Only in America

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

This is quite staggering though

 

The US justice department has launched an investigation into the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Florida by a neighbourhood watch captain, in a case which has sparked a national outcry.

 

Following a wave of public protests, which saw almost 500,000 people sign a petition on the change.org website, the justice department stepped in to announce that its civil rights division and the FBI would investigate the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, who was shot dead as he returned home from a convenience store with a packet of Skittles and some iced tea in a gated community in Sanford, Florida.

 

Trayon's case will also to go to a grand jury on April 10, Florida state attorney Norm Wolfinger announced on Tuesday.

 

"The public is entitled to no less than a thorough, deliberate and just review of the facts," Wolfinger said. "We intend to honor that commitment."

 

Trayvon was shot dead by Hispanic volunteer watch captain George Zimmerman, 28, who spotted the teenager as he was patrolling the neighbourhood on a rainy evening in February. Zimmerman claims he shot the teenager in self-defence during a confrontation.

 

The failure of local police to arrest Zimmerman in the three weeks since the shooting – and the release of 911 tapes that reveal he followed Trayvon, despite a warning by a police dispatcher not to – has fuelled a fierce debate on race, vigilante justice and a "stand your ground" law in Florida that allows people to defend themselves using deadly force.

 

In a statement released late on Monday, the justice department said: "The department will conduct a thorough and independent review of all the evidence, and take appropriate action at the conclusion of the investigation."

 

Civil rights activist Al Sharpton is expected to join Sanford city leaders in a Tuesday evening town hall meeting to discuss how the investigation is being handled with residents. The justice department said its community relations service will also be in Sanford this week to meet authorities, community officials and civil rights leaders "to address tension in the community".

 

Florida governor Rick Scott has directed the state department of law enforcement to help local authorities in their investigation. The governor said in a memo to department commissioner Gerald Bradley that the circumstances surrounding the death "have caused significant concern within the Sanford community and the state".

 

Earlier on Monday, college students around Florida rallied to demand Zimmerman's arrest, though authorities may be hamstrung by Florida's "stand your ground" law, which allows wide latitute for people claiming self-defence.

 

Prosecutors may not be able to charge Zimmerman because of changes to state law in 2005. Under the old law, people could use deadly force in self-defence only if they had tried to run away or otherwise avoid the danger.

 

Under the new law, there is no duty to retreat, and it gives a Floridian the right "to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force," if he or she feels threatened.

 

Students held rallies on the campus of Florida A&M University in Tallahassee and outside the Seminole county criminal justice centre, where prosecutors are reviewing the case to determine if charges should be filed. The students demanded Zimmerman's arrest.

 

"I don't think a man who exited his vehicle after the 911 dispatcher told him to stay inside the car can claim self-defence," Carl McPhail, a 28-year-old Barry University law school student, said at the Sanford rally.

 

The 70 protesters at the Sanford rally chanted "What if it was your son?" and held posters which read "This is not a race issue." Many carried Skittles.

 

Trayvon's parents and other advocates have said the shooter would have been arrested had he been black.

 

"You would think that Sanford is still in the 1800s, [by] claiming that this man can call self-defence for shooting an unarmed boy," restaurant owner Linda Tillman said.

 

Florida congresswoman Corrine Brown, along with members of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, had asked the justice department to review the case, and White House spokesman Jay Carney said earlier on Monday during a briefing that officials there were aware of what happened.

 

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to Trayvon Martin's family," Carney said at the time. "But obviously we're not going to wade into a local law enforcement matter."

 

Prosecutors can have a hard time making a case if there is no one else around to contradict a person who claims self-defence, said David Hill, a criminal defence attorney in Orlando. So far, Sanford police have said there is no evidence to contradict Zimmerman's claims.

 

"If there is nobody around and you pull a gun, you just say: 'Hey, I reasonably believed I was under imminent attack. Hey, sorry. Too bad. But you can't prosecute me,'" Hill said, somewhat tongue-in-cheek.

 

Gun control advocates said the case is emblematic of permissive gun laws in Florida, which was among the first states to allow residents to carry concealed weapons. Florida was the first state to pass a "stand your ground" law, which has been dubbed a "shoot fFirst" law by gun control advocates.

 

Currently, about half of all US states have similar laws, said Brian Malte, legislative director of the Brady Campaign, which describes itself as the nation's largest organisation dedicated to the prevention of gun violence.

 

"It's coming to dangerous fruition," Malte said. "There are more states like Florida."

 

The "stand your ground" law's legislative sponsor, Florida congressman Dennis Baxley, said it was not written to give people the power to pursue and confront others.

 

"That's not what this legislation does," said Baxley, a Republican. "Unfortunately, every time there is an unfortunate incident involving a firearm, they think it's about this law, and it's not."

[Crazy Horse]

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Edited March 20, 2012 by Crazy Horse

[New York Red]

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[Paddy T.]

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[smithdown]

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[Gunga Din]

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