Cobb Parents Caution Their Children in Light of Trayvon Shooting Death

Patch ^ | May 3, 2012 | Kiri Walton

[2ndDivisionVet]

The country, including South Cobb, continues to dialogue about the shooting death of Trayvon Martin and to watch the impending trial of George Zimmerman. Many parents are wondering what, if anything, they can do to prevent their children from becoming the next Trayvon, the 16-year-old boy Zimmerman admitted to shooting in what he said was self-defense. Martin was walking to his father’s home in a Sanford, FL subdivision from a local store.

During the second Cobb United for Change Coalition meeting held Wednesday night, a child asked what he could do to prevent becoming “another Trayvon Martin.”

The answers from parents in the crowd, made up of about 25 mostly African American and Latino individuals, varied.

Several responded that because their children are African-American or Latino, they will be judged as “more dangerous” or “more aggressive” than their white counterparts.

Guenevere Reed, president of the Powder Springs Task Force, said she tells her sons “to follow the rules” and not “mess up…We don’t have the luxury to mess up.”

Teretha Muhammad said about her African-American sons, “I have to teach him to not be fearful…We got to teach them to have strong character.”

She said the community should help find positive male mentors for boys without fathers.

“I tell them to follow the rules. Do not be in places you’re not supposed to be…Try to be the best child you can be,” she said, adding that she does not allow her sons to be out alone after a certain time.

Repeatedly, members of the crowd said in order for stereotypes about African American and Latino children to change, they must exhibit excellence.

“That mentality that black and brown children are more criminal” is dangerous, said Angela Flores, a Marietta mother and a human services professional.

“I think the perfect solution is to love your neighbor,” she said.

“We need to stand up against lies being told against our children,” she said. Children are being discriminated against “not for their choices, but for the conditions they’ve been in” and because of that, “they can be jailed, deported or killed.”

[aruanan]

“That mentality that black and brown children are more criminal” is dangerous, said Angela Flores, a Marietta mother and a human services professional.

Interracial Crime
• Of the nearly 770,000 violent interracial crimes committed every year involving blacks and whites, blacks commit 85 percent and whites commit 15 percent.
• Blacks commit more violent crime against whites than against blacks. Fortyfive percent of their victims are white, 43 percent are black, and 10 percent are Hispanic. When whites commit violent crime, only three percent of their victims are black.
• Blacks are an estimated 39 times more likely to commit a violent crime against a white than vice versa, and 136 times more likely to commit robbery.
• Blacks are 2.25 times more likely to commit officially-designated hate crimes against whites than vice versa.

Gangs
• Only 10 percent of youth gang members are white.
• Hispanics are 19 times more likely than whites to be members of youth gangs.
• Blacks are 15 times more likely, and Asians are nine times more likely.

Incarceration
• Between 1980 and 2003 the US incarceration rate more than tripled, from 139 to 482 per 100,000, and the number of prisoners increased from 320,000 to 1.39 million.
• Blacks are seven times more likely to be in prison than whites.
• Hispanics are three times more likely.

[higgmeister]

This new-age New York City carpetbagger emedia covers about 45,000 people in the hinterlands of the Atlanta metro area.

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[Ken H]

New York City!?!

[conservativeimage]

Will the parents of minorities teach their kids to behave?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LViCtFjZfnU

[higgmeister]

Yeah right, just like that sauce!

They don't even know what Kudzu is!

[Jack Hydrazine]

At least on the south and west sides of Cobb County.

[higgmeister]

lol Exclusive East Cobb is still exclusive.

I get to say I am in East Cobb but I am really inside the 120 loop.

[Candor7]

Define burglary tool>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

just google [ trayvon martin burglary tools ]

You will get about a dozen good hits.

Here is BUT one:

***********************************************

Trayvon’s backpack contained 12 pieces of jewelry, in addition to a watch and a large flathead screwdriver, according to the report, which described the screwdriver as a burglary tool.

Trayvon was asked if the jewelry, which was mostly women’s rings and earrings, belonged to his family or a girlfriend.

“Martin replied it’s not mine. A friend gave it to me,” according to the report. Trayvon declined to name the friend.

School police impounded the jewelry and sent photos of the items to detectives at Miami-Dade police for further investigation.

http://patdollard.com/2012/03/multiple-suspensions-paint-complicated-portrait-of-trayvon-martin/

*******************************

Of course when I was 17 years old, I always carried a large screwdriver around, and lots of jewellery to tempt my girl friends, at that age I was just a screw driver looking for a screw ;-)

Yep, a large screw driver is now standard teenager back pack equipment along with cell phone and skittles.

[Ken H]

My internet device can't read pdf. Does your source have the stats for interracial murders?

Thanks.