Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Trayvon Martin's parents re-live a 'nightmare' (Must read)
Madison Times ^ | March 28, 2012 | George E. Curry, NNPA Special Contributor

Posted on 03/28/2012 5:28:51 PM PDT by maggief

(Note: Spacing added at line breaks for easier reading.)

WASHINGTON (NNPA) – On the night of Feb. 26, Tracy Martin and his girlfriend had gone out to dinner in Sanford, Fla., leaving his 17-year-old son, Trayvon, behind at the townhouse with plans to watch the NBA All-Star game scheduled to be televised at 7 p.m. from Orlando’s Amway Center.

Trayvon decided to walk to a nearby 7-Eleven convenience store to pick up a bag of Skittles candy and a can of Arizona iced tea before settling in to watch East v. West all-stars. On his way back to the gated community, however, Trayvon was stalked by George Zimmerman, a non-Black neighborhood watch captain armed with a 9 millimeter handgun and a head full of stereotypes about African-American males.

According to 911 tapes, Zimmerman, 28, told the emergency police dispatcher that he had spotted a suspicious young male walking in the neighborhood. “This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He is on drugs or something.” Zimmerman said, “These ***holes. They are always getting away.”

When the dispatcher asked Zimmerman if he was following the young man in his vehicle, Zimmerman confirmed that he was. The 911 operator said, “OK, we don’t need you to do that.” Still, Zimmerman continued to follow Trayvon, who was unarmed. At one point, Zimmerman got out of his SUV, confronted Trayvon and fatally shot him in the chest.

Tracy Martin was unaware that his honor roll son, who was visiting from Miami, had been killed around 7 p.m. that Sunday.

Martin, Trayvon’s mother, Sybrina Fulton; Benjamin Crump, the family lawyer; Al Sharpton and former New York Gov. David Patterson participated in an exclusive 1-hour telephone conference call last Thursday with more than three dozen publishers from the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA).

Martin told publishers how he learned that his son had been killed.

“I had been out to dinner. When we got back between 10:15 and 10:45, he wasn’t at home. The night before, he had been to the movies with my nephew, who had recently moved up to the Orlando area from Miami. Every time Trayvon would come up here, they would find something to do, usually they would go to dinner. My nephew is 20 years old, a very responsible young man. So there was not panic at that moment that he was not home. I made several attempts to call his cell phone and it was going straight to voicemail. I called my nephew’s cell phone and it was going straight to voicemail. So at that point, I figured they had been in the movies because they would always go to the movies.”

Tracy Martin and his girlfriend went to bed. But the next morning, the day Martin and his son had planned to return to Miami, he learned that Trayvon still wasn’t back in the house. Tracy called his nephew again, this time reaching him and learning that Trayvon wasn’t with him.

“I had [his girlfriend] call juvenile justice, just to check and see if anyone by the name of Trayvon Martin had been picked up. No Trayvon Martin,” the father told NNPA publishers. “My next call was to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Department to see if any kid had been picked up.

“My third call was to a non-emergency number at the Seminole County Sheriff’s Department and I informed them that I was filing a missing person’s report. I let them know it hadn’t been 24 hours, but it was unusual for Trayvon not to return home. I told them we were supposed to be leaving that morning when we woke up. They asked me a few questions about him: date of birth, height, complexion, weight and they told me they would dispatch a unit. Five minutes later, she called me back and asked what was he last wearing. I gave them a description of the clothes that he had on last. She said a unit would be out.”

At that point, Tracy Martin still had no clue that his son was dead.

He said, “I got up, got on clothes, went outside because I knew my kid was going to walk back up to the door. Instead, three cars pulled up to the door, one of them an unmarked police vehicle.

“The first officer approached. I introduced myself and told him I was filing a missing person’s report. The second person to approach was a plainclothes detective. He asked me if I had a recent picture of Trayvon and it just so happened that I had taken a picture in my camera, maybe a week or two prior to the incident. I showed them the picture. He told me to give him a second. He walked to his vehicle, retrieved a folder and asked could we go into the house. We walked into the house. He told me he was going to show me a photo and that he was going to ask me if this was my kid. And he pulled out the photo. From that point, it’s been like a nightmare.”

That nightmare was compounded by the decision not to arrest or prosecute Zimmerman, who admitted killing Trayvon. Led by Attorney Benjamin Crump, the family has been making the rounds of national television programs to share their story – and to express their outrage that Zimmerman hasn’t been brought to justice. Protests, many of them led by college students, have taken place across the country.

“In the Black community, we all see Trayvon in ourselves,” Sharpton said. “We all subconsciously know that we’re born as suspects rather than citizens and that’s what Trayvon was – he was a suspect.”

Sharpton explained, “What happened to Trayvon is that it brought to the surface the fear that all of us have for our children and ourselves. I think White America was stunned. Black America became ignited when we finally got it out there. They [Whites] thought having a Black president had solved it. And now, people working in their offices, in the next cubicle, were saying, ‘No, this is me.’ They relate to Trayvon – it was me.”

After three weeks of mobilizing on social media, keeping the story alive in Black newspapers and African-American radio, the mounting pressure forced Sanford, Fla. officials to release the 911 tapes. Those tapes – which show that Zimmerman disobeyed the 911 dispatcher’s directive that he not follow Trayvon – along with the decision not to arrest Zimmerman, forced Police Chief Bill Lee to temporarily step down as police chief on Thursday.

On April 10, a grand jury will be convened to determine whether Zimmerman should be indicted. Both the U.S. Justice Department’s civil rights division and the FBI are looking into the case to determine if any federal statues were violated.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has appointed a Task Force on Citizen Safety and Protection to investigate how such tragedies can be avoided in the future. Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll will chair the special panel. Rev. R.B. Holmes, Jr, publisher of the Capital Outlook in Tallahassee, will serve as vice chair.

Sharpton led a rally Thursday night of more than 30,000 people in Sanford, many of them arriving from around the nation. Referring to the police chief, Sharpton said, “We did not come here for a temporary leave of absence. We came for permanent justice – arrest Zimmerman now.”

On Friday, President Obama expressed concern about the case.

“I think every parent in America should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this and that everybody pulls together, federal, state, and local, to figure out exactly how this tragedy happened,” Obama said. He added, “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon.”

If the son had dressed like Trayvon, he would have come under criticism.

On the March 23 edition of Fox News’ Fox & Friends, Fox News 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 hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin’s death as George Zimmerman was.”

For some reason, Blacks are stigmatized for wearing a hoodie – a sweatshirt with a hood attached to it – but Whites, such as New England Patriots football coach Bill Belichick and Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, are not.

NBA star Dwayne Wade posted a photo of himself Friday in a hooded top to his social media pages, while LeBron James tweeted a photo of 13 Miami Heat players wearing black hoodies with their heads bowed in a tribute to Trayvon.

“I saw a post that D-Wade had saying, ‘I am Trayvon Martin,’” Tracy Martin said. “To see all these athletes put Trayvon in the same sentence with them, it feels real good. Trayvon was an excellent athlete and if he could hear them saying his name, he would be so moved by it.” On Sunday, many churches honored Trayvon, who was wearing a hoodie when he was killed.

Rev. Raphael G. Warnock, senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, preached the 11 a.m. service in a Morehouse College hoodie. In his sermon, Warnock compared Trayvon Martin to Emmett Till, the 14-year-old Chicago youth who was murdered near Money, Miss. in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a White woman. “Both young boys were killed for crossing some imaginary social line,” Warnock said. “Mr. Zimmerman took a gun to a Skittles fight. Apparently Zimmerman is innocent until proven guilty and Trayvon is guilty until proven innocent.”

Sybrina Fulton is still living with the pain of her son’s death.

“It just reminds me of an awful dream,” she said in the conference call with NNPA publishers. “It just seems like the pain goes away temporarily and then it comes back. It just feels like my heart is just heavy. I still have tears, I still cry. It’s just difficult. Each day is just difficult to get by.” Sanford police claim they couldn’t arrest Zimmerman because he was protected under Florida Statute 776.013 (3), the state’s stand your ground law that gives citizens broad protection if they are acting in self-defense.

Jeb Bush, who as governor of Florida signed “stand your ground” bill into law, said the law 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 discussion at the University of Texas at Arlington. “Stand your ground means stand your ground. It doesn’t mean chase after somebody who’s turned their back.”

Reflecting on the moment he was asked by police to identify his son, Tracy Martin 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 wasn’t closed, it was the worst feeling of my life.”


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: benjamincrump; crump; georgecurry; nnpa; racebaiters; sharpton; tracymartin; trayvon; trayvonmartin; zimmerman
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 201-202 next last
To: JustaDumbBlonde
Can you please explain why you labeled this as a “must read?”

I'd be glad to. Start by reading post #2.

This is the meta narrative driven by Crump, Sharpton, Jackson, et al, with the help of black media, and ultimately MSM to sway the court of public opinion.

Per Crump’a request, it seems Sharpton jumped on this case very early, even before the 911 tapes were released.

I read an earlier article where Sharpton discussed a conference between himself, Crump, et al, and TM’s family about TM’s past ... more or less to see if he was a “good boy.”

My hunch is, though they thought they did their homework, but missed important facts. Still, they are all in ... which includes involvement and statements from the Justice Department and the President.

Noteworthy:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2863997/posts

Howard Kurtz Wonders ‘How on Earth’ MSNBC Lets Al Sharpton Be Both Activist and Anchor...
NewsBusters ^ | March 26, 2012 | Matt Hadro

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704588404575123404191464126.html

March 17, 2010

Obama’s New Partner: Al Sharpton

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-04-06/news/29404853_1_national-action-network-obama-and-sharpton-african-american

President Obama looks to Rev. Al Sharpton for help in 2012 reelection bid
BY JONATHAN LEMIRE
DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU
Wednesday, April 06, 2011

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2864009/posts?page=54

Sharpton Vows to ‘Occupy’ Sanford, Fla., Over Easter
ABC News ^ | Monday, March 26, 2012 | Chris Francescani

61 posted on 03/28/2012 6:39:19 PM PDT by maggief
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]

To: maggief

As much as I think lawyers are scum..There are time’s that I wish I were one.

I’d be preparing the paperwork to sue every paper and media network that has been fanning the flames of race riots on behalf of all the innocents that are going to be injured or killed.

There are limits to free speech, you can’t shout fire in a crowded theater.

There are limits to freedom of the press too.


62 posted on 03/28/2012 6:39:53 PM PDT by TASMANIANRED (We kneel to no prince but the Prince of Peace)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: All

an honor student.. and the first thing they do is call jail to see if he was arrested.. an honor student that got busted for dope, vandalism and carrying around burglary tools and stolen jewelry..
The bar for “honor student” is a little lower than when I was in school.


63 posted on 03/28/2012 6:43:50 PM PDT by newnhdad (Where will you be during the Election Riots of 2012/2013?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: goodnesswins
“This guy is supposed to be a QUALIFIED EDITORIALIST”

Should have highlighted this from the article. Here's the spin ...

Martin, Trayvon’s mother, Sybrina Fulton; Benjamin Crump, the family lawyer; Al Sharpton and former New York Gov. David Patterson participated in an exclusive 1-hour telephone conference call last Thursday with more than three dozen publishers from the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA).

64 posted on 03/28/2012 6:46:50 PM PDT by maggief
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 43 | View Replies]

To: somerville
This skittles thing has been rolling around in the back of my mind since the beginning. It just does not sound like something a 17 year old would make a special trip to the store for. Just not cool.
So low and behold it happens to be a drug reference.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=skittles

I think his GF said he went out for skittles and tea (another obvious drug reference) but my recollection is not as good as it once was. It is not referenced in the police report so how do folks know had the candy?

65 posted on 03/28/2012 6:50:21 PM PDT by dmcnash (y)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: maggief

Another very biased and inflammatory article from the liberal capital of Wisconsin. Before writing something designed to ensure that racial divide remained an issue, it would be nice if they bothered to present both sides of a story or even the other side of the coin, black on white violence. Move along folks, nothing to see here except the usual BS.


66 posted on 03/28/2012 6:54:28 PM PDT by Boomer One
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: maggief

Zimmerman 911 audio recording

http://www.sanfordfl.gov/investigation/911/call1.wav

Listen to it and tell me if you think the story line as presented fits the audio from the 911 operator?


67 posted on 03/28/2012 6:59:44 PM PDT by Texas Fossil (Government, even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dmcnash
Skittles=ecstasy
Tea= pot

At one point it was said he went to get them for his little step brother. Were they mentioned in police report?
But
tonight I read that dad and fiance’ went out to dinner and didn't get back till ten. So who took care of little brother?

68 posted on 03/28/2012 7:04:24 PM PDT by hoosiermama (Stand with God and Sarah, the Gipper and Newt will be standing next to you.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 65 | View Replies]

To: dmcnash

The media needs to go back to that convenience store and talk to the store clerk. Does the clerk remember Trayvon? Did he in fact even pay for the alleged Skittles and iced tea? Did he buy rolling papers? Did he appear to be high? What was Martin doing before he went to the convenience store? Wonder if his dad was on top of where he was and his activities...

The last few hours of Trayvon’s life leading up to his encournter with Zimmerman need to be investigated.


69 posted on 03/28/2012 7:05:46 PM PDT by somerville
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 65 | View Replies]

To: maggief
George "Trayvon" Curry.

Just another race pimp in the conga line.


70 posted on 03/28/2012 7:07:02 PM PDT by VeniVidiVici (The Democrat Ku Klux Klan is alive and well under the banner of diversity and tolerance)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: maggief

Yeah, getting your vicious thug spawn’s name trademarked for royalties is a nightmare.


71 posted on 03/28/2012 7:07:53 PM PDT by FormerACLUmember
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: somerville
Interesting ...

There's a photo on your link that states it was taken from Tray’s MySpace page. It shows a fellow with a large tattoo that takes up most of his arm.

If you click on the link there and go to the actual "TRAY" MySpace page, the fellow describes himself as 19-years old and 5 feet 8 inches. He last logged in on 3/27/12 - yesterday.

These are photos of the Tray Martin who was shot by George Zimmerman. They were taken on February 17th, nine days before his death. He has no tattoos.

No wonder Dan Linehan writes, "The picture we’re used to seeing to represent Trayvon Martin appears to be a far cry from how he actually looked once he was a few years older." Dan published photos ~ and tweets ~ of the wrong fellow!

I'm sure no one's interested in this and I'll be called a few more names, but at least I tried.

72 posted on 03/28/2012 7:08:08 PM PDT by Alice in Wonderland
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: Texas Fossil; Boomer One

Facts be damned.

This is about pushing an agenda, and ‘Obama partner’ Sharpton once again jumped the gun ... this time dragging in both the President and the Justice Department.


73 posted on 03/28/2012 7:17:53 PM PDT by maggief
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies]

To: dmcnash
Very good, that is my question. Trayvon decided to walk to a nearby 7-Eleven convenience store to pick up a bag of Skittles candy and a can of Arizona iced tea ...

What is the source of this? Is there 7-11 video? Did the police interview a 7-11 clerk? If there was skittles and tea, who says it wasn't already in the house? How far is the 7-11? Would he walk that far for candy and tea?

Sounds too cute by half.

74 posted on 03/28/2012 7:18:58 PM PDT by MileHi ( "It's coming down to patriots vs the politicians." - ovrtaxt)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 65 | View Replies]

To: maggief

Why are you posting this pack of phony facts from a far left wing rag ?
These money grabbing parents leftbthusxkid I a the city morgue for 3 days unclaimed !


75 posted on 03/28/2012 7:21:04 PM PDT by ncalburt (NO MORE WIMPS need to apply to fight the Soros Funded Puppet !H)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: maggief

“Facts be damned.”

Yes, with idiots like this you are probably right:

Comedian Race Baiter Dick Gregory: Trayvon Killed So They Could Harvest His Organs

http://weaselzippers.us/2012/03/27/comedian-race-baiter-dick-gregory-trayvon-killed-so-they-could-harvest-his-organs/#comment-598217

*Insanity* but he has people who are listening to him.


76 posted on 03/28/2012 7:26:05 PM PDT by Texas Fossil (Government, even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 73 | View Replies]

To: ncalburt

I’m glad it was posted....it went out to probably 15 million black readers of various newspapers.....


77 posted on 03/28/2012 7:29:13 PM PDT by goodnesswins (2012..."We mutually pledge our Lives, our Fortunes, and our Sacred Honor")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 75 | View Replies]

To: maggief
Has anyone bothered to look at the 7-11 CCTV tapes? Is it a fact that he was there?

This version smells on so many levels. I would never go to sleep if I did not know where my 17 year old was, especially if he did not answer his cell. I give my youngest a certain amount of time to return a text or call (usually 24 hours). Then I leave a voicemail. "As long as I pay for this phone (he is in college), you will answer if for no other reason than to let me know you are alive." All I need to do is threaten to track him down...that usually does the trick. :)

What time was the crime scene cleared? They came home and were oblivious?

Notice he had Trayvon’s GF call juvenile justice and the sheriff's dept to see if a kid had been picked up, not if there had been any accidents. Why didn't she tell him about her conversation with Trayvon?

Nephew's phone went to voicemail? Wonder where nephew was?

This has gone beyon Rev Al. He isn't that smart to orchestrate this. Someone else is pushing this story now.

78 posted on 03/28/2012 7:31:04 PM PDT by Protect the Bill of Rights
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dmcnash
This skittles thing has been rolling around in the back of my mind since the beginning. It just does not sound like something a 17 year old would make a special trip to the store for. Just not cool. So low and behold it happens to be a drug reference.

Dude. Nice catch. I've said from the beginning the Skittles reference was BS. Kid said he was going to 7/11. Closest one is almost 2miles away. It's raining.

Sanford is a drug haven. And there are spots not far from where Trayvon was staying where it would be quite easy to buy.

Girlfriend and Dad were gone. Trayvon was playing "Home Alone". Perfect time to get high.

Until proven otherwise with a pic of some Skittles and tea on the ground or a surveillance tape, which usually is on the news 24hrs after a crime, from the convenience store I do believe lil' Tray was scoring some dope.

79 posted on 03/28/2012 7:34:31 PM PDT by VeniVidiVici (The Democrat Ku Klux Klan is alive and well under the banner of diversity and tolerance)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 65 | View Replies]

To: VeniVidiVici; dmcnash

Is “Arazona Tea” a drug name too?


80 posted on 03/28/2012 7:49:46 PM PDT by hoosiermama (Stand with God and Sarah, the Gipper and Newt will be standing next to you.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 79 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 201-202 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson