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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 11, 2012)
sportiani) (Obstruer A p ril 11.2012 Pacific Northwest College Spotlight special Page 19 edition Tensions Rise in Sanford Florida town awaits prosecutor’s decision (AP) — Tensions are rising in Sanford, Fla., as a special prosecu tor nears a decision on whether to charge George Zimmerman with kill ing Trayvon Martin. Someone shot up an unoccupied police car Monday night as it sat outside the neighborhood where Martin was killed. And a demon stration by college students closed the town's police station earlier in the day. Some residents Tuesday said they worry there will be violence if prosecutor Angela Corey ac cepts Zim m erm an's claim of self- defense and decides not to charge the neighborhood watch captain with a crim e. Corey has not said when she will announce her deci sion, but many in town believe it will be soon. Police aren't saying what, if any, precautions they are taking. "W e're ju st anxious to know what's going on," Tiffany Lawson said as she fished along the St. John's River, across the street from City Hall. M artin's killing as the unarmed, black 17-year-old was walking back from a convenience store Feb. 26 has touched off protests around the country and stirred a debate over racial profiling and George Zimmerman Parents o f slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin, Sybrina Fulton (C) and Tracy Martin weep after speaking with their other son Jahvaris Fulton during a rally to protest the reaction to their son's death. self-defense that has reached all the way to the W hite H ouse. Zim m erm an's father is white, and his m other is Hispanic. The case took a bizarre turn Tues day as Z im m erm an's attorneys stood outside the courthouse and announced they were dropping him as their client for ignoring their ad vice in contacting the prosecutor. But they said they still believe his claim of self-defense. W hile tensions are high, some think this city of about 53,000 — around 57 percent white and 30 percent black— will come through Grand Jury Clears Portland Police A grand jury has found no crimi nal wrongdoing by four Portland p o lice o ffice rs w ho shot and wounded a man as they searched for a vehicle linked to a robbery. In addition to that finding, the Multnomah County grand jury has indicted the wounded man, 31 -year- old Jonah Potter, on two counts of second-degree robbery in a market holdup and four counts of menac ing in connection with his actions before he was shot on March 26. He remains hospitalized with multiple wounds. Police say Potter was shot when he got out of a car carrying what looked like a large black handgun. It turned out to be a Daisy air pistol. the crisis without violence, as it did during sim ilar uproars. Two years ago, after a black hom eless man was beaten by the son o f a Sanford policem an, pas sions soon cooled. The assailant, Justin Collison, initially wasn't charged but eventually was ar rested after footage o f the ep i sode went viral on YouTube. He pleaded guilty to a m isdem eanor and received probation. Jam es Carder, a m echanic at M cRobert's Auto Center, put a m essage on his shop that was readily visible to anyone driving down First Street: "Sanford is still a good little town." U ntil the M artin sh o o tin g , Sanford was probably best known as the Florida stop for the Auto Train, the Am trak line that carries tourists and their cars between suburban W ashington and cen tral Florida's theme parks. "I put it up because I do care about my good little town," said Carder, who is white. "It has prob lems ju st like everywhere. But it's still a good little town. It always has been and alw ays will be." Over the w eekend, a group of stu d e n ts from a cro ss F lo rid a m arched 40 m iles from Daytona Beach to the Sanford police sta tion. Once the three-day march ended, a small group staged a mini shutdown o f the station by sit ting in front o f the main entrance. Eddie Jones, a 58-year-old black m an and life lo n g resid en t o f Sanford, said Zim m erm an's arrest is param ount to keeping the pro tests peaceful. "They need to go ahead and arrest this guy before som ething happens," he said. "Sanford is screw ed up. This place ju st didn't get corrupt." Eric Arzate, who is white, said he and others in Sanford ju st want things to go back to the way they were before the shooting. "I think everybody's ready for it to be over," he said. "Every body wants justice. But let the judicial system run its course." Chiropractic Auto Injury Clinic, PC Zchon R. Jones, DC 333 NE Russell St., #200, Portland, OR. 97212 (503) 284-7838 Truly making a difference in the lives of Auto Accident victims and Injured Workers for nearly 20 years. If you or someone you know has been in an accident, call us so we can help you with your needs. (503) 284-7838 We are located on the com er o f MLK and Russell Street, on the second floor above the coffee shop. In Loving Memory £ Barbara A. Simington p Funeral services for Barbara A. Simington will take place Satur day, April 14 at 12 p.m. at Grant Park Church, 2728 N.E. 34th Ave. For a full obituary and to sign the guest book go to terryfamilyfuneralhome.com. \d\crtise with diversity in ^ P o r t l a n d O hsc T ver ( .ill 503-288-0033 ads@portlandob s c ia c i . cihu Parkins .Area J33NE Russell #200 Russell Si S 2 < Ü. c H 1 R O r R A C T 1 C 0 )1 w
