We The Jury Find George Zimmerman – Not Guilty of Murder!
As I watched along with the world , I was in state of shock. As much as I like to talk, there were no words that I could utter. I was out at a family gathering and [when the verdict was read] and I remember running into the house and hugging my children [ages 6, and 3] . Now while my children are very young, it is quite frightening to think that they can potentially be a “targeted” of murder because of the color of their skin [especially my son] in his so called “land of the free” birthplace.
As the Daily News reported:
“A Florida jury found George Zimmerman not guilty in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on July 13, 2013. The 29-year-old neighborhood watch volunteer barely reacted after the verdict was read at 9:59 p.m. His face nearly blank, Zimmerman merely shook the hands of one of his lawyers. It wasn’t until three minutes later that he cracked a smile.”
On Sunday, protestors and civil rights leaders gathered around the country and in union square in New York City to express their outrage in our justice department system on Zimmerman’s acquital. “Racism Kills“, “Equality For All“, & “No Justice, No Peace” and images of a pack of Skittles and a “Arizona Ice Tea soft drink“was seen on clip boards among the protestor crowds.
Earlier today the public was informed that federal charges of a “civil suit” may be formed against Zimmerman. Hundreds of people and celebs took to social media outlets to express feelings on the case. Russell Simmons spoke out today on BET’s 106th & Park show about the verdict and America’s Stand Your Ground Law that was applied in this case.
“As you know we’ve been involved with this horrific incident and with the family from from the inception. We fought for justice, and the trial but from the beginning. Our first meeting with Travyon and his family and lawyers is that we have this strong belief that what allows a man; an ambitious neighborhood watchman to have a gun – a concealed gun and hunt a man and shoot him and get off; they’re laws that allowed that. For me its about the challenging the laws that allowed Trayvon Martin to be in this situation”
The Gun Laws, The Stand Your Ground Laws these things have to be challenged. They’re UnEqual! And what were talking about is promoting Equality – Legally! We make it a rule, a law that you have to integrate, a law that that you have to allow people freedoms. The Gun Laws is unequal in the way it affects African Americans. The Stand Your Ground Law – it allows people in under served communities to be at risk.”
“Imagine if a black kid like Trayvon had a concealed weapon and sought this man [Zimmerman] and chased him into a corner and got into a fight with him and killed him – we wouldn’t be even have this discussion.” This is about inequality in the laws that exist We have to first challenge laws and then we have to challenge the spirit of the America that promotes an additional type of inequality and freedom but that’s second. The Trayvon Martin foundation is interested in promoting the kind of activism that allows children [like their sons] to NOT get into this situation.”
So what can we do?
“We can use the donations and support to Trayvon Martins foundation. We have donated 5,000 dollars to the foundation – says Simmons. We can use any little bit of money and support; even sign a petition. I have not been as focus in promoting the retaliation to further promote justice in regards to George Zimmerman. The justice department could purse a “civil rights case” and we should support that. My interest and my support ethics are into changing the laws that allow such something like this to happen. I think that’s the best thing I can do and ALOT of us can do for Trayvon’s memory is to create an environment for this to NEVER happen again.
On Saturday [July 21st] Al Sharpton is calling for a Zimmerman protest rallies in various courts in 100 cities across the United States: Politico.com reports:
“When they’re telling you today, ‘I don’t know if they’re going to get a civil rights trial:’ We will. And we will get a civil trial,” Sharpton said on the “Tom Joyner Morning Show” earlier today. What we’ve watched the last several weeks was not the system correcting itself, it was the people correcting the system. Now we’ve got to finish the job.”
Sharpton said his National Action Network intends to keep the pressure on until a civil rights case is brought, insisting the protests will show the national anger over the verdict is not a “two- or three-day” thing.
“It’s not over. And we are going to make sure it’s not over, that’s why we’re calling people to … organize in your city. I don’t care if it’s 20 people, we want to show the nation that over 100 cities a week later is still demanding justice. We’re not having a fit, we’re having a movement,” Sharpton said.
The event will also help begin a four-week countdown to the 50th anniversary event for the March on Washington on August 24, which will include Martin Luther King III, and which Sharpton said will be centered on Trayvon Martin and the Voting Rights Act.
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