I haven't seen any details of the case on this side of the pond. Presumably he was acquitted because of that law that allows Florida handgun owners to shoot to kill if they believe they are in danger of their lives, and he must have convinced the jury that he felt in danger of his life?
I also saw a story about a black woman who was found guilty and sent to jail for firing warning shots.
He was found innocent, because, Threatened by Zimmerman stalking him, the boy confronted him. They ended up in a fight, and to win the fight, Zimmerman shot the boy dead.
He was acquitted because the other witness was dead and the court and persecutors rather than push for the state of mind, past actions, and behavior of the shooter, chose to convict the victim of being a teenage boy with problems, therefore deserving of death in their minds.
It is a vicious circle, especially for young women and men of color--and especially in the Southern states like Florida, People of Color have never felt safe. There is a relatively low percentage of youth truly involved in violent crime, but all young people of color are labeled and targeted--even by People of Color. People are very susceptible to negative imagery. If you can watch a copy of What Black Men Think and the discussion and the debate of imagery and free speech, and of manipulation by media (Games/television/music) of certain images. It is a struggle between free speech and expression, and easy money--which is why some people label current hip-hop trends as "Minstrel shows". They also talk about misconception, like how many Black people who should know better think there are more young black men in jail than in college or other higher education institutions. The truth is startling
( ... )
I drifted by a forum last night to see what people were saying about it. And the camp who were celebrating all seemed to be generally coming from a place where they felt very vindicated that their right to have and carry and use firearms had been upheld, because they were all so terribly afraid that the law might be changed to stop them from being armed
( ... )
But material possession and superficial rights are more important in this country than actual human rights. And the waters get muddied when people argue.
The same here. And media imagery does contribute to it. Is it true that in England it is still a matter of Black, Brown, or Asian Britons as immigrants--it doesn't matter if they can trace their ancestors back to the Roman Invasions? And the tensions between Britons of African and Asian descent is more akin to the tensions between Americans and Hispanic Americans?
Pretty much, yes. The media contributes to this so much with their immigrant phobia, anybody with different colour skin is seen as an 'incomer' even if they've been here for generations
( ... )
There's also quite a lot of tension between different African origins, people I think probably wouldn't describe themselves as being of 'African origin' so much as 'Ugandan' or 'Nigerian' or whatnot. But isn't that very like someone who is European saying they are French? That is just language and heritage. But I have heard of the cultural bias between different African nations,still I actually think have always that is the cool thing about persons of African familial descent living in Europe--they still have a good handle on their origins.
Yep, it's one of the (few) things I regret about living where I live, there is virtually zero cultural diversity. One of the things I liked most about LA was the diversity, the trip to Chinatown, although that was crazy insane busy with hordes of people everywhere.
But the range of good on offer was amazing. I had so many things to eat that I'd never had before, that you just can't get here.
Do African Americans connect with their home countries, or in many cases do people just not know whereabouts in Africa they originated?
(Please forgive a potentially stupid question there.)
Do African Americans connect with their home countries, or in many cases do people just not know whereabouts in Africa they originated? It depends. No one of my family has visited our ancestral homes in Africa, Europe, and I'm not certain about Ireland. I think we're part Asian as well, but there were actually papers, since many of my African ancestors were freemen and it seems my Family came from the Sudan and or Morocco and were considered Arabians--by language
( ... )
It's a strange thing national identity isn't it, I mean it shouldn't really matter, and yet it still seems to be quite an important part of peoples make-up.
Not really. Most of us have to have something: family ties, social or private ritual, creative industry--to ground us, make us feel at ease with our environment and those who share our space.
I also saw a story about a black woman who was found guilty and sent to jail for firing warning shots.
If ever a starker contrast was needed.
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And the waters get muddied when people argue.
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But the range of good on offer was amazing. I had so many things to eat that I'd never had before, that you just can't get here.
Do African Americans connect with their home countries, or in many cases do people just not know whereabouts in Africa they originated?
(Please forgive a potentially stupid question there.)
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