with high stress situations.  I don’t have the answers, but it breaks my heart to lose so many young men to senseless violence.

So my question to you this week is, “What do you think can be done to ease the tensions between African-Americans and police?  How can we begin to find healing after incidents such as those mentioned above?”  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, May 10^th 2017