Music for a Sunday: Some songs for Trayvon<http://www.sabinabecker.com/2013/07/music-for-a-sunday-some-songs-for-trayvon.html>
*the selection below was from Sabina Becker's blog "News of the Restless", to see the rest of her selections go to * * * * http://www.sabinabecker.com/2013/07/music-for-a-sunday-some-songs-for-trayvon.html *<http://www.sabinabecker.com/2013/07/music-for-a-sunday-some-songs-for-trayvon.html> Billie Holiday<http://www.youtube.com/artist/billie-holiday?feature=watch_video_title> - Strange Fruit *http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=h4ZyuULy9zs#at=25 * --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Murder of Trayvon Martin<http://socialistappeal.org/analysis/racism/1032-the-murder-of-trayvon-martin-> [image: Print]<http://socialistappeal.org/analysis/racism/1032-the-murder-of-trayvon-martin-?tmpl=component&print=1&layout=default&page=>[image: E-mail]<http://socialistappeal.org/component/mailto/?tmpl=component&link=4e1b384a26da6d33c9313af1d6836f29c3aa7cfe> Written by Dan BakerThursday, 03 May 2012 13:49 *We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes, This debt we pay to human guile; With torn and bleeding hearts we smile, And mouth with myriad subtleties.* * Paul Laurence Dunbar, We Wear the Mask* [image: trayvon1]The first stanza of Dunbars poem articulates the racial anxieties felt by black Americans in the late nineteenth century. Tragically, this poem and its sentiments are as timely now as they were in 1896, the same year the Supreme Court ruled in favor of institutionalized racial segregation with *Plessy v. Ferguson.* Now, in our supposedly post-racial society, issues of racial bias and profiling have sprung into the national discourse with the killing of an unarmed young man in Florida by an armed neighborhood watchman. Corporate media conglomerates like MSNBC and FOX News immediately politicized the killing of Trayvon Martin, selectively hiding facts and starting rumors that fit each channels predetermined ideological stance. For MSNBC, this case is one of a murdered young black man at the hands of a racist white vigilante. For FOX, the tragedy in this case lies mostly in the mainstream medias rush to judgment. Hosts like Sean Hannity and Bill OReilly proactively obfuscate the facts by smearing the victim through character assassinations that have no bearing on the case. Even more offensive, these figureheads blame the victim for his death, attributing the killers violence to natural fear of a young black man wearing a hoodie. These are the facts as we know them. Armed with just a bag of Skittles candy, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin is talking to his girlfriend on the phone as he walks to his fathers girlfriends house around 7 p.m. in the rain. He senses that he is being followed by a man in a car and tells his girlfriend. She tells him to run, but he calmly says that hell just keep heading home. In what appears to be a shortcut, he goes through the back public walkway only to see that the man who was following him in the car has gotten out and is now trailing him on foot. The man is George Zimmerman, an armed neighborhood watchman 40 pounds heavier than Trayvon, with a history of domestic violence and a prior arrest for attacking a police officer. Zimmerman is upset over recent robberies in his neighborhood. He calls the police to make them aware of the situation. In the recording of his call it is clear that he suspects Trayvon may be the thief. The dispatcher asks if George is following him and George says that he is. The dispatcher tells George to stop. Instead, George gets out of his car and continues to follow Trayvon back through the public walkway. Neighbors report seeing a larger man on top of another man and hearing a shrill cry for help before a shot. Independent voice analysts have since claimed that the voice could not be Georges. When police arrive at the scene they find George Zimmerman with an alleged broken nose and a mark on the back of his head; at the time of this writing, released police videos only show the mark and dont give indication of further harm. Trayvon Martin has been shot dead. Florida has a law called Stand Your Ground, that gives legal immunity to killers who claim self-defense. This was Zimmermans claim. For weeks, no arrest was made. Only under growing mass pressure, protests, public outrage, and polarization were charges of second-degree murder filed against Zimmerman. The hypocrisy is revolting. Over 2.2 million Americans are incarcerated, and another 5 million are on parole, with blacks making up a far higher proportion of those under correctional supervision than the rest of the population. Who can doubt that if the roles had been reversed, and it was Trayvon who had shot and killed an unarmed white teenager, that he would have been in police custody that very day? And yet, Zimmerman walked free for nearly 2 weeks. Racism is deeply institutionalized in this countrys misnamed justice system. Sure, there is plenty of justice to be hadas long as you have enough money to buy it. The United States is a bourgeois democracy. By definition, this means that there is democracy and justice for the bourgeoisfor the rich. But for the workers and the poor, justice is all-too-often an empty word. And if you are also black or Latino, the injustice is compounded even further. This discrepancy did not go unnoticed, and spontaneous protests were organized around the country. Americans are increasingly aware that this is a system in which the color of your skin determines your right to a trial or the ease with which you can claim immunity. *The Trayvon Martin case has again brought the question of race and racism in America to the forefront. Many naively believed that simply by electing a black president, racism would magically disappear. The issue is not that simple. Racism is used to divide and conquer the working class, to divert our attention from the real problems facing us. Instead of fearing and fighting against the cuts, austerity, and crisis that capitalism rains upon us daily, we are instead taught to fear and fight each other. Working class unity is the only way to fight against the poison of racism and its root cause. Malcolm X put it best when he said, You cant have capitalism without racism. We would add: You cant have racism without capitalism.* http://socialistappeal.org/analysis/racism/1032-the-murder-of-trayvon-martin --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Freedom Rider: If George Zimmerman Goes Free Wed, 07/10/2013 - 09:39 Margaret Kimberley - Trayvon Martin Murder<http://www.blackagendareport.com/category/african-america/trayvon-martin-murder> | - Stand Your Ground law<http://www.blackagendareport.com/category/african-america/stand-your-ground-law> | - One Every 36 Hours<http://www.blackagendareport.com/category/african-america/one-every-36-hours> | - Macolm X Grass Roots Movement<http://www.blackagendareport.com/category/african-america/macolm-x-grass-roots-movement> | - Lynch Law<http://www.blackagendareport.com/category/african-america/lynch-law> | - George Zimmerman Trial<http://www.blackagendareport.com/category/african-america/george-zimmerman-trial> | - 2nd Amendment<http://www.blackagendareport.com/category/us-politics/2nd-amendment> Printer-friendly version<http://www.blackagendareport.com/print/content/freedom-rider-if-george-zimmerman-goes-free> *b**y BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley* As a group, how will we react to the denial of justice for Trayvon Martin and the hundreds of others whose names we dont even know that have been murdered by police and freelance racists? The last thing we need will be mealy mouthed platitudes urging us to talk about race and silly questions about why black and white people see things differently. *Freedom Rider: If George Zimmerman Goes Free* *b**y BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley* *The corporate media have given very little attention to these extrajudicial killings. We call them extrajudicial because they happen without trial or any due process, against all international law and human rights conventions. Those few mainstream media outlets that mention the epidemic of killings are unwilling to acknowledge that the killings are systemic meaning they are embedded in institutional racism and national oppression.* *Malcolm X Grass Roots Movement<http://mxgm.org/report-on-the-extrajudicial-killings-of-120-black-people/> * *Lynch law has never been repealed.* Trayvon Martin was murdered by George Zimmerman on February 26, 2012. The 17-year-old was visiting his father in Sanford, Florida and left his home to buy junk food at a local store. This simple act made him the target of George Zimmerman, a 21st century vigilante of the old slavery era patroller school. The Zimmermans of this country have a very long history. The much debated *Second Amendment<http://blackagendareport.com/content/american-history-black-history-and-right-bear-arms> * to the Constitution gave the 18th century vigilante the right to control the enslaved and Native American populations. The well regulated militia was nothing more than a means of making sure that the white population had every other group under control with the threat and use of violence. Slavery was a perfect means of doing that. When it ended, Jim Crow and lynch law ruled. As we previously pointed out in Black Agenda Report, *lynch law<http://www.blackagendareport.com/content/massacre-cleveland-lynch-law-was-never-repealed> * has never been repealed. Trayvon Martin is just the most famous victim of recent times. George Zimmerman is now on trial for Martins murder and expert legal observers agree that a guilty verdict on the charge of murder is far from assured. The case ought to be open and shut. Martin was minding his own business and breaking no laws as he returned to his fathers house. The unarmed Martin was attacked by Zimmerman and a physical altercation followed. Trayvon Martin had a right to defend himself from being assaulted and there was no reason for Zimmerman to have ever approached him. Zimmerman ought to be found guilty and pay the heaviest penalty possible under Florida law. Instead he stands a good chance of going free because the deceased and any other black person who speaks for him has been put on trial in the court and in the court of public opinion. *Trayvon Martin had a right to defend himself from being assaulted and there was no reason for Zimmerman to have ever approached him.* The defense claims that the man without a gun threatened the life of the man who did have a gun. Rachel Jeantel, the friend who spoke to Martin before he was attacked was herself attacked in and out of the court room. It couldnt be otherwise because her words should be enough to put Zimmerman behind bars for a long time. If not for the courageous persistence of Trayvons parents Sabryna Fulton and Tracy Martin, Zimmerman would never have been charged. The local police didnt arrest Zimmerman who they said acted properly under Floridas stand your ground laws, an updated version of the 18th century militia. Stand your ground laws have been repeated in many venues across the country. At first glance they seem just silly, a solution in search of a problem. They are in fact quite serious, giving white people the right to shoot anyone for almost any reason. There are long standing and universally observed self-defense statutes which made stand your ground unnecessary. But if one group of people is to successfully maintain its power over others, no means of control can be over looked. >From the beginning, the victim was made out to be the criminal. Martins body was tested for drugs. Zimmerman was not. Martins grades in school, his facebook postings and his temporary suspension from school were and are still made an issue. Zimmermans history, education and deportment were never issues to law enforcement, or to the media for the simple reason that they dont think he did anything wrong when he killed Trayvon Martin. *The deceased and any other black person who speaks for him has been put on trial.* In 2012 the Macolm X Grass Roots Movement published a report which detailed the extra judicial killings of black people by the police, security guards and self-appointed law enforcers like Zimmerman. In the first half of that year they reported that 120 black people were murdered in this manner, one death every 36 hours. That report was report was recently updated to show that modern day lynch law takes place *every 28 hours<http://mxgm.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Operation-Ghetto-Storm.pdf> *. If Zimmerman goes free how will black people respond? There will surely be public expressions of anger and anguish, but there is a larger question. As a group, how will we react to the denial of justice for Trayvon Martin and the hundreds of others whose names we dont even know? It wouldnt be enough to tell people not to be violent, or to march in silent protest. There must be very public, very outspoken acknowledgement that our system demands that black people be victimized by those in authority on a regular basis. A volunteer security guard qualifies as an authority if he kills a black person. The songs, parades and kumbayahs should be kept to a minimum. Anyone who speaks about the case should be unafraid to tell the ugly truth about the many ways in which black people are targeted in this country. The well paid pundits and black misleaders should be called out if they arent willing to speak openly about why Trayvon Martin was killed. If the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement is correct, some 300 black people have died in the same manner since the day Trayvon was killed. Their names need to be known and there should be a frank discussion about why they died. Mealy mouthed platitudes urging us to talk about race and silly questions about why black and white people see things differently are an affront to intelligence and to justice.** Trayvon Martin is dead because lynch law still lives. If George Zimmerman is acquitted that simple fact ought to be spoken loudly and often. If it isnt then the injustice is magnified for Trayvon Martin and the hundreds of other unknown victims. *Margaret Kimberley's Freedom Rider column appears weekly in BAR, and is widely reprinted elsewhere. She maintains a frequently updated blog as well as at **http://freedomrider.blogspot.com.<http://freedomrider.blogspot.com/> **Ms. Kimberley lives in New York City, and can be reached via e-Mail at Margaret.Kimberley(at)BlackAgendaReport.co*m. http://www.juancole.com/ Whites and African-Americans in America by the numbers<http://www.juancole.com/2013/07/african-americans-numbers.html> Posted on 07/14/2013 by Juan Cole 88% of African-Americans in a recent Pew poll said that there was a lot (46%) or some (42% )<http://zeusitup.com/african-americans-are-feeling-the-discrimination/> discrimination against them. Only 57% of whites agreed, and only 16% of whites said there is a lot of discrimination against African-Americans: Average household net worth of whites: $110,000<http://feministphilosophers.wordpress.com/2013/04/25/race-and-economic-inequality/> . Average household net worth of African-Americans: $5000 The wealth gap between white and African-American families tripled between 1980 and 2009,<http://www.tcf.org/blog/detail/graph-the-wealth-gap-between-blacks-and-whites-has-tripled-since-1984.-here> according to the Century Foundation: 1 in every 15 African American men <http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/news/2012/03/13/11351/the-top-10-most-startling-facts-about-people-of-color-and-criminal-justice-in-the-united-states>are incarcerated in comparison to 1 in every 106 white men Or consider it this way<http://www.sentencingproject.org/template/page.cfm?id=122> <http://www.reddit.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.juancole.com%2F2013%2F07%2Fafrican-americans-numbers.html> 0Retweet<http://twitter.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.juancole.com%2F2013%2F07%2Fafrican-americans-numbers.html&text=Whites+and+African-Americans+in+America+by+the+numbers> 6Share<http://www.juancole.com/2013/07/african-americans-numbers.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+juancole%2Fymbn+%28Informed+Comment%29#> 26Google +1<http://www.juancole.com/2013/07/african-americans-numbers.html> 2StumbleUpon<http://www.juancole.com/2013/07/african-americans-numbers.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+juancole%2Fymbn+%28Informed+Comment%29#> 0Printer Friendly<http://www.juancole.com/2013/07/african-americans-numbers.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+juancole%2Fymbn+%28Informed+Comment%29#>Send via email<?subject=%22Whites%20and%20African-Americans%20in%20America%20by%20the%20numbers%22%20on%20Informed%20Comment&body=Link:%20http%3A%2F%2Fwww.juancole.com%2F2013%2F07%2Fafrican-americans-numbers.html%20%0D%0A%0D%0A----%0D%0A%2088%25%20of%20African-Americans%20in%20a%20recent%20Pew%20poll%20said%20that%20there%20was%20%E2%80%9Ca%20lot%E2%80%9D%20(46%25)%20or%20%E2%80%9Csome%E2%80%9D%20(42%25%20)%20discrimination%20against%20them.%20Only%2057%25%20of%20whites%20agreed,%20and%20only%2016%25%20of%20whites%20said%20there%20is%20%E2%80%9Ca%20lot%E2%80%9D%20of%20discrimination%20against%20African-Americans:%20Average%20household%20net%20worth%20of%20whites:%20$110,000.%20Average%20household%20net%20worth%20of%20African-Americans:%20$5000%20[...]> P [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:laamn-unsubscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:laamn-subscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:laamn-dig...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:laamn-ow...@egroups.com?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:la...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/laamn@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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