A video entered as evidence in the murder trial of John Henry Spooner on Tuesday appears to show the 76-year-old shooting his 13-year-old neighbor Darius Simmons dead.
The Milwaukee senior is charged with first-degree homicide after the alleged incident in May last year. Jurors saw the video (below), taken from Spooner’s own surveillance camera, that shows the suspect walk out of his house, brandishing a gun. After a short argument, the man in the video waves the gun around before he shoots Simmons in the chest. Simmons manages to flee outside the scope of the camera before dying.
The verdict is still on my mind….I find it really troubling that in this day and age I will have to have “The Talk” with my son one day.
The Talk that explains how he needs to act when he gets pulled over by the police, The Talk that explains to him that he does not “fit the description”. The Talk that explains to him that he does not deserve to be stalked, he does not deserve to be profiled, and he does not deserve to get shot.
Through raising my son, he will know his life is not worthless, not meaningless. I am going to make sure that he grows into a God-fearing, God-loving, Handsome, Talented, Educated MAN with a beautiful family in which he is a wonderful Husband and Father. It is so sad that he has to grow up in this world in its current state.
Response email from another father of a son:
I understand that racism is not a trait you are born with but it is learned, which makes it that much more evil. I can’t begin to tell you all the times I saw this growing up. As a white man you are constantly bombarded with racist comments, like an advertisement on TV about others and their appearance. The hatred is handed to you on a silver platter while the server smiles at you. As a kid you associate this nonchalant lesson with a positive one and you start (unknowingly) actualizing it. My parents taught me one great thing though, question EVERYTHING; so I did, I left no rock unturned. I questioned Christianity, God, my parents, and all authority. Racism was something that I truly believed I didn’t have a problem with. I didn’t feel like I was racist because I had friends of different colors. I didn’t realize until college that racism was a self-evident proposition and the true evil of it was that it didn’t need proof in order to exist. I didn’t have to believe in it to be influenced by it. This angered me because I let it in. My eyes opened up for the first time and I realized that racism will always be a constant internal struggle for me as much as it is an external struggle in our communities.This leads me back to my son. I haven’t taught my son about racism yet because I still see that innocence in his eyes, but after seeing your post I realize that I better start handing him love on a silver platter while smiling at him. I have to casually, and nonchalantly communicate equality. I HAVE to make it a daily thing in order to make it a self-evident proposition before he can question it and know that it is actually a self-evident truth that all men are equal. I decided to message you this because I didn’t know how others would view this. You taught me something today Evan. I owe my kids this and I have to work hard at it in order to make it reality.
A member of the jury in George Zimmerman’s second-degree murder trial spoke publicly for the first time Monday night, saying that only three of six jurors thought Zimmerman should be acquitted when deliberations began.
Two members of the all-female jury believed Zimmerman was guilty of manslaughter, while one felt he was guilty of second-degree murder, the woman said on CNN.
The jury ultimately found Zimmerman not guilty.
Juror B37, whose image was obscured during the interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, said she believes the neighborhood watch volunteer was well intentioned but became overzealous because of a string of break-ins in his Sanford, Fla. neighborhood.
The woman said Zimmerman “shouldn’t have gotten out of that car” during his phone call with a police dispatcher when he initially reported that Trayvon Martin was in his neighborhood.
She also said that none of the five fellow jurors believed race played a factor in the Feb. 26, 2012 shooting death of 17-year-old Martin, who was African-American.
The juror — who less than 48 hours after the verdict was read had signed with a literary agent in preparation to write a book about her experience — said she had “no doubt” that Zimmerman feared for his life and was acting in self-defense when he shot the 17-year-old.
The woman said Zimmerman had a right to carry a gun, and did not take issue that he may be eligible to have it returned to him.
HMMM …Maybe these Kids should have been on the Zimmerman Jury….
It appears a bunch of kids are more mature than some YouTube commentators. When a Cheerios commercial featuring a biracial couple launched two months ago, it was met with so much racist backlash that YouTube had to pull the comments section. But ask a group of 7 to 13-year-olds what they think of the ad, and you’ll find no hints of racism or surprise at seeing an interracial family on screen. Instead, their responses range from “it’s just a Cheerios commercial” to laughter.
As much of the country follows the Trayvon Martin case, activists in Chicago are hoping to bring some of that attention to Howard Morgan, a former Chicago police officer who was shot 28 times by white officers — and lived to tell his side of the story.
According to police, Morgan opened fire with his service weapon when officers tried to arrest him, which caused them to shoot him 28 times. His family, however, very much doubts those claims.
There’s new fuel for the fire that Apple’s working on technology for an updated TV set top box or TV platform.
Citing unnamed sources, tech writer Jessica Lessin (formerly of the Wall Street Journal), saysApple’s been meeting with cable companies to pitch a service that would let TV viewers to skip commercials.
That feature would be worked into a “premium” service Apple TV owners would buy into, the report says, adding that Apple would then pay networks when it occurred.
Legendary R&B singer Lester Chambers was attacked by a crazed woman Saturday night during a musical festival in Hayward, California.
The attack came after Chambers dedicated Curtis Mayfield’s hit “People Get Ready” to Trayvon Martin following the announcement of George Zimmerman’s acquittal of all charges related to Martin’s death.
With a “crazed look in her eye” the woman jumped on stage, yelled “it’s all your fault” and attacked the 73-year-old soul singer.
The 43-year-old attacker, Dinalynn Andrews Potter of Barstow, was tackled and subdued by people at the festival until police arrived. She was arrested for suspicion of battery and released with formal charges expected to be filed.
Chamber’s family stated that they plan to file charges against Andrews Potter for what they believe was a hate crime.
Chambers was taken to a local hospital. The attack left him with a large bruise near his ribs and walking with a cane. He is now resting at home.
An agent from Martin Literary Management has confirmed that juror B37 of the George Zimmerman trial has signed a deal to write a book about her experiences on the jury.
Sharlene Martin, a literary and media manager for the company, said that readers of B37′s book will come to understand why the jurors had no other option but to deliver a “not guilty” verdict in the case.
B37′s identity is still protected under the court order, but she will write the book with the assistance of her husband who is an attorney. It is unknown whether the juror will release her name or participate in any media coverage about the case or her book.
Many of us lead busy lives and everyone, especially those of us with families, is trying to get dinner on the table as quickly and easily as possible. Occasionally we fall back on using prepackaged meals from the grocery store or calling for takeout. Those meals have more fat, salt and sugar than we need, they produce a lot of garbage from the packaging and they are more expensive than cooking from scratch.
In these uncertain economic times, we need to look at our food costs and start to spend more wisely. Here are seven recipes that will cover your dinners for a week, with some leftovers for lunch. They are as quick as takeout, as easy as many processed dinners, and more economical and nutritious than either.
Chickpea Curry
My son eats a lot of tofu and I’m always encouraging him to add more legumes to his diet, so I decided on something with chickpeas. I had in my mind a recipe from Julie Sahni’s cookbook “Classic Indian Cooking” as a starting point and we made our own version. I had some dried Mexican chilies that Hugh had brought from his store. I’ve always rehydrated chilies, but Hugh put them in the bottom of a dry pan until they were fragrant, chopped them finely, added a bit of olive oil and then crushed them with a mortar and pestle until they made a paste. We had some leftover rice and carrots from the night before and tossed them in as well. You could add vegetables such as zucchini or cauliflower as well. Here is the full Chickpea Curry recipe.
Beans with Tomatoes and Swiss Chard
We actually ended up getting a number of meals from the Swiss chard I grew in my garden this summer, and I really enjoyed them. I had a good handful to harvest and I cooked them up with some fresh tomatoes and mushrooms for a quick, throw-together meal that was easy and cheap. All the measurements are approximate, and you can easily put together other legumes such as chickpeas or lentils, or other leafy vegetables such as kale or spinach. You can eat this as is, in a bowl, or serve it over pasta or rice. If you have any leftovers, you can eat them as a cold salad or add some liquid and puree it into a soup. Here are the step-by-step instructions for Beans with Tomatoes and Swiss Chard.
Vegetarian Chili
If you feel like a party, invite a few friends over and make this easy, delicious chili. Or better still, make it the day before and then you don’t have to do anything but heat it up when your guests arrive. I looked at lots of recipes for vegetarian chili, but in the end I adapted my regular meat-based chili because I like the seasonings. Without the meat to soak up the heat, I found the chili a bit too hot. I have reduced the amount of dried chili peppers by quite a bit, so if you like your chili on the spicy side you could increase it. Use the list of vegetables as a guideline, and feel free to toss in whatever you have on hand. I used kidney beans, but you could add some chickpeas or black beans, as well. If you do want meat in the chili, brown 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef before you add the other ingredients. The rest of the tricks for Vegetarian Chili are in the recipe.
Oriecchiette with Lentils, Onion and Spinach
I have a confession to make. In an attempt to make lentils more palatable for my husband, I did something I’ve never done before. I took a totally healthy vegetarian dish and added bacon. Not just any bacon, but some magnificent pancetta that my son brought from the store he works in. It was just a bit, but enough to elevate this dish from nice to delicious. Of course, you can always leave the bacon out. Here is the full recipe for Oriecchiette with Lentils, Onion and Spinach.
Dal and Pumpkin Soup
I’m a big fan of Nigel Slater and his book, “The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen,” which encapsulates his theories about food and cooking. I turned to the very front of the book and decided to make his New Year’s Day soup. Slater apparently has a tradition of making soup on New Year’s Day and I heartily approve. He calls this “a bowl of soup that both whips and kisses.” It seems like a pretty good meal to have as the weather gets colder, and we have the long winter before us. All the details for whipping up Dal and Pumpkin Soup are in the recipe.
Vegetable Salad: Carrots, Fennel, Radishes, Beets and Onion
Earlier this year, I reviewed “Vegetable Harvest” by Patricia Wells. This lovely winter salad was the first recipe I tried from the book. I had just been to the farmers’ market and bought an enormous bunch of radishes for 50 cents, so this recipe seemed fortuitous. You could serve this either as part of a family meal, or as a first course at a dinner party. It is quite colourful and attractive on the plate-and is really tasty. Whip up a lovely Vegetable Salad: Carrots, Fennel, Radishes, Beets and Onion using the recipe.
Mushroom Tofu Stew
Big chunks of meat and potatoes are usually what come to mind when you think about stew. But many university students either don’t have the money or the inclination to eat that kind of meal. I was looking for something that was vegetarian and would be hearty and nourishing while still being easy on the pocket book. And like all of the recipes in this series, you have to be able to make it all in one pot. This recipe fulfills all of those requirements, but, while delicious, I will freely admit that it isn’t the most beautiful dish I’ve ever made. Make Mushroom Tofu Stew using the recipe.
Via a leaked document which explains the military instructions to force feed, or “standard operating procedure”, for force-feeding detainees, Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def) volunteered to undergo the procedure and make a shirt film. Below is the four-minute film made by Human Rights organisation Reprieve and BAFTA award-winning director Asif Kapadia. You can never un-see or un-know this.
Warning: This video is extremely graphic and may be hard to watch for some.
The U.S. Justice of Department is now investigating the shooting death of Trayvon Martin … meaning, if slapped with federal charges, George Zimmerman could face jail time — even after his not guilty verdict.
The DOJ issued a statement Sunday … revealing they are looking into the case, evaluating the evidence (including testimony from the State trial) — and will determine whether or not federal prosecutors should file criminal civil rights charges against Zimmerman.
Here’s why it’s important … Zimmerman was found not guilty on Saturday of both second-degree murder and manslaughter when tried by the State of Florida — and is technically a free man.
But since the news broke … civil-rights activists have been up in arms, like Al Sharpton and the NAACP who are clamoring for the DOJ to bring civil rights charges against Zimmerman.
If the Feds decide to go through with new criminal charges … then a jail sentence is back on the table.
Although, according to legal experts, it will be an uphill battle to prove in court that Zimmerman was motivated solely by race.
A Chicago grandmother accused of killing her 8-year-old granddaughter inflicted abuse for so long that the dead little girl had maggots living in a head wound that had gone untreated, cops said in a shocking case.
Helen M. Ford, 51, eventually strangled and beat Gizzell Kiara Ford to death, cops say, ending weeks, maybe months, of systematic abuse.The grandmother is held on no bail and faces a murder charge.
The details of the grisly and horrifying crime were unveiled Sunday by prosecutors who presented a disturbing case against the girl’s caretaker and, police say, executioner.
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