Skip to main content

Trayvon Martin: One Year Later

Feburary 26 marks the one-year anniversary of the murder of Travyon Martin by self-proclaimed vigilante, neighborhood watchman, George FU Zimmerman.

Martin's parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, and their attorney, Benjamin Crump, said Martin's death last February 26 in the Orlando suburb of Sanford has altered the debate about Stand Your Ground gun laws.

Police cited that law in initially refusing to arrest Zimmerman, which sparked celebrity protests and popular demonstrations across the country, turning the case into international story.

Although this story, like so many other Trayvon Martin stories, did not spark a national debate on gun control laws like the Sandy Hook elementary school shootings, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton plans to re-introduce a racial profiling bill.
 
A press release today from Norton's office states:
 
Today, a year after the death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old African-American boy who was killed by a neighborhood watch member, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) re-introduced her bill to reestablish a popular federal grant program aimed at reducing racial profiling.  Norton’s bill permits states to apply for grants to develop racial profiling laws, to collect and maintain data on traffic stops, to fashion programs to reduce racial profiling, and to train law enforcement officers.  Nearly half of the states participated in the program when it was in existence, which, Norton said, shows both the need and interest in tackling this civil rights issue.  Norton got the program included in the surface transportation law in 2005, but the program expired in 2009.  Norton, a former chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, will try to get her bill included in the surface transportation bill Congress will be writing during this congress.

Demonstrations are planned nation wide in remembrance of the murdered teen.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bobbi Kristina Opens Up To Oprah

Who else could get the first interview with Bobbi Kristina Houston but Oprah Winfrey? Bobbi speaks candidly with Winfrey about losing her mom, how she's coping with the loss, and what she wants the world to know about her mother who passed earlier this year in February. "She was always Mom", said Bobbi Kristina. Whitney's daughter, telling Oprah she's doing as "well as can be expected", said she can hear and feel her mom's spirit. "I can hear her saying I got you." Reports indicate that Bobbi wants to change her name from any reference to her father, Bobby Brown. This was not discussed in the Oprah interview at this time. 'Kristina' turned 19 earlier this month on March 4th. Related Kristina reportedly dating adoptive brother .
Post a Comment
Read more

DC August Job Fair Alert: 1,000 open positions; scholarships and more!

O n Thursday, August 11 and Friday, August 12 , the Mayor's office will hold a virtual DC Government Summer Hiring Fair with more than 1,000 positions open across DC Government. If you are a DC resident, you can claim preference when applying for a job at DC Government. Registration is now open and will remain open until August 7.  DCHR is also hosting a seminar on Friday, August 5 to help participants prepare for the job fair.  You can register for the job fair and learn more about the prep session at   dc.gov/JoinOurTeam .   DC Scholarships Families can now apply for scholarships of up to $10,000 to cover the cost of after school, weekend, summer, and other out-of-school time programs and activities.  Applications are currently being accepted and will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Some examples of programs that are supported by the scholarship include, but are not limited to: academic enrichment, tutoring, mentoring, athletics, dance, coding, STEM, pr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Howard Hires Hannah-Jones

  Nikole Hannah-Jones reminds us all why HBCUs were created in the first place. (July 7, 2021) -  Howard University offered an olive branch to Jones when her own alma mater, the University of North Carolina, chose not to offer this great talent in journalism a tenured professor position. [ Alumus Ta-Nahisi Coates  joins Howard roster] ICYMI, Jones is the creator of The 1619 Project, a documentary that chronicles the early institution of slavery and its role in shaping the Americas we know today. Source: The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones. The Project has garnered both acceptance and criticism. Those who support the vision understand that the truths about slavery have, throughout American history, been either whitewashed, or not taught at all, diminishing the roles and treatment of the African nations who built it. Slavery, in all fifty states (including the ‘stateless’ District of Columbia) built an economic powerhouse infrastructure that caused the United State...
Post a Comment
Read more