Vigils for Trayvon

A moment of silence - and then we need to keep (2.00 / 19)

pushing for Justice.

"If you're in a coalition and you're comfortable, you know it's not a broad enough coalition"

Bernice Johnson Reagon

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by: DeniseVelez @ Tue Feb 26, 2013 at 21:14:07 PM UTC

Thanks Sis (1.86 / 14)

Will light a candle for Trayvon and his parents.

(((Denise))))  

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by: Actbriniel @ Tue Feb 26, 2013 at 21:21:35 PM UTC

Hard to believe that a year has passed (2.00 / 13)

and that so many other senseless deaths have elbowed Trayvon's story into relative obscurity. Thank you, Denise, for keeping the flame alive.

I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.

-- Oscar Wilde

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by: cassandracarolina @ Tue Feb 26, 2013 at 21:37:47 PM UTC

How hard this must be for his familu. Hoping (2.00 / 11)

for justice for him and peace for them.

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by: Portlaw @ Tue Feb 26, 2013 at 22:36:48 PM UTC

Was made even more difficult because his birthday (1.83 / 12)

would have been this month too.  

"If you're in a coalition and you're comfortable, you know it's not a broad enough coalition"

Bernice Johnson Reagon

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by: DeniseVelez @ Tue Feb 26, 2013 at 22:58:52 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I'll wear a hoodie, eat some skittles, drink some tea, light a candle (2.00 / 11)

...and wander my middle class community after dark tonight. 50 bucks says I don't get shot. i'm white though, so there's that. SRSLY Dee, how can I do more?  this, and not just this incident, but racism altogher really fucking pisses me off (pardon my irish).

this happened today on my facebook machine: a girl i went to high school with (mormon/conservative in arizona) is taking her children to DC in the next few weeks. she posted a soliciation asking if anyone had recommendations for resturants they should go check out, having never been to our nation's capital.

context: this is a girl who used to post the most ridiculous GOP garbage/spin during the elections (which i'd dilligently and politely debunk). she has completely refrained from posting political stuff ever since (citing my rebuttals explicitly as the cause -- i knocked down everything she put up). her tea party brother even took a run at congress. lost to mcclung in the primaries.  she of course lost to grajalva, but that's here nor there.

anyway, I suggested a few places i thought she and her daughter might enjoy a bite (ebbitt's, blue duck, and the cafeterias at the smithsonian).  others did they same, except this d-bag(verbatim):

asshole: diffinatly not the Black House, thats for dang sure

fogiv: ...uh, the Black House?  What is that exactly?

asshole: uh, come on use your imagination.  You'll think of something.  Remember, FB is a free forum.

fogiv: My imagination is unimpaired, and I knew what you meant in the original.  I was simply curious to see if you had the courage to express your racism more openly. As anticipated, you do not.

asshole: Oh now come on. I don't think you know me well enough to call me racist.

fogiv: No need to know you personally to recognize that your comment reflects racism.  It does, blatantly, and since I've little desire to communicate civilly with someone who would say something like that without any trace of shame, I'll now suggest we leave the thread to restaurant recommendations without further interruption.

asshole: Well thank you for allowing us to continue the conversation.

fogiv: I like how you say 'us' as if you had actually engaged [whatsherbutt's] topic (D.C. area eateries) to begin with, while simultaneously implying that I'm somehow unwelcome to respond. So much for that 'free forum', eh?  That's hilarious.

My hope was to allow those who responded appropriately to continue, without 'benefit' of bigoted wisecracks.

SRSLY folks, this shit really makes me mad.  how could i have handled this better? ignore? say something differently?

Earth is the best vacation place for advanced clowns. --Gary Busey
 

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by: fogiv @ Tue Feb 26, 2013 at 23:38:45 PM UTC

erg.! there are some days that are worse than others (2.00 / 11)

so sorry you had to deal with asshole.

I know - the racism gets me bent out of shape too.

It's like Water Torture trying to read news articles and accidentally glancing at the comments sewers.  

"If you're in a coalition and you're comfortable, you know it's not a broad enough coalition"

Bernice Johnson Reagon

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by: DeniseVelez @ Wed Feb 27, 2013 at 00:51:02 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

From ThinkProgress: (2.00 / 7)

8 Inspiring Things That Happened Since Trayvon Martin Was Tragically Killed One Year Ago Today

1. 192 colleagues of Trayvon Martin's mother donated 1,362 hours of their vacation time so she could grieve.
2. Sanford, Florida has a new police chief who has pledged to finally address "long-standing racial tensions between the police department and the African-American community."
3. Dozens of major companies ended their support for ALEC, the right-wing group who championed "Stand Your Ground" laws.
4. Thousands of people peacefully gathered in Sanford, Florida to demand justice for Trayvon Martin.
5. A United States Congressman went on the floor of the House of Representatives in a hoodie to show solidarity with Trayvon.
6. Legislation to repeal "Stand Your Ground" laws was introduced in four states.
7. Students at Howard University produced [a] video to highlight the racial profiling of young black men.
8. President Obama spoke out about Trayvon Martin in the Rose Garden.

The long-lasting national implications of ALEC Exposed cannot be minimized. That shadowy group was unmasked and the power of negative publicity to change corporate America was tested and found to be strong.

From the article, a link to more examples at Colorline.

Words have meaning. Our words will reflect what is in our souls.

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by: JanF @ Wed Feb 27, 2013 at 21:06:18 PM UTC

Great link Jan - here's the Howard Univ student video (2.00 / 5)

"If you're in a coalition and you're comfortable, you know it's not a broad enough coalition"

Bernice Johnson Reagon

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by: DeniseVelez @ Thu Feb 28, 2013 at 14:00:26 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I'm sure there will be one in Austin (2.00 / 6)

I'm still in Dallas, even if there was one here I get lost - really, really lost - on any deviation from the 4 places I know where to go up here.

I can't believe it has been a year. I can't believe it is only a year. I will think of him and keep working against injustice.

please donate at my Hill Country Ride for AIDS page.

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by: anotherdemocrat @ Thu Feb 28, 2013 at 03:56:13 AM UTC

Fathers and sons (2.00 / 1)

Let this be done.

Mothers and daughters

maddened by slaughters.

We count up the change in small coin

It adds up, we're proud

It's better than nothing, we say

As if a slightening of the killings could be compared

to our happiness in finding extra quarters on the sidewalk.

As if it was all magic

We wish and hope and say nice things and it will all come true.

Well, I'm all for saying nice things. There is a lot to be said

For saying nice things. Especially when they're true.

But meanwhile, there are a whole lot of other things that

Seriously need to have rugs pulled out from under them

And go flying away into so many pieces that they could never

make themselves into such evil again.

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by: Miep @ Sat Mar 09, 2013 at 09:24:49 AM UTC