10 Things You Don’t Know About the Trayvon Martin Case

Including why George Zimmerman might never go to trial.

Ever since mainstream media finally decided that the February 26th shooting death of black teen Trayvon Martin was newsworthy, which was about a month after black activists began raising hell, there has been non-stop coverage of this tragic crime. Because there are massive volumes of information and because those volumes are updated on a nearly weekly and sometimes daily basis, there’s a need to compile all the pertinent facts.

Philly’s Bomb-Dropping, Guns-Blazing, Child-Murdering Day

Inside the MOVE assault, 27 years ago.

Twenty-seven years ago, on May 13, 1985 at 5:20 p.m., a blue and white Pennsylvania State Police helicopter took off from the command post’s flight pad at 63rd and Walnut, flew a few times over 6221 Osage Avenue, and then hovered 60 feet above the two-story house in the black, middle-class West Philadelphia neighborhood. Lt. Frank Powell, chief of Philadelphia's bomb disposal unit, was holding a canvas bag containing a bomb consisting of two sticks of Tovex TR2 with C-4. After radioing firefighters on the ground and lighting the bomb’s 45-second fuse—and with the official approval of Mayor W. Wilson Goode and at the insistence of Police Commissioner Gregore Sambor—Powell tossed the bomb, at precisely 5:28 p.m., onto a bunker on the roof.

Would Arizona Police Stop Jennifer Lopez for ID?

The Supreme Court is on the verge of allowing states to make Latinos automatic suspects.

Picture this: A-list actress Jennifer Lopez and All-Star third baseman Alex Rodriguez are hanging out at a Phoenix club, dancing and drinking with friends after leaving their courtside seats a few minutes before the end of the Suns’ 116-83 shellacking of the 76ers. They decide to discreetly slip away from their entourages and the paparazzi to get something to eat at a nearby restaurant. While walking the two blocks to get there, they are stopped by the police and asked for ID. But neither has any because J.Lo's pocketbook and A-Rod's wallet are back at the club with their personal assistants. So they are questioned, detained, arrested and then transported to the local INS lock-up where a deportation hearing is scheduled. No way, you say. Way, I say. Although this never really happened, it could if Arizona’s Senate Bill 1070 is upheld as constitutional by the Supreme Court, which began hearing arguments on April 25th and is expected to reach a decision by the end of June.

Occupy Philly Activists Go to Trial, Maybe to Jail

Philadelphia’s "City Hall 31" in court tomorrow.

On April 26, 2012, several defendants could be sent to prison for what they did outside a government facility on November 29th last year, prior to the police arriving and catching them in the act. Sounds like a gang of terrorists caught red-handed, doesn’t it? But words, like appearances, can be deceiving. These were no terrorists. And they weren’t gangsters either. They weren’t even criminals. They were simply a group of nonviolent and selfless activists who, in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr., social reformer Maggie Kuhn, homeless advocate Mitch Snyder, and labor leader Dolores Huerta, did what justice demanded.

Florida State Attorney Should Prosecute Zimmerman Like She Does Black Kids

Try him as an adult for first degree murder.

In America (which obviously includes Florida), “the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line.” W.E.B. Du Bois was correct when he wrote that in 1903. And he’d be just as correct 109 years later by replacing the 20th century with the 21st century. That’s why I always say I’m not a lawyer who happens to be a black man. Instead, I’m a black man who just happens to be a lawyer. Accordingly, I view the February 26th shooting death of the stalked and confronted unarmed kid, Trayvon Martin, by the stalking and confronting armed adult, George Zimmerman, as an intentional and racist criminal homicide, not a mere happenstance and spontaneous killing. Therefore, Zimmerman should have been—and still should be—charged with first, not second, degree murder.

Not Everyone With an Illegal Gun Deserves Jail Time

Why lock up a harmless pothead?

Most Philadelphians believe that violent crime is the city’s biggest problem. As a result, you might think severe punishment for anyone who illegally possesses a gun—regardless of whether the person committed a separate non-violent crime with it—is part of the solution. Mere unlawful possession, you'd argue, is enough to warrant mandatory imprisonment. No probation. No fine. No community service. No parole without a required minimum jail sentence. Good, you say. Bullshit, I say.

Gil Scott-Heron’s Revolution Will Be Televised

Celebrate the godfather of hip hop at Temple tomorrow.

When he first told America in 1970 that “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” after writing it in 1968 at age 19, Gil Scott-Heron set the stage for what would become part of the musical and poetic soundtrack for black, white and brown progressives and revolutionaries. And he didn’t stop until 40 years later. Gil was the "musical grandson" of insurrectionist Nat Turner and liberator Harriet Tubman, and the "poetic son" of fiery author David Walker and anti-lynching editor Ida B. Wells.

Florida Teen Trayvon Martin Was Murdered Twice

First by a racist criminal, then by a racist criminal system.

It’s been more than a few hours since your teenage son went out to buy some snacks during a break in a televised NBA All-Star game that you, he and his little brother were watching. But it’s no real big deal because you know he’s a good kid. No arrests. No gang stuff. No delinquency. No drugs. In fact, he’s an A/B, 11th-grade student athlete with aspirations of becoming an aviation mechanic. So you know you really don’t need to worry. Maybe he ran into a cute girl. Maybe one of his buddies called him on the cell phone he was carrying and told him about an NBA party being held by some cool neighborhood youngsters. Although you tell yourself you don’t really need to worry, you begin to worry anyway. A few hours turn into several hours, and the night turns into day. So you call the local police department’s Missing Persons Unit, but they don’t have any info. So then you call 911, and the cops ask you for a description. Shortly after, they show up with a photo of a bloody-mouth kid lying dead on a morgue stretcher. Toe-tagged as John Doe.

Pop Language Quiz: Racist or Not Racist?

A handy list of offensive words and phrases.

Racism is not just lynching, cross-burning, redlining, employment discrimination, educational barriers, or even malicious slurs, and those who manifest the unconscious and passive form of racism are not so easily identifiable. Generally speaking, they’re mostly good people. Yes, they are white. And yes, they reap the benefits of white privilege. And yes, for the most part, they prefer to—and almost always do—live, work, socialize and worship primarily with other white folks. But they’re still kinda cool. Well, at least until their unconscious and passive racism slips from inside their heads to outside their mouths. Here are some leading examples. You tell me: racist or not racist?