FLORIDA STAND YOUR GROUND LAW SHOULD BE REPEALED

Its been only five days since the verdict for George Zimmerman was announced. The Not Guilty verdict in the Trayvon Martin case reverberated throughout the globe and everyone in America is screaming foul play. Florida's infamous Stand Your Ground Law vindicates people who fear for their lives once approached by someone who presents a threat to you. Problem in this case is a seventeen year old boy lost his life to the hands of a crime watcher by the name of George Zimmerman. Neighborhood crime stoppers are not trained to use guns on civilians, in fact they are to observe criminal activity and call the police if they suspect mischievous behavior. Not in this case, the crime watcher actually was the one doing the crime by carrying a gun and using it on a teenager. You can't go above and beyond your duties, especially when you were told to stand down from radio dispatchers. Zimmerman proceeded to follow his suspect, which led to Trayvon Martin's untimely death. On May 11, 2012 Marissa Alexander of Jacksonville Florida was found guilty and received a twenty year sentence in her case where Stand Your Ground played a crucial role. Fearing for her life, she fired warning shots in the air since her abusive husband blocked the entrance to her house preventing her from leaving. There was a history of abuse prior to this incident, which I find a little disturbing. The fact that the same prosecutor who tried this case was the same one who prosecuted George Zimmerman is a bit perplexing. Angela Corey, the Florida State's Attorney who was also prosecuting George Zimmerman. Florida's "10-20-life" law, enacted in 1999 mandates a 20-year sentence for use of a gun during the commission of certain crimes. Being that Alexander fired her gun during altercation, she was found guilty. Question everyone wants to know is how come the same law that convicted Marissa Alexander didn't apply for Mr. Zimmerman. Her case, no one was injured and she receives twenty years for a person with no priors. Zimmerman takes law into his own hands and walks free. A person is accused of murder, earns over half a million in donations in preparation for his trial and walks away free as a bird. There were a lot of mitigating circumstances in this trial that should have raised a few eyebrows. The whole world is in disarray behind this verdict and if we are to come together as a people, we all need to understand that this is not about race. The laws in Florida need serious looking into and need to be rescinded and outlawed. I don't see why a woman should spend twenty years in prison for trying to defend herself and someone like Zimmerman gets to walk freely. It's not about race because whether he was orange or purple, it wouldn't make a difference to me. Wrong is wrong, and when you commit a crime you need to be held accountable and punished for it. Just because your father is a retired judge doesn't vindicate you or place you above the law. We are a human race above anything else, so if we don't stand up for something we will fail at anything else. This tragedy could have been any one of our brothers, sons, or cousins.

STOP FRONTING FOR INTERNET!!

There are a lot of things people fail to realize so I'm going to highlight some things so there wont be any misconceptions. I've seen a lot and choose not to speak on it cause a lot of things make no difference to me. But it's gotten to the point where things are so out of control, I felt compelled to speak on it. The only thing I'm focused on is my writing. I don't care bout celebrities, half of them are frauds anyway so why would I be so into something I'm against. There are a few who remain down to earth, but I refuse to associate with people who only have their best interest at heart. I got wonderful friends and family, with that alone I'm thankful. I applaud you if your out there doing what you need to be doing to get to the next level in your life. I would never block my blessing by hating on the next man, I'm not cut from that cloth. I don't care bout anything that doesn't make sense to me. A lot of times we get so caught up in this internet world that we lose focus of whats real. If being real means to be fake, I want no part of it. People out here chasing something so hard that it doesn't matter who or what they step on to get ahead. Tread lightly, cause sooner or later you will be exposed. Don't fake it til you make it, that shit is lame to me! And if your gonna do that, at least block the people who know you in real life. You look like a jackass perpetuating something your not! Is it that serious? A person who aint never been nothing in life will go at all costs to try to emulate or impersonate something they're not. Its sad when you have to resort to that type of behavior to get recognition. It depicts desperation on that person, which to me is a weakness. Where's your self esteem, where's your dignity? You know better, therefore you need to do better. I worked too hard in life so when I see those who haven't put forth the same effort proclaiming to be on a high horse, I have to step back and let that person be. At the end of the day, I could care less cause what they do don't phase me. I just have to tell the truth to the people so they won't be blindsided by the antics. We all know how to decipher real from fake and those who can relate to this know I'm speaking the truth. I'm doing what I have to do that's all that matters. No endorsement from no celebs, I let my work speak for itself! I don't expect certain things from others so I learned to do things on my own...

FIGHT THE POWER

I'm so sickened by the events taking place within my community that I felt compelled to speak from the heart today. I haven't done one of these in a while but its needed. As many of you know, the Flatbush section of Brooklyn has been rioting ever since a sixteen year old by the name of +Kimani Gray was gunned down by the police a few days ago. Shot eleven times, talk about excessive force! There are conflicting stories whether he had a gun or not but I can't speculate since I wasn't there. Only his friends know what truly transpired. These people rioting don't understand that you can't fight the power with aggression. History has taught us that much, but no one wants to take heed. Dr. King opposed using violence during his peaceful protests, but even that didn't help cause demonstrators were beat on constantly. People talk about revolution but have the faintest idea what that entails. We're just looking for an excuse to be indignant and defy the law. We're amused and some find it exciting and entertaining just to be a part of something but when it all blows up everyone takes refuge. People these days lack direction, our youth are misguided and whats sad is the fact that this goes on all the time. It's now we decide to step up, but where's that same passion when one of our own is killed in our community? Community leaders are not trusted anymore, the public has lost interest and trust. They have no power, just a platform to speak for political gain. It's all about the next vote for them. A little press time makes for a strong campaign. You siding with the enemy and don't know whats really happening under your nose. Years ago, we had a million man march and I really thought our people were heading in the right direction. A lot of social issues were addressed, strangers came together and unified for a common cause. But the problem is, there's no consistency. People need consistency. Problem these days is the fact that a lot of youth look up to the older guys in their neighborhood. Kids emulate what they see so they're being misdirected and misled. The older guys teach them all the wrong things, but when the smoke clears they disappear. They're nowhere to be found! One of the reasons why I don't even post is because I've realized people want you to dumb it down. When it comes to speaking about reality, no one wants to hear it. Talk about whose the best rapper or any kind of gossip everyone pays attention then. It's sad but its harsh reality. The police officers involved have already been involved in five federal law suits prior to this incident costing the city $215,000 in settlements. They violated numerous civil rights violations, one officer was found in violation of numerous false arrests and illegal stop and search incidents. My question is, how does all this information get overloooked? They had no business on the street and should have been on modified duty. Just goes to show you no one cares, locking people up illegally is routine standard procedure. They should be tried and treated like any other person, just cause your an officer of the law doesn't hand you the right to shoot and kill people. Police need to be penalized and brought to justice for their actions period, but history has taught us this is not usually the case. No one wants to step up until it hits home. It doesn't matter if this kid is not related to me or you. The fact that it can happen to one of your kids is enough to make you want to spark a fire. We all got time to post random things online but I challenge you to not hold your tongue on issues affecting our communities. We talk about revolution but truth of the matter is people are not ready for it. Don't talk the talk if you can't walk the walk. Condolences to the family for suffering through their ordeal, but people really need to wipe the wool from their eyes. FIGHT THE POWER!!!

In today's Daily News, I read an article which is right in tune with all the things I talk about from the onset of creating this blog. I've talked about, police corruption, wrongful convictions and a many other topics. I was a little disturbed to read about a bronx man A BRONX MAN who spent nearly 17 years behind bars for a murder he did not commit filed a lawsuit yesterday seeking $22 million in damages. Don Taylor was serving a life sentence when prosecutors admitted that the wrong man had been convicted. He walked away from prison last year after a Bronx judge vacated his conviction. On the word of a single eyewitness, Taylor was convicted of killing Terrence Joyner on Aug. 16, 1987. That witness, Omar Portee, later recanted. He told prosecutors under oath that he lied when he said he saw Taylor pull out a gun and kill Joyner after Joyner got into a beef with another man over drugs. Portee "stated that he had falsely implicated [Taylor] in order to secure a favorable disposition on his own pending cases," said Bronx prosecutor Jeremy Shockett. At the time, Portee had two robbery cases pending. In the 1990s, Portee founded an East Coast version of the Bloods street gang. He is now serving a 50-year sentence in a federal prison. Taylor alleged in his lawsuit that a retired detective, Morris Schwaber, and his partner encouraged Portee to lie on the stand. The lawsuit alleged that Bronx prosecutor James Palumbo knew that Portee was lying, and that he and Schwaber permitted Portee to have sex with his girlfriend in the prosecutor's office in exchange for his continued cooperation. "He never said he was lying," said Palumbo, who is now a defense lawyer. He said Portee's testimony was consistent with the forensic evidence, leading him to believe Portee had seen the murder. He denied letting Portee have sex in his office. Taylor seeks damages for violations of his civil rights. He is seeking $17 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. rgearty@nydailynews.

HURRICANE SANDY DEVASTATION

Many of us are feeling the effects of Sandy's aftermath, which came two weeks ago and ripped through the tri-state, New Jersey, and Connecticut leaving nothing but devastation in its path. When I first heard of it, I thought it was going to come and go with minimal damage but that wasn't the case. Superstorm Sandy, as its being called now really destroyed people's lives. People are left without homes, some lost their cars due to being completely submerged in water. In areas like Coney Island, businesses are washed away. I saw an entire laundromat overflowed with sand and water, I'm pretty sure that business owner filling out insurance claims on their business. In Far Rockaway, where I worked as a construction laborer, that entire area is a disaster zone. People are still without power there and looters took to the streets creating mayhem during Sandy's arrival and departure. You would think that would propel people to band together for the common good but when everything is in a state of emergency, you have chaos! I have been displaced as a result of looters stealing our tools from the site. It's been two weeks now, but I know once the power is back hopefully all things will be back to normal. I have to give alot of credit to the people banding together trying to make sense of what just happened to them. Everyone is in disarray, from the state officials on down. Even gas has become a luxury, you cant even get gas for your car without waiting on a ridiculous line that stretches well beyond five or six blocks-sometimes even ten blocks. People have panicked because the officials have created this monster. They tried to take precaution by closing the ports for gas for preemptive measures, but that only spiraled into whats transpiring now. No gas at the pumps equates to people flooding the gas stations. No one wants to live without gas, so to prevent that they come out in droves trying to get what they need in order to drive to work. Starting yesterday, if your license plate ends in an odd number those are the only people allowed to come for gas unless your walking with a gallon. They've implemented this process to try to alleviate all the long lines at the pump but I don't think this practice going to last. What happens to the people who need gas to get to work for the day? It's all a quick fix to make up for the mayhem they've created. Now, these elected officials are trying to do damage control. It's not the public's fault, people will only react to whats taking place around them. Had the ports been open, none of this would be taking place. On another note, theres alot of underhand shadiness taking place. If you don't think these same officials are stealing gas, your only fooling yourself! Wherever there's gas, you see police and when you come they'll tell you there isn't any gas but yet they're still posted there. Not one to make accusations, but some things just can't be overlooked. New York City, New Jersey and surrounding areas is in a state of emergency. The Fema people have arrived, but there's still hordes of people who lost their entire homes. I got friends who lost all their clothes, cars, but what's important is the fact that they still have life. That in itself is priceless, God please protect our cities and families. I wish everyone a speedy recovery during this tumultous time...

ARE YOU GREEDY

It's been quite some time, but I just wanted to share some things with you. Today I wanted to speak on greed. Greed is something someone has when they've achieved something and don't want you to accomplish that same thing. Greed is described in the dictionary as excessive or rapacious desire, especially for wealth or possessions. This means no matter what they've achieved, they want more of it whether it's clothes, jewelry, cars, money, and everything else. There are people in this world who work hard for what they have and I applaud that so let's not confuse this. Then there are others who aint never had nothing and once they do, they feel the need to throw it in your face as if you weren't there when they had nothing. As far as I'm concerned, wordly possessions could never make me or break me. I came in this world with nothing and when I leave, I'm going with nothing. Shallow people go at nothing to make others feel less than them when in all reality, the person they're trying to grand stand usually has more going for themselves mentally and spiritually. Corporate Greed has caused Bernie Madoff a 150 year life term sentence in prison for his ponzi scheme which took millions of money from working class families. People work all their lives to secure life retirement policies and along comes a fast talking swindler to swindle them out of all their life earnings. Nothing good ever comes to those who are obsessed with greed. They like to live the luxurious life but don't like the consequences that come along with it. They get so wrapped up in their imaginary lifestyle that penalties for their crimes are the last thing they seem to be concerned with. It's sad when you have city workers who get charged for welfare fraud while collecting pay checks. In 1996, an article entitled "New York Arrests 46 City Workers in Welfare Fraud" by Adam Nossiter documents this in depth. Twenty city employees received subsidized housing and cash benefits for which they were ineligible. A total of one million in benefits were collected, although these people had no priors they did not face any jail time and agreed to pay back all the money taken. 50 resigned or were dismissed from their city jobs, 11 had some other disciplinary action taken against them and 12 cases were pending. This in itself displays how greed can make one irrational. Instead of doing the right thing, they seem to do all the wrong things until they get caught. I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't still going on as we speak. Big corporations have gone bankrupt because of greed and it's not going to stop because the world is a big cesspool of greed. Everyone wants that pot of gold but aren't willing to put the hard work behind it. Instead they look for short cuts on how to get rich and if it means to cut someone's throat or cheating someone out of their life earnings, then so be it. Its a dog eat dog world out there so make sure you know who has your best interest at heart. Dont worry bout what the next person has cause you don't know what they did to get it. We all like nice things so make sure in the process of chasing your dreams, you don't lose your sense of self! There are no short cuts in life, remember that! Stay Blessed People!

THOUGHTS ON TRAYVON MARTIN

As you all know, the entire world is in uproar about an incident that left a seventeen year old kid, Trayvon Martin dead by the hands of 28-year-old George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain who was responsible for the shooting on Feb. 26 in the central Florida town of Sanford. I sat back and observed while everything was taking place but it's hard not to say anything with a case that's had so much publicvity over the past month and a half. We've seen this movie before, when you think about Amadou Diallo, Sean Bell, Timothy Stansbury, Trayvon Martin, and countless others whose been at the other end of that barrel and met with the same fate. Players from the NBA showed their outpour of support by wearing hoodies in pre-game warm ups for Trayvon Martin. The ramifications for what transpired has sparked legal experts to say that a Hate crime could be in effect for George Zimmerman once the Justice Department thoroughly conducts their investigation. A hate crime carries the maximum penalty of life imprisonment if found guilty. No one knows what took place, but Zimmerman is claiming he was attacked and used self defense. In Florida, there is this "Stand Your Ground" law which was implemented several years ago which allows people to use this when and if it applies to them. Prosecutors have to do thorough research in order to bring about a charge, so in the meantime Zimmerman is a free man and the world is in outrage including me. I don't buy into the fact that he was attacked or provoked. I think he had an opportunity to prey on someone who was weak and he did just that. People who have authority to carry guns are always itching to use their weapon on someone, especially if they believe they can get away with it. I think this is one of them cases, but I can be wrong. The Police Chief even stepped down from his position as Federal agents probe what transpired. For him to do that while all this is taking place shows a bit of suspicion and foul play could be involved once the smoke clears. No matter what we do, death is FINAL! We can march, protest, and even riot but none of that is going to bring Trayvon back to us. My heart goes out to the family during this trying time and I hope they get the justice they deserve. No crime should go unpunished, just because your a watchguard doesn't give you the authority to prey on innocent people. Zimmerman should be SUSPENDED IN TIME for the rest of his LIFE!