Seriously. This is the way that George Zimmerman supporters are forever soiling the name of Trayvon Martin. Numerous media outlets have "reported" that Trayvon had been suspended for 10 days from his Miami-area high school because school officials reportedly found an empty baggie allegedly containing cannabis residue.
This is a textbook example of the how to besmirch a victim of violence. It recalls what New York City cops did after undercover cops in Times Square shot and killed a security guard and tried to make it seem after the fact that the victim, Patrick Dorismond, was a thug because he had a record as a junvenile. New York officials contended that death revokes an individual's right to privacy.
In fact, the Sanford Police Department is employing a Patrick Dorismond strategy to deflect attention from their own mishandling of the case, just as NYPD officials did the same after Dorismond's death. Follow me below the fold for details.
According to AP, they now know why Martin was suspended from his school, which is the reason he was staying with his father in Sanford.
Martin, 17, was suspended by Miami-Dade County schools because traces of marijuana were found in a plastic baggie in his book bag, family spokesman Ryan Julison said. Martin was shot Feb. 26 by George Zimmerman while he was visiting Sanford with his father.
Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, and family attorneys blamed police for leaking the information about the marijuana to the news media in an effort to demonize the teenager.
There is one major difference between Martin and the late Patrick Dorismond. Martin was a minor and we are also talking about information Sanford Police may have obtained in violation of the rights of Martin's family.
"The only comment that I have right now is that they killed my son and now they're trying to kill his reputation," Fulton told reporters.
The Sanford Police Department insisted there was no authorized release of the suspension information but acknowledged there may have been a leak within the agency. City Manager Norton Bonaparte Jr. said the source of the leak would be investigated and the person responsible could be fired.
"We do not condone these unauthorized leaks of information," Bonaparte said.
Just a show of hands. How many of us smoked pot in high school? Millions of people would answer yes to that. Obviously, even if the pot was his, it didn't affect Trayvon's grades as he was an honor student.
Moreover, we are talking about a 10 day suspension for an EMPTY BAGGIE!
Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump said the link between the youth and marijuana should have no bearing on the probe into his shooting death. State and federal agencies are investigating, with a grand jury set to convene April 10.
"If he and his friends experimented with marijuana, that is completely irrelevant," Crump said. "What does it have to do with killing their son?"
Also Monday, the state Department of Juvenile Justice confirmed that Martin does not have a juvenile offender record. The information came after a public records request by The Associated Press.
I think we have reached a turning point in the Martin case. Lots of information is coming out that depicts Martin as the aggressor. But some of it defies credulity such as the accusation that he jumped Zimmerman and repeatedly slammed his head into the concrete. Really? I want to hear from paramedics that treated Martin at the scene. If he was as injured as the cops claim, why didn't they take him to the hospital? Why didn't they photograph his injuries? Why did they not take Zimmerman's bloody clothing for forensic testing which may or may not have confirmed what he told the cops?
The fact that the Sanford PD did NONE of those things at the time of the shooting and the fact that the Sanford PD would get the 2012 Barney Fife award for Worst Law Enforcement Agency in America shows that this victimization beyond the grave is just another case of CYA.
2:04 PM PT: Thank you for everyone for recommending this diary. This the first diary I have actually written here in months. I've been just commenting on other people's diaries lately, but felt compelled to talk about this.
Also, does anyone have any information about whether or not the Sanford PD violated Trayvon Martin's privacy or does that end w/ death as NYC officials insisted it did w/ Patrick Dorismond?
2:19 PM PT: Trymaine Lee of Huffington Post has been one of the few writers covering this story since it broke. He is live blogging about the news conference at 2 p.m. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...):
"Once again law enforcement is trying to demonize and blame the victim by releasing bits and pieces of their ongoing investigation that they feel will help build Zimmerman's claims up," Crump said. "The most important thing in this whole tragedy is that George Zimmerman disobeyed the police dispatcher and went and stopped and pursued Trayvon Martin and initiated what proved to be a fatal encounter."
Until today's announcement, the family had shied away from saying exactly why Martin had been suspended, and some news reports claimed that it had been for school tardiness.
It seems the parents and their legal team are trying to get ahead of information being leaked to the media that could be beneficial to Zimmerman's case. The Orlando Sentinel on Monday published a report based on a leak of Zimmerman's testimony to police, in which he claims he shot Martin moments after the teen took his head and pounded it into a sidewalk.
Sybrina Fulton, Martin's mother, told reporters that "they killed my son and now they are trying to kill his reputation."
"Even in death," Tracy Martin, the teen's father said, "they are trying to disrespect my son."
Teachers at the Miami high school that Martin attended described him as an A and B student. School administrators could not be reached for comment.
Martin's parents said that their son had never been in a fight or gotten in any legal trouble. After the killing, the police tested Martin's blood for alcohol and drugs. Police have not yet released the results of those tests.
"Zimmerman is alive and can say anything that he wants," Crump said. "Trayvon is dead and can't defend himself."