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Of course, it was self-defense, but not by George Zimmerman. Let's forget blackness, racism, neighborhood watches and location for a moment and simplify the story. Let's say a person spots someone he has a perceived beef with; maybe this person doesn't like the way the other guy looks, or the way the other guy looked at someone else, or doesn't want him around his neighborhood, or this person is just out for trouble. Now this person follows the other guy slowly in his car for a while, ultimately getting out and confronting him. Maybe he even pushes the other guy...

A St. Paul, Minn., man is in a coma today, fighting for his life after a black mob beat him, stripped his clothes off and left him for dead. Even if he recovers, he will have permanent brain damage. Ads by Google Ray Widstrand thought he had nothing to fear from moving into a black neighborhood on the East Side of St. Paul. This young white guy and aspiring filmmaker thought he had nothing to fear when decided to take a Sunday night stroll through his adopted part of town. Nothing to fear from a crowd of 50 black people...

Four young males have been arrested after the senseless, brutal beating of a man on a late-night walk Sunday on St. Paul's East Side, police said Friday. The victim, Ray Widstrand, 26, of St. Paul, reportedly was in critical condition at Regions Hospital with potentially fatal brain swelling. Police found Widstrand lying on the ground, bleeding from his nose and mouth, his pants removed and shirt torn, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Ramsey County attorney's office. "He's in the most difficult time right now, as far as swelling and cranial pressure. We're in that critical time," his...

About 40 percent of white Americans and about 25 percent of non-white Americans are surrounded exclusively by friends of their own race, according to an ongoing Reuters/Ipsos poll. The figures highlight how segregated the United States remains in the wake of a debate on race sparked by last month’s acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting of unarmed black Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. President Barack Obama weighed in after the verdict, calling for Americans to do some “soul searching” on whether they harbor racial prejudice. There are regions and groups where mixing with people of other races is more common,...

The issue is beyond race and Florida’s ‘Stand Your Ground’ law. George Zimmerman’s fear of Trayvon Martin led to murder and his acquittal. Since fear for his life, even if unreasonable, allowed Zimmerman to walk free. Then, what of other fear-based prejudices? Last year, in Jacksonville, FL, Jordan Davis, 17, African American, and unarmed, was killed in a mall parking lot, while sitting in his car. Michael David Dunn, 46, White, claims Davis pointed a shotgun after Dunn told Davis to turn down his music. Dunn shot his 9mm into Davis’ car and sped away. Now charged with first degree...

ORLANDO, Fla. - An eye-grabbing mural showing a picture of a man shooting a likeness of Trayvon Martin was unveiled Friday at the state Capitol. The message of the 100-foot mural, created by Miami artist Huong, is "We are all Trayvon Martin." The mural shows a man who looks similar to George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch leader who shot and killed Martin in February 2012 and was later acquitted in the teen's death, shooting a person wearing a hoodie. There's a mirror in the mural where Martin's face would be so visitors can see themselves as the teen. The mural...

If Councilman Nick Mosby has his way, Baltimore government would boycott Florida-based businesses in protest to the state's stand-your-ground law after George Zimmerman's acquittal. Mosby intends to file a resolution on Monday to encourage city agencies and investment boards to avoid doing business with companies in the Sunshine State. He hopes that would pressure the legislature there to rethink a law that allows individuals to use lethal force, if necessary, to defend themselves in public places. The resolution also calls on city officials to avoid traveling to Florida or attending events in the state. "Ultimately, the purpose of the legislation...

Miami Heat star Dwayne Wade shared a photo Tuesday on his Instagram of a new Ebony magazine cover featuring him and his two sons, showing support for Trayvon Martin. On the cover of the Sept. 2013 issue of Ebony, Wade and his two sons, Zaire and Zion, are seen wearing gray hoodies. Underneath them is text that reads "We are Trayvon."

The "not guilty" verdict for George Zimmerman's killing of Trayvon Martin did not come as a surprise to African Americans or anyone familiar with the US justice system. Ultimately, the trial was theatre because the decision to clear Zimmerman was effectively made the same day that he shot Trayvon, a 17-year-old African American. Footage of the "arrest" of Zimmerman showed him walking into the police station without handcuffs, even though it was not disputed that he had shot and killed an unarmed teenager. The police knew, from Zimmerman's own 911 calls, that he had stalked Trayvon. They knew that Zimmerman...

A viral video showing the beating of a 13-year-old white boy by three African-American youths in Florida has left hundreds of thousands of viewers horrified, but critics say the case doesn't seem to be attracting much sympathy from self-styled civil rights activists. In the chilling video, three 15-year-old boys repeatedly beat and kick a victim police said was left with a broken arm and two black eyes. Although Florida came under fire in the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting and George Zimmerman's acquittal by activists Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson - who called it an "apartheid state" - neither...

The response was predictable, even to those who had maintained hope for a different outcome. After the jury found George Zimmerman not guilty of murdering Trayvon Martin, many cities erupted into protests of what was perceived as a fundamentally unfair and racially-biased verdict that was the result of a broken justice system. Among those protesting that Zimmerman should be punished, some admitted that the flaw was actually found within the Florida law which departs significantly from the common law by allowing individuals who initiate confrontations to use deadly force to defend themselves without a duty to escape. Florida's Stand Your...

President Barack Obama discussed Edward Snowden, the health care law, Hillary Clinton and Russia during a Tuesday visit to "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." But Obama´s comments about the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin had special local interest. George Zimmerman was acquitted last month of murder in the teen´s death in Sanford. Some Americans have criticized Obama previously for commenting on the issue, but Leno said that the president had spoken eloquently and from the heart about Trayvon´s death. "I think all of us were troubled by what happened," Obama told Leno.

According to Essence magazine, the GRAMMY Award winning gospel dou Mary Mary will Join Stevie Wonder in his Florida concert boycott following the acquittal of former neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman. "We will stand with Stevie Wonder & boycott Florida until the Stand Your Ground Law is changed," the pair reportedly told their Twitter followers. The pair explained "We love our fans but we MUST do something. We understand that a No from us isn't as big as a 'No' from Stevie Wonder, but if all our voices join together we can REALLY change things." Before the announcement, Mary Mary singer...

The acquittal of George Zimmerman, like the O.J. Simpson acquittal years ago, calls into question the validity of the jury system. Perhaps it’s time to replace it with panels of legal experts or with a smart computer like Watson, the world champion of chess and Jeopardy. The practice of asking peers, or jurors, to sit in judgment has been around since ancient Greece and Rome. This was to provide a check and balance against tyrants or government-sanctioned officials. It was devised to tap collective wisdom as opposed to allowing one individual to determine the fate of another. Unfortunately, juries fall...

Last year, our son Trayvon Martin was stalked, chased down and killed by George Zimmerman, and Zimmerman faced no punishment whatsoever. That's in large part because Florida is one of at least 21 states with some form of 'Stand Your Ground' law, which enables people like George Zimmerman to claim self-defense.

Los Angeles - Following a unanimous L. A. City Council resolution calling for a civil rights investigation into George Zimmerman’s shooting of Trayvon Martin, Angelinos again rallied, demanding Zimmerman be jailed for what many Angelinos see as a cold-blooded murder On July 31, 2013, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously (13-0) adopted a resolution calling on federal prosecutors to investigate possible civil rights violations in Trayvon Martin’s death. But according to Pastor Jonathon Moseley, the resolution didn't go far enough. The crowd at the August 3rd Pershing Square rally strongly agreed with the Pastor. The event was attended by people...

I am an 84-year-old angry Black man. I am Mississippi born, Mississippi bred and Mississippi fled. I am the son of former slaves. My parents and I rode in the back of the bus. We rode in the front of the trains. We drank from water fountains designated for coloreds only. We picked cotton in fields owned by White people. My parents attended separate but equal schools in Mississippi. I attended separate but equal schools in Mississippi and in Oakland, California. My wife was educated in Oakland public schools and at the University of California at Berkeley. She could not...

On Friday, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) announced a national initiative it titles “Trayvon’s Law,” designed to “end racial profiling, repeal stand your ground laws, form effective civil complaint review boards to provide oversight of police misconduct, improve training for community watch groups, mandate law enforcement to collect data on homicide cases involving non-whites, and address the school to prison pipeline,” according to CEO Ben Jealous. Jealous said, “What happened to Trayvon Martin must never happen again. Trayvon’s Law will serve as the foundation for community advocates as they work to end laws and practices...

Gulfport, Florida police released video of a horrible racial beating on a school bus. A white student is seen brutally beaten by three older black teens as he stood up to leave the bus. The boy suffered two black eyes, bruising and a broken hand. WFLA reported, via Free Republic: Gulfport police recently released surveillance video from a school bus that shows the bus driver’s perspective of a beating earlier this month. In the video from July 9th, the victim is sitting in the second seat of the Pinellas school bus with his head down. The violence starts as soon...

A photo of the author On the day of college graduation, I told my friends and family the news: I was leaving the country I had lived in since childhood. “I just need a change,” I told them, but they knew there was more. Was it some romance gone awry, they wondered? Some impulsive response to a broken heart? And I was running from heartbreak. My relationship with the United States of America is the most tumultuous relationship I have ever had, and it ended with the heart-rending realization that a country I loved and believed in did not love...

In a recent article I called for economic sanctions against Florida to compel business and political leaders in that state to change the “Stand Your Ground Law” that provided the basis for the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. There are times when there is a convergence of ideas, a meeting of minds, such that a particular strategy has the potential to galvanize a movement. This appears to be one of those times. The idea of boycotting Florida is not a Ron Daniels idea or Institute of the Black World 21st Century (IBW) call. Rather,...

GULFPORT, FL - Gulfport police recently released surveillance video from a school bus that shows the bus driver's perspective of a beating earlier this month. In the video from July 9th, the victim is sitting in the second seat of the Pinellas school bus with his head down. The violence starts as soon as he stands-up to get off the bus. The bus driver, John Moody can be heard yelling for somebody to try to stop them and calls dispatch for help, "I got a fight. I need help in a hurry, I got a fight I need help in...

"Today... I'm proud to be an American.” – Robert Zimmerman Jr., on Twitter, following his brother's acquittal An ABC News-Washington Post poll reveals that a full two-thirds of white Americans believe that Trayvon Martin’s killing was justifiable. Therefore, that same two-thirds of white folks also believe that George Zimmerman's acquittal in the second degree murder trial against him was also justifiable. Historian and activist Paul Street writes in BlackAgendaReport.com that these poll numbers reflect the “separateness in perspective that reflects very real, savage, and profound, literal segregation” of the races in America. “That’s a lot more than just the segment...

http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/neighborhoods/crime-rates/25-most-dangerous-neighborhoods/ Even the most dangerous cities in America can have relatively safe neighborhoods, as there is more variation in crime within most cities than between cities. But using exclusive data developed by NeighborhoodScout, and based on FBI data from all 17,000 local law enforcement agencies in America, we here report those specific neighborhoods in America that have the highest predicted rates of violent crime per 1,000 neighborhood residents of all. Violent crimes include murder, forcible rape, armed robbery, and aggravated assault. These neighborhoods are the epicenters of violence in America, where social issues are likely to ignite into violence and...

After George Zimmerman was found not guilty for the murder of Trayvon Martin, there was an effort by the Buckeye Firearms Foundation to raise money to get Zimmerman another gun. They raised over $12,000 for Zimmerman, and on CNN tonight, Ken Hanson defended his group’s aim to Piers Morgan, who repeatedly confronted him about how he would feel if Zimmerman went out with his gun and shot someone again. Hanson explained it wasn’t just a gun they got for Zimmerman, it was ammunition, training, personal protection, and a few other things so he could defend himself and his family. Morgan...

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A man is brutally attacked by a group of teens in Little Italy. Police say four of the attackers are in custody. Three of them are juveniles. ... The suspects range in age from 16 to 19, but police say because of the brutality of the crime, the minors aren’t being charged lightly. “The fact that they broke this gentleman’s jaw, the decision was made and they are going to be charged as adults,” said Sgt. Eric Kowalczyk, Baltimore City Police.

On Saturday, more than 75 people gathered for a rally to protest the Trayvon Martin verdict, a week late due to rain last weekend, in Marietta, Ga., but within the crowd, some of those in attendance were members of the radical Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) who have called for a revolution. Shortly after the verdict, the Revolutionary Communist Party went on a verbal rampage on their official website even to the point of calling the police officers ”pigs” and calling for a revolution to overthrow the U.S. government and replace the U.S. Constitution with a socialist government. The RPC said,...

the moment that he heard the mother, Sybrina Fulton say after they asked her whose voice was that she heard on the tape and she responded, “That is my son Trayon Benjamin Martin!” it was at that very moment that the Holy Spirit moved in Frankie Smith and the song was born. . . Copies are being distributed to key players including the Rev. Al Sharpton’s office to possibly assist with costs for the late Trayvon’s mother.

Normally when Bishop Samuel Kelsey talks about sodas and candy in July it is in the context of the Vacation Bible School at the New Samaritan Baptist Church in Northeast Washington. But Wednesday afternoon Kelsey and a host of District community and church leaders listened as Trayvon Martin’s father talked about the Skittles and tea his son was carrying just before he was fatally shot by George Zimmerman. “What can we do as parents, what can we do as African Americans?” Martin asked during the hearing, “to ensure that our kids that don’t have to be afraid to walk out...

A Bethesda man was beaten and robbed early Saturday morning in Adams Morgan by three men who yelled, “This is for Trayvon Martin,” before attacking him, police said. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime and robbery, according to D.C. police spokesman Araz Alali. Three black men approached an adult white male from behind while he was walking in the 1700 block of Euclid Street NW at 1:26 a.m. Saturday, police said.

“Even though I am broken hearted my faith is unshattered.” Tracy Martin, father of Trayvon MartinWe were stunned by the outrageous not guilty verdict reached by a jury of six women in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. We have been following this case since February 26, 2012 – the day unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon, who was Black, was gunned down by George Zimmerman, a White-Hispanic Sanford, Fla. neighborhood watch captain. With no reasonable grounds, Zimmerman assumed Trayvon was a suspicious person, disobeyed police instructions, followed him, fought with him and fatally shot him. From the beginning, the Florida criminal justice...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Singer and entertainer Harry Belafonte on Friday called on Florida Gov. Rick Scott to listen to protesters who are asking for a special legislative session to examine the state's self-defense laws after the acquittal of George Zimmerman. Protesters have occupied the Capitol since July 15 - or three days after a jury cleared Zimmerman of charges in the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. The group wants Scott to call a special session so legislators can change the state's contentious "stand your ground" law but Scott has steadfastly refused. Belafonte - who had never been to Tallahassee previously...

When police officers locked the doors to the state Capitol at the end of business Thursday more than 100 protesters remained inside. Among the group were about 30 high school students and young adults from Philadelphia and at least six pastors from across the state, all planning to spend the night with the Dream Defenders. “We’re writing the story of our generation right now,” Gabriel Pendes, a Dream Defender organizer, told the group as it gathered around the Great Seal of the State of Florida for a pep talk and prayer, and to hear the rules of engagement. “We want...

The black mob in Baltimore did not get the message. Ads by Google Or maybe the video was misleading. Maybe the white person in the video being chased and beaten Saturday night by a black mob in Baltimore said something, did something, to antagonize his attackers. Maybe he followed them. Maybe he profiled them. He’s not talking at the moment. He’s just out of surgery for a broken jaw. But this victim was no neighborhood watchman. He was just a waiter going home after working the evening shift at a local wine bar. Maybe the woman they attacked soon before...

So, George Zimmerman was scared the night he shot Trayvon Martin through the heart. Know who else was probably pretty scared that night? Trayvon Martin. Surprised I’m asking? Me too. But it seems like a lot of people haven’t thought much about that. Obviously, Trayvon isn’t here to tell us how he felt. He’s dead. And a lot of folks disregarded Rachel Jeantel’s account of him being afraid even though she was the last person to hear Trayvon speak (besides Zimmerman). She heard his fear through the phone. She heard him try to run away. He was scared. And yet...

Just as they did during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, last Saturday’s demonstrations in more than 100 cities around the nation to protest the not guilty verdict for George Zimmerman on charges that he murdered 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, many ministers were in the forefront of protests at federal buildings in their communities. They started off by standing with Rev. Al Sharpton who announced plans to contest “Stand Your Ground” laws in Florida and 28 other states. More than 20 Black clergy leaders joined Sharpton last week in front of the Justice Department in Washington, D.C. to express their...

Her words, not mine. Alice Walker is the author of The Color Purple, The Color Purple, The Color Purple, and probably some other books. She also has some really awesome ideas about science. But first things first. Last week, Walker wrote about her deliberately factless, emotion-based reaction to the George Zimmerman verdict. It was on the Guardian‘s “Comment Is Free” blog, because of course it was: "I deliberately watched none of the Zimmerman trial, just as I have deliberately not read a draft of a new book by Jen Marlowe and others, soon to be published: I Am Troy Davis,...

The family rescued by George Zimmerman after a rollover crash in Florida are terrified they will become targets for hate mobs who have made death threats to the neighborhood vigilante. Mark and Dana Michelle Gerstle told friends they do not want to talk publicly about Zimmerman for fear they will be accused of portraying him as a hero - and face a backlash from those who consider he got away with murder. 'They are very grateful to Zimmerman for what he did, but they do not want to get involved,' said a friend, who asked not to be named. 'There...

TALLAHASSEE -- When the young activists known as the Dream Defenders marched into Gov. Rick Scott’s office last week, few observers expected the group to attract much attention. But seven days later, the Dream Defenders have proven hard to ignore. What began as a modest protest has morphed into a week-long occupation of the Florida Capitol. The organizers, most of whom are college students and young professionals, say they are prepared to stay for weeks or even months — as long as it takes for Scott to call a special session on racial profiling and the state’s controversial Stand Your...

Here's video of Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, at the National Action Network headquarters this weekend right before a series of nationwide rallies protesting the acquittal of her son's killer, George Zimmerman. "I am still the proud mother of Trayvon Martin," she told the crowd. "Today it was my son, tomorrow it might be yours." Fulton said she believed her 17-year-old son had been "afraid" when he was approached by Zimmerman. "He had no clue who this guy was that was following him in a car, and then got out of his vehicle and then followed him on...

LEFTIST PLANT INFILTRATES HOUSTON PRO-ZIMMERMAN RALLY– Liberal Media runs with it A photo from the Houston pro-Zimmerman counter-rally of the NBPP anti-Zimmerman rally picked up by the AP shows a woman holding a sign that read, “Racist & Proud.” That looked incongruent with the other reports from the pro-Zimmerman side. The Houston Chronicle identified her as Renee Vaughan: One woman in the Zimmerman group held a sign that said, “We’re racist & proud.” Austin resident Renee Vaughan echoed the sign’s ugly sentiments by yelling, “We’re racist. We’re proud. We’re better because we’re white,” at the Martin group as they passed,...

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Trayvon Martin’s parent’s settlement with the Retreat at Twin Lakes Home Owner’s Association is believed to be higher than $1 million. . . . In the same time frame the lawsuit was filed, Sybrina Fulton also filed two petitions to patent and trademark Trayvon Martin merchandise including the phrases “I Am Trayvon” and “‘Justice For Trayvon.” Such Trayvon Martin merchandise is turning out to be quite lucrative for many seeking to profit from the George Zimmerman trial by pandering to both sides of the issue. While Sybrina Fulton already had a $68,768 salary with...

'He is a very quiet man and will not like having his name mentioned all over the press. I am sure he is very grateful to Zimmerman but he is not the type you will see on a chat show talking about what happened.' ... 'Mark has two young children and has got to live his life round here. Why would he want to mark himself out. 'Whatever he says could be taken out of context. If he praises Zimmerman then people will say he is making him into a hero. It is easier if he says nothing.'

Oh, Craigslist. You are so helpful for finding last-minute tickets, used vinyl records, and perfectly good furniture. You’re also good for reminding us that ridiculous people exist. In this case, specifically, people who enjoy watching actors role-play the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin altercation at a birthday party on Long Island. “HI MY FRIENDS AND I ARE HAVING A PARTY THIS WEEKEND AND WE ARE LOOKING TO HIRE TWO ACTORS TO COME IN AND ROLE PLAY THE TREVYON MARTIN/GEORGE ZIMMERMAN ALTERCATION,” the spelling-error-laden advertisement reads screams in all-caps. The ad doesn’t specify whether the actors should be lookalikes or just people of...

Police are investigating after a well-known businessman was allegedly savagely beaten by a group of teenagers in New Haven. The street shows no sign of the attack, but folks who saw it can't forget it. "Bleeding everywhere," said New Haven resident Rhea Brown, "he had blood all over him and it was like everyone just came to his aid." It was 49-year-old Brooks Macquarrie lying in the street, part of family-owned New Haven Power Sports. He was test driving a motor scooter he had just fixed, at the corner of Goffe and Orchard, when five to six teens apparently pulled...

A black teen mob beat local businessman Brooks Macquarrie in New Haven last week. They broke his ribs, his nose, his arm and then stole his motorbike. It was the latest beating by a black teen mob that is getting no national press. It doesn’t fit the narrative. (VIDEO-AT-LINK) PD: teens beat businessman, stole scooter The local news channel would not reveal the race of the perpetrators. News 8 reported: Police are investigating after a well-known businessman was allegedly savagely beaten by a group of teenagers in New Haven. The street shows no sign of the attack, but folks who...

UPDATE: 7:55 PM EST: The march ended without any major acts of violence. There were tussles, but the Houston Police Department did a great job keeping things from escalating. At one point there was a disagreement between the New Black Panther Party and fellow marchers from the Occupy movement. One of the Occupy protesters began marching in front of Quanell X, so a few Panthers asked the man to move--to let Quanell lead. The Occupy member said he didn't see why Quanell X had to be in the front. At the end of the event, people recognized Breitbart News' Brandon...

President Obama, America’s first half-black, half-white president, went to the White House podium last week to address the nation’s most racially divisive case since Rodney King. But he wasn’t there to calm the country. And he certainly wasn’t there to start some “conversation” on race — he doesn’t find those “particularly productive,” he said, what with all the listening. Instead, he came out unannounced to the briefing room to talk about “how people are feeling.” Not all people, mind you, just black people — and especially, as always, himself. “Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago,” said the...

Matthew Bohannon, 19 (L) and his brother Andrew Bohannon, 24 (R) were the latest victims of black on white violence. The brothers were shot and killed outside a Golden Corral Sunday night by four black youths. (FCN)Newt Gingrich correctly pointed out today that gang membership has grown by 40% since Barack Obama was elected.There were approximately 1 million gang members in 2008 in the United States, an astonishing number. The FBI reported: Approximately 1 million gang members belonging to more than 20,000 gangs were criminally active within all 50 states and the District of Columbia as of September 2008. Today...

The DeLand gun shop owner who offered George Zimmerman a free handgun to replace the one being held as evidence by the Department of Justice said he is now receiving death threats. Pat Johnson, who is president of Pompano Pat's, told the News-Journal on Sunday that "the violence needs to end" and that his offer to give Zimmerman a replacement Kel-Tec PF-9 is neither racially nor politically motivated. Nor, Johnson said, is it a publicity stunt. But a local religious leader said the offer is only ramping up tension. The offer was made after Johnson said he heard media reports...