Speed of Life

by Gregg Chadwick   Today in Ireland, Bruce Springsteen dedicated his powerful song 41 Shots (American Skin) with a call to justice for Trayvon Martin. The verdict in the Zimmerman case was tainted by the stench of ALEC's odious "Stand Your Ground" legislation.  "Stand Your Ground" laws are abhorrent. They are fundamentally biased. A recent study has shown that white people who kill black people in 'Stand Your Ground' states are 354% more likely to be  acquitted of murder.  Denise, an active duty US Marine, wrote a compelling argument against the jury's decision on twitter tonight, "If a man watches a woman while he is in his SUV, follows that woman in the dark  and  kills her because she fought him. Is he justified?" As I write, more than one million  Americans have signed petitions demanding federal civil rights charges against Zimmerman. There is no doubt that Zimmerman killed Trayvon and yet has not  spoken  one word...

by Gregg Chadwick As a father I can only imagine the pain of Trayvon Martin's parents. My son is 17, the same age as the teenager Trayvon Martin  who was pursued and shot over one month ago  in Sanford, Florida by "neighborhood watch" member George Zimmerman, reportedly because Trayvon's hoodie made him look suspicious. My son was accepted into college by my undergrad and graduate alma maters this week and we celebrated over dinner, but we couldn't help but think of Trayvon and his family.  In the weeks before his death, Trayvon was planning for college - just a typical junior in high school worrying about his future. A screenshot of Trayvon’s Gmail inbox provided to news sources is heartbreaking. Martin apparently used his Gmail account for his college search, and it’s filled with emails about upcoming SAT tests and scholarship applications. One of the emails reads: “Trayvon, now is the best time to take the SATs!” Holiday Photo of Trayvon Martin Pro...