Fla. cities on guard for any post-Zimmerman unrest

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By CURT ANDERSON and MIKE SCHNEIDER

MIAMI (AP) - Police and city leaders in Florida say they have taken precautionary steps for the possibility of mass protests or even civil unrest if George Zimmerman is acquitted in the killing of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin, particularly in African-American neighborhoods where passions run strongest over the case.

For months, officials in Sanford and South Florida have been working with pastors, youth coaches, community activists and summer camp counselors to stress a non-violent approach if Zimmerman walks free. At the same time, police say they have quietly been making plans for dealing with any potential emotional flare-ups that could quickly turn into storefront-smashing, car-burning riots.

"It's all right to be vocal, but we don't want to be violent," said the Rev. Walter T. Richardson, a longtime pastor and chairman of Miami-Dade County's Community Relations Board, which has been holding town hall-style meetings about the case. "We've already lost one soul and we don't want to lose any more."

Martin, from the suburb of Miami Gardens, was 17 when he died. He was in Sanford visiting his father and father's fiancee when Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, fatally shot him during a physical confrontation in a gated community in February 2012.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20130711/DA7F76U83.html

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In this July 8, 2013 file photo, George Zimmerman sits in the courtroom during his trial in Seminole Circuit Court, in Sanford, Fla. Police and city leaders in Sanford and South Florida are preparing for the possibility of mass demonstrations and civil unrest if Zimmerman is acquitted in the killing of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, particularly in African-American neighborhoods where passions about the case run strongest. (AP Photo /Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool, File)

[GeorgeGist]

1. I'm sure glad John Roberts assured us that racism is over.

[7962]

2. But racism in which direction? I doubt they are doing much preparation for a guilty verdict

Honestly, when is the last time whites rioted after a verdict? If Zimmerman was black or Martin white, would this case have ever been on the news? The sad thing is, there have already BEEN several "revenge" incidents before the trial even happened. This case reminds me too much of the rodney king trial. The prosecution in that case screwed up by filing attempted murder charges. There was no way a jury using the evidence provided, could find the cops guilty. It was very simple; if they wanted him dead, 15 idiot cops on top of him would have killed him.
In this case, murder will be hard to prove and so far they have failed to do so IMO. Doesnt mean the jury wont come back with a guilty verdict though.

[Scootaloo]

11. "When's the last time whites rioted after a verdict?"

Last edited Thu Jul 11, 2013, 08:21 AM - Edit history (1)

I dunno.

When's the last time a black man gunned down an unarmed 17 year old white kid, and got dusted off and sent home without a peep by black officers?

Did this black gunman chase the kid down after being told to not do so by dispatchers?

Did he have a history of harassing and making phone calls when he saw white people in his neighborhood?

Did this black gunner get to go on Hannity to make his case to the nation without a word of interruption from the cow-eyed host?

Did the gunman receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in his defense from concerned / congratulatory black people?

Was there a company that produced shooting range targets in the likeness of the dead white child?

Did that child wait at the morgue for a few days before the police decided to inform his parents?

Did the major networks spend weeks characterizing the slain white child as "trailer trash" who was probably a drug addict?

Does the defense's case depend on characterizing this child as a peckerwood thug, a racist, trash-talking brute who lies in wait to pounce on and lynch innocent blacks who happen to be chasing him through the neighborhood while armed?

Do the networks cluck and shake their heads about how a white witness for the prosecution speaks with a southern accent, explaining to us watching at home that she's a terrible witness because of her "improper English?"

Do the white communities of Florida have a history of all of these sort of instances targeting them in such fashion?

Do the white citizen of Florida feel that a verdict of "not guilty" will clear trigger-happy black men to murder them with the claim "I wuz skurred!"

You can't compare situations that do not bear comparison.

[heaven05]

23. thank you

[kestrel91316]

27. + 1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000

[adirondacker]

29. Excellent points! n/t

[JustAnotherGen]

31. Thanks Scootaloo!

And that's a perfect example of a raging bigot running around Democratic Underground. A perfect example.

[7962]

35. You obviously dont know the definition of "bigot" if you think my post was bigoted. And "raging"?

Please. Nothing I said was rude or offensive. I merely pointed out one small point. And nothing that followed refuted that point. Hell, you dont even know MY racial makeup! My main point is that if the races were reversed, this doesnt make the news outside of sanford. There have been many threats posted (not here on du) about retribution. There have already been people attacked in martin's name. The reverse has not happened in past crimes as far as I know.
And the defense was NOT allowed to use Martins past as evidence in the case. They tried, but it was not allowed.
I do not think Zimmerman was right in what he did. He's an idiot. He ended one life and probably ruined hos own regardless of the verdict. I think he overstepped what neighborhood watches should do. But if the prosecution doesnt allow for conviction on a lesser charge, they have not proven murder as defined.

[JustAnotherGen]

36. I wasn't talking to you

And I didn't find what you said rude or offensive.

But it's funny you wasted all that time typing to me!

[7962]

37. Well, then I apologize. And thanks for the clarification.

But it really didnt take THAT long to type!!

[DonCoquixote]

38. Better than a half dozen ops

Thank you

[tblue]

39. Amen 1000 times.

Thank you. All those questions you posed, really say it all.

[Skittles]

42. righteous, Scootaloo

tell it like it is

[whoisme1]

44. 1st

White? Come on people have you become so blind and brain washed by the mass media that you see a clearly brown man as white just because they tell you so? I don't think any "white" people who have full Latino features. Obama is also half white but is called black.

Putting the obvious and unimportant facts aside. This issue you have about this injustice shouldn't be about race. This racial stirring done in the media is to make you angry, it is meant to divide and conquer. The government wants us to fight amongst ourselves.

In this day and age we have to unite not segregate if we want to keep our rights and freedoms.

[cyberswede]

46. You do understand that race and ethnicity aren't the same thing, right?

http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/2010_census/cb11-cn184.html

[Scootaloo]

47. First...

The poster I was responding to asked "when was the last time whites rioted over a verdict?"

Second, spare me this colorblind bullshit. Race exists. Racism is real. You can argue if it should or not, but the fact is that the way things stand, it does. Noting that reality is not "segregation," and frankly that claim is one of the fucking stupidest things I've seen on this subject - and you're facing some stiff competition there.

[hobbit709]

3. Paranoid much are they?

They should have thought of those consequences before they came up with laws that basically give carte blanche to kill minorities.

[Lee-Lee]

8. I don't see how

The same laws that have governed self defense for decades give "carte blanche" to kill minorities. I say that as a minority female who has had to use force in self defense and had those laws protect her.

Quite frankly if there are riots, part of the blame will be on people making hyperbolic claims like yours all over the media that less informed people will think are grounded in reality.

Lets be real here. Zimmerman probably is a racist. He probably instigated it all. But the problem here isn't the law, it is that this prosecution is doing a HORRIBLE job of presenting the case, and because the initial responders didn't do a very good job. Not because there is some law that says it is ok to shoot minorities.

[hobbit709]

10. Using stand your ground as a defense when provoking the incident.

[Lee-Lee]

12. But

Stand your ground is not being used as a defense in this case. The defense elected not to make a SYG claim and it has not come in to play one bit.

[hobbit709]

16. And they've hinting around it ever since

[obxhead]

14. Wow

I strongly suggest you do a tiny bit of research on the case you are commenting on.

Hint, Stand your ground is NOT the defense Zimmerman is using.

[hobbit709]

17. See # 16

[heaven05]

22. ???

[Dash87]

30. There are forces at play that want riots

This isn't real concern - it's social engineering.

They're going to get proven wrong despite their baiting. There won't be riots, and they won't be able to take their guns out (which is what they want).

[Dr. Strange]

40. Yes.

If Zimmerman is found innocent, who knows how many people he'll shoot on the way home?

[Skittles]

43. it's like an admission of how they KNOW it's not justice

[joshdawg]

4. Sad to say,

but this murdering POS will walk.
If Martin had been white, GZ would be in prison.

[Earth_First]

5. So I assume they are taking this seriously...

KKK posts neighborhood watch fliers

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3220175

[KarenS]

6. Disgusting.

These towns have exactly the same mindset as GZ did the night he profiled Trayvon Martin.

[Niceguy1]

7. it is proper planning

As unpopular verdicts have resulted in riots in the past......... they wou ld be negligent if they didn't plan.

[Lee-Lee]

15. I agree

You already have people on social media making threats to riot, and you have historical precedent.

Any agency would be pretty negligent to not plan for the possibility.

That said I am mad as hell at all the morons on twitter talking about how they want to riot- way to feed the stereotypes and give the racists something to parade arouond morons.

[FarPoint]

9. They are only being inflammatory

which ignites the Zimmyites to lock-n-load for the verdict. "All black males be on alert".

This could be ugly as they will refer to the Zimmy defense to justify their actions.

[BumRushDaShow]

20. Yup. It'll ratchet up the gun and ammo sales. nt

[ceonupe]

32. guns are now reasonably in stock in all but the newest or high end of modern sport rifles ammo....

guns are now reasonably in stock in all but the newest or high end of modern sport rifles ammo not so much.

Ammo is still way below normal stock levels.

[tiredtoo]

13. Very interesting post

I had a post hid last week for suggesting the trial was just a farce being held to placate the B*****. My post was hid as being racist. Had I just said the placate the masses it may have gone unflagged. And I still think Zimmerman will walk. I can see unrest in the masses no matter what the results, there are many on both sides ready to react with possible violence included. The radical right has had a fire in their ass since Obama was elected and then re-elected. JMHO

[John2]

18. When you got

posters on this board continuing to give cover for a non guilty verdict, then it would be easier for the jury to acquit and justify it. I'm going to point it out again contrary to what another poster's claims and they refute the it.

1. The prosecution provided evidence Zimmerman followed Martin. It angers me when someone claims they didn't.
2. The prosecution proved Zimmerman had some animous towards Martin, with language like Aholes, punks, and considering him a suspect. Does someone providing cover want to deny this?
3. The Defense did not provide any evidence Martin jumped this man or circled back. People providing cover for a non guilty verdict is just taking Zimmerman's words as evidence and using his injuries to make that leap.


From the very beginning of this trial people suspected the jury was stacked by the judge favoring the Defense's choices and striking Blacks off the jury. Omara claimed in the Press that he wished Blacks was in the jury, but it was O'Mara that struck them. You see the deviouness in that. It was a pre-empted strike through the media to provide cover for the verdict. Now they are targeting the Black community if they get angry.

Now they are using a pre-empted justification through the media to pacify the emotions of people who will get upset over a trumped up trial. People will have a right to get upset at these five white women and one hispanic. Just because they are women, don't mean they can't be racist.Sanford is 20 percent black,0ver 20 percent Hispanic and only over 40 percent white, yet the jury is 99 percent white and 1percent hispanic.

Anyone claiming this would be a verdict by his peers is a lying, because it does not represent the community. Now you got the Police Chief breaking silence saying the investigation was stolen from them. Is there any doubt they didn't want to bring this to trial now? The bottomline, evidence was shown Zimmerman committed murder, and not self defense. What they did was demonize the victim and tried to make him less human. Zimmerman;s trainer has no dam business giving testimony on the physical capabilities of Trayvon, having never even met the kid in his life. That is how bullshit this trial was. And the prosecution went along with it.

[heaven05]

21. +1000

[John2]

19. I think

the Black community will behave just well, but relations between certain people and the black community want remain the same as usual. It just got worse. Right now, I don't have any respect for O'Mara,WEst, Judge Nelson or the police Department of Sanford Florida as a Black person. I now see what the African American community in Sanford have been going through with the Justice System in Sanford Florida and its police Department. If their reputation was damaged locally with african Americans, it is now damaged nationally. Before this trial, I didn't know one thing about the community of Sanford Florida. And if I ever travel through that community as a Black person, I would make sure, I'm armed.

[heaven05]

24. +1000

[DallasNE]

25. This Is Disgusting

Why publish an expectation of a riot? That almost sends the message to riot so it makes no sense. It also sends a message of expectations that this jury cannot come to a fair verdict. Law enforcement is even asking this Judge to release a verdict on a weekday. That means that the earliest this sequestered Jury can be released would be next Monday. But the pace this trial is proceeding that may be optimistic anyway.

Bottom line, this is being handled horribly by authorities. I think most people have already concluded that justice is not blind and never has been. And Don West is doing his best to make sure the Judge knows this too.

[Dash87]

33. Manipulation is being attempted here. They want riots. They want targets.

It's classic social engineering. The police put out a press release saying, "oh please don't riot!" which in turn plants the seed for there to be riots.

The gun nuts want this. I say lets give them nothing - no riot, no attention, just peaceful action.

[whoisme1]

45. Unite

Exactly. They want a race war. The result of which will be more incarcerations and loss of freedoms. All in the name of security and protecting America.

[DallasNE]

41. Another Reason This Is Disgusting

Where is the talk of preparations for a guilty verdict? This is an obvious double standard as there are a lot of cowboys out there with guns that will be very upset with a guilty verdict so that has to be a risk -- that some cowboy will go out looking for trouble, gun in hand and a willingness to use it at the slightest provocation. Not a prediction; just saying.

[kestrel91316]

28. Funny, I wasn't aware that Peruvians had been historically subjected to over 300 years of

massive, systematic discrimination and oppression and injustice in the US.

[Bacchus4.0]

34. most of the indigenous peruvians have for longer than that. hello?? n/t

s