Why are Black men always on trial?

[Asif Ali Zardari]

http://www.bet.com/news/national/2013/05/31/commentary-why-are-black-men-always-on-trial.html
When the Trayvon Martin case finally gets started in the next two weeks, George Zimmerman's defense team will be barred from mentioning Trayvon’s marijuana use, past fights or high school suspension. A judge in Florida wisely denied those defense requests that would have effectively put Martin on trial instead of Zimmerman.

"Trayvon Martin did not get out of the car to chase anybody," said Benjamin Crump, the Martin family lawyer. "Trayvon Martin did not shoot and kill anybody. Trayvon Martin is not on trial," he told reporters.


Because Zimmerman had no knowledge of Martin's background when he shot and killed the unarmed 17-year-old in Sanford, Florida, last year, none of the information his defense team wants to introduce about Martin is relevant to the murder trial. All that Zimmerman knew at the time is that Martin was a young Black male in his neighborhood. But as Black men know too well, that's all it takes for society to see us as suspicious.


We saw that again this week when police in another part of Florida arrested a 14-year-old Black kid with a puppy at Miami's Haulover Beach. A police officer put Tremaine McMillian in a chokehold and slammed him to the ground to restrain the child (who looks like he weighs all of 120 pounds) because they said he gave them "dehumanizing stares."


“Of course we have to neutralize the threat,” Miami-Dade Police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta calmly told reporters. Police freely disclosed that the young McMillian had been arrested once before, although the officer at the beach had no knowledge of this prior arrest at the time of the incident, and it's not even clear that McMillian was ever convicted of anything.


Does a prior arrest prove criminal intent or evidence of wrongdoing? If so, then perhaps Florida police should have been more suspicious of Zimmerman, who, unlike Trayvon, had been previously arrested for resisting a police officer with violence and separately accused of domestic violence. But Zimmerman wasn't a young Black man. We're treated differently by society.


Of course, it's not just Florida. This week, police arrested Arlington County, Virginia, sheriff's deputy Craig Patterson and charged him with murdering 22-year-old Julian Dawkins, a young Black man who worked as a driver for PBS NewsHour. The details are still emerging, but once again another African-American man has fallen victim to violence from law enforcement.


It happens up north, too. In Philadelphia, Blacks make up just 44 percent of the population but more than 72 percent of the people stopped by police. And in New York City, the number of police stops has risen from 100,000 in 2002 to nearly 700,000 in 2011, most of them minorities.


Some argue that police stops are an inevitable indignity that Black men should just ignore. That's easy to say for people who haven't been profiled. But a few years ago, I too was stopped by a police officer in a Harlem subway station and accused of illegally jumping the turnstiles.


The officer gruffly demanded to see my subway card and insisted that he had personally watched me sneak onto the subway platform, which I clearly had not done. After protesting for a moment, I provided my card to him. He had it swiped to see when it was last used, and just as I told him, the card showed I had used it to enter the subway station moments earlier. The officer apologized only after an elderly bystander recognized me from television and told him I was a TV commentator and former White House aide.


But what about the Black men who don't have friends in high places?


Trayvon Martin and Tremaine McMillian may not have been perfect in their lives, but it probably wouldn't matter to some police officers if they had been. As we learned from the cases of Skip Gates and Amadou Diallo, racial suspicion transcends age, educational status or criminal background. Whether you're a 58-year-old Harvard professor walking into your home in Cambridge or a 23-year-old immigrant from Guinea walking into your apartment in the Bronx, you're still a suspect in the eyes of society.


That's a problem not just for Black men, but for all Americans.


Keith Boykin is a New York Times best-selling author and former White House aide to President Clinton. He attended Harvard Law School with President Barack Obama and currently serves as a TV political commentator. He writes political commentary for BET.com each week.



Good read. It's 2013 and our brothers are still fighting for equality. What a shame.

I am from Virginia and I live in Philadelphia now so I can attest to the ongoing racism against Blacks.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

Tbh Jorge Zimmerman is a longshot to get convicted for killing Martin but maybe his lawyers think otherwise if they're desperate enough to go after martins character when it's totally irrelevant to the trial.

[The Reckoning]

BET news :lol

[Asif Ali Zardari]

BET news :lol

Keith Boykin is a New York Times best-selling author and former White House aide to President Clinton. He attended Harvard Law School with President Barack Obama and currently serves as a TV political commentator


Looks like a credible source to me.

[The Reckoning]

BET :lol

[DPG21920]

Isn't there a black president now? I mean, the leader of the most powerful country on Earth is a black man. If that is not a sign of progress and change, I don't know what is.

[DeadlyDynasty]

kinda funny that the defense cant use Trayvon`s violent behavior and drug history in support of Zimmerman. i guess somewhere along the line he metamorphisized into this innocent little Raisinet that wouldnt hurt a soul.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

kinda funny that the defense cant use Trayvon`s violent behavior and drug history in support of Zimmerman. i guess somewhere along the line he metamorphisized into this innocent lite Raisinet that wouldnt hurt a soul.

Why should the defense be able to use his behavior? It has absolutely nothing with Zimmerman's decision to run him down and shoot him and it's irrelevant.

[DeadlyDynasty]

Why should the defense be able to use his behavior? It has absolutely nothing with Zimmerman's decision to run him down and shoot him and it's irrelevant.
pretty skewed pov. He was trespassing, security guard chased him down, fight broke out, Zimmerman shoots in self defense.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

pretty skewed pov. He was trespassing, security guard chased him down, fight broke out, Zimmerman shoots in self defense.

1) I'm still waiting to hear how Martin's past is relevant

2) He wasn't trespassing, he was on the sidewalk. Show me where he was trespassing.

3) Jorge Zimmerman wasn't a security guard. He was a self-appointed neighborhood watchman.

4) :lol calling my POV skewed when you're the one making shit up

[DeadlyDynasty]

"running him down and shooting him" is a very black and white, skewed way of saying it. yeah, somebody with a proclivity for violent and aggressive behavior is kind of an important detail when it was a fight that led to said persons death.

[DPG21920]

DoK - so for any crime, essentially what you are saying is the only thing relevant are the events that day? That prevoius history is irrelavant to any thing current?

[JoeTait75]

the unarmed 17-year-old

Wasn't Trayvon "armed" with the concrete sidewalk he was beating Zimmerman's head into?

[SupremeGuy]

kinda funny that the defense cant use Trayvon`s violent behavior and drug history in support of Zimmerman. i guess somewhere along the line he metamorphisized into this innocent little Raisinet that wouldnt hurt a soul.Yeah, it's pretty fucked up. The media and black community have literally tried everything to fuck over Zimmerman, and just because he has a "white" last name. It's pretty fucking shameful.

[Trill Clinton]

Wasn't Trayvon "armed" with the concrete sidewalk he was beating Zimmerman's head into?

ya got a unarmed 17 yr old kid walking home with tea and skittles. he notices a stranger in a car following him. said stranger gets out the car and confronts the kid. the kid saw the stranger was armed, was scared and fought for his life. i would have banged his head against concrete too.

[JoeTait75]

ya got a unarmed 17 yr old kid walking home with tea and skittles. he notices a stranger in a car following him. said stranger gets out the car and confronts the kid. the kid saw the stranger was armed, was scared and fought for his life. i would have banged his head against concrete too.

Attacking a man with a gun was pretty stupid, tbh. But I doubt Trayvon knew Zimmerman was armed until he actually got shot. I think he saw Zimmerman as an easy mark and couldn't leave well enough alone.

[jag]

I wouldn't like to publicly declare my support of Trayvon Martin. I openly celebrate his lifestyle.



















Oops, wrong topic.

[DMC]

If Martin's past is irrelevant, so is Zimmerman's.

[Trill Clinton]

Attacking a man with a gun was pretty stupid, tbh. But I doubt Trayvon knew Zimmerman was armed until he actually got shot. I think he saw Zimmerman as an easy mark and couldn't leave well enough alone.

yea it is stupid to attack someone with a gun, but this was a 17 year old kid we're talking about. as far as the easy mark, i think it was vice versa. the neighborhood had been hit with a string of robberies, zimmerman saw a "suspicious" black male and decided to call 911 and ignore their request for him to wait for law enforcement. zimmerman being the adult in the situation should have used his common sense and just sat there and waited instead of trying to be a hero.

he was negligient and him being on house arrest shouldn't be an issue considering he took an innocent person's life. he'll most likely beat the case either way.

[Trill Clinton]

i just find it odd how zimmerman can follow someone, when the other person defends themselves, he wants to cry self defense. just take ya ass whoopin like a man and deal with it.

[DPG21920]

By beating the case do you mean a jury of his peers finds him innocent? Do you think the American judicial system is a scam?

[Trill Clinton]

By beating the case do you mean a jury of his peers finds him innocent? Do you think the American judicial system is a scam?

yes and yes

[DPG21920]

So you think an African American President would allow a court system to prejudice his own people? Are you saying Obama does nothing for the black man?

[Trill Clinton]

can a president fix state court systems? as far as the courts go, the only power they have is electing the judges on supreme court.

[DPG21920]

:lol. That's like saying Congress controls war and not the President. Of course a black President can influence any massive injustice - especially if injustice is occurring at the hands of black men.

[Trill Clinton]

why are you calling him black president? show some respect.

it'll be easier if blacks didn't have to live under an invisible martial law and people with privilage and power weren't racist and didn't discriminate towards minorities. obama already said he isn't the president for black america so why would he change laws for us?

[scroteface]

All blacks do is fucking bitch, whine, and fail at life they are a pathetic shameful breed.

[Trill Clinton]

All blacks do is fucking bitch, whine, and fail at life they are a pathetic shameful breed.

all whites do is drive a 1000 miles for some underage poon and get caught on dateline..exit is that way>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[DPG21920]

why are you calling him black president? show some respect.

it'll be easier if blacks didn't have to live under an invisible martial law and people with privilage and power weren't racist and didn't discriminate towards minorities. obama already said he isn't the president for black america so why would he change laws for us?

What? He is a black President. How is that disrespectful? He's the first black president and that is a huge deal. Which is why I don't get the complaints about lack of progress. The most powerful country on Earth is led by a black man. Period. I went to a rougher high school my Freshman and Sophmore year with plenty of poor whites, and they got harrassed all the time.

While he said he's not the president for black America, he did say he would put his "track record" up against anyone's with regards to the programs in place to help minorities. You say us as if Obama is excluded - is that how you feel?

[Trill Clinton]

what does obama have to do with this anyway? i don't like that clown.

[DPG21920]

Well it's interesting that you seem to be blaming the whites, while also now claiming that blacks are also not doing enough to help the blacks. It's odd considering the most powerful leader in the world, in the country you live in/complain about, is black.

[Trill Clinton]

What? He is a black President. How is that disrespectful? He's the first black president and that is a huge deal. Which is why I don't get the complaints about lack of progress. The most powerful country on Earth is led by a black man. Period. I went to a rougher high school my Freshman and Sophmore year with plenty of poor whites, and they got harrassed all the time.

While he said he's not the president for black America, he did say he would put his "track record" up against anyone's with regards to the programs in place to help minorities. You say us as if Obama is excluded - is that how you feel?

well you brought him up like since he was black, he would swoop in and save the day whenever there is a race problem. breh, the president aint shit. he's done a lot for minorities with the dream act and the immigration laws he's trying to implement. all i want him to do is legalize marijuana like he promised. what's in his track record as far as the programs he's put in place for minorites? i rarely listen to anything the guy says.

[DPG21920]

I am not supporting Obama, I am simply trying to understand how both the white man and a black President can both be the problem at the same time with regards to continued mass prejudice towards the black man. You seem to hint at the fact today is basically no better than slave days or something and that the court system is basically designed to hurt black men.

I find it hard to believe to a certain degree that a black President would allow a massive racial profiling in the court systems - even at the state level without being a major proponent for change.

[scroteface]

If blacks were half as awesome as they all seem to think they are, they wouldn't be failing this badly at life. Slavery was like 200 years ago, and its the fault of fellow blacks that they were ever sold into slavery in the first place. Companies don't give a shit about skin color, they care about bottom line. Blacks are just inferior, we all have to admit this desegregation was a failed experiment.

[Trill Clinton]

where did i blame whitey???

[DPG21920]

Cuz - you claim whitey is racist err day.

[Trill Clinton]

Cuz - you claim whitey is racist err day.

so we're not talking about the trial anymore?

[DPG21920]

Of course we are. You claim whitey is racist. You blaiming whitey, plus the POTUS for the prejudice against the black man and claim the court system is a scam and that ties back into the trial.

[DPG21920]

Trill - I'm with you on a few things. I definitely think racism is still prevalent and there are injustices. But you troll so hard it's hard to tell when you are being serious or just silly.

[scroteface]

well you brought him up like since he was black, he would swoop in and save the day whenever there is a race problem. breh, the president aint shit. he's done a lot for minorities with the dream act and the immigration laws he's trying to implement. all i want him to do is legalize marijuana like he promised. what's in his track record as far as the programs he's put in place for minorites? i rarely listen to anything the guy says.

Your kind is on the wrong side of the bell curve tbh. Legalizing all them spics is only going to fully wipe out blacks from America once and for all. Talk about competition for those low skill jobs which they do 10 times better than you all. Blacks will be more rare than a Native American sighting in America in 50 years.

[DPG21920]

Scroteface - I know you're a DoK troll, but please shut up.

[Trill Clinton]

Of course we are. You claim whitey is racist. You blaiming whitey, plus the POTUS for the prejudice against the black man and claim the court system is a scam and that ties back into the trial.

for the record, i don't think all whites are racist. i don't trust our government or obama and i do think the court system is a scam.

[Trill Clinton]

Your kind is on the wrong side of the bell curve tbh. Legalizing all them spics is only going to fully wipe out blacks from America once and for all. Talk about competition for those low skill jobs which they do 10 times better than you all. Blacks will be more rare than a Native American sighting in America in 50 years.

lol

[mojorizen7]

Isn't there a black president now? I mean, the leader of the most powerful country on Earth is a black man. If that is not a sign of progress and change, I don't know what is.

[johnsmith]

i just find it odd how zimmerman can follow someone, when the other person defends themselves, he wants to cry self defense. just take ya ass whoopin like a man and deal with it.

:toast

Agreed...it's gonna be tough living with the fact that a 17 year old fucked you up, but don't fucking shoot him.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

DoK - so for any crime, essentially what you are saying is the only thing relevant are the events that day? That prevoius history is irrelavant to any thing current?

The previous history of the victim isn't relevant if the defendant has never met the victim. Martin isn't on trial, Zimmerman is.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

"running him down and shooting him" is a very black and white, skewed way of saying it. yeah, somebody with a proclivity for violent and aggressive behavior is kind of an important detail when it was a fight that led to said persons death.
So was he trespassing or not, and was Zimmerman a security guard or not?

Did Zimmerman know anything about Martin's history when he decided to pursue him?


Scroteface - I know you're a DoK troll, but please shut up.
:lol thinking that's me

[Wild Cobra]

Why should the defense be able to use his behavior? It has absolutely nothing with Zimmerman's decision to run him down and shoot him and it's irrelevant.
Except that George is claiming he was attacked. Such testimony I think should be relevant.

[Wild Cobra]

pretty skewed pov. He was trespassing, security guard chased him down, fight broke out, Zimmerman shoots in self defense.
your statement is rather inaccurate.

Martin was not trespassing. Zimmerman was not in the acting capacity of a guard that night.

If either of these were different, the prosecution could probably never attempt to bring this to trial.

[Wild Cobra]

So you think an African American President would allow a court system to prejudice his own people? Are you saying Obama does nothing for the black man?
You do understand don't you, that the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial are three separate branches of government, right?

[Wild Cobra]

Wasn't Trayvon "armed" with the concrete sidewalk he was beating Zimmerman's head into?
LOL....

That is one way to portray it...

LOL...

[Wild Cobra]

Attacking a man with a gun was pretty stupid, tbh. But I doubt Trayvon knew Zimmerman was armed until he actually got shot. I think he saw Zimmerman as an easy mark and couldn't leave well enough alone.
I agree, that's what probably happened.

[Wild Cobra]

Yeah, it's pretty fucked up. The media and black community have literally tried everything to fuck over Zimmerman, and just because he has a "white" last name. It's pretty fucking shameful.
The hatred of blacks, in general towards others, knows no bounds.

[scroteface]

The hatred of blacks, in general towards others, knows no bounds.

And especially you would know. It's okay bro, no need to feel guilty it's normal.

[G-Nob]

Defense can't talk about the drug use but it's now out there for jurors to read in the papers. The defense already did it's job.

Also, of course this is going to be a racially charged case instead of a normal self defense case. What will happen if Zim is found not guilty? Will there be riots? Reminds me of the OJ verdict when the LAPD prepared for an OJ Simpson guilty verdict, that of course never came.

[Wild Cobra]

And especially you would know. It's okay bro, no need to feel guilty it's normal.
Who's troll are you?

Every post of yours I have seen have been rather unethical.

Keep it up, and you can join Fuzzy and Baseline in Iggyville...

[Avante]

Most blacks come from one parent in the home families, so we have all these young men raised with no fatherly guidance. I think that has a lot to do with with why we see so many in trouble. Now add that young punk music.