racism

March 2012

Lynch Law U.S.A.: State Defends Murderer of Trayvon Martin

Trayvon Martin

MARCH 26 – Outrage over the murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin compounds daily as the killer remains free, facing no criminal charges for gunning down the unarmed black youth from Miami Gardens, Florida. On February 26, George Zimmerman, 28, a white self-appointed captain of a “neighborhood watch” team in the Retreat at Twin Lakes, a gated community in the Orlando suburb of Sanford, shot Martin, a black high-school student, who after going out to buy a bag of Skittles and an ice tea at a convenience store was returning to the home in the development where he and his father were staying. As many have noted, Trayvon Martin was killed for the “crime” of “walking while black.”

In the early morning of June 5th,  a young trans woman of color named Chrishaun McDonald and  her friends walked by the Schooner Tavern at the busy intersection of 27th and Lake in Minneapolis.  A white, older bar patron named Dean Schmitz stood at the door of the Schooner.  According to McDonald's roommate, Schmitz started harassing McDonald, shouting, " Did you think you were going to rape somebody in those girl clothes?" and adding racial slurs. What happened next is unclear.  Minutes later, Schmitz was dead and McDonald was in custody.   The Star Tribune writes that according to McDonald, Schmitz attacked her and ran into a pair of scissors that she held in self-defense.

 Four years after the shooting of Minneapolis resident Dominic Felder, the wrongful death trial of police officers Jason King and Lawrence Loonsfoot began this week in federal court in Minneapolis. Attorneys for the officers say that they acted correctly in the shooting of the 27-year-old African-American father of two.  Felder, who suffered from an unspecified mental illness, experienced a paranoid episode on the night of September 20, 2006.  His family called 911 for help, explaining to police that Felder was mentally ill.

By Carlos Mark and Niger Arevalo

Video coverage to follow soon (English below)

Mas de 150 personas marcharon al sur de la ciudad de Minneapolis en las calles Chicago y Lake, para demandar un alto a la brutalidad policiaca y justicia para Oscar Grant que fue asesinado por agentes policiales en Oakland California.