Nearly 40% of Sanford is African American. Yet Zimmerman surrounded by

[RedCloud]

Caucasian police in the video. Police who are very nice to him. Now the question is how many Sanford police officers are African American and what is the probability that only Caucasian police officers would handle Zimmerman during the drive to the station?

http://zipatlas.com/us/fl/sanford/zip-code-comparison/percentage-black-population.htm

[Sanity Claws]

1. Actually the chances are pretty high

Discriminatory hiring practices are quite common.
We need to know the racial composition of the police force.

[joeybee12]

2. And there are five city council members, 4 are white...the current

African-American guy was the FIRST EVER elected to the council.

[lacrew]

3. I don't know what it is about this case...

...that makes people take unsourced information and run with it.

Sanford does not have a City Council.

It is a Commission form of government.

They have 4 Commissioners, and a Mayor.

I see an AA woman (Velma Williams) listed...not a guy.

Its little details, I know....but they get repeated, and morphed into something else.

I know very little about Sanford, or their history, as it relates to race...so I won't pretend to have any knowledge to supports or refutes the notion that it is a racist community.....but we've got to get the small stuff right.

BTW, they also have a city manager, who was formerly the city manager of my community. He did a decent job, but had his flaws, especially when it came to 'closing ranks' when a city employee may have done something wrong. I see that same tendency here; but, it has little to do with race, as he himself is a minority.

[joeybee12]

4. I don't know what it is that makes people want to justify Zimmerman...

Commissoners = 5; City council =5; I see little difference since they are elected and only one person is AA...so a city manager is another minority and so that person can never ever be racist?

I may have gotten two small details wrong, but the make-up is the same.

[lacrew]

5. Lets count what details were wrong

Last edited Fri Mar 30, 2012, 05:23 PM - Edit history (1)

1. City Council form of government
2. Number of Commissioners
(it matters because the Mayor is elected at large, and the Commissioners are elected by district...and the way the district lines are drawn is important if the discussion is about race...so definitely not the same, but I'm sure you didn't know that)
3. Gender of the AA member wrong (and I'll tell you this was what initially got me interested in the accuracy of the post. I had already seen Velma on TV, almost in tears, talking about her no confidence vote on the chief. When you introduce a make believe AA male on the commission, you've misled me into thinking there are two minorities on the council...which contradicts the rest of your post...so none of it can be believed)

In fact, I'm challenged to find any detail you got 'right'.

Would you have rather I let the errors in your post go uncorrected? To be reposted by others?


Oh, No 4:

4. Made a nexus between my desire to have correct facts, and support for Zimmerman.

And no, I don't think Norton Bonapart is a racist. I may not have perfectly clear on this....I know him personally, and don't find him to be a racist....but what I did say (apparently not heard, though) is that he tends to 'close ranks' when city employees may have done something wrong. You see, it is possible for Bonapart to mishandle the situation...and still not be a racist.

[provis99]

6. enjoy your Tombstone pizza!

[lacrew]

7. For what exactly?

Being accurate?

Factual?

[ecstatic]

8. I think the interim sheriff is black, but like Bonaparte,

I sense a kind of reluctance to stand up for what's right. I get the sense that they're afraid of being removed/fired from their positions if they speak out.

[yardwork]

9. I've been googling news articles on Sanford. Like many southern towns, it's divided economically.

Historically, the black residents of Sanford lived in segregated neighborhoods that used to be outside town. The white residents seem to be most of the business owners. Their neighborhoods historically received the bulk of town services. While poll taxes are illegal now, many black people are discouraged from voting in very real ways. They face retaliation from the white power structure - loss of jobs, arrests on trumped up charges, nasty things done to their children and relatives. White people have most of the power.

The housing boom brought a lot more people to Sanford, ramping up the paranoia on the part of white people.

This is the story all over the south.