<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
<meta content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" http-equiv="Content-Type">
</head>
<body text="#000000" bgcolor="#ffffff">
It's a lynch mob.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
On 3/25/2012 4:12 AM, Jenifer Cartwright wrote:
<blockquote
cite="mid:1332619923.18243.YahooMailClassic@web44905.mail.sp1.yahoo.com"
type="cite">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td
style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; -x-system-font: none;"
valign="top">Read, sign, forward widely.
<div> --Jenifer<br>
<br>
--- On <b>Fri, 3/23/12, Rashad Robinson, ColorOfChange.org <i><a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:info@colorofchange.org"><info@colorofchange.org></a></i></b>
wrote:<br>
<blockquote
style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255); margin-left: 5px; padding-left: 5px;"><br>
<i style="font-size: 10pt;">Jenifer --</i><br>
<div id="yiv1671045651"><i>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">Since Monday, you and more than
130,000 ColorOfChange members have called on the Department of Justice
to take over Trayvon Martin's case, arrest his killer, and launch an
independent investigation into the Sanford police department's
mishandling of the case. Now more than ever, we need as many people as
possible calling for justice. <b>Can you help us get to 200,000 by
asking your friends and family to join this growing nationwide effort?</b>
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">Click here to share the petition
on Facebook:
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><a moz-do-not-send="true"
rel="nofollow" target="_blank"
href="http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1232?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=1">Share
this on Facebook</a>
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">Click here to share the petition
on Twitter: </p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><a moz-do-not-send="true"
rel="nofollow" target="_blank"
href="http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1233?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=2">Share
this on Twitter</a>
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><b>On Monday evening, the Justice
Department announced it will investigate Trayvon's case as a federal
hate crime.</b> This is an important step towards justice, but we need
to keep the pressure on until Trayvon's killer is arrested and the
Sanford police department is held accountable.
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">Below is an email you can forward
that explains Trayvon Martin's tragic death and links to our petition
demanding justice. Thanks!
</p>
</i>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><i>- Rashad</i>
</p>
<hr>
<table align="right" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td id="yiv1671045651boxholder">
<table
style="border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 10px; width: 240px;"
cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 16px;" align="center"
bgcolor="#eeeeee">
<span
style="margin: 1em 0px; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><strong>Trayvon
Martin was shot dead on his way home from buying candy.</strong></span>
<p style="margin: 1em 0pt;"><a
moz-do-not-send="true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"
href="http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1216?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=3"><img
moz-do-not-send="true"
src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.colorofchange.org/images/TrayvonMartin.jpg"
alt="Trayvon Martin" border="0"></a></p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0pt;"><strong><span
style="margin: 1em 0px; font-family: Arial,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Please
join us in calling on the Dept. of Justice to arrest Trayvon's killer
and launch an investigation into Sanford's police department:</span></strong></p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0pt;"><a
moz-do-not-send="true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"
href="http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1216?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=4"><img
moz-do-not-send="true"
src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.colorofchange.org/images/btn_join_us.png"
alt="Join Us" border="0"></a></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Dear Jenifer,
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">Three weeks ago, 17-year old
Trayvon Martin was gunned down by self-appointed neighborhood watch
captain George Zimmerman. <b>Despite Zimmerman admitting to following,
confronting, and killing Trayvon, he has yet to be arrested or charged
with any crime.</b><sup>1</sup>
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">Just minutes before Trayvon was
killed, Zimmerman had called police stating that Trayvon looked
"suspicious." Trayvon was unarmed and walking back to his father's home
in Sanford, Florida when Zimmerman accosted him.
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">At the crime scene, Sanford
police botched their questioning of Zimmerman, refused to take the full
statements of witnesses, and pressured neighbors to side with the
shooter's claim of self-defense.<sup>2</sup> As it turns out, <b>Sanford's
police department has a history of failing to hold perpetrators
accountable for violent acts against Black victims, and the police
misconduct in Trayvon's case exemplifies the department's systemic
mishandling of such investigations.</b><sup>3</sup> And now, the State
Attorney's office has rubber-stamped the Sanford police's
non-investigation, claiming that there is not enough evidence to
support even a manslaughter conviction.<sup>4</sup>
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">Trayvon's family and hundreds of
thousands of people around the country are demanding justice.<sup>5</sup>
Please join us in calling on the <b>Department of Justice to take over
the case, arrest Trayvon's killer, and launch an independent
investigation into the Sanford police department's unwillingness to
protect Trayvon's civil rights. It takes just a moment:</b> </p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><a moz-do-not-send="true"
rel="nofollow" target="_blank"
href="http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1216?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=5">http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/Trayvon</a>
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">Walking home from the store
shouldn't cost you your life, but when Black youth are routinely
assumed to be violent criminals, being randomly killed is a constant
danger.<sup>6</sup> Before Zimmerman decided to get out of his parked
car — gun in tow — to pursue Trayvon on foot that night, he called the
police to identify Trayvon as a "suspicious person" — apparently
because he was wearing a hoodie and walking too slowly in the rain for
Zimmerman's liking. Despite being instructed not to follow Trayvon, <b>Zimmerman
proceeded to confront and fatally shoot the boy in the chest within a
matter of minutes.</b><sup>7</sup> </p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">The case has been compromised
from the beginning. When Sanford police arrived on the scene, Zimmerman
was first approached by a narcotics detective — not a homicide
investigator — who "peppered him with questions" rather than allowing
him to tell his story without prompting. <b>Another officer
"corrected" a witness giving a statement that she'd heard Trayvon cry
for help before he was shot, telling her she had heard Zimmerman
instead.</b><sup>8</sup> And beyond the questions of professional
competence or even the police's disregard for the facts, Florida's
notorious "Shoot First" law takes a shooter's self-defense claim at
face value — incentivizing law enforcement not to make arrests in
shooting deaths that would lead to murder charges in other states.<sup>9</sup>
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">Sanford has a history of not
prosecuting when the victim is Black. In 2010, the white son of a
Sanford police lieutenant was let go by police after assaulting a
homeless Black man outside a downtown bar. And, in 2005, a Black
teenager was killed by two white security guards, one the son of a
Sanford Police officer. The pair was arrested and charged, but a judge
later cited lack of evidence and dismissed both cases.<sup>10</sup>
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><b>Please join us in calling on
the Department of Justice to arrest Trayvon's killer and launch an
investigation into the Sanford police department's mishandling of the
case and when you do, ask your friends and family to do the same:</b>
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><a moz-do-not-send="true"
rel="nofollow" target="_blank"
href="http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1216?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=6">http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/Trayvon</a>
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">Thanks and Peace,</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">-- Rashad, Gabriel, Dani, Matt,
Natasha, Kim and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team<br>
March 19th, 2012</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><strong>Help support our work. </strong>ColorOfChange.org
is powered by YOU—your energy and dollars. We take no money from
lobbyists or large corporations that don't share our values, and our
tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute
here:</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;"><a moz-do-not-send="true"
rel="nofollow" target="_blank"
href="http://act.colorofchange.org/go/205?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=7">http://www.colorofchange.org/donate</a></p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">
References
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">1. "Witnesses in Trayvon Martin
death heard cries before shot," Miami Herald, 03-15-12
<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"
href="http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1228?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=8">http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1228?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=9</a>
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">2. "Orlando Watch Shooting Probe
Reveals Questionable Police Conduct," ABC News, 03-13-12
<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"
href="http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1219?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=10">http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1219?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=11</a>
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">3. "Trayvon Martin Case Salts Old
Wounds And Racial Tension," Huffington Post, 03-14-12
<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"
href="http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1220?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=12">http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1220?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=13</a>
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">4. "Police: No Grounds For Arrest
in Trayvon Martin's Death," WESH-2 Orlando, 03-16-12
<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"
href="http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1227?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=14">http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1227?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=15</a>
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">5. “Trayvon Martin Family Seeks
FBI Investigation of Killing by Neighborhood Watchman,” ABC News,
03-18-12
<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"
href="http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1221?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=16">http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1221?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=17</a>
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">6. "Ramarley Graham: NYPD Slays
Unarmed Black Teen as Outrage over Targeting of People of Color Grows,"
Democracy Now!, 02-08-12
<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"
href="http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1222?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=18">http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1222?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=19</a>
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">7. “Trayvon Martin would be alive
if Neighborhood Watch rules followed,” Orlando Sentinel, 03-14-12
<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"
href="http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1223?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=20">http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1223?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=21</a>
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">8. See reference 2.
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">9. "Teen's death suggests review
of 'Stand Your Ground Law' needed," Tallahassee Democrat, 03-16-12
<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"
href="http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1224?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=22">http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1224?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=23</a>
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;">10. "Five years since Florida
enacted 'stand-your-ground' law, justifiable homicides are up, Tampa
Bay Times, 10-17-10
<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"
href="http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1225?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=24">http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1225?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk&t=25</a>
</p>
<p style="margin: 1em 0px;"></p>
<p style="font-size: small;"> <br>
<br>
</p>
<img moz-do-not-send="true"
src="http://act.colorofchange.org/o.gif?akid=2385.394109._Rxyyk"></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<pre wrap="">
<hr size="4" width="90%">
_______________________________________________
Peace-discuss mailing list
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net">Peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss">http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss</a>
</pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
</body>
</html>