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Trayvon’s family attends Tampa town hall meeting sponsored by Black lawyers
Written by Fcadmin | 19 April 2012 E-mail Print PDF 12345( 0 Votes )
BY DEMORRIS LEE / SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER: Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton sat in the front row at Beulah Baptist Institutional Church in Tampa Thursday afternoon and listened as legal experts and supporters explained the battle ahead for them as they try to pursue justice for the death of their son Trayvon Martin.
About 300 people the town hall meeting sponsored by the National Bar Association. It was dubbed “Standing Our Ground for Justice,” and focused on Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law.
Martin, 17, was shot to death Feb. 26 in a Sanford gated community by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain. Zimmerman said he acted in self-defense and initially was not charged with a crime. Martin was unarmed and had a can of ice tea and a bag of candy in his hand.
Following a public outcry that included marches through the streets and Martin and Fulton appealing to the national media, Zimmerman was arrested and charged with second-degree murder for Trayvon’s death
The True Story Of Black America and Trayvon Martin, Will He Get The Justice He Deserves located HERE.
“You are the unsung heroes who have made this march to justice so incredible,” said Ben Crump, the Martin family attorney. “...The grieving process gives time for self-reflection but the (Martin family) didn’t get time to grieve because they have been fighting for justice.”
Neither Tracy Martin nor Sybrina Fulton spoke at the panel discussion. The panel consisted of Clinton Paris of the Tampa Organization of Black Affairs, Carolyn Collins of the NAACP-Hillsborough County, Tanya Clay-House, an attorney and NBA’s Civil Rights Law Section Chair, and Aramis Donell Ayala, an Orlando public defender.
“As lawyers from around the country converge here at ground zero of Stand Your Ground, victims and their families impacted by its application need to be heard,” said John Page, NBA’s president-elect. “We give voice to their concerns by examining the effects of this law, particularly the increasing justified homicide claims in its wake.”
Zimmerman, who has pleaded not guilty the killing, is set to have a bond hearing Friday. Zimmerman asked to speak with Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton before Friday’s hearing but they declined his request, Crump said.
The judge who was originally assigned to oversee the murder case has stepped aside due to a potential conflict of interest. Judge Jessica Recksielder’s husband works with the attorney that the Zimmerman family first asked to represent Zimmerman. Though Recksielder’s husband’s law firm declined the case, they did recommend an alternative. Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. is now set to replace her.
Also Thursday, Gov. Rick Scott announced formation of the Citizen Safety and Protection Task Force, a group that will look at Florida’s Stand Your Ground law. The task force is a reaction to Trayvon Martin’s death.
Asked during the nearly 2-hour discussion what justice looked like, Crump responded, “Little Black and Brown boys will not be racially profiled.”
Crump also said, “We can’t have fear of ignorance of not knowing one another. (If we do,) this is going to repeat itself over and over again.”
READ THE REST OF THE STORY HERE
Great Stories in the Florida Courier HERE
Written by Fcadmin | 19 April 2012 E-mail Print PDF 12345( 0 Votes )
BY DEMORRIS LEE / SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER: Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton sat in the front row at Beulah Baptist Institutional Church in Tampa Thursday afternoon and listened as legal experts and supporters explained the battle ahead for them as they try to pursue justice for the death of their son Trayvon Martin.
About 300 people the town hall meeting sponsored by the National Bar Association. It was dubbed “Standing Our Ground for Justice,” and focused on Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law.
Martin, 17, was shot to death Feb. 26 in a Sanford gated community by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain. Zimmerman said he acted in self-defense and initially was not charged with a crime. Martin was unarmed and had a can of ice tea and a bag of candy in his hand.
Following a public outcry that included marches through the streets and Martin and Fulton appealing to the national media, Zimmerman was arrested and charged with second-degree murder for Trayvon’s death
The True Story Of Black America and Trayvon Martin, Will He Get The Justice He Deserves located HERE.
“You are the unsung heroes who have made this march to justice so incredible,” said Ben Crump, the Martin family attorney. “...The grieving process gives time for self-reflection but the (Martin family) didn’t get time to grieve because they have been fighting for justice.”
Neither Tracy Martin nor Sybrina Fulton spoke at the panel discussion. The panel consisted of Clinton Paris of the Tampa Organization of Black Affairs, Carolyn Collins of the NAACP-Hillsborough County, Tanya Clay-House, an attorney and NBA’s Civil Rights Law Section Chair, and Aramis Donell Ayala, an Orlando public defender.
“As lawyers from around the country converge here at ground zero of Stand Your Ground, victims and their families impacted by its application need to be heard,” said John Page, NBA’s president-elect. “We give voice to their concerns by examining the effects of this law, particularly the increasing justified homicide claims in its wake.”
Zimmerman, who has pleaded not guilty the killing, is set to have a bond hearing Friday. Zimmerman asked to speak with Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton before Friday’s hearing but they declined his request, Crump said.
The judge who was originally assigned to oversee the murder case has stepped aside due to a potential conflict of interest. Judge Jessica Recksielder’s husband works with the attorney that the Zimmerman family first asked to represent Zimmerman. Though Recksielder’s husband’s law firm declined the case, they did recommend an alternative. Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. is now set to replace her.
Also Thursday, Gov. Rick Scott announced formation of the Citizen Safety and Protection Task Force, a group that will look at Florida’s Stand Your Ground law. The task force is a reaction to Trayvon Martin’s death.
Asked during the nearly 2-hour discussion what justice looked like, Crump responded, “Little Black and Brown boys will not be racially profiled.”
Crump also said, “We can’t have fear of ignorance of not knowing one another. (If we do,) this is going to repeat itself over and over again.”
READ THE REST OF THE STORY HERE
Great Stories in the Florida Courier HERE
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