PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EDITION
Volume 121 No. 50
JULY 20, 2013 - JULY 26, 2013
Zimmerman Verdict: How Right, How Wrong?
Acquittal Stirs Disbelief, Anger By Talib Babb and Courtney Jacobs AFRO Staff Writers
Prominent Black Lawyers Debate the Stunning Outcome By Zenitha Prince Special to the AFRO Black legal experts have conflicting opinions on the outcome of the trial of George Zimmerman, who was accused of killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin during an altercation on the night of Feb. 26, 2012, in Sanford, Fla. A six-member, all-female jury comprising five Whites
a manslaughter conviction was too much to hope for. “I didn’t think there was any chance for Trayvon to get justice,” said Warren Brown, a well-known criminal defense lawyer, who has practiced in Baltimore for 33 years. He added, “And unfortunately what happened to Trayvon happens all the doggone time in thousands of cases per week in courts around the country. It is reality.” Some of the experts agreed that race had a significant, though insidious, role in the case’s result. “Even though race was Warren Brown never explicitly mentioned, it was pretty obvious that it was on everyone’s mind. It was the elephant in the room for sure, and the defense took advantage of that,” said Ivey, also a former federal prosecutor, who is currently practicing criminal defense law with a Washington, D.C.-based firm. “If this had been the other way around, if Trayvon Martin had been accused of killing George Zimmerman and had stood trial before an all-White jury, Martin would have been convicted, at least on manslaughter.” A. Dwight Pettit, a renowned Black attorney who has practiced law in Baltimore for four decades, agreed that race played a role, as evidenced in the jury selection, which he believes was a pivotal factor to the trial’s outcome. Continued on A4
“…unfortunately what happened to Trayvon happens all the doggone time in thousands of cases per week in courts around the country. It is reality.” —Attorney and one Hispanic on July 13 acquitted the 29-year-old on the charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the shooting death of the unarmed Black teen. The verdict has spawned both satisfaction and outrage, with crowds taking to the streets around the country, decrying the case’s underlying issues of racial profiling and equal justice. “A lot of people in our community are still stunned by the outcome, including me,” said Glenn Ivey, 52, former state’s attorney for Prince George’s County, “I never thought they would get a second-degree murder charge out of this but I thought there was enough information to support manslaughter.” Most legal experts agree that second-degree murder was a stretch, given the evidence. But some, unlike Ivey, said even
INSIDE A3
Double Loss for Trayvon Martin’s Family
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Deltas’ Centennial Celebration
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Days after George Zimmerman’s acquittal July 13 by a Florida jury of manslaughter and second-degree murder charges a wide range of emotions surfaced among Americans, especially African Americans, many of whom condemned the release of the admitted killer of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Amid widespread demonstrations in U.S. towns and cities, mostly non-violent protests with a handful of arrests, there was anger and shock that a 29-year-old neighborhood watch volunteer could encounter an unarmed teenager, shoot and kill him and escape criminal conviction. “I was in disbelief when I read the words not guilty.
How can someone not be guilty of killing someone?” said Habibah Hall, a mother of two children, who was at home when she saw the news. Hall told the AFRO she also believes anger is building and that there may be some kind of violent reaction to this verdict somewhere in the United States of America. Her friend Natasha, who was sitting next to her when the verdict was announced, told the AFRO, “This young man’s life is no longer here because of the act [Zimmerman] committed.” Natasha said she hopes that justice will be served somehow. Micah Perry, 19-year-old District Heights resident, was in his living room on his laptop waiting for the verdict. Perry was surprisingly not shocked by the outcome. Perry said, “We’ve devised and revised our legal system to convict the guilty based on irrefutable evidence so that nobody else is incorrectly declared guilty.” Perry’s family was also not surprised by the outcome, due to the Continued on A4
Blacks Who Stand Their Ground Often Imprisoned Florida’s Astounding Inconsistent ‘Stand Your Ground’ Application By Zenitha Prince Special to the AFRO The recent acquittal of neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman in the shooting death of 17-yearold unarmed Trayvon Martin has led to intense scrutiny of Florida’s ‘Stand Your Ground’ law, on which Zimmerman’s defense was based, and similar “no retreat” selfdefense laws and their impact on people of color. “I think the Trayvon
Martin case highlighted the racial inequalities that exist in American society,” said Brendan Fischer, general counsel of the Center for Media and Democracy. “It is a symbol of how the American justice system devalues the lives of people of color. [And], ‘Stand Your Ground’ has embedded a lot of these injustices into the system. Statistics have shown its application has been anything but equitable.” Supported by the National
Rifle Association, “Stand Your Ground” was passed by the Florida legislature in 2005. The measure turned age-old self-defense principle on its head by allowing persons to use deadly force to defend themselves, without first trying to retreat, if they have a reasonable belief that they face a threat. The law’s template was then adopted by the American Legislative Exchange Council, a nonprofit organization made up of
The Deltas Significantly Impact the Capital Centennial Celebration Bathes Washington in a Crimson and Cream Sea of Activity By Blair Adams and Ariel Medley AFRO Staff Writers As members of the world’s largest African-American women’s Greek-letter organization descended on the nation’s capital in a mid-July blanket of crimson and cream, it became clear to even the most baffled tourist that the women of Delta Sigma Theta are a force to be reckoned with. More than a century after being the only Black group in the historic Women’s Suffrage March in 1913, an estimated 40,000 Deltas swarmed Washington D.C. from July 11 to July 17, for their 51st national convention—and 100th birthday. Inside the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Northwest D.C. July 15, and
throughout the city, thousands of women, many of whom had traveled thousands of miles for the event, created a sea of the sorority’s colors as they celebrate Delta’s 100th anniversary. “We are here celebrating years of sisterhood and community service,” said Beverly Goss, who pledged in 1994 and traveled from New Jersey. She said, “It’s great to see all of our college educated black women come together and let the world know that we are Delta Sigma Theta.” The weeklong celebration began July 11with the lighting of the Delta Torch at Howard University, where the sorority was founded. Throughout the week, sorority sisters attended step shows, committee meetings, “shopping time”, heard music from the Delta Choir and attended a
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corporations, foundations and legislators that advance federalist and conservative public policies, authorities said. Since Florida passed the law, similar measures have been introduced in one form or another in about 30 states, usually those with state legislatures dominated by Republicans. “That law gives lawand-order activists, rightwingers and vigilantes an arguable basis for defense and opens up a pathway for
unjust dispositions of justice because it allows civilians to shoot first and make certain determinations later,” said Dwight Pettit, 67, a renowned Black attorney in Baltimore. Pettit drew comparisons to police-involved shootings of African Americans when the officers make claims such as “I was in fear for my life,” or “I thought he was reaching for his gun,” and are exonerated. He said he discusses the phenomenon in his soon-toContinued on A4
AFRO to Host Obamacare Forums By AFRO Staff Forget about fifth grade; are you smarter than a fourth grader or even a third grader? Chances are good that if you were on the popular quiz show and were asked anything about Obamacare and the upcoming changes to your family’s health insurance, you’d know about as much as most grownups: not too much. Making matters worse, rumors about Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act, as it’s officially known, have been flying around like pigeons in downtown Baltimore since before President Obama signed this bill into law in 2010. One of the first rumors had to do with death panels of bureaucrats who would have the power to decide questions of life and death. Exaggerated lie. Maybe you heard the one about the microchip, which when implanted in your hand would allow the government to know all your personal business and track your whereabouts. We checked; not true. Have you heard that the IRS is coming after your home if you don’t sign up for Obamacare. Not true, at least mostly not true. The scare tactics have gotten ugly at times. That’s why the Afro American Newspapers will be informing you about everything you’ll need to know to protect the health and wellbeing of yourself and your family. We will feature reliable information about what to do, when, and who to call if you need help in our newspapers, on our Continued on A3
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