Democrats withdraw Trayvon (Anti Gun) amendment
May 9, 2012 by Jack Blood
Filed under Americas
Looks like they will try to sneak this into a new spending bill now… We would call this a violation of the 10th Amendment… Withholding “federal funds” (money they get from the States) is EXTORTION plain and simple!
Washington (Mooney) Times
Democrats backed off of their effort Tuesday to offer a “Trayvon amendment” to pressure states to drop their stand-your-ground laws after learning it was likely to be ruled out of order under the evening’s rules for debate on the House floor.
Rep. Keith Ellison, Minnesota Democrat, said he will still try to force a debate at a more “appropriate” time in the future, saying action is demanded by the case of Trayvon Martin, the Florida teenager who police said was shot dead in a street encounter with a neighborhood watch volunteer.
The Ellison amendment would have docked federal criminal justice grants to states that have stand-your-ground laws, which allow residents to use deadly force to respond to an attack without first having to retreat.
Florida’s version of the law has come under scrutiny after Trayvon’s death. George Zimmermann, a neighborhood watch volunteer, has been charged with murder in the case.
“Shoot-first laws make prosecutions harder because they presume the use of deadly force is reasonable,” Mr. Ellison said on the House floor Tuesday as he explained why he wanted to raise his amendment.
His plan would have docked states with such laws 20 percent of their money under the Byrne Justice Assistance Grants, which are used to fund a wide array of programs, from law enforcement to drug treatment to jails and prosecutor’s offices. Mr. Ellison said nearly half of all states now have stand-your-ground laws.
He had wanted to raise the amendment as part of the House’s debate over the Justice Department spending bill.
But the way the amendment was drawn made it out of order.
Trayvon’s case has divided the country and prompted a heated debate, including in Congress, where one congressman was escorted off the House floor for wearing a “hoodie” sweatshirt while speaking. Rep. Bobbie Rush, Illinois Democrat, said he wore the garment as a statement against racial profiling.
Zimmerman gets Bail, Makes statement… Video
April 20, 2012 by Jack Blood
Filed under Americas
BAIL GRANTED: ZIMMERMAN...
MAKES STATEMENT TO COURT...
VIDEO...
Wife testifies by phone after threats...
Trayvon Martin family refuses meet with shooter...
DERSHOWITZ BLASTS PROSECUTION: 'NOT ONLY IMMORAL, BUT STUPID'...
Zimmerman Takes Stand, Says He Did Not Know If Trayvon Was Armed Or Not………….
“…These honkeys, these crackers, these pigs, these pink people, these —- people” (New Panther Party spokeswoman on radio)
April 12, 2012 by Jack Blood
Filed under Americas
New Black Panther Party chief of staff Michelle Williams apologizes after George Zimmerman radio outburst
In her “Apology” Ms Williams threatens a “RACE WAR” – Ok?
Tampa, Florida – It was an emotional interview for Michelle Williams.
As a community activist and chief of staff for the New Black Panther Party, Michelle is used to addressing many issues. But when it comes to her passion in the Trayvon Martin case, she gets especially upset and tearful.
WATCH: Michelle Williams’ unedited interview with 10 News reporter Melanie Michael
Through tears she said, “If my words, my words that I had to say out of anger will make the American people address this issue, let it be my time, Melanie. Let it be my time to address this issue with America, that we say enough is enough. We can’t have any more killings.”
Michelle is now offering an apology for her controversial comments.
She spoke openly, “My words were out of anger. I did not incite, I did not promote, nor did I encourage anyone to go and pick up a gun.”
In an online interview this week, Michelle spoke openly of her frustration with what she calls the massive racial problem in this country, especially over the Trayvon Martin case. She admits that her sadness over the case was overwhelming and that she spoke harshly during the online segment.
Her words were not taken lightly and were replayed Tuesday morning by nationally syndicated radio talk show host Bubba the Love Sponge.
Michelle said during that interview, “Let me tell you, the things that’s about to happen, to these honkeys, these crackers, these pigs, these pink people, these —- people. It has been long overdue. My prize right now this evening … is gonna be the bounty, the arrest, dead or alive, for George Zimmerman. You feel me?”
Bubba addressed her saying, “Michelle, really? You are so much better than that, honey.”
“My words that I spoke were very passionate, passionate anger of an activist, of an advocate, of a leader who sat by and watched so much destruction happen. Melanie, my back is against the wall,” she told us.
Michelle is putting out an open invitation to any group – the Ku Klux Klan, black, white, mayors, cops – anyone out there, who wants to talk about keeping peace in the Martin case, she’s willing to listen.
“This whole Trayvon Martin case has been an injustice that America is watching unfold. I feel like I’m reading a Nancy Drew novel right now, because of all the twists and turns. ‘Oh wait a minute, we have him here, no wait, we have him here,’” she said.
In a candid moment during her 10 News interview, she said, “Do I want to see George Zimmerman dead? No. Do I want to see him brought to justice? Hell yes.”
Michelle assured us that she doesn’t want to have anyone out there pick up a gun. “I don’t want violence, I don’t promote violence. That’s why I told you, my words were out of anger.”
Michelle admits that she got a call from Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor Monday. The chief wanted to make sure there would be no violence, and Michelle assured her there would not be.
Michelle also admits she’s gotten a lot of support on Facebook from people who heard her comments. She says they’ve told her, “it’s about time that someone talk about racial problems”… albeit with some harsh words.
Michelle Williams says she’ll keep fighting, no matter what happens with the outcome in this case. She says the memory of her grandfather keeps her going each and every day.
Then, she adds with a smile, “He’s a white man.”
Photo Gallery: Trayvon Martin photos
More Trayvon Martin stories:
“Fake” Trayvon Martin picture circulates on the web
Racial slur uttered during call?
Trayvon Martin’s death renews Stand Your Ground debate
George Zimmerman seeks donations on new website
Street sign hacked with hate message
New Black Panther Party touts reward, revenge
Bubba the Love Sponge comments on Trayvon Martin
Obama: “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon”
No grand jury for Trayvon Martin case
George Zimmerman’s lawyers withdraw from case
Mike Tyson on George Zimmerman: ‘It’s a disgrace he hasn’t been shot yet’
April 12, 2012 by Jack Blood
Filed under Americas
Fuel for the Fire...
Tyson (Isaac Brekken/AP)
Mike Tyson thinks that George Zimmerman deserves violent retribution for the shooting of Trayvon Martin.
In an interview with Yahoo News about his upcoming one-man show in Las Vegas, the former heavyweight champion sounded off on the polarizing case:
“My personal feeling is that, as a young kid that was beat on by a bully, that was pretty much singled out—the guy [Zimmerman] stalked him, didn’t follow instructions from a superior officer, when they said, ‘Stop following the kid.’ That tells you everything right there. But my all-around perspective, I wasn’t there, I don’t know what happened. But it’s just so widespread and overt what happened. Even though this is the best country in the world, certain laws in this country are a disgrace to a nation of savages. It’s a majority versus a minority. That’s the way God planned it. He didn’t want to do something about it, He wanted us to do something about it. And if we don’t, it’s gonna stay this way. We have to continue tweeting, we have to continue marching, we have to continue fighting for Trayvon Martin. If that’s not the case, he was killed in vain, and we’re just waiting for it to happen to our children. He’ll have gotten away with impunity. It’s a disgrace that man hasn’t been dragged out of his house and tied to a car and taken away. That’s the only kind of retribution that people like that understand. It’s a disgrace that man hasn’t been shot yet. Forget about him being arrested–the fact that he hasn’t been shot yet is a disgrace. That’s how I feel personally about it.”
In 1992, Tyson was convicted of raping Desiree Washington, a beauty pageant contestant, and served three years in prison.
Read the full interview here.
Trayvon Martin shooter arrested, charged with murder
(Reuters) – A Florida prosecutor filed a murder charge on Wednesday against the neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in a case that has captivated the United States and prompted civil rights demonstrations.
Baltimore Chief of Police – Video Taped beating NOT a “Hate Crime” (2nd video Emerges)
April 11, 2012 by Jack Blood
Filed under Americas
4/10 UPDATE: Baltimore’s police chief today said that the videotaped beating of a white tourist does not appear to be a hate crime, but rather “drunken opportunistic criminality” on the part of a gang of Charm City assailants.
In a TV interview, Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III urged Baltimore residents to “distinguish between criminality and racially motivated crime.” Bealefeld, who is white, warned against “race-baiting” and “fear-mongering” in light of the Trayvon Martin shooting and other recent racially charged incidents.
“There’s no doubt it’s a crime,” Bealefeld said of the March 17 assault. “We need to vigorously hold criminals accountable, and we have to be careful not to be pulled into this race-baiting.”
As Baltimore cops investigate the videotaped beating of a tourist on St. Patrick’s Day, a second clip showing the brutal attack could help police identify members of the mob who knocked the victim to the ground, stole his belongings, and even tore his pants off.
The video, seen above, was shot by an onlooker outside a downtown courthouse, where the tourist was sucker-punched by an attacker. The victim, wearing a Mountain Dew shirt, crumpled to the sidewalk and hit his head.
While on the ground, the man was set upon by about ten attackers, who stole his Tag Heuer watch, money, iPhone, and keys to his Audi, according to police. The dazed and defenseless victim is also punched, kicked, and even hit with a shoe by several assailants. In a final indignity, the man is “teabagged” by a male attacker.
The 1:26 cell phone video–shot by a cameraman who cackled as the beating transpired–was first uploaded to the WorldStar Hip Hop web site on March 30. It was included as part of a 14:22 “fight compilation” of 12 clips showing assorted mayhem.
In a TV news report Friday (which included another view of the Baltimore attack), a detective pledged to hunt down the man’s attackers. “We want to bring these people to justice,” said Det. Nicole Monroe.
NBC Fires Producer in Flap Over Manipulated 911 Call in Trayvon Martin Case
April 7, 2012 by Jack Blood
Filed under Media
The controversy erupted after “Today” aired a segment that made shooter George Zimmerman sound as though he was racially profiling the 17-year-old black youth.
NBC News has fired the producer it deemed most responsible for the airing of a selectively edited 911 call placed by George Zimmerman the night he killed Trayvon Martin.
Sources at NBC who asked not to be identified confirmed a New York Times story saying that a Miami-based producer was fired Thursday, though the sources refused to identify the former employee.
The offending segment aired on NBC’s Today show March 27 but went widely unnoticed until it was highlighted by conservative outlets such as the Media Research Center and Breitbart.com.
Two days after the Today gaffe, Sean Hannity ran a segment about NBC’s manipulation of the 911 call on his Fox News Channel show. The story went viral when the Drudge Report linked to a Hollywood Reporter story about the growing controversy last week.
In the original 911 call, Zimmerman is heard describing Martin as such: “This guy looks like he’s up to no good. Or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.”
The dispatcher then asks: “OK, and this guy – is he white, black or Hispanic?”
“He looks black,” Zimmerman responds.
The version NBC ran, though, was much shorter and did not include the question posed by the 911 operator.
“This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He looks black,” Zimmerman is heard saying in NBC’s edited version.
The difference is significant, since activists have been claiming that Zimmerman had racially profiled Martin. Critics have argued that NBC set out to purposely advance that narrative by condensing the 911 tape to make it appear that Zimmerman’s motivation for assuming Martin was “up to no good” was based on his skin color.
NBC announced Saturday that it had launched an investigation into the matter, and on Tuesday it apologized for its “error” and said it had completed its inquiry.
“We will be taking the necessary steps to prevent this from happening in the future and apologize to our viewers,” NBC said Tuesday.
NBC News Admits ‘Error’ of Edited 911 Call in Trayvon Martin Controversy (Video)
NBC issues apology on Zimmerman tape Doctoring
April 4, 2012 by Jack Blood
Filed under Media
NBC apologizes to viewers, but not directly to this viewer. (AFP/GETTY IMAGES) NBC has completed its investigation into the mishandling of the police dispatcher’s conversation with George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin case. And the process ends with a finding of error, plus an apology. Here is the statement just issued by the network:
During our investigation it became evident that there was an error made in the production process that we deeply regret. We will be taking the necessary steps to prevent this from happening in the future and apologize to our viewers.
That apology addresses the “Today” show’s failure to abridge accurately the conversation between Zimmerman and the dispatcher in this high-profile case. This is how the program portrayed a segment of that conversation:
Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He looks black.
And here is how it actually went down:
Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. Or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.
Dispatcher: OK, and this guy — is he black, white or Hispanic?
Zimmerman: He looks black.
No matter how you feel about Zimmerman, that bit of tape editing was unfair to the truth and to Zimmerman’s reputation, such as it is. Reaction on Twitter and elsewhere to my previous post on this matter, was brutal toward NBC, with many comments suggesting the worst about the network’s motivations, reliability and so on.
Does the statement adequately address those concerns? On the good front, it acknowledges the mistake and apologizes to viewers for the bad editing. It’s a forthright correction and spares us any excuses about the faulty portrayal. On the bad front, the statement is skimpy on the details on just how the mistake unfolded. Nor does it articulate an apology directly to George Zimmerman, the “viewer” who is most aggrieved by the screw-up. In light of all that’s happened, Zimmerman may be a tough person for a news network to apologize to, but that’s just the point: Apologies are hard.
View Photo Gallery: The fatal shooting of an unarmed black 17-year-old by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Sanford, Fla., has led to a federal investigation, numerous protests and a national spotlight.
Supporters of Zimmerman wary of speaking out, fearing public backlash
Trayvon Martin’s parents commend Bobby Rush for wearing hoodie on House floor
Trayvon Martin’s Father is a Freemason
April 2, 2012 by Jack Blood
Filed under Commentary
Does this mean anything? maybe not… But for the whole truth to come out in this case, which has inspired violence and division in our country… we need to put it all on the record. (We are searching for George Zimmerman’s Freemasonic connections right now – Its a good bet that since his father was a Circuit Judge – he is a Freemason too…)
VIA Red Ice Creations
2012 03 30
From Darren Williams | facebook.com/darrenkeithwilliams
Darren Williams pointed out to me that Tracy Martin, the farther of murdered American Teenager Trayvon Martin, is a Freemason. He’s the guy on the right.
Darren further commented:
Albert Pike seen by many as the Farther of Modern Freemasonry said for ’the plan’ to work people needed to be made to fight each other on numerous things…
Race, Nationality & Religion point’s of view.
This could be a Beta Test perhaps as the actual death of Trayvon Martin was at least 4wks ago but the Media picked it up, late last week?
The National Tragedy of Violence and the Opportunists who Exploit it
March 30, 2012 by Jack Blood
Filed under Commentary
“They asked if our own nation wasn’t using massive doses of violence to solve its problems, to bring about the changes it wanted. Their questions hit home, and I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today, my own government.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Violence is a part of America’s culture. It is as American as cherry pie.”
H. Rap Brown [Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin]
Violence, both physical and emotional, is an integral part of the United States. It is deliberately propagated and perpetuated by the U.S. government, the corporate-stream media, Hollywood movies, television programs, and Internet games. It is a major symptom of this corporate controlled society and hypocritical political system.
The violent and cold-blooded publicized murders of people of all ages and colors in this nation, including those of Amadou Diallo, Oscar Grant, and most recently Trayvon Martin are but the tip of the insane iceberg of violence nationwide. The violence that permeates this nation is akin to this government’s violence in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Libya, etc. These aforementioned organized acts of U.S. government violence in other lands are conveniently and hypocritically referred to as “police actions” abroad. Yet, there is a direct link between the violence that U.S. citizens carry out against one another within this nation and the violence that citizens of this nation are directed to carry out against citizens of other nations. This violence is also akin to the daily so-called “justifiable” police brutality and violence perpetrated against everyday Black, White, Brown, Red, and Yellow people throughout this nation.
Part of the terrible tragedy of Trayvon Martin’s case is another indication of how people have been so thoroughly brainwashed to act as judge, jury, and executioner for whatever demented rationale that can be manufactured to supposedly make it “justifiable.” The root cause of this is systemic, and goes far beyond color or ethnic considerations.
Some of the most despicable displays of hypocrisy and disingenuousness are being made by the ever eager systemic gate-keepers and opportunists who invariably turn up in front of news cameras, etc. for photo-ops to decry such horrible instances of violence, but who refuse to decry the systemic violence practiced by the corporate politicians whom they support. These politicians and their supporters must not be allowed to have it both ways. Their objective is to confuse everyday people and play upon their legitimate pain to further their own systemic political objectives.
Then of course there are those political pimps, hustlers, and parasites who use the terrible pain of cases such as that of Trayvon Martin to incite color and ethnic hatred, and grab their despicable moment in the limelight. This also serves the cyclical perpetuation of this violent system itself, in that it keeps everyday people in fear of one another and divided on the basis of color and ethnicity.
Now, more than ever, is the time to understand how this violent system perpetuates itself at the expense and terrible pain of everyday people. It is time to collectively change the system, not reform it. Systemic reform perpetuates this hypocritical, violent system. How does one reform a rotten and putrid pie? One doesn’t. One gets rid of the putrid pie, and creates a different one!
The everyday people of this nation and world need and deserve so much better. But it is only the everyday people themselves/ourselves who can and will bring about this much-needed systemic change.
Let’s get busy and stay busy, collectively pushing for real systemic change!
Onward, then, my sisters and brothers! Onward!
BlackCommentator.com Editorial Board Member, Larry Pinkney, is a veteran of the Black Panther Party, the former Minister of Interior of the Republic of New Africa, a former political prisoner and the only American to have successfully self-authored his civil / political rights case to the United Nations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In connection with his political organizing activities in opposition to voter suppression, etc., Pinkney was interviewed in 1988 on the nationally televised PBS News Hour, formerly known as The MacNeil / Lehrer News Hour. For more about Larry Pinkney see the book, Saying No to Power: Autobiography of a 20th Century Activist and Thinker, by William Mandel [Introduction by Howard Zinn]. (Click here to read excerpts from the book.) Click here to contact Mr. Pinkney.
Larry is also a regular contributor for THE JACK BLOOD SHOW…..
