Does anybody know any good places to eat in Pensacola, Florida? I’ll only be there two nights but I don’t really know anything about that place.
Post with 5 notes
RIP Treyvon Martin
I would like to take a minute to discuss the murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. For those who are not familiar, let’s begin by setting up the event. Last February 26, Martin (African-American) was visiting his father in a gated community in Florida. That night Martin decided to walk to the store to pick up candy and a drink. As Martin was walking back to his father’s house, George Zimmerman, the self-appointed neighborhood watch captain of the gated community, spotted him. Zimmerman followed Martin from within his truck and called 911 to report a “real suspicious guy”. What happened next is stunning and is cause for growing racial tensions in the state of Florida. At some point Zimmerman exited the truck and an altercation with Martin ensued, despite the 911 dispatcher telling Zimmerman to stop following Martin. At some point Zimmerman reached for his gun and shot Martin twice in the chest—killing him.
Zimmerman has since claimed self-defense and has not been arrested thanks to a Florida law known as the “Stand Your Ground” law. This law apparently states that Zimmerman has the right to use any amount of force, even deadly force, if he feels threatened in any way. It also seems that even though the 911 police dispatcher told Zimmerman to stop following Martin, Zimmerman has the right to disobey the dispatcher’s “recommendation” and follow and confront Martin; then using the Stand Your Ground law when Martin reacts to the confrontation.
I think it’s important to take race out of the argument in order to figure out exactly what happened in this situation. Martin was staying with his father in this community and felt like getting some snacks at the local store. I walk with my daughter to our corner store daily. My neighborhood is not private and definitely not perfect, but it’s safe enough to walk to the store. As a kid I used to visit my cousin and sleep over at his house for the weekend because we did not live too close to each other. We walked to the park to play basketball and we’d stop by the store to grab a drink. The people in his building did not know me but I never felt that any of them would come after me with a gun because I was a stranger. The neighborhood did have its gangs and there was always a chance one of them would approach me for not being part of their hood. It seems that Zimmerman was really acting as a one-man gang, making sure there were no outsiders in his hood. Zimmerman tracked, confronted, and took the life of a minor; it’s that simple. He’s now hiding behind an antiquated Florida law that encourages violence and a “shoot now, ask questions later” attitude.
Put yourself in Martin’s shoes and answer this question; have you ever been followed by a vehicle while you are on foot? Do you know how it feels to walk along a street with a car slowly tracking you? I would be on my toes thinking that I’m about to get attacked or robbed. If someone approaches me this way, you better believe I’m going to have an attitude and I’ll be standing guard wondering exactly what this person (possibly concealing weapons in their car) is going to try to do to me. If Zimmerman has the right to stand his ground, did Martin not have the right to walk through neighborhood streets? Did Martin need to register his name with “Captain” Zimmerman before going outside his father’s house? At the end of it all Zimmerman was left standing with his own gun while Martin was dead on the floor. Martin’s weapons, a bag of Skittles and a can of iced tea.
Sources:
http://www.kansascity.com
http://www.cbsnews.com
http://npr.org
http://abcnews.go.com
Post with 2 notes
So I figured I’d find some Orlando tumblr blogs worth following. It turns out when I search Orlando all I get is a bunch of people talking about going to Disney World or one of the many freaking amusement parks in this humid place.
Maybe there’s no such thing as an Orlando native.
Back home your Fuze tea options at Subway are unsweetened and green tea. Here in Orlando your options are unsweetened and southern sweet tea. Good stuff.
Photo with 3 notes
Just landed in Orlando, FL for infoComm 2011. A week of 95 degree weather with high humidity and thunder storms.
