Aug 27 2014
Suspicion Nation: A Conversation with Author and Attorney Lisa Bloom – Part 1
The protests in Ferguson, Missouri over the killing of Michael Brown are the second time in the past few years that there has been a major national dialogue about race, racism and violence in the US. The name Trayvon Martin is often listed alongside the names of police brutality victims like Brown, Eric Garner, Oscar Grant, and others. But Martin was killed by George Zimmerman, a gun-owning vigilante, not a cop. That alone increased the odds of a conviction of at least second degree murder, or manslaughter. Indeed, observes attorney and journalist Lisa Bloom, “having analyzed every aspect of this trial … this case was the prosecution’s to lose.” Zimmerman was acquitted and outrage ensued.
In Suspicion Nation, author Lisa Bloom details the incident that unfolded on a rainy night in Sanford, Florida, more than 2 years ago: a 17-year old African American boy named Trayvon Martin was followed by a neighborhood watch man named George Zimmerman who decided Martin was a suspicious figure. A scuffle ended in Zimmerman shooting Martin dead. In a case that gripped a nation, Bloom, with the keen eye of an attorney singles out the numerous and astonishing missteps made by the prosecution, leading to Zimmerman’s acquittal. She profiles the lone juror of color. And, she attempts to answer the crucial question in the title of her book – why we continue to repeat such injustice.
GUEST: Lisa Bloom is the legal analyst for The Today Show, NBC News, and Avvo.com. She is the New York Times bestselling author of Swagger and Think, and has written numerous articles for such outlets as the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post and more. She runs her own law firm in Los Angeles called The Bloom Firm. And her latest book, out earlier this year, is entitled “Suspicion Nation: The Inside Story of the Trayvon Martin Injustice and Why We Continue to Repeat It.”
2 Responses to “Suspicion Nation: A Conversation with Author and Attorney Lisa Bloom – Part 1”
The problem has been the focus on irrelevant arguments – some of which are actually unsupported by the evidence.
1. ‘George Zimmerman (GZ) racially profiled Trayvon Martin (TM)’ There is no evidence of this.
2. ‘GZ disobeyed an order by the police’ * The civilian dispatcher, Sean Noffke, testified that he did not give GZ an order and, in fact, he, like his fellow dispatchers, are trained not make comments that sound like commands. * Noffke also testified under cross that, as a result of his asking GZ which way TM was going, GZ could have reasonably interpreted this as being asked to follow Martin. * It is also not a crime in Florida to disregard a comment made by a civilian dispatcher.
3. ‘GZ got out of his car’ Not a crime on public property and not negligent either.
4. ‘GZ followed TM’ Again, anyone can follow anyone on a public street unless the followee has obtained a restraining order against the follower and even there, the RS only places time, place, and manner restrictions on the person enjoined.
5. ‘GZ wasn’t really injured’ * Under Florida’s self-defense laws, one doesn’t have to be injured AT ALL to use deadly force * No one is required to refrain from defending himself while another is engaged in or attempting to commit a felony.
6. ‘TM is dead through no fault of his own’ * If you believe that TM assaulted GZ, then he IS dead as a result of his own actions.
7. ‘GZ could have left’ * Under Florida law, there is not a duty to withdraw rather than use deadly force * TM was straddling GZ so how the latter was supposed to leave the scene is unanswered.
8. ‘GZ was armed and TM wasn’t’ * One’s fists can be considered weapons and can result in severe bodily harm or death. * GZ was legally carrying a weapon * There is no requirement under the law that the same weapon be used by the assailant * A homeowner can kill an intruder whether or not he has been threatened * Those that attack cannot feign surprise if they are met with superior firepower.
9. ‘Stand Your Ground!’ * SYG is NOT at issue in this trial. * The defense is a classic self-defense case.
10. ‘Black men NEVER get to use SYG!’ * Wrong http://tinyurl.com/nboht35
11. ‘GZ is a man and TM was a boy!’ * As if ‘boys’ don’t commit murder, rape, and assault everyday in this country.
Vigilante??
Ridiculous assertion.