In the Eye of a Firestorm

Dan Barry, Serge F. Kovalevski, Campbell Robertson and Lizette Alvarez | New York Times | April 1, 2012




Trayvon Martin’s body was found in this part of the Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, Fla., where his father’s girlfriend lives.

COMMENTS(106)

SANFORD, Fla. — Once again, a river of protest raged through Sanford this weekend to demand justice in the name of an unarmed black teenager shot dead. It gathered strength in front of the historic Crooms Academy, the first high school for black students in Seminole County, surged through the streets, and formed a flood of grief and outrage just outside the Sanford Police Department.

Once again, thousands chanted the name of Trayvon Martin, 17, the youth killed with one bullet while returning to a home in a gated community where he was a guest. Once again, they cried for the arrest of George Zimmerman, 28, the neighborhood watch coordinator who has claimed self-defense under a Florida law with the assertive name of Stand Your Ground.

With five weeks’ passage, the fateful encounter between a black youth who wanted to go to college and a Hispanic man who wanted to be a judge has polarized the nation.

And, now this modest central Florida community finds its name being mentioned with Selma and Birmingham on a civil rights list held sacred in black American culture, while across the country, the parsing of the case has become cacophonic and political, punctuated by pleas for tolerance, words of hatred, and spins from the left and right.

The racial divide that once partly defined Sanford, with U.S. 17-92 serving as the inviolable line separating black and white, has faded over the decades, leaving a casually integrated downtown. Yet the sense remains among residents of both races that the police department has not come as far as the city as a whole.

Killed at Home: White Plains, NY Police Called Out on Medical Alert Shoot Dead Black Veteran, 68

Democracy Now | 29 March 2012




(start the video at 11:00)

As the Trayvon Martin case draws national attention, we look at another fatal shooting of an African-American male that has received far less scrutiny. Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr., a 68-year-old African-American Marine veteran, was fatally shot in November by White Plains, NY, police who responded to a false alarm from his medical alert pendant. The officers broke down Chamberlain’s door, tasered him, and then shot him dead. Audio of the entire incident was recorded by the medical alert device in Chamberlain’s apartment. We’re joined by family attorneys and Chamberlain’s son, Kenneth Chamberlain, Jr., who struggles through tears to recount his father’s final moments, including the way police officers mocked his father’s past as a marine. "For them to look at my father that way, (with) no regard for his life, every morning I think about it," he says.

GUESTS:

Randolph McLaughlin, attorney for the family of Kenneth Chamberlain. He is a longtime civil rights attorney. He teaches at Pace Law School.

Mayo Bartlett, attorney for family of Kenneth Chamberlain. He is the former chief of the Bias Crimes Unit of the Westchester County District Attorney’s office and the former chair of the Westchester County Human Rights Commission.

Kenneth Chamberlain Jr., son of Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr.

Op-Ed: Shooting Of Black Teen Reveals 'Blindness'

Talk of the Nation | NPR News | 19 March 2012



Read The Op-Eds

Jonathan Capehart's "Under 'suspicion': The Killing of Trayvon Martin" in The Washington Post

Leonard Pitts' "Tragic teen shooting raises old fears, questions" in The Miami Herald

Three weeks after 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, no arrests have been made in what critics are calling a case of racial profiling. Columnist Leonard Pitts says the incident exposes society's "blindness" to African-Americans.

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

And now, the "Opinion Page." The death of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old shot and killed by a crime-watch volunteer in Florida, prompted Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post to recall "the conversation" - what his mother told him on his first day at a predominantly white school. It prompted Leonard Pitts Jr., of the Miami Herald, to cite Ralph Ellison and the "Invisible Man." Both writers join us in just a moment. We'd like to hear from African-American men in this segment, about the conversations you remember.

Who talked to you about how to behave downtown? - 800-989-8255 is the phone number; email talk@npr.org. You can also join the conversation on our website. That's at npr.org, and click on TALK OF THE NATION. Syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts is with us from his home in Maryland; Jonathan Capehart, from his office here in Washington. And let me begin with you, Jonathan Capehart. Remind us what your mother told you.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: It happened after we left the sort of sheltered environment of Hazlet, New Jersey, in sort of central New Jersey, and moved back up to Newark when my mom remarried. And the conversation that we had was just a series of rules for my own safety. At the time, I was 16. They were, don't run in public; don't run while carrying anything in your hand - the first one being, you know, lest anyone think you're suspicious; and the second one being, lest anyone think you stole something. And the third was, don't talk back to the police - lest you give them a reason to take you to jail, or worse.

CONAN: And were - that must have been a stark moment.

CAPEHART: Yes, it was because - you know - as kids, as children, you think that, you know, the world is open and welcoming and friendly because that's the way you've lived your life - at least, that's the way I lived my life. And to be told that no, there are limits on what you can do simply because of who you are - yes, it was a bit jarring.

Miami judge decides fatal stabbing was self-defense

David Ovalle | The Miami Herald | 21 March 2012

Judge Beth Bloom threw out the murder charge against a man who chased a car burglar for more than a block and then stabbed him, killing him.


As critics assail Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law in the wake of the killing of an unarmed Miami Gardens teen in Sanford, a Miami-Dade judge on Wednesday cited the law in tossing out the case of a man who chased down a suspected burglar and stabbed him to death.

Greyston Garcia was charged with second-degree murder in the slaying of Pedro Roteta, 26, whom he chased for more than a block before stabbing the man.

The case illustrates the difficulty police and prosecutors statewide have experienced since the 2005 law eliminated a citizen’s duty to retreat in the face of danger, putting the burden on a judge, not a jury, to decide whether the accused is immune from prosecution.

In Sanford, police have cited the Stand Your Ground law in their decision not to arrest a neighborhood watch volunteer in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, 17. A Seminole County grand jury will decide on whether the man who shot Trayvon, George Zimmerman, 28, should face homicide charges.

Miami police Sgt. Ervens Ford, who supervised the Garcia case, was floored when told Wednesday of the judge’s decision. Ford called the law and the decision by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Beth Bloom a “travesty of justice.”

“How can it be Stand Your Ground?” said Ford, a longtime homicide investigator who on his off-day on Monday plans to attend a rally in the Trayvon case in Sanford with his two teenage sons. “It’s on [surveillance] video! You can see him stabbing the victim . . .”

Bloom granted Garcia, 25, immunity under the 2005 law after she decided that his testimony about self-defense was credible. The judge did not issue a written ruling, but is expected to do so in the next few days.

The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office is likely to appeal the judge’s ruling. Garcia’s defense attorney could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Trayvon Martin: the 911 calls

Much of the commentary in the Trayvon Martin case has centred on the lack of evidence to contradict the claims of the shooter Robert Zimmerman's claim of self-defence. See here for a summary of the case.

However, there are available a series of 911 calls, which provide a backdrop to the circumstances of the death:

The first is the crucial call from Zimmerman, the armed self-appointed Neighborwood Watch captain, in which he reports to the Police his suspicions about the black male he thinks is up to no good or is on drugs, who runs away and who Zimmerman follows, contrary to instructions given to him in the call.

The second is a call from a witness, who reports hearing cries for help and gun-shots, both of which appear to be recorded on the call.

A third records another witness hearing the calls of help and gun-shots, as well as making observations of a person apparently dead on the ground, hearing Zimmerman admit he shot the person, and seeing Police arrive on the scene. She later speaks about having earlier seen the two wrestling.

A Gun But No Shield

Simple Justice | 21 March 2012

The tragic killing of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old black youth, by white, armed, "community watcher," George Zimmerman, raises many questions, from racist perceptions, such as looking "suspicious," to the efficacy of Florida's "stand your ground" law, permitting someone to kill rather than avoid killing.

The fact that Zimmerman was roaming around with a gun, whether in search of something suspicious or just to fulfill some macho fantasy, is a problem that goes well beyond this instance. While the focus is usually on police officers who use needless force, as its more likely to be a cop than a Zimmerman who does the damage, the dark side of the legal carry crowd can't be ignored.

When Joel Rosenberg was alive, he would be the first to argue that men and women who were lawfully allowed to carry handguns, properly trained, would provide an extra hedge against crime and a calming influence on violence. If a perp feared that the person he was about to attack was armed and ready to act, he would be less inclined to take a chance. On the other hand, if a legal gun carrier happened upon a person's life being threatened, and there was no cop in sight, his gun could prove the difference between life and death. All good things.

What nobody really wanted to talk about was the Zimmerman effect. That there were people who had nothing in their background that precluded their obtaining a carry permit, who superficially appeared sufficiently sane to be allowed to possess deadly force, and relished the opportunity to do so. When Joel described the carry crowd, they were all good, solid people, more like inchoate heros than potential killers. As the t-shirt Joel sold for his licensing business said, reluctant participants.

Not every person who carries a gun is quite so modest. When they also carry a shield, there are other implications worth considering. They are trained. They are supervised. They are subject to certain scrutiny, both before they pull the trigger as well as the moment they do. This is not to say it always works out as planned, but that systems exist to theoretically keep a close watch on the use of deadly force by police.

Trayvon Martin's death: the story so far

Karen McVeigh | The Guardian | 20 March 2012

In February, an unarmed black teenager was killed by George Zimmerman, who claims he acted in self defence. Three weeks on, Zimmerman is still free, and questions remain unanswered

The basic facts

On a rainy night in February, Trayvon Martin was returning to his father's girlfriend's house in Sanford, Florida, after a trip to the local 7-Eleven before the NBA all-star game. He carried a bag of Skittles and a can of Arizona iced tea for his little brother.

As he walked home, the unarmed 17-year-old spoke to his girlfriend in Miami via a hands-free earpiece on his cellphone he often used. He was spotted by George Zimmerman, a self-appointed neighbourhood watch volunteer, who was patrolling the gated community, the Retreat at Twin Lakes, in his vehicle.

Zimmerman called 911 to report what he described as Martin's "suspicious behaviour", telling the operator he looked like he was "up to no good, on drugs or something". Zimmerman was warned by the operator not to follow the teenager. But he did, getting out of his vehicle and taking a 9mm handgun with him.

Martin's girlfriend, who has provided her account to the family's lawyer Benjamin Crump, says Martin told her a stranger was following him. She told him to run home. Then the man reappeared behind him, she said. She then heard Martin say: "What are you following me for?" and someone else saying "What are you doing around here?". She then heard pushing, she said, because Martin's head set fell. At 7.16pm, four minutes after the call began, the phone went dead.

What happens in the last moment of Martin's life went unwitnessed by anyone other than Zimmerman.

According to neighbours, there was an altercation between the two men – Zimmerman, weighing 250lbs and armed, and Martin, weighing 140lbs and unarmed.

Witnesses and 911 calls record one of the men in great distress crying out for help.

One woman anxiously says she can hear someone calling for help while in the background, a wailing voice pleads, "No! No!"

By the time police arrive on the scene, at 7.17pm, Martin lay fatally wounded by a gunshot to the chest.

Zimmerman has admitted to the killing but told police he fired in self-defence.

Three and a half weeks later, Zimmerman is still free.

The police chief has said that, because Zimmerman has made a statement of self-defence, and there is no evidence to dispute that, he has not been arrested.

On Monday, following a national outcry over the case, the US justice department announced that it would investigate the case, along with the FBI.