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thwippyparker · 4 years

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Try To Fix You- Chapter 4

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Read Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3

Read Chapter 5

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Eventual Peter x Reader, Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, ANGST ************************************************************************** It had been 2 weeks since you had last heard anything from Detective Stacy when you finally felt comfortable in the apartment on your own. Harry’s request for bail had been revoked and he was quietly awaiting trial. In that 2 weeks, you and Peter had both worked from home with him taking a short hiatus from his nightly Spider-Man rounds. You had tried to act like nothing happened when he left the first night, only to end up sitting in his room with the door locked and your hand on your phone the entire time waiting to dial 911 if need be. When he climbed through the window at close to 2 A.M., you screamed and threw the phone at him. From then on, he didn’t really leave until you felt safe. If he left, it was usually to get food and he had Ned or Aunt May stay with you while he did. Neither one of you had talked to or about MJ since the awkwardness that occurred when she helped you move. But on the 15th day of living with Peter, the world came crashing down just when you felt like maybe the other shoe wouldn’t drop.

You were just getting back from your lunch break when you received a call from Detective Stacy about Harry trying to get a plea deal.

He wanted the stalking charge dropped and the domestic assault charge lessened to bodily harm. He would serve barely any time but would have to go to counselling and would be on parole for 3 years. Detective Stacy stated that going to trial might get a worse sentence, but he could also get off on all the charges. The thought of him walking around and preying on you and possibly other women scared you if he was declared innocent and you weren’t sure if you could honestly handle seeing him in a trial. You asked to have 24 hours to think on it and texted Peter, Aunt May, and Ned on your way home for them to meet you so you could get their opinions.

You met up with them at Aunt May and Peter’s favorite Thai place and when you showed them all of the notes you had taken when on the phone with the Detective, it was clear that no one was happy but especially not Peter. Your anxiety heightened when you took notice of his state. His eyes were glazed over but if he was trying to hide his anger his body was doing a piss poor job of following along. He sat rigid with a clenched jaw and was bouncing his leg up and down as if he needed an outlet or else he’d explode. You knew after the spiderbite all of his emotions were heightened but it had been so long since you had seen just how angry he could be and that had been the prevailing emotion on and off for the last few weeks. It scared you but also comforted you at the same time. It showed how much he hated that all of this was happening to you but seeing as how an angry man got you to this point in the first place it also set you on edge. As if he could read your mind, it was then that Peter took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He ran a hand through his hair and his shoulders started to slump. You could tell he was really trying not to let his anger explode but already knew that with all of this he’d spend most of the night on patrol just to be able to clear his head.

“Are you fu-- Are you kidding me? Parole? No, this is not okay.” He stated while clenching and unclenching his jaw. “It’s the stupid lawyers’ fault. They’re trying to sweep this under the rug because of who his daddy is.”

“Do you want me to hack his phone? See if there’s any evidence you could use in court? Oooor, alternatively if he’s even remotely found innocent, we could always have Spider-Man handle him the old fashioned way” Ned interjected, gesturing to Peter. You wondered when Ned became so willing to break the law. Being ‘the guy in the chair’ is one thing, but literal assault was a bit much. “Not that he doesn’t deserve it…,” you think. You shake your head to clear the nasty little thought away before it festered and got the best of you.

You began fiddling with your hands while looking at a spot on the table. “Just because he’s an ass doesn’t mean we stoop to his level,” you stated as you stabbed a piece of meat with your fork and pointed it in Ned’s direction to hopefully get your point across. “It’s not like I can afford a better lawyer, Pete. I have to use the public defender they gave me, moving and buying new furniture cleared a good chunk of my savings and it’s not like lawyers are cheap in this city. Unless you have any better ideas, I’m gonna have to choose between accepting this deal or risking him getting off scot-free for what he did to me. What he could do to more women. If I don’t accept the deal, and he walks, any hurt he inflicts on any of you for protecting me or any other woman just because he knows now that he can get away with it… that’s gonna be partially on me...”

“Y/n, sweetheart, you cannot blame yourself for whatever he could do. Those actions are his choice and nobody else’s. His hands aren’t tied, he doesn’t have a gun to his head to make him act this way. He chooses to and you don’t deserve to take the blame for his actions if the justice system fails you and in turn them. That being said, I know you and you won’t listen to me because of that thick skull of yours and your love for denial so I don’t know what you should do in this situation,” Aunt May said while grabbing your hands and trying to soothe you. “Peter, is there any way you can-” Before she could even finish her sentence, Peter had his phone in his hand.

“I’m already on it,” he said, typing away on his phone at a speed you hadn’t seen before. You looked between him and May quizzically before looking at Ned. He simply shrugged his shoulders, having just as much of a clue as you. When Peter finally looked from his phone, he looked slightly less annoyed, his face less pinched. “So, you’re gonna have to fire your lawyer, y/n.” You were astounded by how flippant he sounded. Like he was telling you to order a topping on a pizza, not fire someone who could at the very least get your abuser to admit his wrongdoing. While the deal was horrible in your eyes, you couldn’t exactly see you representing yourself in this case and it not resulting in a breakdown or him being found innocent.

“What?! Why?” You noticed some of the other patrons turn to look at you from the outburst, so you quickly shoved some food in your mouth, hoping they would turn around and do the same. When they finally turned around, you looked at May and Peter with squinted eyes and tried to figure out what exactly they were up to.

“Because I- well Mr. Stark, just got you a new one. Best one in the entire state according to him. I guess he helped him out in some of Mr. Stark’s more wild days?” He said the last part as more of a question, not quite sure what Stark had meant by that. You looked at him incredulously, the boy you once knew that was afraid to disappoint Tony was now just asking him for a lawyer. You were sure he hadn’t given Tony the full story or even part of it. “He probably just saw the name Osbourn and figured it would be a way to tarnish one of his direct competitors.”

“He wants the two of us to meet the lawyer at the Tower so we know it’s a safe location in case Harry is having you followed. We should probably get going, he wants us there ASAP,” Peter stated, grabbing his coat off of the back of his chair and putting it on before handing some money to May to cover the food and kissing her on the cheek. He looked to you still seated in your chair, a dumbstruck look on your face as your brain tried to comprehend what was happening. You were trying to wrap your brain around how nonchalant he was being about the whole thing. From texting Tony for something that you’re sure is going to cost him quite a lot to casually referring to Avenger’s freaking Tower without fanboying, it was a lot to process. All you could mutter out was “B-but I’m not dressed to meet the Avengers let alone IRON MAN.”

Suddenly you were a 17 year old girl freaking out over the Avengers and how cool they were as Peter told you stories of the times he got to work with them and thinking how you wish you could be that lucky. Now that the opportunity was here, you just felt sick to your stomach. You felt your breathing speed up and your stomach churn and began to wonder how close you were to passing out.

As Peter made his way around the table towards you, he could tell you needed help grounding before your slight freak out became a full blown panic attack so he grabbed your hand and made you stand up, pulling you quickly into a hug. “”Breathe, n/n, follow my breathing.” He breathed in for a few seconds, held his breath and then released slowly.He continued, making sure you were following until he heard your heart rate slow slightly. At that point he realized other’s were talking about you and looking at you.

“N/n,” he whispered in your ear, “I want you to just hold my hand and keep your head down, okay? Just until we get out of here. Then we can talk it out on our way over, alright. You look great and they won’t pry or look down on you. They’ve all heard a lot about you and if anything, they’ll probably just make a joke about Tony having another person under his wing. They are all broken people and know how to respect boundaries. Okay?”

You nodded, putting on your hoodie and throwing the hood up. Grabbing your purse and throwing it over your shoulder, you kept your eyes focused on your shoes. You willed your feet to move one after the other, until you crossed the threshold of the restaurant and felt the wind lightly caress your face, breathing in deeply. Peter, making sure you were okay, began to walk with you slowly in the direction of Stark Tower.

There was too much happening that you felt your head spin as you got closer and closer to the giant tower. You had always thought it was a bit ostentatious but to be fair, that seemed to just be Tony Stark’s public persona. It was weird to think that you were getting ready to meet the man you had idolized so much growing up, much to your mother’s chagrin. She had always asked why you picked him of all people to latch onto; in her eyes he was a show off and was in it solely for the ego boost and press. You couldn’t explain it, but he was your hero in every sense of the word. That is, until your best friend became a hero in his own right.

When Peter came clean about the bite, meeting Tony Stark, Berlin, and patrolling, you were completely awestruck. You couldn’t believe that your best friend could actually keep a secret, especially one about a man you both had idolized. But from then on, you had a new favorite superhero. You weren’t sure if your other would’ve been happy about that, seeing as how she saw all superheroes as reckless and that was the last thing she wanted you to be. She had lost your father to addiction when she was pregnant with you and she couldn’t stand the thought of losing you too. That was one thing you were thankful for in the maze that had been your life thus far. She never had to have that last fear actualized, even though it hurt every day since she had died. You wondered how she would have felt about the situation you were in now, on the front step of a building she despised about to meet a man she couldn’t stand you idolizing.

Peter squeezed your hand in reassurance as he turned his head to face you. “You ready, n/n. I’ll be with you every step of the way.” Your anxiety was through the roof but, with Peter’s hand in yours, you knew deep down that everything would eventually be okay as you walked over the threshold.

**************************************************************************

Masterlist

Read Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3

Read Chapter 5

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djolawoffice · 6 years

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“THE JURY WILL BELIEVE ME!” (AND OTHER SIGNS YOU DON’T KNOW HOW THE LAW WORKS)

This blog post addresses some psychological attitudes that will get you into even deeper trouble, when you are already in legal trouble.

“I’D RATHER PAY YOU (MY ATTORNEY) THAN THEM (BASTARD SUING YOU)”

Imagine this: you get sued. You cannot fathom how the lawsuit was allowed by the court. Your attitude is: I’d rather pay an attorney than cave into a ridiculous settlement demand.

This is a natural reaction that many of my clients have when they are sued. The cases vary greatly, but they share a common feature: someone my client interacted with (business partner, housemate, neighbor, employee, contractor, or friend) files a lawsuit that makes outrageous, baseless allegations of wrongdoing. The claims may be false, but that does not mean the case will go away easily. There is often a tiny legal hook that the other side’s attorney thinks is enough to hang a case on. Add in this fact: your enemy is lying to his or her attorney, and, of course, the attorney believes their client.

An unscrupulous attorney loves to hear the phrase “I’d rather pay you, than them.” Why? Because the attorney will not try to settle the case. Instead they will do everything they can to run up your bill.

Here’s an example: Small business owner sued by a former employee for race discrimination and wrongful termination. Now, I am often on the employee-side, but I knew the business owner, and knew the case stank. My client initially did not want to “pay a dime” in settlement: she’d rather pay me than the lying former employee.

Of course, my client had to pay me (someone being sued always has to pay), but eventually, and as quickly as possible, I convinced my client to settle the case, and convinced the other side’s attorney that his client had very weak, if any, legitimate claims. Sure, my side would have, almost certainly, won at trial, but the more rational course of action for my client was to cut small check to the other side, a small check to me, and get back to focusing on her business.

It was the difference between a total of 5k in getting rid of the case quick in settlement versus a 50k+ expenditure to win a trial in front of a jury.

Point is: if you are sued, treat it as a practical, monetary problem to solve, not a life or death forum for ultimate vindication. (For business owners, treat paying a settlement as a cost of doing business, literally.)

That said, sometimes when you are sued, it does make sense to pay your attorney to fight the lawsuit at length instead of going for a “quick settlement.” Factors include: (1) when all or most of the facts are very clearly on your side (i.e. you have great documentary evidence and witnesses), and (2) when you have sufficient funds so that litigation will not be a hardship.

One problem for my small business owner client was that she had no documentary evidence to support her justified firing – no performance review, etc.: it was a word-against-word case. (That counts as a legal hook.) But, thankfully, I was able to show through informal exchange of information with the other side’s attorney that my client had an (almost) iron-clad defense.

Of course, if you are sued, a quick, cheap settlement is not always possible. But a good attorney will always try.

“I DON’T CARE HOW MUCH IT COSTS”

“I Don’t Care How Much It Costs” is a corollary to “I’d Rather Pay You Than Them,” but this attitude arises when you are the one who suffered an injury of some kind AND an attorney tells you that they will only take the case “by the hour.”

A good rule-of-thumb is: you should not pay an attorney by the hour if you are the aggrieved party planning to sue somebody. An honest attorney that sees a good case with monetary value will take the case on contingency (i.e. attorney gets paid out of a settlement fund or verdict).

There are many exceptions to this rule-of-thumb: family law, multi-million dollar contract disputes, Hollywood defamation cases, and others. But if you are the person who was harmed, you need to objectively evaluate what the realistic payout is likely be at the end of the case – and figure out if you’ll wind up paying more by the hour to your attorney than you’ll ever see, even if you win.

It makes sense to spend 50k+ on a claim worth 200k. But it does not make sense to pay 60k to an attorney on a 20k claim. So, if an attorney tells you that they will only take your case by the hour, think again. And shop around more for an attorney – if your claim is truly worth a substantial amount of money, an honest attorney will take the case on contingency (in many situations).

If your case is a low value case and you find yourself saying “I don’t care how much it costs,” you are likely seeking revenge, not legal justice. My advice is: take a long walk on the beach (or mountains) and put things in perspective.

Point is: if you have grounds to sue, evaluate the situation with a cost/benefit analysis; don’t treat the courts as a forum for revenge. That just wastes your time, money, and, possibly, your emotional well-being.

“YEAH, BUT HOW CAN THEY PROVE IT?”

I hate hearing “Yeah, But How Can They Prove It?” and any version of that phrase, for example:

“They’ll never find out”

“I never wrote it down”

“I just said it on the phone; they can’t introduce the tape can they?”

“I don’t want to talk about that; can’t we leave that out?”

Why does an honest attorney hate hearing such things? It means the client is lying. When a client says something that indicates they are lying or willing to lie, the client does not understand a few things about the way the law works: (1) there are many ways for the other side to find out you are lying [see my blog on Discovery]; (2) if the case goes to a jury, the jury may “sense” you are lying, just as an good scam-sniffer will. And, (3), an honest attorney builds the best case they can with the truth; that gives the best chance of winning.

Credibility is huge in front of a jury, and also in preliminary matters heard by a judge. If you are caught in that one lie you think you’ll get away with, you could sink your whole case.

For example, suppose a personal injury case with this attorney-client exchange:

“Hey, just want to let you know I’ve reduced my work hours even more. It’s my neck. Still hurts. Getting worse.”

“Okay,” attorney says, “I will re-calculate the wage loss claim, how many hours a week are you working now?”

“The real truth is that I just got a big inheritance, so I don’t need to work as much, but I’ll say it’s because of my neck.”

It’s nice, in this hypothetical, that the client was honest with their attorney. Quite touching. But a plaintiff needs to be honest not only with their attorney – they need to be honest to the jury!! And needs to be honest in discovery responses.

A lie is easily discoverable in legal process – formal discovery, subpoenas, private investigation techniques, witnesses who testify to the opposite, others who you think will lie for you change their mind, the jury’s street smarts.

So, be honest. It’s good for the case, and good for the soul.

Here’s a story of honesty from one of my first eviction defense cases: a woman was being evicted because the police arrested her for methamphetamine possession in her apartment; landlord used illegal activity as just cause to evict. My defense was based on what actually happened: the police followed my client’s meth-dealing daughter to her mother’s house (she did not even live there), and when the police banged on the door, the daughter dumped the drugs in her mother’s purse. That was the truth, but somewhat hard to prove.

One problem was that my client – like her daughter – had a long history of meth use, though her last arrest was relatively long ago. I prepared my client for the stand: be honest, but emphasize that you are clean now, etc. The jury believed my client, in part because of her unplanned, honest, statement during questioning: “Well, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” My heart sank when she said that (I was trying to show she was not like her meth-head kid), but her honesty won the day.

Point is: don’t lie.

(O.J. did not testify at his criminal trial, and won; but he did testify at his civil trial, and lost. Maybe he should have settled before trial.)

“THE JURY WILL BELIEVE ME!”

If I had a dollar for every time I heard a client say “The Jury Will Believe Me!” I could buy a very expensive set of legal practice guides!

It is hard for an attorney to tell a client that the jury may NOT believe them, even knowing that the client is telling the truth. Some clients get mad. But the truth is that we do not know who the jury will believe.

Sure, your attorney will do everything possible to get a fair, impartial jury of your peers, but that may not happen. The jury may be prejudiced in some way against you – racist, sexist, homophobic. Add in this reality: a legal dispute that goes to trial inevitably has good and bad facts on both sides. One – and only one – part of the evidence is what testimony you will present, and what testimony the other party will give.

It is easy to understand the problem with the attitude of “The Jury Will Believe Me” if you think of all the innocent people on death row. In a civil case, only money is at stake, but do you really want to risk substantial sums of cash with the bravado mindset that “the jury will believe me”?

Point is: the jury may or may not believe you, and many factors go into a jury’s decision.

“I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION”

I will end this blog with a point about a bad attitude to have in the beginning, before you take any action that has legal consequences.

If you have a legal problem or are facing a legal issue in some way, you should seek out legal advice. But, please don’t say “I Just Have One Question” to an attorney, because you most likely do not know what questions to ask. Back up.

Get a no-cost telephone consult, or pay a reasonable price for a sit-down consult, and tell the attorney the whole situation you are in (and be honest). Let the attorney ask you the questions. Let the attorney evaluate your situation, obtain all the facts, spot related issues, dig into all aspects of your predicament and ask about your long-term goals, and then give you initial advice. (Of course, you should ask any questions you have along the way.) A good attorney will set you on the path to handling the situation yourself, if that is possible, or explain what kind of legal services you need.

This blog post talks about attitudes. I am not a psychologist, but as an attorney I have seen how these attitudes can get in the way of a client’s clear thinking about his or her own case. In sum, find a good, honest attorney, and let him or her achieve your goals as quickly and fruitfully as possible. Don’t let bad attitudes get in the way.

DJO LAW BLOG is a Legal Newsletter, and does not constitute legal advice for your specific situation; the information provided is for educational and informational purposes only. It is intended for California only.

“A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.” – Robert Frost

#how the law works

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djrelentless · 7 years

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“Florida Is Not Only A Vacation Destination...”

July 14, 2013 at 3:10pm

Okay….I have taken some time to think about the verdict in the Zimmerman trial. And I am sure plenty of people are gonna disagree with me with what I am about to say. Watching CNN on the Sunday afternoon after the verdict really made me think about what this case meant.

Remember when the O.J. Simpson verdict was handed down? I do. I was living in New York City. There were so many people who were upset and other who were cheering. That was an extremely important moment in race relations between Black and White America. I got a phone call from an ex (who happened to be Latino) who wanted to express his excitement over the verdict. "Finally black people got justice for all the shit that this country has put them through!" I, personally, was upset that O.J. was acquitted. I felt that a crime was committed and he walked. The bottom line was that two people lost their lives and we knew who did it. But after looking at the justice system and the trial as a whole, I discovered that he walked on a technicality. The L.A. Police Department had tampered with evidence and because they did the case went completely different than they hoped.

Unfortunately, this is history repeating itself. That 911 tape of George Zimmerman describing Trayon Martin tells us everything we needed to know. Racial profiling was definitely in full play. Was there a confrontation between Trayvon and George? I believe there was….but I bet if we could actually see what happened we would find that Zimmerman followed Martin and confronted him. I bet the gun was concealed. I would bet my last dollar that Zimmerman provoked the entire situation. Martin probably saw a slightly overweight non-black man and thought I can take him. They fought. When Zimmerman thought he had been injured enough, he pulled out the gun and ended the confrontation.

The second 911 call from a female neighbor tells us there was someone yelling for help. Someone got shot. Civil Rights took a major blow at that moment. All the ghosts of the past racial incidents began to rise again into our consciousness all over again. The first name that came to mind was Emmett Till. The murder of this 14 year old African-American boy believed to be flirting with a married white woman in Mississippi in 1955 was so horrific that I protested Lil' Wayne's callus reference to it earlier this year on a rap song called "Karate Chop".

So, when I got the news of the acquittal of Zimmerman after my show last night in Huntsville I could barely sleep. I had just had a wonderful time entertaining a crowd at Nuit Blanche North. A mother brought her 14 year old son to the show and they waited to meet me afterwards. The joy on the boy's face when I signed one of my CD's and gave it to him was priceless! It was so lovely to see a mother embrace her son and his lifestyle. It was amazing to be a part of that. I was on cloud nine! So, between the news of Zimmerman and the overdose of Cory Monteith my mind went into overtime. I mean….Michael Vick was sentenced to two years for dog fighting, but this guy is acquitted? In the Rodney King beating where all the officers walked, it is hard to comprehend that the justice system is working in the United States.

I was trying to explain to my husband about what life is like for minorities in the state of Florida. When I left Tampa, Florida in 1992 I had no real concept of politics. I had no idea that New York City would teach me so much Black History in my first couple of years there. As a DJ, there was all this music that I had never experienced. As a young gay man, there were so many things I did not know about living in a large city with a huge gay population. And as a young black man, there was so much I never knew about the contributions of the African-American. So, imagine my surprise when a whole new world had been opened to me. I never wanted to be political, but as you get older and live more you can't help but become political.

The Trayvon Martin murder trail was political….make no mistake about that. There is a rise in the Republican control of what will and can happen in the U.S. They are gearing up for 2016. They fought really hard to bring Obama down and he still won two elections. Republicans have been very clear in their message to the public that it has been their mission to make sure he is a "lame duck" President. So far….they have kept their promise. He's still accomplished a lot, but these next couple of years are gonna be long and hard.

Florida is the state where an ex of mine has adopted 3 kids and is scared to have a boyfriend because he could lose them because it is against the law for gay couples to adopt. Florida is the state that used to have laws on the books that if you are pulled over by the police and you are in drag, you better have on men's underwear or you will be arrested. Florida is where Casey Anthony was acquitted of the murder of her 2 year old daughter. And Florida is where the "Stand Your Ground" law allows anyone with a gun to use it to protect themselves if they feel like their life is being threatened. And Florida is also a Republican State that does edit and censor news stories that does not comply with the Republican way of life. News stories about events like the Rodney King Beating looked really light compared to what it looked like in New York City in 1992. It's a little harder to keep stories under wraps these days with the internet, but there is still attempts to hinder minority voters. It's actually happening all over the U.S. right now.

But what I am witnessing on social media is a widening divide happening. This verdict has polarized Americans. People who live in large cities cannot comprehend this verdict. A hoody and loose fitting jeans should not make you a thug. Walking slow and talking on a cell phone while being black should not be a problem. But The Right Wing America is upset. They don't like that the numbers of African-Americans and Latino-Americans are on the rise. They feel like they need to take back their country. That American is spinning out of control because it doesn't look like the America that they grew up with. I am watching online friends identifying themselves as supporters for both sides. How will we ever fix this? We can't and we won't……not today.

The message that this verdict has sent is that I as a black man can be a target while walking down the street to get to work or home or anywhere. The message that this verdict has sent is that racial profiling is okay. And it also sends the message…."This is for the O.J. verdict! Don't forget that we run this country and we control you."

And it was really interesting listening to Van Jones and Newt Gingrich (the new hosts of CNN's "Crossfire") debate what this verdict means for America. Hearing Zimerman's lawyers and brother talk about they are worried for his life. Even though he was acquitted, he will no live in what I call "O.J. Land". For the rest of his life he is going to have to watch his back. He may get away with this but he may get time or arrested for something else which this trial will be remembered when he is sentenced. He will not have a good life after this acquittal. He has to be careful who he associates with from now on because accepting finance help from groups like the KKK or some other hate group will send the message that this was all racial. And believe it or not….Zimmerman is planning to sue NBC for editing his 911 call. And for the rest of Zimmerman's life if he makes any money off of this trial the Martin Family can go after him for it.

When I said that history has repeated itself, Zimmerman basically got acquitted through a technicality just like O.J. The prosecution failed to submit all the information and photos involved in the case. The prosecution over-charged Zimmerman when they seeked a second-degree murder charge. Perhaps if they had only seeked a manslaughter charge the verdict might have been different. I don't know what to think. I'm trying to make sense of a world where someone is stalked and killed and allowed to walk free and have his gun returned to him. I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that George Zimmerman's father is judge. I am trying to understand why there were only six jurors. And most of all I cannot see how deflecting blame is going to make what Zimmerman did not be perceived as a win for vigilanteism.

I presently spend most of my time in Toronto because I married a Canadian. It is definitely different here. It's nice to walk into a store and not have security follow me because they believe I am there to shoplift, but I do witness other racial issues here. It's just different and the targets of profiling are different. Some would like to believe that racism is a problem only in the U.S. They are oblivious to the racism that is blatant and in your face acts that pop up from time to time. For the Black Communities of Canada I hope that they see this verdict as something that effects all people of the world. I know that there will be some who won't say a word and won't take a stand on the issue of racial harmony. For them....I feel sorry because this is really a Human Race problem instead of a black, white, red, yellow or brown problem.

I worry for my family that still lives in Florida. I worry for all the young people out there who might be walking home from the store while wearing some casual fashions of today. It probably won't be a problem for our white and latino youth, but the reality for the U.S. black male....you might as well wear a target on his chest. Hate crimes are on the rise and as a black man I have been moved to the front of the line.

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