Fugitive Slave Law and the Trayvon Martin case
March 29, 2012
A NYTimes column explains the similarity between Chief Lee's reasoning for not arresting Zimmerman (reasoning now disputed by both facts and thorough analyses of Florida law) and the reasoning used in Fugitive Slave Law cases. The result of Lee's interpretation:
In short, it appears that whites (or other non-blacks) may hunt down blacks with immunity from arrest so long as they leave behind no clue that they were not acting to defend themselves; or, to echo Martin Delany, that Florida’s Stand Your Ground law threatens to render some citizens subject to the arbitrary wills of others.
If it seems a stretch, finally, to paint Zimmerman in the image of the slave catchers of yesteryear, recall that he himself invited the comparison when, while stalking the African-American teenager against the advice of a 911 dispatcher, he complained, using an expletive to refer to Trayvon, that they “always get away.”
i was a 13yr old and was sold into sex, and passed around to goverment officials and partys for years because i thoght it was better tan home were icame very heavey physical abuse so was told by mother it would be better to stay there than to come home theres sooo much more to thie story thanks for listning eric
Posted by: er ic | April 02, 2012 at 09:15 AM
from the first time walking to the parkfrom my home in hyatsville mayland to leaving much earliar so i would not here my dad sceaming and yelling so i walked on about a hour before shcoll so decided to walk to shcool thru the woods when going over the steel bridge i walked to other side looking at the fish crossing the creek not paying att. i was grabed from behind and was shot in the harm with something andlatter woke up nakket in a bed with camera everywere i looked under the blanket to see what the pain was and i seen blood so jumped up but there was no clothes anywere so i seen a window and looked like a basement door and at dis believe it was unlocked so i ran out with no clothig not knowing were to go i was in the back of some houses in the woods and it looked like the sun was comming up so kept on till i seen a smallcloth line with clothes on it it was cold out so i didnt care of the size they were big and baggy that it was even hardto hold them up, so i started walking and started up this real steep hill wicth seem all so familar the next street was my schoolso i turned around and went home and got the hidden key and went in the basement and up to my room and ran out the house untill my mother came home and she said your dad is pissed at you for running away so when he got home he beat me so bad he broke my leg by kicking me down 2 flights of steps and he would not take me to the hospital he said ijust sprained it and he made me get up on it so today i still cannot bendmy leg all the way 2nd story of a 100 eric.c.welsh
Posted by: er ic | April 02, 2012 at 10:00 AM
Wow, what a story. How old are you now? Have you reported all this to the authorities?
Posted by: Scott Jones | April 02, 2012 at 08:21 PM