Sedona AZ (April 2, 2012) – In a Letter to the SedonaEye.com editor, a Prescott (AZ) SedonaEye.com reader challenges syndicated columnist Susan Stamper Brown for “…playing the race card..” in a recent article:
Dear Sedona Eye,
A recent piece about the Trayvon Martin shooting by syndicated columnist Susan Stamper Brown needs to be addressed. She blames everything but the shooter! She blames the high crime rate in Sanford. She blames the victim, Trayvon, for possibly struggling when confronted by his stalker, and supports the Police Department’s official statement that they could not arrest the shooter. She hints that vigilante justice may be warranted in this town where “most of us would not want to raise a family…” and hints that most one-on-one homicides are black against black and that somehow that makes this ok.
Stamper-Brown is the one playing the race card.
Her article is divisive and her priorities are questionable. First, to call President Obama’s heart-felt comments “race-baiting” is profoundly racist on her part. Second, she talks of a “serious problem brewing beneath the surface” and thinks that the first priority is to stand against those who attempt to divide us. I.e. stand against the President and those who want justice. Finally, her next priority would be to “double down against crime in communities like Sanford , so residents would not feel as compelled to take matters into their own hands…” thus defending “stand your ground.”
That we should somehow be “united we stand…” and pretend that racism does not exist is simplistic. That we should ignore color and social justice and just all be Americans is to ignore some of the real problems that persist today. The real problem brewing beneath the surface is the lack of recognition that we still have racism in this country and that we need to deal with it.
Bob Lynne Prescott AZ
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Subject: Choir Boy Trayvon
We are a Nation of Laws, and not of “Public Opinion”. The media, along with well known community organizers/trouble-makers, have sewed the facts in the George Zimmerman case and are trying him in the media.
Fact: Trayvon Martin was NOT the “choir boy” the media makes him out to be.
The 17-year-old was suspended three times in a series of incidents that included getting caught on surveillance camera spraying graffiti, carrying an empty baggie with traces of marijuana along with possession of a burglary tool along with 12 pieces of jewelry. This is documented in a Miami-Dade Schools Police Report. The report details an incident from October, when a school police investigator said he spotted Martin on a surveillance camera “hiding and being suspicious” in an unauthorized area at Krop High School.
The investigator later saw Martin mark a door with “W.T.F.” or “what the f–k,” the report said. When the school cop searched Martin’s backpack the following day looking for the graffiti marker, he reported he found jewelry and a screwdriver that he described as a “burglary tool”.
According to the report, the 12 pieces of jewelry included silver wedding bands, earrings with diamonds and a watch. The investigator asked about the jewelry and “Martin replied it’s not mine. A friend gave it to me.” He declined to name the friend. The jewelry was impounded and photos of the pieces were sent to Miami-Dade police.
Four months after that October incident, Martin was suspended after he was caught with the empty baggie with traces of marijuana in it and a “marijuana pipe” was also found on the teen. He was suspended for 10 days.
Martin was shot while serving the 10 suspension. Martin was visiting with his father at his father’s girlfriend’s home in Sanford. Martin had also been previously suspended for excessive absences.
Identifying Trayvon: Did you know it took the police 24 hours to identify Trayvon?
Do you know why young hooded men travel without identification? If you guessed, so they cannot be identified when questioned by law officials you would be right. If you guessed, just in case they dropped that identification while burglarizing a home or committing a crime, you would also be right.
And about the loving, caring family of Trayvon, what loving father does not inquire about his sons whereabouts, when the son is missing for 24 hours.
I guess the family just got use to the fact that the 17 year old doesn’t always come home at night.
Now did George Zimmerman shoot Trayvon for skipping school, or vandalizing school property, or possession of marijuana, or possession of 12 pieces of woman’s jewelry along with a burglary tool? No, he did not. He shot and killed a “thug” that was beating him, and according to Florida State Law, George Zimmerman was 100% within his rights to protect himself.
Law: Florida has a special “Stand Your Ground” law which states that a person is allowed to use deadly force in self-defense in an instance where there is reasonable belief of a threat without said person to retreat.
And why does the media keep showing a picture of Trayvon when he was 12 years old in a Pop Warner football jersey. Why don’t the show pictures of how he looked in February 2012. A 6’ tall, 160 pound, gold “grill” wearing Gangsta.
My Opinion: I say there should be more George Zimmermans out there and I bet there would be allot less punks. Trayvon was just being himself, a punk. He picked on the wrong guy that night. George Zimmerman was not going to be another victim.
Please feel free to pass this on.
Gerardo
Robert Ryan-Wing N Laurie Liked! this article on Facebook Sedona Eye @SedonaTimes
I am a former exchange student in America and writing this with a friend.
We are dismayed that American national news services promote racism and disharmony with strongly biased news coverage. It is quite evident that the intention of the news agencies was to promote fractionalism by promoting Mr. Martin as representative of his age and race when in fact Mr. Martin was a wealthy middle-class teenager that turned his back willingly on society to sell drugs, “drop out” of a free and good public education system, post threatening commentary and photographs on Facebook, and was so uncared for by his own parents that his mother and father did not notice him missing for almost two days.
The use of false photographs of both Mr. Martin and Mr. Zimmerman, a Jewish Peruvian, would have resulted in fines and or loss of positions for European journalists as would have the “editing” of recordings and “fractionalistic” coverage. It would appear to this European that American news agencies were promoting racial disharmony and biases and that the masses of America are ignorant and easily manipulated. In Europe news services would have been fined and we readers strong object to American “Hollywood style” reporting with its lack of substance and open reporter opinions and biases. You Americans expect and receive so little of value that is apparent to us why you are “ugly Americans” when abroad. Your elected officials reflect you in this.
We write this with thank yous for your time.
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.yahoo.com%2Fbill-cosby-breaks-silence-trayvon-martin-165415603–abc-news-entertainment.html&h=ZAQE8vXgeAQHKNBcudGhcBa9zwVqAsb9v6J9-PxnfB5FLIw
Unbelievable!
Please call Governor Brewer today and ask her to veto this bill allowing guns in public buildings!l Her phone numbers are:
602 542 4331
520 628 6580
800 253 0883 (outside Maricopa County)
Thank you,
Patty