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Opinion 12 Things to Know About Trayvon’s Murder “Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now” B ERNIE F OSTER Founder/Publisher B OBBIE D ORE F OSTER Executive Editor T ED B ANKS Advertising Manager J ERRY F OSTER Account Executive L ISA L OVING News Editor H ELEN S ILVIS Multimedia Editor D AVID K IDD Graphic Designer M ONICA J. F OSTER Seattle Office Coordinator J ULIE K EEFE S USAN F RIED Photographers The Skanner Newspaper, established in October 1975, is a weekly publica- tion, published each Wednesday by IMM Publications Inc., 415 N. Killingsworth St., P.O. Box 5455, Portland, OR 97228. Telephone (503) 285-5555. E-mail: info@theskanner.com 1 ) Trayvon Martin was a 17- year-old Miami student visiting Sanford, Fla., near Orlando, with his father when he was killed On Feb. 26. His father, who also lives in Miami, was vis- iting his girlfriend in Retreat at Twin Lakes, a gated townhouse community. 2) Trayvon had made a short trip to a nearby 7-Eleven store to pick of a bag of Skittles and a can of Arizona iced tea as was returning when he was stalked by Zimmer- man. 3) George Zimmerman, whose father is White and mother is of Peruvian descent, fatally shot unarmed Tayvon in chest. 4) Zimmerman was an unregis- tered neighborhood watch captain who was not supposed to carry a weapon while on patrol. Chris Tutko, director of Neighborhood Watch for the National Sheriffs’ Association, told the Orlando Sen- tinel that Zimmerman had broken a couple of cardinal rules. “If you see something suspicious, you report it, you step aside and you let law enforcement do their job,” Tutko said. “This guy went way beyond the call of duty. At the least, he’s overzealous.” Tutko also said volunteers should never carry lethal weapons. He said “There’s no reason to carry a gun.” 5) Though Zimmerman acknowledged killing Trayvon, he was questioned and then released. Police did not follow basic guide- lines of homicide investigations such as testing him for drugs and alcohol, though they performed the tests on Trayvon. T HE C URRY R EPORT George E. Curry 6) Trayvon was talking on his cell phone to his girlfriend shortly before his death and reported being followed by a strange man hoodie. Some have even blamed Trayvon’s death on his clothing. On the March 23 edition of Fox News’ Fox & Friends, network contributor Geraldo Rivera said, “I am urging the parents of Black and Latino youngsters particularly to not let their children go out wearing hoodies. I think the hood- ie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin’s death as George Zimmerman was.” However oth- ers, such as CNN’s Anderson Cooper, say they frequently adorn hoodies and have never been Trayvon’s parents still have nightmares about his death in a vehicle. 7) A police dispatcher specifical- ly told Zimmerman not to follow Trayvon, instructions he ignored. When Zimmerman confirmed he was following Trayvon, the dis- patcher said. “OK, we don’t need you to do that.” Zimmerman continued any- way. 8) Benjamin Crump, the fami- ly’s lawyer, said that based on 911 tapes, Zimmerman harbored at least three stereotypes of Black males: “He said, No.1, he looked suspicious. No.2, he must be high. No. 3, he’s looking to break in some place.” 9) Some said that Trayvon became a suspect because he wore a hooded sweat shirt, known as a viewed as suspected criminals. And no one dare suspect New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick or Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, both known for wearing hoodies, of being crimi- nals. Some kooks posting on Fox News Network site were extreme- ly crass. One wrote, “GOOD SHOT ZIMMY. I’m just glad Zim- merman didn’t miss and hit an innocent bystander.” 10) Police say Zimmerman was not arrested because of Florida’s stand your ground law, a measure that gives broad protection to any citizen acting in self- defense. However, Jeb Bush, who as governor of Florida signed the stand your ground bill into law, said the legislation does not cover the neighborhood watch captain who shot Trayvon Martin to death. “This law does not apply to this particular circumstance,” Bush said after an education panel dis- cussion at the University of Texas at Arlington. “Stand your ground means stand your ground. It does- n’t mean chase after somebody who’s turned their back.” 11) At 9 years old, Trayvon saved his father’s life. In an inter- view with Roland Martin on TV One, the elder Martin said: “At the time, he was 9 years old. We had just came from the Little League football park. We fell asleep while the stove was on. A grease fire started. I went into the kitchen to try to put the grease fire out. The grease splattered all over my leg. My body went into shock and by me and him being in the house, I started calling out his name. He finally woke up and, at 9 years old, he pulled me from out of the kitchen, where the kitchen cabi- nets were on fire. He pulled me out of the kitchen onto the bal- cony. He actually went back into the house and got the cell phone and called 911.” 12) Trayvon’s parents still have nightmares about his death. His father, in an exclusive interview with NNPA publishers, said: “I can’t describe the feeling, I can’t describe what was going through my mind because I was actually staring at a photo of my pride and joy on the ground dead. I still see the photo now – his eyes weren’t closed all the way, his mouth was- n’t closed, it was the worst feeling of my life.” George E. Curry is former edi- tor-in-chief of Emerge magazine and the NNPA News Service. World Wide Web site: http://www.theskanner.com Fax: (503) 285-2900 The Skanner is a member of the National Newspaper Pub lishers Associ- ation and West Coast Black Pub lishers Association. All photos submitted become the property of The Skanner. We are not re - spon sible for lost or damaged photos either solicited or unsolicited. © 2012 The Skanner. ALL RIGHTS RE SERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION PROHIBITED. To see The Skanner News on your smart phone go to theskannermobile.com or scan this QR code with your app. • • • • • • • • Local news Opinions Jobs, Bids Sports Entertainment Music reviews Bulletin board RSS feeds 1972: What Happened to Audacity? F orty years ago this month, ten thousand African Ameri- cans thronged to Gary, IN for the first National Black Politi- cal Convention. They gathered to develop a black agenda, and to influence 1972 presidential poli- tics. One of the things on the agenda was the development of an independent black political party and to explore the notion of inde- pendent black politics. To commemorate this anniversary, Dr. Ron Daniels convened a group of people on Capitol Hill to see the movie, Nation Time, and to listen to a group of people, some of whom had been at Gary, talk about what Gary means today. One of the things that was excit- ing about the film was the energy and audacity of the black folk who were gathered at Gary. There is a young Jesse Jackson leading the chant, “What time is it? It’s nation time”. There is a forceful Richard Hatcher, then mayor of Gary, explaining why the gathering was necessary. There is Imamu Baraka, calling for votes. There is Queen Mother Moore, speaking on the necessity for reparations. There is energy, audacity. All weekend, there have been rallies in support for Trayvon Mar- tin and his family, demands that George Zimmerman, the man who executed Trayvon, be arrested, and demands that Florida’s vigilante Page 4 The Portland Skanner March 28, 2012 B ENNETT C OLLEGE Julianne Malveaux laws be reviewed. Rev. Al Sharp- ton led some 30,000 people in a Florida rally, and the NAACP also plans a rally. As people rally to the audacity that was so clearly present in Gary four decades ago. Since then, too many of us have become satisfied and complacent. Too many are into “me” not “we”. Even as African Americans con- tinue to be battered by our economy, too many are blaming themselves, not our economic structure, for the situation they find themselves in. And we have been too tolerant of those who freely bandy about racial slurs. George Zimmerman apparently Facing an organized African American community, Zimmerman might have thought twice between raising his gun and using it support Trayvon Martin and con- demn Zimmerman, it is important to remember that this tragedy is one of several. Zimmerman, apparently, felt threatened by Skit- tles, iced tea, and a hoodie. How many other young black men have been executed in similar circum- stances? This Trayvon Martin case may have a galvanizing effect on African American people. Still, we have to ask what has happened to thought he could get away with a public execution. And, truth be told, to date he has. There has been no investigation, no arrest. All he had to say was that he acted in self-defense, and he was off scott free. No matter that the 911 opera- tor told him not to pursue Trayvon. No matter that there is no evidence of self-defense. Trayvon Martin is dead and George Zimmerman is free. Where is our audacity? George Zimmerman seems to think there are no consequences to executing a young black man on the public streets. He seems to think so because African Ameri- can audacity has just about disappeared. Facing an organized African American community, Zimmerman might have thought twice between raising his gun and using it. Fearing an organized black community, Zimmerman might have thought twice before uttering a racial slur. No doubt, he has learned from the best. Rush Limbaugh pops off at the mouth any chance he gets, using racial and gender slurs and only recently suffering any consequences. Newt Gingrich calls President Obama a “food stamp president” and he is only mildly called on it. No won- der Zimmerman thought his effort was acceptable. Until now, he has had no evidence to the contrary. It is easy to say, “black people need to be more organized”, but it is difficult to do. Still, the Trayvon Martin case reminds us of the need for an organized African American movement. And Gary reminds us that once there was audacity. We have to find that audacity again so that no racist on the loose ever again feels it acceptable to execute a child on the street. Dr. Julianne Malveaux is the President of Bennett College.
