"The African-American community is looking at this issue through a set of experiences and a history"

[HipChick]

I am glad that President Obama personalized this today

I am so tired of folks in denial of white privilege while at the same time have a "Get Over It" mentality towards blacks..

They live this separate and different treatment everyday..

[La Lioness Priyanka]

1. i think most people do not understand what privilege means & get all worked up about it

i think white privilege/male privilege/straight privilege are broadly misunderstood

often they think people thing the are getting handouts in life, but really its the stuff they take for granted that minorities can't. like i bet white mothers would assume that they would get justice if their white child was killed. nothing wrong about that at all. just that black mothers can't take this for granted.

[HipChick]

2. That is a good point

[dkf]

3. That is true, but it has no impact on this case.

There was no way to prove Zimmerman did not believe he was in fear of his life or serious bodily harm.

That is why this is the wrong case to fix all the issues you speak of.

I think what is exactly right is that blacks are not given the right of self defense in the courts. That is what is racial injustice.

But you can't over prosecute to make up for other occurances of over prosecution and unfair verdicts.

[awoke_in_2003]

7. Well if he fears for his life...

maybe he needs to stay at home and stop chasing people down. He created the situation and then killed an unarmed person. Fuck Zimmerman.

[HiPointDem]

11. +1

[dkf]

14. Well i doubt anyone will want to be part of a neighborhood watch anymore.

[Dan]

12. If Zimmerman had been Black

and the child he killed white,

would we be having this same discussion?

[HipChick]

13. He would be under he jail already..

[displacedtexan]

4. I'm just sorry that that still has to be explained to people.

Maybe someday our presidents won't have to remind people to consider the feelings of others.

[Cha]

5. Yes, I'm appreciative that PBO shared his thoughts on the verdict..

One tweet stated..

john miller @deaconmill

The response of RWNJs to Obama's speech on race shows how badly needed that speech on race is. 10:43 AM - 19 Jul 2013

30 Retweets 10 favorites ReplyRetweet

http://theobamadiary.com/2013/07/19/trayvon-martin-could-have-been-me-35-years-ago-pres-obama/

mahalo HipChick

[Beacool]

6. "White privilege" didn't work for this kid.

In 2009 there was a similar case and the man walked free. The only difference was that the killer was AA and the teenager was white.

Jury Finds Roderick Scott Not Guilty

Not guilty: The verdict in the manslaughter trial of Roderick Scott. After more than 19 hours of deliberations over two days, a jury acquitted the Greece man in the shooting death of Christopher Cervini, 17, last April.

"I just want to say thank you to the people who believed in me, who stood by me,” Scott said following the verdict. “I still have my regrets for the Cervini family; it's still an unfortunate situation for them. I am happy that at least this chapter is over."

............

Cervini's family members say justice wasn't served. They say Christopher was murdered in cold blood, that he'd never been in trouble and Scott acted as judge, jury and executioner.

"The message is that we can all go out and get guns and feel anybody that we feel is threatening us and lie about the fact,” said Jim Cervini, Christopher’s father. “My son never threatened anybody. He was a gentle child, his nature was gentle, he was a good person and he was never, ever arrested for anything, and has never been in trouble. He was 16 years and four months old, and he was slaughtered."

http://rochester.ynn.com/content/top_stories/490926/jury-finds-roderick-scott-not-guilty/

Both men killed unarmed teenagers with similar results, they were found not guilty. Trayvon was just out for snacks, Cervini was breaking into a car, but neither of these kids deserved to be shot and killed.

[polly7]

8. I read this earlier and hesitated to post it, but I think I will, here.

http://www.zcommunications.org/having-the-slavery-talk-do-we-really-have-to-go-there-by-auset-marian-lewis

Having The Slavery Talk: Do We Really Have To Go There?
By Auset Marian Lewis

Friday, July 19, 2013

White people cheered the acquittal of George Zimmerman. Black people cheered the acquittal of O.J. Simpson. The case can be made that this is just wrong in both those instances. But all things being equal…they’re not.

The “n” word came out of the blood of our ancestors and the theft of humanity, a theft that was state sponsored. The “n” word was created by white people to mask that theft, so black people could internalize their own oppression. And we did. The ugly stain of that word and all it represents has never been washed away. No amount of white kids with black head-rags and baggy pants can take it away. No amount of Tim Wise liberals, or Occupy progressives, or well-meaning media Rachel Maddows can help us escape our history. No Black History Month or Barack Obama can get rid of it. And that monstrous stain on America seeped through in the Zimmerman trial for all the world to see. Many are aghast, not sure of what they’re looking at.

But we don’t want to talk about slavery.

And finally, comes the question can black people be racist. I submit that no matter how much anybody might hate white people, they can’t depress their employment numbers, disproportionately send them to death row, or stalk their l7-year old child, murder him, and then claim self-defense.

Let’s take the muzzle off black people, criticized for being racist because racism exists and they want to talk about it. Let’s have “the talk” not in the vacuum of that Sanford courtroom, but in the very harsh light of our American racial legacy. I am quite confident that the “n” word won’t come up, but be prepared for the “s” word (slavery) to be raised. It’s the only thing that can wash us clean.

Full Article: http://www.zcommunications.org/having-the-slavery-talk-do-we-really-have-to-go-there-by-auset-marian-lewis

I hope you don't mind I posted this here, HipChick. I just thought how accurate the author was, and how there's such a huge difference from admitting and apologizing for something, and genuinely understanding just how damaging it all was, and still is, as evidence of racism and bigotry is clearly present, even today. Trying to rewrite school history books to exclude mention of it, subtle and even not-so-subtle discrimination everywhere you look, ie. incarcerating black men at many times the rate of whites, cases like Trayvon Martin's .... It's the same with First Nations People here ... our gov't can apologize until the cows come home and make a show of paying even minimal reparations, but until we realize just how drastically and sadly we changed all those lives and those of their descendants, and actually see how the distrust and in many cases, feeling of hopelessness that's so pervasive, is still well earned ... we haven't made much progress at all. Children are killing themselves on northern reserves d/t horrific poverty and living conditions, First Nations teens in the cities in many cases live lives ruled by drugs and alcohol ... I've talked to many of them ... while that shameful part of history is over for us that weren't victim to it, it's still as much a part of their lives now as it was for their grandparents. It's like having been in an abusive relationship that's changed the way you look at the world and see everyone in it, and being told by the person responsible "oh, get over it" - for anyone who's lived that, you'll know how that feels like a kick to the chest. I don't know the answers, but I do know that burying it and pretending the effects of it are long over does nothing for anyone but those who don't care in the first place.

[HipChick]

9. Burying it and pretending the effects are long over...

The culture of suspicion that follows black people..this case threw a spotlight on the issue..

I know that Trayvon Martin did not die in vain..

[polly7]

16. I know he didn't either.

Hoping his family can somehow, someday heal at least a bit, from all of this. Losing a child is the worst thing in the world .... seeing all the ignorant, cruel posts implying he deserved it has literally made me sick to my stomach - I've already been thrown off two boards for arguing with them. I applaud his parents for the dignified way they've handled it. I hope he's never forgotten and all of the love and support for him from protesters all around the world can bring about some sort of change so it never happens again.

[uponit7771]

10. Equivocating OJ with Zimmerman is racist on it's face. Mark Furman was an overt hateful racist who

...was convicted of felony perjury during the OJ trial and let a script writer know he wanted to burn black people alive.

Zimmerman jury had stand your ground instructions

I don't know how anyone can make the claim they're ANYTHING alike

[Jamaal510]

15. You should've

seen how the wingnutosphere reacted to his speech today. Of course, anyone who pays attention to politics regularly shouldn't be shocked by this, but they were pretty much calling him a "race-baiter-in-chief" and racist just for pointing out the on-going existence of racism in this country.

http://mediamatters.org/research/2013/07/19/race-baiter-in-chief-right-wing-media-react-to/194973

No matter what Obama says or does, he is a perennial lightning rod for wingnut attacks. He could personally hand every American a bag of gold, and they'd still have grievances to voice about that.