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From Stephen Elliott
The Sanford City commission has rejected police chief Bill Lee’s resignation.
George Zimmerman was released on $150,000 bail as he awaits trial for second-degree murder.
Jelani Cobb on what it took to get Zimmerman arrested.
“When law enforcement officers accept—without question—an admitted killer’s assertion that a homicide was justified because ‘he scared me,’ they license open season.” The Nation on the police failure to investigate before now.
...moreThe news broke earlier today that George Zimmerman will be charged for the killing of Trayvon Martin. The charge is second-degree murder. Something important to remember about this case: Trayvon Martin was killed 46 days ago. This only became a bit of a story less than a month ago.
...moreAt The Nation, Melissa Harris-Perry breaks down the wider political context surrounding the Trayvon Martin killing, outlining the historical and contemporary reality in which it is “acceptable to presume the guilt” of black bodies.
“Liberal democracy—based on commitment to individual liberty and dignity—does not exist if the government legislates against particular bodies in public spaces, as it did during Jim Crow, or when it is complicit in the violent policing of those bodies by other citizens, as in the Trayvon Martin slaying.”
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Oftentimes when having difficult conversations about complex topics, certain kinds of people (the small-minded, feeble-minded, profoundly ignorant, etc.) will try to derail the conversation.
...morePresident Obama made a statement this morning.
Updates from Ta-Nehisi Coates, who was on PBS Newshour last night.
“Anyone who’s outside of straight white maleness, you have to deal with other people’s expectations and fear of who you are.” Our friend W.
...moreA Million Hoodies March for Trayvon Martin is taking place in NYC right now. Live streaming video here.
There’s a Bay Area Million Hoodies March that begins at the Bradley Manning Plaza at 5:30 PM and ends at UN Plaza.
...more“How did a kid armed with Skittles and an iced tea get gunned down by an overeager neighborhood watch captain? And why didn’t police detain shooter George Zimmerman?” Mother Jones reports.
Ta-Nehisi Coates has had ongoing coverage. “This investigation wasn’t one.
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