chanel. » America

Justice for Trayvon Martin.

chanel — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:04:24 +0000

I just heard the 911 tape of Trayvon Martin’s crying, begging for his life & then the gunshot that silenced him. I am in tears. You can hear him in the background screaming “Help! Help me!” multiple times during one of the 911 calls.

On February 26, Trayvon Martin² was shot and killed as he walked to a family member’s home from a convenience store where he had just bought some candy. He was only 17 years-old. Trayvon’s killer, George Zimmerman, admitted to police that he shot Trayvon in the chest. Zimmerman, the community’s self appointed “neighborhood watch leader,” called the police to report a suspicious person when he saw Travyon, a young black man, walking from the store. But Zimmerman still hasn’t been charged for murdering Trayvon. He still has the gun in his possession. The same gun that killed an innocent child.

Trayvon was our hero. At the age 9, Trayvon pulled his father from a burning kitchen, saving his life. He loved sports and horseback riding. At only 17 he had a bright future ahead of him with dreams of attending college and becoming an aviation mechanic. Now that’s all gone.

When Zimmerman reported Trayvon to the police, they told him not to confront him. But he did anyway. All we know about what happened next is that Trayvon, who was completely unarmed, was shot and killed. It’s been nearly two weeks and the Sanford Police have refused to arrest George Zimmerman. In their public statements, they even go so far as to stand up for the killer – saying he’s “a college grad” who took a class in criminal justice.

This is the man that took an innocent child’s life away. He shot Trayvon, who only had a bag of Skittles and iced tea in his possession, deadly in the chest. Zimmerman called 911 over 40 times within the past few months that led to the fatal shooting. The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office released six calls he had made, four of which called police to report “suspicious” persons — all of whom were black — in or near the Retreat at Twin Lakes enclave. Zimmerman was taken in for questioning and released. No charges were filed. Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee said Zimmerman was released because he had a “squeaky clean” record. But if Lee had actually checked that record, he would have known that Zimmerman was arrested in 2005 for battery on a police officer and resisting arrest. Strangely, all charges against Zimmerman were dropped in that case.

Please join us in calling on Norman Wolfinger, Florida’s 18th District State’s Attorney, to investigate Trayvon’s murder and prosecute George Zimmerman for the shooting and killing of Trayvon Martin.

Sign the petition today by clicking here: Trayvon Martin Petition.

More info¹:

A 17-year-old boy whose death has sparked national outrage fearfully told his girlfriend over the phone moments before he was shot to death that he was being followed, contradicting the shooter’s self-defense claim, the family’s lawyer said Tuesday afternoon.

Benjamin Crump, the lawyer for Trayvon Martin’s, held a news conference on Tuesday to discuss the teen’s phone records in the hours before he was shot in the gated Twin Lakes, Fla. community on Feb. 26. Crump said Martin, a black teenager, had gotten caught in the rain and had put on his hoodie, unaware he was being followed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman,NBCMiami.com reported.

“He’s just a kid trying to get home from the store and get out of the rain, that’s it, nothing else,” Crump said.

Martin was unarmed and had gone to a nearby store to pick up a bag of Skittles and an iced tea when the confrontation occurred. Earlier on Tuesday, ABC News reported that Martin’s girlfriend said she they were on the phone together at the time.

Trayvon Martin lawyer speaks: Read more on NBC Miami

“He said this man was watching him, so he put his hoodie on. He said he lost the man,” the girlfriend, who was not identified, told ABC. “I asked Trayvon to run, and he said he was going to walk fast. I told him to run, but he said he was not going to run.”

Call logs from Martin’s phone confirm he spoke with the 16-year-old girlfriend interviewed by ABC News minutes before his death, the news station reported.

More than 435,000 people, many alerted by tweets from celebrities such as movie director Spike Lee and musician Wyclef Jean, signed a petition on Change.org, a social action website, calling for the arrest of Martin’s shooter, George Zimmerman, who has claimed he acted in self-defense. On Monday, the Justice Department and FBI announced they opened an investigation into the shooting.

Grand jury called in Trayvon Martin case

Mom: Trayvon Martin was killed because of ‘the color of his skin’

Although Martin initially told his girlfriend he wasn’t going to run, he eventually did, she said, but the stranger managed to corner him.

“Trayvon said, ‘What, are you following me for,’ and the man said, ‘What are you doing here.’ Next thing I hear is somebody pushing, and somebody pushed Trayvon because the headset just fell. I called him again and he didn’t answer the phone.”

After that, the line went dead, she said. According to ABC News, other than screams on 911 calls as Martin and Zimmerman scuffled, those were the last words Martin said.

“What George Zimmerman said to the police about him being suspicious and up to no good is completely contradicting to what he was doing,” Crump said Tuesday. “This claim that Trayvon Martin was the aggressor is preposterous.”

Martin’s girlfriend is traumatized, Crump told reporters.

“She couldn’t even go to his wake. She was so sick, she spent the night in the hospital,” he said.

Zimmerman called police 46 times
Zimmerman called 911 dozens of times in the months that led to the fatal shooting, The Orlando Sentinel reported Monday evening. The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office released six calls he had made, four of which called police to report “suspicious” persons — all of whom were black — in or near the Retreat at Twin Lakes enclave, the paper said.

The other calls were about a neighbor’s open garage door and children playing in the street at dusk, reported The Sentinel. None of the newly released calls are related to Martin’s shooting.

Source: ¹ ²

september 11th.

chanel — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 19:42:57 +0000

10 years ago today. I was still living in New York when 9/11 occurred. I was attending Kingsborough Community College at the time, pursuing a degree in Mental Health. Our school is located on Manhattan Beach. Even though it was in Brooklyn, they called it Manhattan Beach because you can see the buildings of Manhattan just across the water. You could also see the smoke coming from the towers. My daughter was only 3 at the time. My best friend Nell and I left the school after the 2nd building was hit. Our drive home took over 3 hours, when it was really a 15 minute drive. There were people on the streets covered in debris and blood, and thousands of cars trying to get back home. Palestinians were shown on our televisions rejoicing and celebrating that America was under attack. Everyone blamed the Arabs, President Bush, or each other. And what most people don’t know is that you were able to smell the dead bodies, all the way in Brooklyn, for weeks afterwards.

Rest in peace to the innocent people that died on 9/11/01. I salute the ones who died and the ones that give their lives so we don’t have to sacrifice what we love.

don’t vote.

chanel — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:09:28 +0000

OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA OBAMA

BARACK OBAMA!!!

nappy girl.

chanel — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 17:47:59 +0000

When you’re watching television, or passing by an ad in the street, what do you see when you see a black woman? Is she happy? Is her neck twisting? Is she frumpy/overweight? Does she look like she’s at least 40 years old? What about her hair? Does it look like you can run a comb through it once without struggle? Why is it that the media promotes us more on a the negative side of the spectrum than the positive? When I watch a regular Colgate commercial, I see a white woman who can probably try out for America’s Next Top Model. But let them cast a black woman and she’s at least 20 pounds overweight, short, with a fro-like hairstyle. Don’t believe me? Take a look at these pictures I took within the past week of random commercials that aired on daytime television, which had a black woman in them:

Notice that these women either have a scowl on their face or an attitude. You’re either unaware of their body type or it’s evident that they are slightly overweight. They all have hair that you cannot come through, nor is it past the shoulders. Why are we perceived that way as if we’re just a bunch of grumpy frumpy nappy intolerable people to deal with? Why when we’re showing joy, it has to be expressed in an exaggerating way. So if we’re not parading around with a damn attitude, we’re being loud and obnoxious. Why can’t we be conditioned to see all different types of black women? Embracing different styles of clothing, hair and body types? When I see white women in commercials, they’re running through fields of purple flowers, hair flowing in the wind, falling into the arms of a happy man. When I see black women in commercials, they’re in the kitchen, with 2 mulatto kids, no father present, complaining about something. And if there is a father around, he has this look of discomfort on his face. Or probably has an attitude too. Most of all, where are the pretty ones? I am quite positive that there are a lot of nice looking black women trying out for commercials so why are the unattractive ones, stuck in this stereotypical Afrocentric look, being chosen? Where are these women for the commercials?:

As you can see, we come in all shapes, sizes, skin tone and beauty. Now, I’m not saying this is in EVERY commercial I see where a black woman is present. But I can safely say at least 80% of them this is occurring. I’m not sure the reason for it, or how to change it. But I am certain that they need to wake up and open their eyes because times have changed. We’re all not nappy anymore. We can afford to keep our hair looking right. We’re all not frumpy anymore. We just have big butts and breasts (naturally!). We’re more in the office, being the backbone of a business and less in the kitchen with the mami apron on. We all don’t twist our necks when we’re voicing our opinion nor are we walking around with a scowl on our face. We don’t have a chip on our shoulders nor are we always at war with our men. This reminds me of the early 70′s where the only reason a black woman was casted for a role in the movie she was either a maid or a hooker.

Sidetrack: Weaves. There’s this sort of taboo about weaves and that’s also being associated with black women as well. As if we’re so “fake” and are “frauds” just because we have a weave. Ummmm, white women wear weaves also, JUST as much as black women. The reason why we don’t notice or can’t tell is because of the obvious. White women hair grows longer faster and the hair weaves match their hair texture better. We’re so conditioned to seeing black women with short hair, no one can fathom the thought that if her hair is 18 inches long, it’s real. They immediately cancel her out and say it’s a weave. Also, just because we have a weave, does not mean we’re bald. My real hair is past the back of my neck. The reason why most women (black & white) wears a weave is because they like to change hairstyles in a drastic way without actually damaging their real hair. Most of these hairstyles cannot be achieved with the hair we have.

If you’re of another race reading this, feel free to agree right along with me by letting me know how YOU feel about the way black women are projected in the media (if you even noticed it at all?). I try to look at it in a different perspective and analyzed how other races are portrayed in commercials and to be honest, I’m noticing other stereotypes as well. Except with the white actors/actresses. I’m sure if a white woman was watching BET and if most of the commercials portray white woman talking like a Valley Girl (ie: “LIKE, OH MY GAWD!”) she would feel the same way too. And if you disagree, I would love for you to tell me why also. I would like for this topic to be an open forum for any race to express the type of stereotypes you’ve experienced & endured as we walk through the means streets of society. Whether you’re black, white, hispanic, asian, indian and etc. I’m sure people are tired of white being associated with racism, black being associated with unattractive, hispanic being associated with labor work, asian being associated with Chinese food or nails, and indian being associated with a cab driver or terrorist.