Showing posts with label Trayvon Martin top news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trayvon Martin top news. Show all posts
Tuesday, 17 December 2013
Trayvon Martin's Parents in Talks With Publishers for Book
Trayvon Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, shopping a book about her son and ...
Sunday, 15 December 2013
You Might Be Interested to Know What Trayvon Martin's Mother Reportedly Did ...
Saturday, 14 December 2013
Trayvon Martin's parents want to write a book about their son
Anonymous/APTrayvon Martin, 17, was slain in a 2012 shooting in Sanford, Fla., by neighborhood crime-watch captain George Zimmerman. Trayvon's parents want to write a book about their son and are shopping it to interested publishers.
The parents of Trayvon Martin want to honor their slain son's memory in a book.
Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin said they want to recount who their 17-year-old son was, The New York Times reported Friday. The teen was killed in February 2012. The book also will examine Fulton and Martin's grief after neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman, 30, fatally shot the unarmed black teen during a confrontation in a gated Florida community and the ensuing trial.
Trayvon Martin became a household name as the teen's killing and Zimmerman's July acquittal on second-degree murder and manslaughter charges grabbed headlines.
The teen's parents, accompanied by literary agent Jan Miller, shopped the book to interested publishers, according to two publishing executives present at the meetings.
Friday, 13 December 2013
Trayvon Martin's parents shopping book
Trayvon Martin's parents are looking to pen a book about their 17-year-old slain son, meeting with publishers in hopes of landing a deal.
According to The New York Times, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin met with several publishing companies about the potential book. Two publishing executives who attended the meetings told The Times Trayon Martin's parents plan to share their son's life, while detailing the grief and sorrow they experienced following his death.
Fulton and Tracy Martin were joined by Jan Miller of Dupree/Miller & Associates, a Dallas-based literary agency. According to The Times, the meetings were described as "somber and moving" by those in attendance.
Despite Fulton and Tracy Martin's intention of writing a book detailing their son's life, one publishing executive suggested the pair instead focus on faith, as they spoke "eloquently on social issues of race and religion."
The couple also noted they never fully addressed what happened to Trayvon Martin, including their time at shooter George Zimmerman's trial. After the trial ended in July, a jury ruled he was not guilty.
Trayvon Martin, 17, was shot and killed by Zimmerman in a Sanford, Fla., neighborhood. His death and Zimmerman's subsequent trial - and later acquittal - gained major media attention. President Barack Obama even commented on both Trayvon Martin's killing and the jury's verdict.
By Melissa Quinn ///
Expert in Trayvon Martin case testifies for two former Fresno officers
A gunshot expert who helped George Zimmerman beat a murder rap in the Trayvon Martin case testified Thursday in a federal civil rights trial on behalf of two former Fresno police officers who fatally shot Stephen Willis four years ago.
Dr. Vincent Di Maio's testimony came with a hefty price tag: $14,400.
In the second week of the trial, Di Maio told jurors that Willis, 23, was "grossly intoxicated" and was shot more than dozen times by former officers Daniel Astacio and Greg Catton during the early hours of March 28, 2009.
He said none of the gunshot wounds were at close range and none of them would have instantly incapacitated Willis, who was armed with a revolver.
But the nationally recognized expert did say Willis was shot several times in the back and one of those bullets pierced Willis' heart, which he said would have killed him within 15 seconds. The bullets also pierced Willis's left lung, stomach, spleen, chest, liver and small intestine, he testified.
Willis' parents, Chris and Liz Willis, have sued Astacio and Catton for using excessive force and are seeking damages for wrongful death, funeral expenses and emotional pain. They contend their son was taking his revolver, which he used earlier in the day at a target practicing range, from the trunk of his car and into his home for safekeeping when he was killed.
At issue in the trial is whether Astacio and Catton identified themselves as police officers before they shot Willis and whether Willis pulled the gun from its holster and aimed it at the officers.
In addition, Astacio and Catton have testified that Willis fired at least two shots at them, but attorneys Walter Williams and Peter Koenig, who represent the Willis family, contend Willis never fired one round.
After Willis was killed, police found five live bullets and one empty shell casing in Willis' revolver. If Willis had fired his weapon, the empty shell casing should have been in front of the firing pin, Willis' lawyers contend.
Instead, there was a bullet in front of the firing pin, a Fresno police crime-scene specialist has testified.
Fresno attorney James Weakley, who represents Astacio and Catton, called Di Maio to the witness stand to explain the 41 shots fired at Willis.
Di Maio, a forensic pathologist who has written four books on gunshot wounds, grabbed headlines this summer when he testified that his review of evidence indicated that Martin was on top of Zimmerman when Zimmerman fired his gun and killed the teen.
His testimony supported Zimmerman's claims that he was acting in self-defense and in July a jury in Florida acquitted Zimmerman of murdering Martin. He was also acquitted of the lesser charge of manslaughter.
In the Willis case, Di Maio said his review of the evidence showed that Willis had a .29 blood alcohol. At that level, most people would be passing out, but Willis likely was a heavy drinker and therefore had a high tolerance to alcohol, Di Maio testified.
In addition, Willis' blood alcohol level was likely higher than .29 because he had some undigested alcohol in his stomach that had not been absorbed into his blood stream, Di Maio told the jury.
Di Maio testified that Willis suffered 14 gunshot wounds and was grazed twice.
Because Astacio and Catton were both shooting .40-caliber, semi-automatic Beretta handguns, Di Maio said in the initial encounter near the trunk of Willis car, Astacio, who testified he fired first, shot Willis in the left collarbone and then in the left upper arm as Willis was turning to run. The bullet in the upper arm then went into Willis' chest, Di Maio said.
Willis then suffered a gunshot wound to his left upper arm and that bullet went into his chest and then the abdomen, Di Maio testified, noting that the trajectory of the bullet was left to right and slightly downward.
Di Maio also noted a bullet went into the back of Willis' right thigh.
In the second encounter, the officers were on opposite sides of Willis, who had crouched behind a vehicle. Di Maio testified that Willis suffered gunshot wounds from bullets that had lost their velocity. That would be consistent with Catton's testimony that he emptied two magazines as he shot through the windows of a van toward Willis, he said.
"They were shallow wounds," Di Maio testified.
Catton and Astacio also have testified that they fired at Willis as he knelt toward Catton and pointed his revolver at the officer.
Di Maio said the evidence shows that Willis was shot twice in the back. One of the bullets went into Willis' heart, he testified. He also noted gunshot wounds to the back of Willis' right thigh, right leg and left ankle.
Once Willis had collapsed onto the ground, Catton testified he went to where Astacio had ducked for cover. Catton said he then shot Willis because Willis was reaching for his gun.
Di Maio said Catton's bullets hit Willis in the right upper back and in the middle of his back.
Astacio and Catton no longer work for the Fresno Police Department. Astacio works as a security guard locally, and Catton is a police officer in Vancouver, Wash.
Testimony in the trial should wrap up Friday.
The reporter can be reached at (559) 441-6434, plopez@fresnobee.com or @beecourts on Twitter.
Friday, 6 December 2013
'Ballad for Trayvon Martin' Debuts at Princeton
Wednesday, 4 December 2013
Game Says Trayvon Martin's Mom Appreciated His Tattoo Dedication
Game Says Trayvon Martin's Mom Appreciated His Tattoo Dedication
Tuesday, 3 December 2013
Exclusive: Andre Cymone's New LP Raises Obama And Trayvon Martin ...
Monday, 25 November 2013
Macklemore Attacked For Support Of Trayvon Martin At AMA Awards
Trayvon Martin's attorney, mom visit Cambridge for forum
Thursday, 21 November 2013
US Justice Department report on Trayvon Martin case due soon
Wednesday, 20 November 2013
George Zimmerman's Legal Problems Won't Bring Trayvon Martin Justice
Wednesday, 13 November 2013
Why Did Trayvon Martin's Death Upset Us More Than Black
In the city of New Orleans, young black men are killing other young black men. This issue, says mayor Mitch Landrieu, is the center of disparities in education, employment, and poverty-but for the most part, it's a problem that's ignored.
In an interview with MSNBC's Karen Finney at the Washington Ideas Forum on Wednesday, Landrieu implied that there's hypocrisy in the way Americans talk about race: While situations like the death of Trayvon Martin provoke widespread public outrage, no one pays attention to everyday gun violence that mostly affects young black men.
Kids killing kids on the streets is not what happened in the Trayvon Martin case. Trayvon Martin was about injustice. It was about disparate treatments of African Americans and whites in the judicial system, which is why we've paid attention to that for a long time.
But you might want to ask yourself: If we paid that much attention to the Trayvon issue, why didn't you pay attention last night to the kid that got killed in your neighborhood?
I bet you that if you go back and you read the back section of your paper, a young African American kid was shot in your neighborhood, probably by another young African American, and you didn't even know about it."
The interesting question is: What upsets us, and why?
Conversations with leading newsmakers.
This is an interesting question, indeed. Landrieu, who is white, spoke in a surprisingly open way about the media reports on race and crime. "On the ground, what we talk about is kids getting killed, and why they're getting killed, and a culture of violence that has developed that is about guns, but it's not just about guns. It is about poverty, but it's not just about poverty. It is about jobs, but it's not just about jobs."
In discussions of Trayvon Martin and similarly racialized cases, cultural commentators often bring up the particularly troubled history of racism and violence in the South. Although this is important, Landrieu said, he strongly objected to the way Southerners are often characterized in these discussions. "People say, well that's just because people in the South don't know how to read or write, and they don't have shoes, and they're not really as smart as the rest of the country," Landrieu said.
Landrieu warned Northerners not to be overconfident. "The city of New Orleans is this nation's canary in the coalmine. Everything that's happening in our city, good or bad, is a reflection of what's happening in the United States of America. Do not be smug enough to think that these are things you can't have in your city. If you go look in the right neighborhoods and the right places, you've got everything that we have. This city of New Orleans has become a really good mirror of this nation as it looks into its soul about what works and what doesn't."
JUSTICE FOR TRAYVON: Jamie Foxx Hosts Fundraiser For Trayvon Martin ...
Over the weekend, actor Jamie Foxx hospitably hosted a fundraiser at his own home for the Trayvon Martin Foundation in honor of the slain teen.
Trayvon's parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, were in attendance, as well as his brother, Jahvaris Fulton.
A number of Foxx's Hollywood buddies also attended the event. Tyrese, Harry Belafonte, Tim Robbins and Larenz Tate were there to offer their support. Russell Simmons presented Martin's parents with a six-figure check.
Tyrese took to Instagram to post the photo above and to express his gratitude to Foxx and those who offered their support to Trayvon's family.
"A powerful gathering of 'influence' organized by @iamjamiefoxx this brother and friend raised a lot of money on behalf of the Trayvon Martin Foundation. I showed up cause I'm uncomfortable with injustice. Jamie Foxx I'm very proud of you and HOW you're using your influence."
Check out more pictures from the touching event, below
And for more information on the Trayvon Martin Foundation, click here.
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Trayvon Martin Foundation Fundraiser Hosted by Jamie Foxx
To that end, opened his home to host a fundraiser for the Trayvon Martin Foundation.
The event welcomed Martin's parents, Tracy Martin and Sabrina Fulton, and Trayvon's brother, Jahvaris.
Extra reports that Tyrese, Larenz Tate, Harry Belafonte, Tank, Tim Robbins, Russell Simmons and more were in attendance. We're told Simmons presented Trayvon's parents with a six-figure check.
"A powerful gathering of 'influence' organized by @iamjamiefoxx this brother and friend raised a lot of money on behalf of the Trayvon Martin Foundation," Tyrese wrote in a note that accompanied the Instagram pics above and below. "I showed up cause I'm uncomfortable with injustice. Jamie Foxx I'm very proud of you and HOW you're using your influence."
Click here for more information about the Trayvon Martin Foundation.
Renisha McBride shooting: ways it is, and isn't, like Trayvon Martin case
Self-defense laws are again figuring into the shooting death of a young African-American. A Michigan homeowner who shot and killed Renisha McBride earlier this month has not been charged. Legal analysts say drawing comparisons between the two incidents is hard, at least so far.
By Mark Guarino , Staff writer / November 12, 2013
Self-defense laws, and the specter that racial profiling is occurring during their application, are again making headlines as they did after the 2012 Trayvon Martin shooting - this time surrounding the shooting death of a young black woman in Dearborn Heights, Mich.
Skip to next paragraph
On Monday, the death of 19-year-old Renisha McBride was ruled a homicide. She was fatally shot in the face on the porch of a homeowner in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn Heights in the wee hours of Nov. 2, according to assistant medical examiner Kilak Kesha. There was no evidence that the shot was fired at close range, Dr. Kesha added.
As in the Trayvon Martin case, authorities have not immediately charged the shooter with a crime. As in the Trayvon Martin case, the deceased is a young African-American and the shooter is white ( George Zimmerman is Hispanic/white). As in the Trayvon Martin case, the family wants criminal charges brought, but investigators are trying to determine if that is appropriate under Michigan law, which allows a person to use deadly force during a home invasion if he or she "has an honest and reasonable belief that imminent" death or bodily harm will occur.
But any further comparisons between the two cases are premature, say some legal experts. And many differences exist between the two shootings, they note.
For one, claims of Ms. McBride's family that she was shot in the back are not borne out by Monday's autopsy report. For another, the timeline of events is less clear than in the shooting of Trayvon in Sanford, Fla., in February 2012.
Florida prosecutors had a wealth of forensic evidence, including phone calls from both parties and physical wounds sustained by Mr. Zimmerman, notes Peter Henning, a law professor at Wayne State University Law School in Detroit and a former federal prosecutor. In the McBride case, there are no signs of a struggle, which will make it more difficult for police to determine the intent from either shooter or victim.
"Here, it is all about perception. I feel bad for the police and prosecutors because they're going to have to make a decision based on, at best, incomplete evidence. We'll never know for sure what happened," Mr. Henning says.
According to Gerald Thurswell, a lawyer representing the victim's family, McBride crashed her car in Detroit Nov. 2 and received aid from passersby, who reported to police that she was bleeding from the face. But in the 40 minutes before police arrived, she wandered away from the accident scene. About three hours later, just before 4 a.m., she ended up standing on the porch of a Dearborn Heights home about a mile away.
A lawyer representing the homeowner told the Detroit News the shooting was justified because he felt threatened.
On Monday, Wayne County prosecutors said they are gathering information to determine if they will ultimately file charges against the homeowner, whose name authorities have not released.
McBride's family has suggested that racial profiling may have been a factor in Renisha's death. Mr. Thurswell told ABC News on Tuesday that her family is demanding a conviction of the shooter. Family members say McBride was not a threat but rather was seeking help after her mobile phone died.
"Whether it was racially motivated or it wasn't racially motivated, justice will only be served with this man's conviction," Thurswell said.
Michigan law may end up making that outcome difficult, even if it is not as protective of those who use deadly force in self-defense as Florida's so-called stand your ground statute. Whereas Florida law provides for immunity from criminal charges or lawsuits if prosecutors determine a person's actions to be justifiable, under Michigan's "castle doctrine" that determination falls to a jury.
In some ways, the autopsy report for McBride deepens the mystery and is not likely to play a large role in determining whether charges are ultimately filed. The medical examiner's report suggests the amount of forensic evidence may be slim.
In such a case, Henning says, there are many variables at play that would determine if McBride created "a reasonable perception of a threat." They are, he said, as wide-ranging as how she announced herself on the porch, her physical or mental condition, and the condition of the homeowner.
"Do you bring a criminal prosecution on that evidence? There's just not a lot there," he says.
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
Renisha McBride shooting: ways it is, and isn't, like Trayvon Martin case
Self-defense laws are again figuring into the shooting death of a young African-American. A Michigan homeowner who shot and killed Renisha McBride earlier this month has not been charged. Legal analysts say drawing comparisons between the two incidents is hard, at least so far.
By Mark Guarino , Staff writer / November 12, 2013
Self-defense laws, and the specter that racial profiling is occurring during their application, are again making headlines as they did after the 2012 Trayvon Martin shooting - this time surrounding the shooting death of a young black woman in Dearborn Heights, Mich.
Skip to next paragraph
On Monday, the death of 19-year-old Renisha McBride was ruled a homicide. She was fatally shot in the face on the porch of a homeowner in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn Heights in the wee hours of Nov. 2, according to assistant medical examiner Kilak Kesha. There was no evidence that the shot was fired at close range, Dr. Kesha added.
As in the Trayvon Martin case, authorities have not immediately charged the shooter with a crime. As in the Trayvon Martin case, the deceased is a young African-American and the shooter is white ( George Zimmerman is Hispanic/white). As in the Trayvon Martin case, the family wants criminal charges brought, but investigators are trying to determine if that is appropriate under Michigan law, which allows a person to use deadly force during a home invasion if he or she "has an honest and reasonable belief that imminent" death or bodily harm will occur.
But any further comparisons between the two cases are premature, say some legal experts. And many differences exist between the two shootings, they note.
For one, claims of Ms. McBride's family that she was shot in the back are not borne out by Monday's autopsy report. For another, the timeline of events is less clear than in the shooting of Trayvon in Sanford, Fla., in February 2012.
Florida prosecutors had a wealth of forensic evidence, including phone calls from both parties and physical wounds sustained by Mr. Zimmerman, notes Peter Henning, a law professor at Wayne State University Law School in Detroit and a former federal prosecutor. In the McBride case, there are no signs of a struggle, which will make it more difficult for police to determine the intent from either shooter or victim.
"Here, it is all about perception. I feel bad for the police and prosecutors because they're going to have to make a decision based on, at best, incomplete evidence. We'll never know for sure what happened," Mr. Henning says.
According to Gerald Thurswell, a lawyer representing the victim's family, McBride crashed her car in Detroit Nov. 2 and received aid from passersby, who reported to police that she was bleeding from the face. But in the 40 minutes before police arrived, she wandered away from the accident scene. About three hours later, just before 4 a.m., she ended up standing on the porch of a Dearborn Heights home about a mile away.
A lawyer representing the homeowner told the Detroit News the shooting was justified because he felt threatened.
On Monday, Wayne County prosecutors said they are gathering information to determine if they will ultimately file charges against the homeowner, whose name authorities have not released.
McBride's family has suggested that racial profiling may have been a factor in Renisha's death. Mr. Thurswell told ABC News on Tuesday that her family is demanding a conviction of the shooter. Family members say McBride was not a threat but rather was seeking help after her mobile phone died.
"Whether it was racially motivated or it wasn't racially motivated, justice will only be served with this man's conviction," Thurswell said.
Michigan law may end up making that outcome difficult, even if it is not as protective of those who use deadly force in self-defense as Florida's so-called stand your ground statute. Whereas Florida law provides for immunity from criminal charges or lawsuits if prosecutors determine a person's actions to be justifiable, under Michigan's "castle doctrine" that determination falls to a jury.
In some ways, the autopsy report for McBride deepens the mystery and is not likely to play a large role in determining whether charges are ultimately filed. The medical examiner's report suggests the amount of forensic evidence may be slim.
In such a case, Henning says, there are many variables at play that would determine if McBride created "a reasonable perception of a threat." They are, he said, as wide-ranging as how she announced herself on the porch, her physical or mental condition, and the condition of the homeowner.
"Do you bring a criminal prosecution on that evidence? There's just not a lot there," he says.
Jamie Foxx throws a celebrity fundraiser in honor of Trayvon Martin
Jamie Foxx opened up his home last weekend and held a special fundraising event in honor of Trayvon Martin.
Martin's parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, were in attendance and they were joined by several celebrity guests including Harry Belafonte, Russell Simmons and Tyrese, among others.
According to , Belafonte delivered a speech at the event and Simmons presented Martin's parents with a six-figure check addressed to the Trayvon Martin Foundation.
The foundation was launched in honor of the late teen, who was shot to death by volunteer neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman in February 2012. The event later led to a racially-charged case in which Zimmerman was ultimately acquitted of all charges in the death of 17-year-old Martin.
According to the foundation's website, the purpose of the non-profit organization is to create awareness of how violent crime impacts the families of the victims and to provide support and advocacy for those families in response to the murder of Trayvon Martin.
Foxx, who has an 18-year-old daughter, has been vocal in expressing his support for Martin's family in the past and has vowed to keep Martin's memory alive.
"When I first saw this story, I couldn't get over it," Foxx said at a community event earlier this year.
"I'm absolutely committed to all you out there who have young kids. I hope you never have to go through anything like this."
(Photo courtesy of Instagram)
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