DEEPLY DISTURBING

It is so upsetting to see someone holding a sign that says BLACK LIFE MATTERS. Should anyone have to state that in 2012? Apparently so. The Trayvon Martin case isn't just about one man's prejudice, but a particularly corrupt local police force and a biased system nationwide. Zimmerman killed a kid and then was home for dinner? They gave the dead boy a drug test but not Zimmerman--whose past mental issues the local police were clearly aware of? Now the police dpt is leaking info to damn Trayvon--that he was on suspension from school for trace amounts of marijuana. So now the prejudiced part of white America can say "Oh, ok. The kid was no good and on drugs. So Zimmerman was probably right." And Zimmerman's lawyer is claiming that Trayvon punched Zimmerman. What would his motive have been? In the recording of the police dispatch, Zimmerman said either these goons or these coons always get away. Some nut on TV was saying yesterday that coons is not a racial slur used by people under 40--which is true--so Zimmerman was probably saying goons, which is a term of endearment in high schools. As Cenk Ugyar pointed out last night on Current TV, why on earth would Zimmerman use a term of endearment for someone who he then shot? Makes no sense, but the smear campaign is in full swing now. And of course, GOP candidates are trying to stir up their racist base with Obama's statement on this.

FROM MOVEON.ORG:

I'm a MoveOn member and a mother, and my two sons look like Trayvon Martin.

As parents, we all have to warn our children about the dangers of the world—strangers, bullies, which streets not to walk down. But there's a special pain in explaining to my sons the suspicion and dangers they face, simply by being young black men.

One month ago today, Trayvon Martin was walking through a gated community in Florida with nothing more than an iced tea and a bag of skittles. But being a young black man in a hoodie made him "suspicious" to George Zimmerman, who got out of his SUV, tracked Trayvon down, and shot him dead.1

On that terrible day, my special pain and fear as a parent became very urgent ... and very real. Racial profiling is a sickness in the soul of our nation. It limits our promise. It divides us. And one month ago, it robbed Trayvon Martin of his life.
Trayvon's story is already inspiring millions in the call for justice and an end to racial violence. It also moved writer/activist Kevin Powell, Akila Worksongs, Jasiri X and the folks at MoveOn and ColorOfChange to record a new powerful video "A Song for Trayvon." Please watch it and share it with your family and friends to inspire more people to join this growing movement:

http://moveon.org/SongForTrayvon?id=38007-1644652-fu9mpgx&t=2

When my husband shared the news about Trayvon, my eyes welled with tears. I pictured my own two boys innocently walking home, just like Trayvon, and then never seeing them again—never hugging them. It was more than I could bear.

That's why I started a SignOn petition calling for justice for Trayvon. It's been signed by more than 500,000 MoveOn members, and I'm delivering it to the Justice Department today. Already, the public pressure from us and our allies is making a difference.

The Justice Department, the State of Florida, and the FBI have launched new investigations, a new state prosecutor has been appointed, and a grand jury date has been set.2 But we need to keep building the call for justice. And we do that by making sure each and every American knows Trayvon's story.

Click here to watch and share a powerful video about the injustice done to Trayvon Martin.

President Obama said, "if I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon."3 He might be like Trayvon too, and Trayvon might have been like my two boys; or your son; or friends of your children, joining you at the dinner table.

But Zimmerman couldn't see past Trayvon's race and hoodie to the promising young man he was—a football player, a horseback rider, a hero who pulled his father from a burning kitchen.4 Trayvon was young, he was alive, he was beautiful.

All of us sharing Trayvon's story and calling out for justice are fighting back against racism and senseless violence, so one day we no longer have to fear our child's walk home in the darkness.

It's up to us to make sure that every person in America knows what happened to Trayvon and how his death moved us to tears and action. Help us grow this movement by sharing this video with everyone you know.

Click here to watch and share Trayvon Martin's story.