Autauga Circuit Court Judge John Bush Sent LaMarcus Ramsey to Jail for Saggy Pants: Talk and Reactions to Judge's Ruling, Contempt and Belt Purchase

Clothes do make a man. It is not a new art. The art of manliness appears to have been lost. Men are no longer interested in wearing the right clothes. Men and women are walking around with saggy pants. They are showing up anywhere and everywhere with all kinds of clothes half worn down to their ankles. It is a new fad that should be expired by now.

Who is to say something about saggy clothes? Well, enters Judge John Bush. He sent LaMarcus to jail for 3 days for contempt of court!

""You are in contempt of court because you showed your butt in court," a visibly irate Bush told Ramsey. "You can spend three days in jail. When you get out you can buy pants that fit, or at least get a belt to hold up your pants so your underwear doesn't show."
News of the judge's ruling spread quickly.
"It's what everybody is talking about. People working in the courthouse and folks who have business in the courthouse," Circuit Clerk Whit Moncrief said. "I've never seen anything like this. There's more talk in town about this than past capital murder cases where we've had the death penalty handed down."
"I say good for Judge Bush," said Joan Thompson, a Prattville resident. "This is a pet peeve of mine. Nobody wants to see somebody else's butt or underwear. It is a sign of disrespect, and I'm glad somebody finally had the nerve to do something about it."
Bush said he understands why the situation has struck a chord.
"I feel the public in general is sick and tired of the fundamental lack of respect we see in everyday life," he said. "This is the courtroom. You need to respect the building and what it stands for. This is not my courtroom. This is the people's house. And the citizens of the 19th Judicial Circuit of Alabama expect me to preserve the dignity and respect of their courtroom."

George Zimmerman is Arrested; State Attorney Angela Corey Issued Capias; State of Florida vs. George Zimmerman

On 4-11-12, the State of Florida placed George Zimmerman under arrest. The arrest came after Gov. Rick Scott asked Angela Corey to re-investigate the case that caused mass protests all over the country. The prosecutor brought a second-degree murder charge against Zimmerman.

After his two previous lawyers bailed out, George hired a new lawyer, Mark O'Mara.

Gov. Rick Scott released a statement in which he said, "the matter is now in the hands of the judicial system and I am confident justice will prevail." Bear in mind that Seminole County authorities failed to bring charges against Zimmerman.

Let's take a look back: Goerge Zimmerman, whose father is white and whose mother is Peruvian, says he shot Martin, who was black, in self-defense after following him in a gated community in Sanford. Police questioned Zimmerman but decided against pressing charges.
The lack of an arrest or charges had sparked protests nationwide, with critics alleging that Zimmerman confronted Martin because of his race. Zimmerman's supporters deny that.

Nikky Finney, Witness to History, is a Poet Laureate for "Head Off and Split"

"Head Off and Split" is the book that won Nikky Finney the most prestigious prize. It is also the book that shows her great artistic skills. The poet laureate uses ordinary objects to bring out the subliminal and eternal. Jericho Brown captures the essence of her book of poetry this way, ""Again, Nikky Finney manipulates into music the words readers use to see, hear, and understand a soul's history. Head Off & Split is as Southern as it is American, as feminist as it is human, as black as it is a tide of colors knowing no bounds..."

Here is what others are saying about her and her new book. Kwame Dawes wrote, "With Head Off & Split, Nikky Finney establishes herself as one of the most eloquent, urgent, fearless and necessary poets writing in America today. What makes this book as important as anything published in the last decade is the irresistible music, the formal dexterity and the imaginative leaps she makes with metaphor and language in these simply stunning poems. This is a very, very important achievement."

Readers will be attracted by the beauty of language and the mastery with which the author treats each one of her subjects. Meena Alexander summs it up this way, "In Nikky Finney's Head Off & Split the beauty of language soars and saves us even as we skirt the raw edge of terror. And something rare and precious is restored, a light, circling movement of the spirit. This is poetry to give thanks for."

At the opening of Nikky Finney's National Book Award Acceptance speech, she says, "We beging with history..." In a historic and literal way, the poet laureate was right in acknowledging history, the most recent and past history, the history of those who had fought in the past, those whose body was abused and mistreated for the gains of men who thought they could own other men. Indeed, "We begin with history..." brings back the sacrifices of men and women like the author's parents who had to decide to invest in education, in the literary things that were forbidden to black slaves and could have them killed. "We begin with history..." was and is for ever present when her father, retired chief justice Earnest A Finney had to decide difficult cases in an era when Jim Crow and discrimination were running rampant in the country. The retired Chief Justice knew that he had to bring his contribution to pillar of civil rights movement, a potent sign of history.

History is ongoing.
Nikky likes history and anything about history..."I am incredibly drawn to history; personal history, American history, Southern history, family history,
the history of a community, the history of secrets, the history that has gone missing, the history that has
been told by the lion hunter but not the lion, the history of pencils, of loss, of tenderness, the history of
what the future just might be if we would only..."

It is that sense of history that led Nikky to pen a poem about Strom Thurmond titled "Dancing with Strom..." She prefaced the poem with this quote from Thurmond, Thurmond's quote was spoken in 1948: “I want to
tell you, ladies and gentleman, there’s not enough troops in the army to force the Southern people to break
down segregation and accept the Negro into our theatres, into our swimming pools, into our homes, and
into our churches.”

"Black people were the only people in the United States who were ever officially forbidden to be literate..." said Nikky Finney in her acceptance speech...." said Nikky Finney in her speech. "

"I am now officially speechless," concluded Nikky.


Where can you find Nikky's books: www.nikkyfinney.net and on Amazon.com

The Trayvon Martin Cartoon Released by The Daily Tar Heel: DTH's Maturity, Integrity, and Sensitivity Questioned

The editor-in-chief of the Daily Tar Heel of the UNC-Chapel Hill has been under attack from students as well as the general public for his apparent lack of maturity and sensitivity after publishing the above cartoon depicting George Zimmerman talking to police after slaying an unarmed black teenager, Trayvon Martin. He made his declaration, "This wasn't about race. I shot because I felt threatened. Skittles are full of high fructose corn syrup." The cartoon shows the spilling of skittles on the ground, by Trayvon's head.

We recognize that art is art. Is this cartoon in good taste? Considering the apparent lack of justice, the botched investigation, the ongoing general outcry over the freedom of the killer, and Martin's parents' cry for an arrest, what is one to make of this cartoon that tends to cause people to talk about the case?

The Daily Tar Heel (www.dailytarheel.com) has been serving the UNC students and the community since 1893.

Oprah Winfrey Confessed to Failure of OWN Network in 101 Mistakes on CBS

Oprah talked about her difficult moments and heartache about her new network, OWn. Oprah appeared on CBS to talk about the network's hard times on the air. She gave an interview to CBS in which she confessed to the hard times.

Winfrey confessed to major regrets. “Had I known that it was this difficult, I might have done something else,” she said. “I didn’t think it was going to be easy, but if I knew then what I know now, I might have made different choices.”

As the executive director, chairman, and chief creative officer, Oprah is counting her regrets. She thought that the network was launched too soon.
"“If I were writing a book about it, I could call the book 101 Mistakess..."

Tyler Perry's Advice for all Drivers, Especially African American Drivers When They Get Stopped, Pulled Over by Police

Even Tyler Perry can get racially profiled. On his facebook page, he wrote about one incident when he was pulled over and badgered by two police officers who wanted to know why he thought somebody was following him and why he had made a left turn from the right lane.

How 'Yes Sir' and 'No Sir' can save your life: Wisdom from Black Guys Who Survived Racial Profiling

On the side of the road, Tyler perry remembered what his mother had taught him. Those nuggets of advice may have saved his life.

Here's Tyler's account.

"I reached down into the cup holder to get the key, not realizing that the key had a black leather strap on it. As I grabbed it they both tensed up and I dropped it as I heard my mother’s voice from when I was a little boy.

My mother would always say to me, “if you get stopped by the police, especially if they are white policemen, you say ‘yes sir’ and ‘no sir’, and if they want to take you in, you go with them. Don’t resist, you hear me? Don’t make any quick moves, don’t run, you just go.” My mother was born in 1945 into a segregated hotbed town in rural Louisiana. She had known of many colored men at the time who were lynched and never heard from again. Since I was her only son for ten years, growing up she was so worried about me. It wasn’t until after I heard her voice that I realized that both of these officers were white....."

“As I stepped out of the car another officer pulled up in front of my car. This officer was a black guy. He took one look at me and had that “Oh No” look on his face. He immediately took both officers to the back of my car and spoke to them in a hushed tone. After that, one of the officers stayed near his car while one came back, very apologetic.

I said all of that to say this: do you see how quickly this could have turned for the worse?

Tyler wants racial profiling to be considered a hate crime.

Excerpts from "Walking While Black: Justice for Trayvon Martin and My 'Suspicious' Black Boys...." Black Parents' Unspoken Code of Conduct or The Talk

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Miami Heat Players Stand up for Trayvon: Wearing Hoodie, They Bow Their Heads in Outrage

Prof. Clydewell's "Walking While Black: Justice for Trayvon Martin and My 'Suspicious' Black Boys - The Burden of Young Black Boys in America and the People Who Love Them" can be found on AmazonKindle. It is the first ebook published on the case.

The 1st Trayvon Martin Case ebook Released on March 18, 2012: A Tribute to 'Slimm' One Month After

Feb. 26, 2012 - March 26, 2012:  One month since the slaying of Trayvon Martin.  No arrest.  No charges have been brought against his shooter.

(Credit: ABCNews, Zimmerman's Orange County jail pic):  Unfortunately, Trayvon will be linked to George for ever!

Since that awful time in February, a month usually reserved for the celebration of Black History Month, many things have taken place.  Gov. Rick Scott appointed a new prosecutor to the case.  Veteran State Attorney Angela Corey will review all the evidence and try to disprove the self-defense claimed by George Zimmerman.  

Growing outrage, marches, prayers and protests over the fact that the gun-trotting killer has not been charged with the crime.

Prof. Clydewell has released the first ebook on the Martin Trayvon Case.  In this book, he argues why this case is important for the relaunch of the civil rights and how black parents should prepare their sons to face the world out there.  

Prof. Clydewell's "Walking While Black:  Justice for Trayvon Martin and My 'Suspicious' Black Boys - The Burden of Young Black Boys in America and the People Who Love Them" can be found on AmazonKindle.  It is the first ebook published on the case.  

How to Raise and Protect Black Boys in the US: The New ebook by Prof. Clydewell: Walking While Black: Trayvon Martin and My ‘Suspicious’ Black Boys - The Burden of Black Boys in America and the People Who Love Them"

This may be the first ebook on the struggle for justice for Trayvon Martin.  It is a documentary of the public outrage and the nightmarish obstacles to arrest a killer.
Book Review:

"Walking While Black: Trayvon Martin and My ‘Suspicious’ Black Boys - The Burden of Black Boys in America and the People Who Love Them" is a tribute to Trayvon Martin and all the black boys who got shot just for Walking While Black. As a father of black boys, I've had 'The Talk' with my sons and daughter. This talk has developed over the years and turned into a set of principles that all parents can apply to their own boy-raising situation. This ebook is a series of attempts at explaining the causes of the public outrage over the killing of the unarmed 17-year-old African American boy carrying back a purchased bag of skittles and a can of iced tea to surprise his stepbrother, his cry for his "mom, mom, mommy" on that dark and rainy night, his desperate howl for help when he was facing the barrel of his killer's 9mm handgun, and the ensuing response of the Sanford Fla. Police Department. Weeks after the killing and funeral, Trayvon's killer, claiming self-defense, remains a free man. Questions abound. From all over the country, people are signing a petition to have George Zimmerman arrested. Trayvon Martin's parents only want an arrest. Overcoming obstacles, they are determined to fight for an elusive justice."

The Power of Social Media: Social Media Sharers or Social Media Activists

All social media users are budding writers.  We write in order to share with our friends.  We share the things we like.  And all writers are activists.  We read and react.  We give our feedback.  We let others read our opinions on various topics.  We blog.  We write op-ed pieces.  We send tweets.  We facebook. We add our 15 cents on Google +.  We orgazine our stuff on Pinterest.  We try to connect with potential readers.  Sharing has become the new Salson.  Sharing occurs on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, Yahoo, Blogger, Tumblr, Typepad, and many other platforms.  We sign petitions on Change.org.  If you have not signed the new petition about Trayvon Martin's killing, join Change.org to sign up! As citizens, we have the right to know what our police departments are doing in very difficult cases, how they are handling them.  That's our freedom of information at work!  Our tax dollars that pay these officials are also at work.  That is the essence of our democracy after all.

All of us care about specific topics and subjects.  We learn from each other.  We get our info from our friends. Social Media has come of age.


A good kid with a life, lots of potential and parents who love him was gunned down.  That's the story I have been reading and which has provoked a huge public outrage.  http://standfortrayvonstandforjustice.blogspot.com.  It is time we stand against all senseless killings.  No killing or murders should be taken lightly.

I have been reading this ebook by Prof. Clydewell on the case too:  http://www.amazon.com/Walking-While-Black-Suspicious-ebook/dp/B007M6BMEI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332319314&sr=8-1

Michael Skolnik's GlobalGrind Article Shows the Power of Genuine Sharing via Social Media

Michael Skolnik, an editor of GlobalGrind.com asks White America and the rest of the world to sit up and pay attention to the Martin Case.  He clearly realizes that this case is not a black case.  It is more than that.  It is about the respect of all citizens of this great country, the right of each citizen to walk down his or her street to take care of his or her business without having to worry about whether someone will feel so threatened to have to resort to deadly force against you.

By writing and headlining his article "White People, You Will Never Look Suspicious Like Trayvon Martin," Mr. Skolnik uses reasoning and logic to appeal to a sense of outrage that the country, all citizens must feel, watching the consequences of racial profiling, hate-filled language, and gun power.

The following are excerpts of his article:

"I will never look suspicious to you. Even if I have a black hoodie, a pair of jeans and white sneakers on...in fact, that is what I wore yesterday...I still will never look suspicious. No matter how much the hoodie covers my face or how baggie my jeans are, I will never look out of place to you.  I will never watch a taxi cab pass me by to pick someone else up. I will never witness someone clutch their purse tightly against their body as they walk by me.  I won't have to worry about a police car following me for two miles, so they can "run my plates."  I will never have to pay before I eat. And I certainly will never get "stopped and frisked."  I will never look suspicious to you, because of one thing and one thing only.  The color of my skin.  I am white.

"So, I fight for Trayvon Martin.  I fight for Amadou Diallo.  I fight for Rodney King.  I fight for every young black man who looks "suspicious" to someone who thinks they have the right to take away their freedom to walk through their own neighborhood.  I fight against my own stereotypes and my own suspicions. I fight for people whose ancestors built this country, literally, and who are still treated like second class citizens.  Being quiet is not an option, for we have been too quiet for too long.

Read the whole article right here: http://globalgrind.com/node/828497#ixzz1pjjJKH6I


Such news causes us to want to share with our friends.  We want to interact with the events.  We are living in an interactive world.  Fighting for justice in the era of social media is being able to share the events of the day and the stories that baffle us.  A black boy described as suspicious and racially profiled was hunted down and gunned down by a mixed white/hispanic neighborhood watch captain who claims self-defense.  The black boy was walking down a street on his way back from a convenience store.  His killer is still free.  No charges are brought against him yet.  Yet!  The case will eventually go to a grand jury amidst startling revelations of evidence.  The FBI is watching and wants to review all the evidence.  Finally, there is a little of bit of hope for justice!

This week, another young man walked home and closed the door behind him in New York.  Two plainclothes police officers kicked their way into the African American young man's home and shot him.  Fortunately, a camera caught their actions.