After Trayvon Martin case, UN tells US to examine laws thatdiscriminate against African Americans

George Zimmerman

"We call upon the US Government to examine its laws that could have discriminatory impact on African Americans, and to ensure that such laws are in full compliance with the country’s international legal obligations and relevant standards,” said human rights expert Verene Shepherd, who currently heads the UN Working Group of Experts of People of African Descent.

Much of the world sees the Trayvon Martin case as representing America's still-present racial problems and are particularly concerned about Florida's Stand Your Ground Law. It has created debate in the United States and also in other countries after George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin in what he said was self-defense and justifiable use of force. Trayvon Martin was an African American teen, age 17 years old, when he was shot by Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman.

While the US Department of Justice, the US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida and the Federal Bureau of Investigation currently evaluate evidence generated during the federal investigation, the world has watched the trial as well, and many people have expressed their disappointment in the verdict, freeing Zimmerman from a murder charge in a Florida courtroom.

“The Trayvon Martin case has highlighted the importance of the need to review those existing laws and policies that can have a discriminatory effect on the basis of race, as African Americans become more vulnerable to such discrimination,” Ms. Shepherd said, recalling that the US has been party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights since 1992, the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination since 1994, and many other international human rights law treaties.

“States are required to take effective measures to review governmental, national and local policies, and to amend, rescind or nullify any laws and regulations which have the effect of creating or perpetuating racial discrimination wherever it exists,” said the Special Rapporteur on racism, Mutuma Ruteere.

According to the 2011 US Department of Justice Hate Crime Statistics, 71.9 per cent of the total number of victims of hate crimes reported to the nation’s law enforcement agencies were victims of an offender’s anti-black bias. IA survey done in 2012 by a non-governmental organization Malcolm X Grassroots Movement found that at least 136 unarmed African Americans were killed by police, security guards and self-appointed vigilantes annually.

High profile criminal case decisions could negatively impact juryselection

[caption id="attachment_11536" align="alignleft" width="319"] Casey Anthony - wikimedia commons[/caption]

Carol Forsloff---In a just and humane system, everyone has a right to equal treatment under the law, which was the reason for the concept of selecting juries  from a community of one’s peers to decide on the guilt or innocence of any given person in a civil or criminal case.  But will the effect of the George Zimmerman verdict and other high profile cases have a negative impact on jury selection?

Some media outlets speculate that the Zimmerman case will be one that will linger both in the public’s memory as well as in legal analyzes, future trials, and law school curriculum.

It took more than two months to select the jury in the OJ Simpson case, with the trial moved to the Los Angeles area to ensure a racial balance in the composition of those jurors selected.   Additionally they were told by Judge Ito that they had to complete a lengthy questionnaire of 79 pages with 295 questions, some of which caused some jurors to protest the personal nature of those questions.  This was added to the fact that Marcia Clark had complained to the judge that some of the people in the jury pool had lied in order to get on the jury and demanded a lie detector test be administered to all those anticipated to be selected.

All of this time and controversy became increasingly shrill over the progress of the Simpson case with the result, when Simpson was not convicted of killing his wife Nicole Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman  , there was an outpouring of sentiment both in favor the verdict and against it, with much of that sentiment fueled by discussions about race and the American system of justice.   There were intimations about white people being especially concerned about the verdict of Simpson’s innocence based upon the sentiment of the African American community, represented by those on the jury themselves.

The Casey Antony trial also provoked strong emotions.  Casey Anthony was tried in Florida for killing her toddler, Caylee.  Again questions were raised about the biases of jury members, the composition of the group and the fairness of the verdict, to the extent that many of the jurors refrained from disclosing their identities.  One of those jurors, Dean Eckstadt,  was quoted as saying on the Today show “We are upset that so many people think we are incompetent.” He did not think the jurors were afraid for their lives after the verdict, but most of the jurors on the case preferred to remain anonymous.  However one of the jurors, referred to as Juror No. 12, quit her job and left town because of the death threats she was reported to have received.

In the case of George Zimmerman, juror B37 maintains the deliberations and the decision was emotionally trying for all members of the jury.  She also tearfully explained they had been careful to arrive at a fair verdict.  Still most of the jurors have preferred to remain anonymous, and like the verdicts in the Simpson and Anthony cases, people question the juror’s decisions and the framework used to make those decisions.  Four of them distanced themselves from the opinions of Juror B37 who had said that Trayvon Martin had played a significant role in his own death.    They have requested privacy, issuing this statement: “Serving on this jury has been a highly emotional and physically draining experience for each of us,” the statement said. “The death of a teenager weighed heavily on our hearts but in the end we did what the law required us to do.”

In the aftermath of the Simpson trial there was speculation about the racial divide but not specifically the safety of the jurors themselves, despite the unpopularity of the verdict of not guilty rendered by the jury.    In contrast, however, jurors on both the Anthony and Zimmerman cases have expressed concerns about their safety following their decisions.

How many people, of any race, after learning how juries are selected, the time it takes to make the decisions about a jury composition, and the potential personal vindication they might receive following a verdict if it does not follow public opinion will be willing to serve on a jury on a high profile case?

How might that impact the administration of a potential humanitarian and just decision when jurors must fear the aftermath of their decisions?

New tech gadget combines pen and personal security

[caption id="attachment_15416" align="alignleft" width="180"] Key Chain pocket mace for secuirty[/caption]

If you are one of those folks worried about the possibility of attack when you are out in an unknown area, or a place badly lit or just want that extra feeling of safety, a new tech gadget combines pen and security, in a fashion for multiple use.

According to Gizmag, a magazine that features the latest on gadgets of all types, this pen gadget is a serious conversation piece, besides being very functional for personal security and for writing. UZI Tactical Defender Pen was created by the same company that makes submachine guns.

Think Geek also has looked at this new tech goodie, highlighting its essential features as these: The pen is constructed of aircraft aluminum. It can use Parker or Fisher refills to write. It can break glass and catch DNA. It can also write under water. A photo of this device is on the Think Geek web page.

A number of companies offer personal security devices. Brickhouse Security, for example, offers everything from stun guns to a key chain with mace.

Laws on self-defense can be tricky, as folks have noted in the case of the young man, Trayvon Martin, who was killed during a neighborhood altercation allegedly by George Zimmerman, who is now being held in jail, pending a decision on the case. This case has raised questions about laws that allow for folks to defend themselves away from home in an aggressive way that can even cause death.  So there is a fine line between personal security and self-defense, and what folks can do legally that is now being questioned.