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Showing posts with label Hate Crimes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hate Crimes. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

WHITE MAN (GLEASON, 23) OPENS FIRE ON BLACK FAMILY IN LOUISANA, KILLS TWO BLACK MEN IN THE NAME OF HITLER





WHITE MAN (GLEASON, 23) OPENS FIRE ON BLACK FAMILY IN LOUISANA, KILLS TWO BLACK MEN IN THE NAME OF HITLER:

POLICE SAID ATTACKS WERE RACIALLY-MOTIVATED.

KENNETH GLEASON COULD FACE DEATH PENALTY SAYS DISTRICT ATTORNEY.

DO YOU HEAR ANY LATINO LEADERS STANDING AGAINST SUCH RACIST VIOLENCE INFLICTED ON BLACK PEOPLE??


Sources: AP, ABC News, The Guardian, Youtube


***** White man accused of killing 2 Blacks had Hitler speech


• Kenneth Gleason, 23, charged with murder after shootings in Baton Rouge
• Gleason could face the death penalty, district attorney says

A 23-year-old white man arrested Tuesday was accused of killing two black men and firing on a black family in a string of attacks that police say may have been racially motivated.

A law enforcement official said they had found a copy of an Adolf Hitler speech at the home of Kenneth James Gleason, and investigators said DNA on shell casings and other evidence link him to the crimes.

Gleason was led away from the police department in handcuffs just before authorities there held a news conference to announce that he would be charged with first-degree murder in the shooting deaths last week of a homeless man and a dishwasher who was walking to work.

"I feel confident that this killer would have killed again," interim Police Chief Jonny Dunnam said.

Gleason's attorney, J. Christopher Alexander, said his client "vehemently denies guilt, and we look forward to complete vindication." Alexander declined to say anything else.

Authorities found a copy of the Hitler speech during a search of Gleason's home over the weekend, according to the law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.

Asked whether police suspect race was a motive for the shootings, Sgt. L'Jean McKneely said: "We're not completely closed off to that. We're looking at all possibilities at this time, so we're not going to just pinpoint that."

District Attorney Hillar Moore said his office could seek the death penalty.

"It appears to be cold, calculated, planned (against) people who were unarmed and defenseless," he said. "We don't need to prove motive. There are a lot of things that are unanswered."

No one was injured when Gleason fired multiple times into the home of a black family in his neighborhood on Sept. 11, authorities said. It's not clear if Gleason knew the family.

In the other shootings, Gleason fired from his car then walked up to the victims as they were lying on the ground and fired again multiple times, police said.

Neither victim had any prior relationship with Gleason.

The first fatal shooting occurred Sept. 12 when 59-year-old Bruce Cofield, who was homeless, was shot to death.

The second happened last Thursday night when 49-year-old Donald Smart was gunned down while walking to his job as a dishwasher at a cafe popular with Louisiana State University students.

The attacks came at a time when Louisiana's capital already was in the grips of a surge in violence. The number of homicides in East Baton Rouge Parish has already surpassed last year's total of 62, The Advocate newspaper reported earlier this month.

"Baton Rouge has been through a lot of turmoil in the last year. Has there not been a swift conclusion to this case, I feel confident that this killer probably would have killed again," the police chief said. "He could have potentially created a tear in the fabric that holds this community together."

Racial tensions roiled the city in the summer of 2016 when a black man was shot to death by white police officers outside of a convenience store.

About two weeks later, a black gunman targeted police in an ambush, killing three officers and wounding three others before he was shot to death.

The city of about 229,000 is about 55 percent black and 40 percent white.

Gleason didn't appear to have any active social media profiles. A spokesman at Louisiana State University said a student by that name attended the university from the fall of 2013 to the fall of 2014 before withdrawing.

He had transferred to LSU from Baton Rouge Community College.

During the search of Gleason's home, authorities also found 9 grams of marijuana and vials of human growth hormone, according to a police document.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

DYLANN ROOF GUILTY OF 9 BLACK MURDERS - ALL LIVES MATTER




DYLANN ROOF FOUND GUILTY OF 9 BLACK MURDERS - ALL LIVES MATTER:

THANK YOU NIKKI HALEY.

ROOF NEEDS THE DEATH PENALTY SENTENCE.

FORGIVENESS DOES NOT ELIMINATE CONSEQUENCES WHEN IT COMES TO ACTS OF PREMEDITATED MURDER.


Sources: Fox News, YouTube


***** DYLANN Roof convicted in Charleston church mass


A jury in South Carolina Thursday convicted Dylann Roof in the shootings that killed nine black church members during a Bible study in Charleston last year, a verdict that could lead to a death sentence for the self-avowed white supremacist.

The jury of nine white people and three black people deliberated less than two hours before returning a verdict, finding him guilty on all counts against him.

Roof, 22, faced 33 federal charges, including hate crimes and obstruction of the practice of religion.

Roof just stared ahead as the verdict was read, much as he has throughout the trial. Victims's relatives held hands and squeezed one another's arms.

One woman nodded her head every time the clerk said "guilty."

The same jury is set to return Jan. 3 to consider whether Roof should be sentenced to die for the June 2015 attack at Emanuel AME Church.

He is slated to face another death penalty trial in state court early next year.

Minutes after the verdict was read, Roof told U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel he wanted to represent himself during the penalty phase.

He said at the start of the trial that he wanted attorneys in the guilt phase, but not in the penalty phase.

His lawyers said in a court filing they feared he wanted to avoid embarrassing testimony that the defense might have presented to try to get a jury to spare his life.

"It is my hope that the survivors, the families & the people of South Carolina can find some peace in the fact that justice has been served," Gov. Nikki Haley tweeted.

The verdict came after days of emotional testimony from people who survived the shooting and witnessed the aftermath.

During closing arguments earlier in the day, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Williams told jurors Roof waited until the Bible study group had its eyes closed for prayer before he opened fire.

Sunday, December 11, 2016

DYLANN ROOF CONFESSED TO 9 MURDERS (NOT INSANE)







DYLANN ROOF CONFESSED TO 9 MURDERS (NOT INSANE):

FORGIVE HIM BUT HE STILL DESERVES THE DEATH PENALTY.

LAUGHING WHILE CONFESSING HIS CRIMES DOESN'T MEAN HE'S CRAZY.


Sources: ABC News, CNN, Fox News, Youtube


***** Dylann Roof Laughed During Church Slaying Confession to FBI


Dylann Roof wanted the world to know he hated black people and thought they were criminals.

He thought about attacking drug dealers, but they might shoot back.

So, he told the FBI, he picked a historic black church in Charleston he had learned about online.

In a videotaped confession shown Friday during his death penalty trial, Roof laughed several times and made exaggerated gun motions as he recounted the massacre.

He explained that he wanted to leave at least one person alive to tell what happened and complained that his victims "complicated things" when they hid under tables.

Forty-five minutes into the interview, an FBI agent decided to tell him nine people died in the June 17, 2015, shootings at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.

"There wasn't even that many people in there," Roof said incredulously. "Are you lying to me?"

The blurry video made it hard to see his face. After being told the details, an agent asked how he felt.

"Well, it makes me feel bad," said Roof, who earlier in the confession estimated he might have killed five.

Roof's lawyers have conceded that he carried out the attack and are concentrating on convincing jurors to spare his life in the second phase of the trial.

Later Friday, Roof's handwritten journal was read aloud. It was full of dubious, offensive racial claims about blacks and Jews, from stories about African-Americans enjoying slavery to segregation keeping white people from being dragged down.

"How could our faces, skin color and body structure be so different, but our brains exactly the same?" Roof wrote.

His video confession came about 17 hours after the shooting. FBI agents drove to Shelby, North Carolina, where he was arrested. The plane that would take him back to Charleston was not going to arrive for a few hours. So FBI agent Michael Stansbury got permission to take a chance and interview him immediately.

It paid off. After reading Roof his rights and engaging in brief small talk, an agent asked Roof what he was doing on the night of the killings.

"I went to that church in Charleston and, uh, I did it," he said.

Roof said he wanted to kill black people because they rape white women daily. Agents asked why he chose Emanuel AME. He said online it was listed as the oldest black church in the South, and there probably would not be any white people there.

"I knew that would be a place to get a small amount of black people in one area," Roof said, later adding, "They're in church, they weren't criminals or anything."

Earlier testimony from survivor Felicia Sanders said Roof sat through the Bible study beside pastor Clementa Pinckney and opened fire as the rest of the group of 12 closed their eyes for a final prayer.

"I was sitting there thinking about whether I should do it or not. That's why I sat there for 15 minutes. I could have walked out," Roof said.

Church surveillance videos indicate Roof was actually inside for about 45 minutes.

Roof, as he has for much of the trial, hardly looked up as the confession played, mostly just shuffling papers in front of him.

He told FBI agents questioning him that he could never look at the families of the victims. And throughout the trial, he has not looked at the dozens of family members in the courtroom.

Roof meticulously prepared for the shootings. He carried eight magazines that could each hold 13 bullets. But he only loaded 11 bullets so he could shoot 88 times — a revered number among white supremacists, standing for Heil Hitler because H is the eighth letter of the alphabet.

In the confession, Roof said he left bullets in a magazine so that he could kill himself after the slayings but changed his mind when he didn't immediately see any police.

At one point, an agent asked if Roof thought about killing more blacks.

"Oh no. I was worn out," Roof said.

A crime scene technician testified that she found two handwritten notes in Roof's car — one to his mother and one to his father. He told his dad: "I love you and I am sorry. You were a good dad."

To his mother, he said: "As childish as it sounds, I wish I was in your arms."

Roof's mother suffered a heart attack while watching opening statements Wednesday. Her condition is unclear.

Roof said the killing of Trayvon Martin was a turning point in his life. Martin, a young unarmed black man, was killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in 2012. Zimmerman was acquitted in the shooting. Roof said he started researching black crime against whites on the internet.

He told the agents he didn't talk about his racist beliefs with his friends or family.

"They probably won't agree with me — you know what I'm saying?"





Saturday, July 21, 2012

James Eagan Holmes Proves WHITE "Lonewolf" Terrorism On The Rise (Hate Crimes & White Supremacy)


























Massacre at movie theater: What's behind the White Male home-grown Terror?

As the nation reels from another stunning act of terror delivered by one of our own, I wonder-- what is behind this senseless violence perpetuated by primarily young white males?

Twelve people are now dead, 59 injured among them a 3 month old baby--all because they attended the premiere of a movie based on a comic? The latest release of the Batman series, The Dark Knight Rises had a midnight showing in Aurora, Colorado, when 24-year-old James Eagan Holmes decided to walk into the theater and open fire like he was part of the fictional story on screen and the movie goers merely fictional themselves.

There is something utterly maniacal about this kind of violence, completely beyond the realm of sane and logical interpretation. What fuels this madness, this evil?

Reports say Holmes, who is now in police custody and due in court on Monday, was dressed in bullet proof vests, gas mask, dark clothing, ballistic helmet, ballistic leggings and throat protector. He allegedly opened fire commando style after throwing one smoke and tear gas bombs into the viewing crowd.

He reportedly used up to 4 guns, at least one AK style rifle, an AR15 assault rifle and 2 Glock handguns. Bullets penetrated an adjoining theater, wounding one.

Holmes apartment is currently booby-trapped and authorities said in a press conference Friday afternoon that this is a difficult situation which may take days to neuralize. Strangely, after his bloody rampage inside the theater, the alleged killer was apprenhended outside quietly without resisting and then told police about his bomb-rigged apartment.

Seems odd for one hell-bent on killing to warn law enforcement of what lay ahead at his place of residence.

One witness, Jennifer Seeger told CNN news that she ducked when the gunman pointed his gun directly at her and felt the sting of gun powder on her forehead as he sprayed bullets into people around her. She said she folded herself in a fetal position, then crawled out when he moved up some stairs.

We all remember that other senseless tragedy where 22 year old Jared Lee Loughner opened fired in Tucson, Arizona on January 8, 2011, killing 6 including a sitting judge and a nine year old young girl and seriously wounding Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford and 11 others.

Then there was Timothy McVeigh, since executed for the terror he unleased in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, killing 168 people and wounding over 800.

Again, what is behind the young male home ground terrorists? Speaking at a press conference one Colorado official said something interesting: "It doesn't look like an incident of terrorism at this time." If it's not terrorism, what is it? If the difinition of terrorism is unleasing acts of senseless mass violence on innocent folks here and around the globe, then this is it. Or is it only when it is ochestrated by 'foreigners'--those people from 'over there?'

When Norway happened in July of 2011, the media immediately thought Islamist terrorists were behind the atrocities. Many stopped calling the mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik a terrorist, when the dust settled and they saw it was a white male. But isn't he a terrorist for murdering 76 people and injuring many more?

We are forever hunting those 'others' considered our biggest threat--namely Islamic terrorists but there is this madness right in our backyard and beyond.

In fact, according to host of CNN's Global Public Square host Fareed Zakaria of the 294 terror attacks committed in Europe in 2009, only one was conducted by Islamists. That's a third of one percent. There were 249 terror attacks in Europe in 2010.

Only three of those attacks were carried out by Islamist terrorists. Again, that's about one percent. Most of the attacks were by separatist groups or anarchists."

Then there are the troubled teens who have committed mass violence in their schools. Again, there were young, white males who walked into schools, heavily armed and shot anyone in sight, some killing themselves after. There was the memorable massacre at Columbine, followed by several more.

This young man's only run-in with the law according to Colorado police, was a speeding violation. He was also intellegient and college educated, reportedly enrolled in a PhD program in neuroscience at the local university but at the point of dropping out. What turns someone like that--a simple speeding ticket holder into a mass murderer?

Was dropping out from the university, a trigger to a psychopathic personality lurking beneath the quiet, smiling eduated exterior? or is there much more to this sinister plot than meets the eyes? Where did he get his ammo, arsenal of weapons and military gear?

Incidentally, we had our resident incendiary loud mouth Rush Limbaugh, whose sole purpose to fame is spewing venomous rhetoric daily from the safe perch behind his radio microphone--say that this latest Batman movie was aimed at hurting the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney because one of the vallainous character was named Bain.

Bain is suppose to be taken from Bain Capital, the venture capitalist company Romney headed and is now causing a mounting of trouble for him on the campaign trail.

Is there a connection? There is daily conservative poison irresponsibly pandered for million dollar contracts and partisan politics on talk radio and television shows with unstable anarchists, white supremacists and other crazies listening-- and this can be a dangerous, explosive mix.

Another controversy re-ignited from this tragedy is the control of assault weapons flooding our communities. Any amendment to the Second Amendment is vehemently opposed by pro-NRA, 2nd Amendment supporters who say they rights are not to be tampered with.

Those in favor of some gun control say the madness and violence needs immediate attention from Washington legislators and a degree of change at the federal level.

Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter and New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg speaking on Friday, both called for immediate action in curbing the onslaught of weapons they say were meant for combat only. Any gun capable of firing numerous rounds in rapid succession, is a danger to society.

Holmes acquired those assault rifles legally which begs the question: would some form of gun control, prevent these kinds of mass massacre from happening?




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Sources: All Voices, AP, CNN, ITN News, PBS News, TMZ, Youtube, Google Maps

Saturday, July 7, 2012

"WHITE ONLY" Christianity; Klu Klux Klan Still Rules Southern States

















Whites Only Pastor Conference Has West Alabama Residents Upset

The good folk of Winfield, Ala. have been very upset by the news of an annual pastors conference taking place near their town.

Not because of any animosity towards religious gatherings, but rather to the stipulation that only white Christians are invited.

Tyler Cantrell, the manager of Norris Music in downtown Winfield, discovered a flier for the conference earlier this week. “It was put up throughout the town in the middle of the night. When everyone was asleep and without the permission of the business owner[s],” he told WBRC news.

Despite the fact that the three-day conference in neighboring Lamar County was reportedly festooned with confederate flags and banners bearing Ku Klux Klan and white-supremacist slogans, and that it was scheduled to end July 6th with a “Sacred Christian Cross Lighting Ceremony” — not unlike the kind performed by the Klan –organizers denied that his organization was a hate group.

“The white race is God’s chosen people,” William C. Collier, the organizer of the event, told WBRC. “We don’t have the facilities to accommodate other people.

We haven’t got any invitations to black, Muslim events.

Of course we are not invited to Jewish events and stuff.”

The Christian Identity Ministries, which is running the event along with the Church of God’s Chosen, also claims on its website that the “Europeans and their descendants are the chosen people of God.” Ministry founder Mel Lewis spoke with a reporter from WAFF TV and claimed that the town’s mayor was violating their right to free speech and religious freedom.

“We are not breaking any laws. We’re not violating any ordinances. We’re bringing the Word of God to people who want it, obviously, or they wouldn’t be here,” said Lewis.

However the town’s Mayor, Wayne Silas, sees it differently. He told WBRC that “Business people are upset.

The city is upset.

The city of Winfield does not condone this.”






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Sources: Creative Loafing, TIME, WECT, Wikipedia, Youtube, Google Maps

Monday, May 21, 2012

Dharun Ravi Sentenced To 30-Days Because He Did NOT Commit Hate Crime; Cyber Bullying Yes! Hate Crime? NO!







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Dharun Ravi sentenced to 30 days in jail for Rutgers Tyler Clementi spycam case


A judge sentenced former Rutgers student Dharun Ravi today to 30 days in jail for using a webcam to spy on his roommate's intimate encounter with another man.

Ravi, 20, was also placed on three years' probation

"Our society has every right to expect zero tolerance for intolerance," Judge Glenn Berman said in imposing far less than the maximum, 10 years behind bars.

In addition, Ravi was ordered to get counseling and pay $10,000 toward a program to help victims of hate crimes.

Berman told Ravi to report to the Middlesex County Adult Correctional facility on May 31.

In handing down Monday's sentence, the judge told Ravi that while someone might argue the first spying attempt was a foolish prank, "You cannot make or milk that argument a second time."

The judge also scolded Ravi for deleting scores of text messages and tweets and trying to influence a witness. At the same time, Berman said Ravi has spent the past 20 months in "exile" since his arrest. And the judge also pointed out that Ravi was not charged in Clementi's death.

Ravi did not speak at his sentencing. But his mother, Sabitha Ravi, tearfully told the judge her son "doesn't have any hatred in his heart towards anybody."

Clementi's father, Joe Clementi, told the judge that Ravi deserved to be punished, saying the young man saw his son as undeserving of basic human decency. The elder Clementi said Ravi "still does not get it" and has no remorse.

Ravi was convicted in March of 15 criminal counts, including bias intimidation and invasion of privacy, for using his webcam to view his 18- year-old roommate Tyler Clementi kissing another man in September 2010. Clementi committed suicide just days after the online peeping and quickly became a symbol of the plight of gay youth in America.

Supporters saw Ravi as a symbol too, of the justice system gone awry in search of someone to blame. Several hundred protesters showed up at the New Jersey State House last Monday to rally in support of Ravi and to call attention to what they see as injustices in New Jersey's hate-crime laws.

Ravi could face deportation to India, where he was born and remains as a citizen, although the judge said he added a notation to his judgement recommending that Ravi not be deported.



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Sources: AP, ABC News, Youtube, Google Maps

Friday, March 23, 2012

Dharun Ravi: Gay Rights Movement Scapegoat To Force Gay Marriage Laws In NJ
















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What a Coincidence Dharun Ravi's Guilty Verdict came down AFTER Gov. Chris Christie Vetoed that Gay Marriage bill.
I firmly believe Dharun Ravi was used by the Gay Rights Movement To Force Gov. Chris Christie to pass Gay Marriage Laws in New Jersey.
He is NOT Guilty of a Hate Crime!
Although what Dharun did was Dumb, he did NOT make or cause Tyler Clementi to commit Suicide.







Crime, Punishment and the Rutgers Case


To the NY Times Editor:

This case raises critical questions for the gay community and for us all.

How do we balance justice and compassion? Should this young man be imprisoned for up to 10 years for a cruel and immature act that had a dreadful consequence he did not foresee and would not have wished?

What is accomplished by imprisoning him, apart from satisfying our urge for retribution? Is this really the way to end bullying, or are we in danger of becoming the bullies we abhor?

We suggest that Dharun Ravi be sentenced to work for a gay rights organization. There his prejudices would be confronted every day simply by coexisting with people whom he might grow to like and respect.

We hope that a prominent gay rights organization will intervene in the sentencing hearing, saying: “Justice has been served. We applaud that. The message has gone out that harassment and bullying of gay people will not be tolerated. However, we do not support the maximum sentence for this young man and ask the court for leniency.”

STEPHEN KARAKASHIAN
ORLANDO RODRIGUEZ
PHYLLIS RODRIGUEZ
Milwaukie, Ore., March 18, 2012

The writers are, respectively, a gay rights activist, a criminologist, and a peace and reconciliation activist. The Rodriguezes’ son died in the Sept. 11 attack.




When I came out my freshman year in college (1979-80). I was fortunate to have a very secure roommate who smiled after my awkward little speech and said, “You did that very well!” There was not a moment’s subsequent discomfort.

Not everyone was so lucky. My freshman-year dorm hall was a fraught place, with most of us living relatively unsupervised for the first time. There was drinking, casual sex, drugs, self-absorption, bad manners, horrible eating habits and heightened social pressure with the constant scrutiny of our hallmates. And this was decades before Twitter and Facebook.

I don’t excuse Dharun Ravi’s deplorable behavior, but I feel that adding today’s technology and social media to the usual confusion of being a dorm-living freshman is creating a perfect storm that is just too much for some 18-year-olds. I advise student housing directors not to think of this as an isolated case of bad behavior, but to ponder how to protect our young adults from themselves and one another as they navigate dorm living’s rocky terrain.

ELISABETH OCHS
San Francisco, March 17, 2012



I find myself looking at the front-page photograph of 20-year-old Dharun Ravi, convicted of 15 offenses against his college roommate, who committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge when they were both freshmen two years ago.

I have two sons, 22 and 18. As a mother I strongly relate to the parents of both young men. Could my sons, living away from home for the first time, take advantage of another person, thinking it was somehow humorous or inconsequential? There are a number of popular comedy films, like “Animal House,” depicting outrageous behaviors on college campuses that are considered funny by many.

Is the convicted young man a scapegoat, guilty only of a prank gone wrong? As for the victim and his family, my heart goes out to them. I hope that we learn from these horrendous experiences.

NANCY BUCCIARELLI
Huntington Beach, Calif., March 19, 2012




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Sources: ABC News, CNN, NY Times, Youtube, Google Maps

Dharun Ravi/ Tyler Clementi Case Wrongfully Labeled A Hate Crime: Ravi Didn't Cause Tyler's Suicide
















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Rutgers’ Ravi: ‘I Wasn’t the One Who Caused Him to Jump’

Former Rutgers student Dharun Ravi, convicted last week of a hate crime for spying on his gay roommate’s date, regrets his “dumb kid” actions, but told ABC News today that he takes “comfort” in the belief that his webcam peeking is not the reason Tyler Clementi jumped to his death.

Ravi, 20, of Plainsboro, N.J., spoke about the case just days after a New Jersey jury convicted him of invasion of privacy, bias intimidation, witness tampering and hindering arrest for using a webcam to peek at Clementi’s date in their college dorm room on Sept. 19, 2010 and encouraging others to spy during a second date, on Sept. 21, 2010.

Ravi was not charged in connection with Clementi’s death.

“Even though I wasn’t the one who caused him to jump off the bridge, I did do things wrong and I was stupid about a lot of stuff,” Ravi said in an exclusive broadcast interview with “20/20″ co-anchor Chris Cuomo.

Ravi, who was 18 at the time, was initially rattled by Clementi’s death, which the press depicted as the result of cyber bullying.

He asked himself, “Is this because of me?” Ravi told Cuomo.

But Ravi said that what he learned about his freshman roommate during the course of legal proceedings — including information that hasn’t been made public — convinced him that the 18-year-old took his life for reasons that didn’t have anything to do with Ravi and his webcam.

“The more and more I found out, it would be kind of obnoxious of me to think that I could have this profound effect on him,” Ravi said.

At another point he added, “After all this time and reading his conversations and how and what he was doing before, I really don’t think he cared at all.

I feel like I was an insignificant part to his life. That’s giving me comfort now.”

Ravi also pointed out that Clementi left behind a note, and that its contents have never been made public.

“The fact that we weren’t allowed to read it, that they said it didn’t have anything to do with this, that gave me comfort also because I figured if it has nothing to do with me…it must have been something else that was going on,” he said.

“He didn’t even care about this… He had bigger problems in his life,” he said.

Ravi, alerted by his dorm resident adviser that Clementi was aware of his spying and wanted a room change, sent Clementi a text and an email apologizing. That text was sent about the same time that Clementi jumped off the bridge.

“What is frustrating was I never knew if he got my text or the e-mail that I sent.

It was very frustrating to think I didn’t get a chance to say anything to him. To this day, I just say you know what, I’ll just think he read it and he got it and I’m going to accept that as that’s what happened. …At least he had to hear what I had to say.”
Ravi is scheduled to be sentenced May 21 and could face five to 10 years in prison.

As an Indian citizen who is in the U.S. on a green card, Ravi could also face deportation.

Despite the hate crime conviction, Ravi maintains his innocence. He said he never hated Clementi and is not homophobic. That’s why, he said, he turned down prosecutors when they offered a plea deal that included no jail time in exchange for admitting to charges of intimidation against Clementi.

“I had to go up there in front of a judge under oath and say I intimidated Tyler because of sexual orientation — (to say that) I did this because I had this hate for gay people,” he said. “I don’t hate gay people.”

It is believed Clementi learned about his roommate’s spying over Ravi’s Twitter account, on which Ravi posted messages about the incidents.

The first time, Ravi said, he and a friend watched Clementi and his date kissing for just few seconds from another dorm room before quickly shutting it down.

The second time, Ravi said, he planned to let a friend watch the webcam feed, and through a Twitter post he also let other friends know about his plans. But he later decided against it and turned the camera away from Clementi’s bed, he told Cuomo.

During Ravi’s trial, the prosecutor rejected Ravi’s claim to have turned off his computer and turning the webcam away, arguing that it was Clementi who shut it off.

Ravi told Cuomo that his actions were never intended to hurt or shame Clementi and that the Twitter posts were just a way to keep in touch with his own friends and let them know what was going on in his life.

“Looking back, I was very self-absorbed with the whole thing. It was never, ‘What if Tyler finds out, how’s he going to feel about it?’” he said. “…I was 18, I was stupid, I wouldn’t think about my actions beyond a minute into a future. I was a dumb kid not thinking about it.”

Despite media depictions of Clementi and his suicide, Ravi said he believes the teen wasn’t fragile.

“Just because he’s gay doesn’t mean he’s automatically fragile and can’t deal with anything,” he said.

While Ravi believes he should face some punishment, that punishment shouldn’t include jail, he said.

“So much worse happens,” he said. “Kids actually get bullied and actually go through stuff much worse than this. I understand why people feel the need to punish me.

Bad stuff happens and they need to set an example, but it’s unfortunate this has to be the case where this happens.”

Ravi said he feels he’s been taken advantage of.

“The people that are fighting for gay rights, they have a just cause. I think this kind of detracts from their cause,” he said. “This is something people can point to and say, ‘You guys are going overboard.’ I think it’s bad for them.”



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Sources: ABC News, Google Maps

Trayvon Martin 2.0: The Face Of 21st Century Long Overdue Equal Justice





















Race and Justice re-examined in Martin killing

Trayvon Martin is the new name, and the new face sparking a new round of national conversation about an age-old problem of race and justice.

With every new case, calls for self-examination of the state of race relations in the U.S are renewed. Fifty-seven years ago, it was the Emmett Till's lynching in Mississippi. Till was a 14-year-old killed for reportedly whistling at a white woman. Thirty-seven years later, it took place in Los Angeles ,when thousands rioted after a jury acquitted three white LAPD officers and and one Hispanic one in the beating of Rodney King.

There's no shortage of names connected to acts of perceived injustice that seem to cycle through our culture every few years: James Byrd, Susan Smith, and Amadou Diallo.

Our ideal is for justice to be colorblind. Our struggle is with the division that results when so many feel it is not.

There may be nothing that divides us as quickly and sharply in this country as race. Just three years ago, an African-American Harvard professor, and a white Cambridge, Mass. cop reminded us all of how the prism of race can create two drastically different views of the same set of circumstances.

n that instance, President Obama waded in.He said, "The fact that this has become a big issue, I think it is indicative of the fact that race is still a troubling aspect of our society."

It's not like nothing's changed in this country. Florida today has a white governor promising justice. The U.S. Justice Department has an African-American attorney general who will oversee the federal investigation into Martin's killing.

But the fact remains that the pain felt by Martin's father sounds like so many parents who've come before: "Our son was murdered and we miss him."

Martin's death is the latest to create such grand-scale doubt about race and justice in this country -- but why it will almost certainly not be the last is the question we are still seemingly unable to answer.


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Sources: AP, CBS News, MSNBC, Youtube, Google Maps

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Travyvon Martin Rally Draws Thousands; Bill Lee Steps Aside; New Prosecutor Appointed (Hate Crime Trial)













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ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
President Obama thinks the American BLACK Community will eventually quiet down about Trayvon Martin's Death, like we did soon after Troy Davis' Wrongful Execution.
WRONG!
This time its different because Trayvon was a Child.
An Innocent BLACK Child!
Even Most White People Admit This Was Murder As A Result Of Racism.
WE ARE TIRED MR. PRESIDENT!
We Need Your Help, Your Support & Your Voice as a BLACK Man to Stand with Us!
This time its different!
We Want All Those RACIST “Stand Your Ground” Laws Repealed.
We Want The Unnecessary Racial Profiling To Stop!
We Won't Shut Up!
We Won't Forget!
We Won’t Stop Rising Up Until We Can Live Free In This Country Just Like All Other Ethnic Groups!
We Want Respect!
We Won’t Shut Up!
We Won’t Forget!


WE ARE TIRED! WE WANT OUR LIBERTY & WE ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!
What the Devil meant for Evil, God is using to bring Positive Change for the American BLACK Community!
In 2011 Troy Davis' WRONGFUL Death sparked International Outrage about Racism & the Death Penalty.
In 2012 Trayvon Martin's WRONGFUL Death sparked International Outrage about Racism, Police Misconduct & Racial Profiling!
We are Tired of Our Young Men Dying like Animals for NO REASON when we should already be FREE!
Here we are living in the 21st Century & still being treated as if we are living in the 18th Century.
We Can't Even Walk Down The Street Or In Wal-Mart Without Being Followed Or Chased Like Animals.
And Our Slack, Scared BLACK "Leaders" have allowed us to be Mistreated this way for Decades to preserve their own Comfortable lives.
Well Guess What???
Its Over!
WE ARE TIRED!
WE WANT OUR LIBERTY!
WE ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!
WE ARE FREE HUMAN BEINGS MADE IN GOD'S IMAGE!
NOT SLAVES!
NOT ANIMALS!
WE DON'T WANT CRUMBS!
WE DON'T WANT WELFARE CHECKS & FOOD STAMPS!
WE WANT EQUAL & FAIR OPPORTUNITIES!
WE WANT RESPECT!
WE WANT TO OWN BUSINESSES & PROVIDE ABUNDANTLY FOR OUR FAMILIES.
WE ARE TIRED!
WE ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!
NO MORE OF OUR CHILDREN & YOUTH WILL DIE OR BE WRONGFULLY IMPRISONED BASED ON RACE.
NO MORE!
Trayvon Martin's & Troy Davis' Deaths Will NOT Be In Vain!!!


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Scott Appoints New Prosecutor In Trayvon Martin Case

Florida Governor Rick Scott officially entered the Trayvon Martin murder investigation Thursday evening when he appointed Angela Corey as the newly assigned state attorney for the case and created a task force on citizen safety and protection.

Scott, and attorney general Pam Bondi, both talked with state attorney Norman Wolfinger Thursday and after the conversation Wolfinger decided to step down from the Martin investigation.

“This request is being made in light of the public good with the intent of toning down the rhetoric and preserving the integrity of the investigation,” Wolfinger wrote in his letter to the governor.

At the same time, Governor Scott also announced the formation of a task force while convene following the conclusion of the investigation by State Attorney Corey.

“As law enforcement investigates the death of Trayvon Martin, Floridians and others around the country have rightly recognized this as a terrible tragedy. Like all Floridians, I believe we must take steps to ensure tragedies like this are avoided.

After listening to many concerned citizens in recent days, I will call for a Task Force on Citizen Safety and Protection to investigate how to make sure a tragedy such as this does not occur in the future, while at the same time, protecting the fundamental rights of all of our citizens – especially the right to feel protected and safe in our state,” Scott said in a statement.

Scott and other members of the GOP and the NRA have come under fire for Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law which George Zimmerman, the shooter of Trayvon Martin, is using as his defense.

Zimmerman claimed under the law, passed in 2005, that he was acting in self-defense when he shot Martin, 17. Zimmerman made the claim despite getting out of his truck and pursuing Martin after 911 dispatchers told him not to do so.

Scott’s task force will review the law and any other laws, rules, regulations or programs that relate to public safety and citizen protection, the governor’s office said Thursday.

The task force will be led by Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll and the Reverend R.B. Holmes, Jr. Legislative leaders and Bondi will recommend other members to join the task force.




CBC wants Trayvon Martin's death investigated as potential hate crime

The Congressional Black Caucus wants the Justice Department to investigate the shooting death of a 17-year-old, unarmed black Florida high school student as a potential hate crime.

“This case compromises the integrity of our legal system and sets a horrific precedent of vigilante justice,” Congressional Black Caucus Chair Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) said in a statement. “Members of the Congressional Black Caucus stand together in the name of justice for Trayvon. As a nation we cannot, should not, and will not ignore, Trayvon’s brutal murder and the inconceivable fact that his killer remains free. Contrary to the flippant way this case has been handled, his life had meaning and purpose. Trayvon had a family, friends and a future all taken away because of the color of his skin.”

George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain and criminal justice student in Sanford, Fla,. shot Trayvon Martin on February 26 as he was walking home from a neighborhood 7-11 to his father’s house. Before the shooting Zimmerman told a police dispatcher there was “a real suspicious guy” who looked “like he was up to no good or on drugs or something” in his neighborhood. He told the dispatcher Martin had “something in his waistband.” At the time, Martin was carrying Skittles and an iced tea he had just purchased. Against the dispatcher’s advice, Zimmerman pursued Martin on foot, and eventually shot him.

Zimmerman, who has not been charged with a crime, told police he was acting in self-defense after Martin started to fight him. The case has drawn national outrage, driven by an apparent history of racial bias by local police. A change.org petition asking for Zimmerman’s prosecution has drawn more than 420,000 signatures and an attorney for the Martin family has asked for an FBI investigation.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Trayvon Martin' s family. But obviously we're not going to wade into a local law-enforcement matter,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said when he was asked about Martin’s death at today’s briefing.



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Sources: AP, CBS News, MSNBC, Politico, Google Maps

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Trayvon Martin's Death From Racial Profiling In Vain If Obama Admin. Does Not Intervene (Color Of Law)


















"Why Are You Following Me?" Trayvon Martin asked George Zimmerman just before Zimmerman Shot Him DEAD In Cold-Blood for NO Reason.

How Often have BLACK Men, Women & Teens had to ask that same question to Store Security Guards & Police Officers when walking down the street, in Retail Stores, Malls, & Super Markets, etc., because we were being followed just because of our Skin Hues?


Recently while interviewing Trayvon Martin's Parents on NBC's "Today" Show, Host Matt Lauer read an Official statement from the DOJ saying they may NOT be able to help in this incident.

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Why not???

The Federal Gov't can do anything it wants to do in this Country.

Yet any time an incident has something to do with BLACK people & Racism, Pres. Obama usually punts the issue back to State Authorities.

Why does Pres. Obama feel as though just because he is a BLACK President, that he can't act on behalf of BLACK People who are Discriminated against daily on a broad scale in this country?

Instead of attempting to punt this case back to Florida State Authorities who will just sweep it under the rug because Trayvon was BLACK, the Obama Administration could very well use this Tragic yet Historic event as a Teachable Moment regarding eliminating Racial Profiling, Enacting Reasonable Gun Laws, Reforming the American Criminal Justice System & help to eliminate Widespread Intentional Employment Discrimination.

i.e., Enforcing Civil Rights Laws for EVERYONE Not just Gay People!!

If Trayvon Martin were a White, Gay Kid (Tyler Clementi) who was Murdered as a result of a Cyber Bullying Hate Crime, I'm sure Pres. Obama's Administration would get involved,

or....

If Trayvon Martin were Amanda Knox stuck in an Italian Prison I'm sure his Administration would become involved,

Or.....

If Trayvon Martin were a Jewish Kid who was Shot I'm sure his Administration would become involved,

so why not help Trayvon's family too?

Why won't Pres. Obama publicly stand up for BLACK Americans?

He wants our Votes but he refuses to stand up for us.
That is not right.

Please Understand I'm NOT bashing Pres. Obama or his Administration.

In Fact he still has my support this Fall.

I just want to know why he won't stand up for BLACK Americans as it relates to Racial Profiling, Wrongful Execution (TROY DAVIS), Intentional Widespread Employment Discrimination, Voting Rights, etc.,

Trayvon Martin was an Innocent, Unarmed, Non-Violent, BLACK Boy struck down in the Prime of his Life while returning home from the neighborhood Store by a Zealous, Trigger Happy, Self-Appointed, Unpaid Community "Rent-a-Cop" with an obvious disdain for BLACK Youth.

Prior to Murdering Trayvon Martin in Cold-Blood for NO Reason, George Zimmerman had previously called the local Police & Sheriff Dept 46 times in 15 Months.

On most of those 9-1-1 Calls Zimmerman frequently reported that he saw BLACK Youth in his community & always Accused those BLACK Youth of Trespassing, Looking "Suspicious" or Attempting to Break into one of his Neighbor's Residences.

Since George Zimmerman was NOT a Professional, Trained Police Officer or Security Guard, I would think calling the Local Law Enforcement Authorities 46 times in 15 Months, frequently mentioning BLACK Youth in those phone calls could Constitute as Acts of Racial Profiling.

After George Zimmerman Shot & Killed Trayvon Martin in Cold-Blood for NO Reason, the Sanford Police Dept. did NOTHING to Conduct an Official Investigation, nor did they even Arrest Zimmerman.

To make matters worse the Medical Examiner performed a Drug Test on Trayvon's Corpse but the Police did NOT perform a Drug nor an Alcohol Blood Test on Zimmerman.

It doesn't require a degree in Rocket Science to clearly observe that Trayvon's Civil Rights were completely Violated in this situation.

However the Sanford Police Department may have also Violated the "Color Of Law" Legal Doctrine.

So Why won't the Obama Administration help Trayvon's family just as they helped Amanda Knox's family & Tyler Clementi's family?

I don't mean pretend to "Help" for Publicity & Political Media Coverage.

I mean Help for Real!

Pres. Obama We (BLACK Voters) Stand With You But We Need YOU To Stand With Us (BLACK Community) Too.







Feds face challenges in Trayvon Martin case


The Department of Justice is reviewing evidence in the shooting death of unarmed black teen Trayvon Martin by neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman in Florida, but prosecuting Zimmerman at the federal level could be an uphill battle, reports CBS News senior correspondent John Miller.

Martin, 17, was killed last month during an altercation with Zimmerman, who followed the teen as he walked through a gated community in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman, 28, has claimed self-defense, though Martin was found to have been carrying only a cell phone, a bag of Skittles and a container of iced tea.

Zimmerman has not been charged in Martin's death, outraging Martin's family and many in the community.

"Can't be self-defense. No way. What's he gonna attack him with? A pack of Skittles?" Tracey Martin, Trayvon's father, told CBS News.

Under growing public pressure, the Department of Justice announced Monday that it would conduct a review of the case, but added the qualification that the "government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a person acted intentionally with the specific intent to do something which the law forbids."

Complicating matters, Florida state law allows a person the right to stand their ground and use deadly force if they feel threatened. The Justice Department recognized that, stating that "negligence, recklessness, mistakes and accidents are not prosecutable under the federal criminal civil rights laws."

The federal government can't prosecute Zimmerman for murder or manslaughter, so any prosecution for civil rights violations must prove Zimmerman took Martin's life because of prejudice.

Zimmerman's family denied he is a racist.



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Sources: CBS News, CNN, Daily Mail, Miami Herald, MSNBC, Wikipedia, Google Maps