Trayvon Martin Shooting: Applying Logic and The Law

 Trayvon Martin Shooting: Applying Logic and The Law

 By Malik Shabazz
Sometimes things are exactly how they appear and sometimes they are not. What we have to do in the case of the Trayvon Martin killing is know the bare facts to determine the reality of this situation.
What some people will do on both sides is cloud the situation with spin, lies, rumors, and speculation. Next we have those who break down what they believe happened on the night Trayvon was shot by George Zimmerman and examine it segment by segment. There's nothing wrong with this unless you do not start from the very beginning.
Before I go through that horrible night wherein Trayvon Martin was shot and killed let us understand a few things about race relations here in North America, specifically the United States of America.
 The facts are that there are some, not all, but some whites, Hispanics, and others who have this notion that because of the historical race relations and ill treatment of Blacks/ African-Americans we should just accept whatever happens to us as individuals & as a collective. In fact there are some Blacks who believe that we should not 'rock the boat' and be afraid of whites avoiding any confrontation with them. In fact, I have argued with many who tell there children to simply run if they see a white person following them. This I believe is wrong and I'll explain why later.
 There are those who think that we should not complain & should remain quiet when we are faced with injustice. They are wrong! They are happy when we are divided, yet fearful when we unite. I wonder why?
 African-Americans have the same rights as any other group to walk the streets of the U.S.A. without being looked upon as thugs and criminals. We are not a low life race! Just because others want to portray us as such, it is just not so.
 According to FBI crime statistics Whites commit more crimes than Blacks. This is a fact! Below is a chart from the FBI Stat report.

Table 43 Arrests by Race, 2010 [12,221 agencies; 2010 estimated population 240,100,189] Overview Data Declaration Download Excel (Table 43a) Download Excel (Table 43b) Download Excel (Table 43c) Table 43a Offense charged Total arrests Percent distribution1 Total White Black American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian or Pacific Islander Total White Black American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian or Pacific Islander TOTAL 10,177,907  7,066,154 2,846,862 145,612 119,279 100.0 69.4 28.0 1.4 1.2 Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter 8,641 4,261 4,209 91 80 100.0 49.3 48.7 1.1 0.9 Forcible rape 15,503 10,178 4,925 214 186 100.0 65.7 31.8 1.4 1.2 Robbery 87,587 37,906 48,154 617 910 100.0 43.3 55.0 0.7 1.0 Aggravated assault 317,435 202,275 106,382 4,854 3,924 100.0 63.7 33.5 1.5 1.2 Burglary 225,775 152,210 69,541 1,961 2,063 100.0 67.4 30.8 0.9 0.9 Larceny-theft 998,476 687,609 282,246 14,323 14,298 100.0 68.9 28.3 1.4 1.4 Motor vehicle theft 55,278 35,009 18,797 696 776 100.0 63.3 34.0 1.3 1.4 Arson 8,766 6,592 1,978 100 96 100.0 75.2 22.6 1.1 1.1 Violent crime2 429,166 254,620 163,670 5,776 5,100 100.0 59.3 38.1 1.3 1.2 Property crime2 1,288,295 881,420 372,562 17,080 17,233 100.0 68.4 28.9 1.3 1.3 Other assaults 1,004,273 659,171 318,117 14,848 12,137 100.0 65.6 31.7 1.5 1.2 Forgery and counterfeiting 60,538 40,167 19,350 342 679 100.0 66.4 32.0 0.6 1.1 Fraud 144,214 95,126 46,493 1,253 1,342 100.0 66.0 32.2 0.9 0.9 Embezzlement 12,930 8,568 4,037 88 237 100.0 66.3 31.2 0.7 1.8 Stolen property; buying, receiving, possessing 74,122 48,303 24,494 598 727 100.0 65.2 33.0 0.8 1.0 Vandalism 197,015 145,284 46,306 3,279 2,146 100.0 73.7 23.5 1.7 1.1 Weapons; carrying, possessing, etc. 123,278 71,772 49,443 874 1,189 100.0 58.2 40.1 0.7 1.0 Prostitution and commercialized vice 48,154 26,156 20,405 342 1,251 100.0 54.3 42.4 0.7 2.6 Sex offenses (except forcible rape and prostitution) 56,125 41,406 13,182 744 793 100.0 73.8 23.5 1.3 1.4 Drug abuse violations 1,270,443 846,736 404,609 8,766 10,332 100.0 66.6 31.8 0.7 0.8 Gambling 7,512 2,160 5,071 32 249 100.0 28.8 67.5 0.4 3.3 Offenses against the family and children 84,812 56,233 26,470 1,533 576 100.0 66.3 31.2 1.8 0.7 Driving under the influence 1,082,301 927,516 124,467 13,980 16,338 100.0 85.7 11.5 1.3 1.5 Liquor laws 396,942 329,895 47,529 14,129 5,389 100.0 83.1 12.0 3.6 1.4 Drunkenness 440,688 362,396 66,837 8,583 2,872 100.0 82.2 15.2 1.9 0.7 Disorderly conduct 480,080 305,154 162,521 8,415 3,990 100.0 63.6 33.9 1.8 0.8 Vagrancy 24,759 14,092 9,935 567 165 100.0 56.9 40.1 2.3 0.7 All other offenses (except traffic) 2,877,687 1,905,436 893,018 43,634 35,599 100.0 66.2 31.0 1.5 1.2 Suspicion 903 582 310 5 6 100.0 64.5 34.3 0.6 0.7 Curfew and loitering law violations 73,670 43,961 28,036 744 929 100.0 59.7 38.1 1.0 1.3 1 Because of rounding, the percentages may not add to 100.0. 2 Violent crimes are offenses of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Property crimes are offenses of burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. Table 43b Offense charged Arrests under 18 Percent distribution1 Total White Black American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian or Pacific Islander Total White Black American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian or Pacific Islander TOTAL 1,281,738 849,251 399,249 15,760 17,478 100.0 66.3 31.1 1.2 1.4 Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter 781 332 439 4 6 100.0 42.5 56.2 0.5 0.8 Forcible rape 2,181 1,369 787 15 10 100.0 62.8 36.1 0.7 0.5 Robbery 21,062 6,670 14,046 101 245 100.0 31.7 66.7 0.5 1.2 Aggravated assault 34,879 19,612 14,482 418 367 100.0 56.2 41.5 1.2 1.1 Burglary 51,135 31,539 18,657 400 539 100.0 61.7 36.5 0.8 1.1 Larceny-theft 221,901 143,791 70,833 2,912 4,365 100.0 64.8 31.9 1.3 2.0 Motor vehicle theft 12,223 6,721 5,166 172 164 100.0 55.0 42.3 1.4 1.3 Arson 3,552 2,677 784 39 52 100.0 75.4 22.1 1.1 1.5 Violent crime2 58,903 27,983 29,754 538 628 100.0 47.5 50.5 0.9 1.1 Property crime2 288,811 184,728 95,440 3,523 5,120 100.0 64.0 33.0 1.2 1.8 Other assaults 162,389 96,994 61,847 1,694 1,854 100.0 59.7 38.1 1.0 1.1 Forgery and counterfeiting 1,306 873 404 8 21 100.0 66.8 30.9 0.6 1.6 Fraud 4,557 2,700 1,753 52 52 100.0 59.2 38.5 1.1 1.1 Embezzlement 341 212 119 3 7 100.0 62.2 34.9 0.9 2.1 Stolen property; buying, receiving, possessing 11,564 6,486 4,865 80 133 100.0 56.1 42.1 0.7 1.2 Vandalism 60,265 46,992 11,858 747 668 100.0 78.0 19.7 1.2 1.1 Weapons; carrying, possessing, etc. 24,355 15,112 8,771 178 294 100.0 62.0 36.0 0.7 1.2 Prostitution and commercialized vice 804 306 476 9 13 100.0 38.1 59.2 1.1 1.6 Sex offenses (except forcible rape and prostitution) 10,082 7,228 2,640 71 143 100.0 71.7 26.2 0.7 1.4 Drug abuse violations 132,481 98,039 31,575 1,425 1,442 100.0 74.0 23.8 1.1 1.1 Gambling 1,039 86 942 3 8 100.0 8.3 90.7 0.3 0.8 Offenses against the family and children 2,948 2,114 746 72 16 100.0 71.7 25.3 2.4 0.5 Driving under the influence 9,290 8,468 532 156 134 100.0 91.2 5.7 1.7 1.4 Liquor laws 75,397 66,720 5,288 2,360 1,029 100.0 88.5 7.0 3.1 1.4 Drunkenness 10,003 8,862 850 221 70 100.0 88.6 8.5 2.2 0.7 Disorderly conduct 120,514 69,470 48,808 1,283 953 100.0 57.6 40.5 1.1 0.8 Vagrancy 1,690 1,282 391 5 12 100.0 75.9 23.1 0.3 0.7 All other offenses (except traffic) 231,223 160,564 64,120 2,588 3,951 100.0 69.4 27.7 1.1 1.7 Suspicion 106 71 34 0 1 100.0 67.0 32.1 0.0 0.9 Curfew and loitering law violations 73,670 43,961 28,036 744 929 100.0 59.7 38.1 1.0 1.3 1 Because of rounding, the percentages may not add to 100.0. 2 Violent crimes are offenses of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Property crimes are offenses of burglary, larceny- theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. Table 43c Offense charged Arrests 18 and over Percent distribution1 Total White Black American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian or Pacific Islander Total White Black American Indian or Alaskan Native Asian or Pacific Islander TOTAL 8,896,169 6,216,903 2,447,613 129,852 101,801 100.0 69.9 27.5 1.5 1.1 Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter 7,860 3,929 3,770 87 74 100.0 50.0 48.0 1.1 0.9 Forcible rape 13,322 8,809 4,138 199 176 100.0 66.1 31.1 1.5 1.3 Robbery 66,525 31,236 34,108 516 665 100.0 47.0 51.3 0.8 1.0 Aggravated assault 282,556 182,663 91,900 4,436 3,557 100.0 64.6 32.5 1.6 1.3 Burglary 174,640 120,671 50,884 1,561 1,524 100.0 69.1 29.1 0.9 0.9 Larceny-theft 776,575 543,818 211,413 11,411 9,933 100.0 70.0 27.2 1.5 1.3 Motor vehicle theft 43,055 28,288 13,631 524 612 100.0 65.7 31.7 1.2 1.4 Arson 5,214 3,915 1,194 61 44 100.0 75.1 22.9 1.2 0.8 Violent crime2 370,263 226,637 133,916 5,238 4,472 100.0 61.2 36.2 1.4 1.2 Property crime2 999,484 696,692 277,122 13,557 12,113 100.0 69.7 27.7 1.4 1.2 Other assaults 841,884 562,177 256,270 13,154 10,283 100.0 66.8 30.4 1.6 1.2 Forgery and counterfeiting 59,232 39,294 18,946 334 658 100.0 66.3 32.0 0.6 1.1 Fraud 139,657 92,426 44,740 1,201 1,290 100.0 66.2 32.0 0.9 0.9 Embezzlement 12,589 8,356 3,918 85 230 100.0 66.4 31.1 0.7 1.8 Stolen property; buying, receiving, possessing 62,558 41,817 19,629 518 594 100.0 66.8 31.4 0.8 0.9 Vandalism 136,750 98,292 34,448 2,532 1,478 100.0 71.9 25.2 1.9 1.1 Weapons; carrying, possessing, etc. 98,923 56,660 40,672 696 895 100.0 57.3 41.1 0.7 0.9 Prostitution and commercialized vice 47,350 25,850 19,929 333 1,238 100.0 54.6 42.1 0.7 2.6 Sex offenses (except forcible rape and prostitution) 46,043 34,178 10,542 673 650 100.0 74.2 22.9 1.5 1.4 Drug abuse violations 1,137,962 748,697 373,034 7,341 8,890 100.0 65.8 32.8 0.6 0.8 Gambling 6,473 2,074 4,129 29 241 100.0 32.0 63.8 0.4 3.7 Offenses against the family and children 81,864 54,119 25,724 1,461 560 100.0 66.1 31.4 1.8 0.7 Driving under the influence 1,073,011 919,048 123,935 13,824 16,204 100.0 85.7 11.6 1.3 1.5 Liquor laws 321,545 263,175 42,241 11,769 4,360 100.0 81.8 13.1 3.7 1.4 Drunkenness 430,685 353,534 65,987 8,362 2,802 100.0 82.1 15.3 1.9 0.7 Disorderly conduct 359,566 235,684 113,713 7,132 3,037 100.0 65.5 31.6 2.0 0.8 Vagrancy 23,069 12,810 9,544 562 153 100.0 55.5 41.4 2.4 0.7 All other offenses (except traffic) 2,646,464 1,744,872 828,898 41,046 31,648 100.0 65.9 31.3 1.6 1.2 Suspicion 797 511 276 5 5 100.0 64.1 34.6 0.6 0.6 Curfew and loitering law violations - - - - - - - - - - 1 Because of rounding, the percentages may not add to 100.0. 2 Violent crimes are offenses of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Property crimes are offenses of burglary, larceny- theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. Data Declaration Provides the methodology used in constructing this table and other pertinent information about this table. Overview Download Printable Document Arrests, by Race, 2010 In 2010, 69.4 percent of all individuals arrested were white, 28.0 percent were black, and 2.6 percent were of other races.  Of all juveniles (individuals under the age of 18) arrested in 2010 in the Nation, 66.3 percent were white, 31.1 percent were black, and 2.6 percent were of other races.  Nearly 70 percent (69.9) of all adults arrested in 2010 were white, 27.5 percent were black, and 2.6 percent were of other races.  White individuals were arrested more often for violent crimes than individuals of any other race, accounting for 59.3 percent of those arrests.  The percentages of adult white and black arrestees for murder were similar, with 50.0 percent being white, and 48.0 percent being black.  Juveniles who were black accounted for 50.5 percent of juvenile arrests for violent crimes.  Juveniles who were white accounted for 64.0 percent of juvenile arrests for property crimes.  Of juvenile arrestees charged with driving under the influence, 91.2 percent were white.  Juveniles who were white accounted for 75.4 percent of juvenile arrests for arson in 2010.

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  Now if the young man known as Trayvon Martin has the right to walk from his Step Mother's house to the store and back then we can start there. 

 George Zimmerman is on what is supposed to be his neighborhood watch when he sees Trayvon walking back to his stepmother's house. George Zimmerman calls 911 and reports that he sees a Black male whom he claims appears to be on drugs and is walking around looking like he is up to no good. He is then instructed to stay in his vehicle and NOT to follow him. George Zimmerman ignores this does follow Trayvon. Meanwhile Trayvon is on his cell phone talking to a girl who says that Trayvon informs her that he is being followed by someone. 

 At the point that George Zimmerman ignored the order to 'Stand Down' and not follow Trayvon he is the aggressor and in fact the so called "Stand Down" law and any action of self defense is in favor of Trayvon Martin and not George Zimmerman. Therefore any claims that Mr. Zimmerman sustained injuries do not matter. Trayvon has all the rights to defend himself. Regardless of whether he was on drugs, walking around aimlessly, wearing a hoodie, and or being an African-American/Black he has the same rights to protect himself as George Zimmerman or any White person. 

 For some reason some people believe that being Black makes one by default the bad guy who should not be in public because he is then responsible for any violent act or arrest. This is simply unfair! George Zimmerman is not an officer of the law, yet he is being treated as if he was. Regardless of his past deeds, good or bad what he did to Trayvon Martin is what we should really be focused on. The same goes for Trayvon. His past should not be used to justify George Zimmerman's actions. They did not know each other until that tragic night.

 Whites do not own this country nor should they be treated better than anyone else. The most important thing in this whole tragedy is that George Zimmerman disobeyed the police dispatcher and initiated a fatal encounter.

 Now for those who would tell their African-American sons to run if they were in a similar situation as Trayvon I say the following. DO NOT RUN! As well, DO NOT ARGUE, YELL AT, or SCREAM at the person following you. Call 911 and turn to them and calmly ask them the time and ask them if there is something wrong. Let them know that you are not hostile in your manner and body language. This is what you can do with the police as well. If you engage them in conversation it will ease any suspicions they might have. This is more effective than running or remaining silent. Try it!

 It is very important that we act civilized and not give anyone reason to say we deserve to be treated like animals. Being civilized in no way makes us weak. It makes us stronger!

Tale of the Trayvon Martin Case 911 Calls

Pending the outcome of some voice analysis, there is arguably enough evidence in the 911 tapes to warrant the arrest of George Zimmerman in connection with the Feb. 26 shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. The voice testing is needed to determine if Zimmerman uttered a racial slur while in pursuit of Martin, and which of the two can be heard crying out for help during their altercation in Sanford, Fla.
Here are seven observations about Zimmerman's 911 call to police, and one point about the neighbors' calls:
First, Zimmerman began his call by saying, "We've had some break-ins in my neighborhood." I'd like to know if that is true. And it strikes me as peculiar that he did not identify himself immediately. The Orlando Sentinel reports that, in the last 15 months, Zimmerman had called the Sanford police 46 times. So why not begin this latest call by saying, "Hey, it's me, George Zimmerman, from the neighborhood watch?" Wouldn't a neighborhood watch volunteer want the police to know who he was? If not, why not?
Second, he never offered anything concrete to justify a request for police assistance. He first told the police operator that the teen he was watching is "a real suspicious guy." Then he said he "looks like he's up to no good, or he's on drugs, or something." Well, what exactly was it about Martin that raised Zimmerman's suspicions? "It's raining and he's just walking around, looking about," he said. But walking in the rain with your eyes open isn't by itself nefarious. Maybe that's why Zimmerman then took it up a notch.
Third, having offered a litany of nonspecific concerns, Zimmerman calmly tried to portray Martin as an aggressor: "He's just staring, looking at all the houses. Now just staring at me." That was followed by: "Now he's coming toward me." Then, the more menacing: "He's got his hand in his waist band." Finally: "Something's wrong with him. Yup, he's coming to check me out. He's got something in his hands, I don't know what his deal is."
Fourth, Zimmerman seeks a form of complicity from the operator that was not reciprocated. He mutters, "These a-, they always get away." To his credit, the operator did not react. Instead, he continued to solicit locational information from Zimmerman.
Fifth, Zimmerman seems to make a racist statement. After he reports that "he's running," the door to his truck can be heard opening. If Martin were running, that is hardly the behavior of a confrontational individual against whom deadly force need be used. And the blogosphere is on fire with conjecture that Zimmerman called Martin a "coon." I raised the audio of that part of the tape, and it sure sounds like he said that. If it's confirmed, that statement alone should provide sufficient probable cause to indict Zimmerman for a hate crime.
Sixth, Zimmerman ignores the operator's advice. After he departs from his truck to pursue Martin, Zimmerman's breathing is audibly labored. The operator hears that, and asks, "Are you following him?" Zimmerman replies, "Yep." The operator responds: "We don't need you to do that." This would seemingly have been another natural opportunity for Zimmerman to say, "I'm a neighborhood watch volunteer." Instead, he softly says, "OK." Then, the continued sound of his breathing suggests he was still pursuing Martin.
Seventh, Zimmerman was willing to report his name and phone number, but strangely stopped short when asked for his address. Asked if he lived in the area, he again said nothing of his neighborhood watch role. He gave part of his address, and then stopped. He said, "Oh, crap, I don't want to give it out loud, I don't know where this kid is at." Instead, he tells the operator to have the police who arrive on the scene to "call me and I'll tell them where I'm at."
Then there are the calls from neighbors who heard the ensuing altercation. Florida law provides that there is no duty to retreat so long as the person using deadly force "reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself." On at least one of the 911 calls logged by neighbors, a man is heard crying in distress just before the fatal gunshot is audible. Who was it, Zimmerman or Martin?
If a voice analysis shows it to be Zimmerman, that will suggest he was justified in using deadly force, that he was crying for help and restraining himself before drawing his gun.
If, however, it is Martin crying out for help, Zimmerman's ability to cloak himself in "stand your ground" will evaporate, and that identification will appropriately lead to his arrest.

Originally published in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

 

 

When Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton divorced in 1999, their little son Trayvon was just a toddler, according to news reports.

Since that time, the two, while not together in the traditional sense, had joined to form a protective bond around their son, a bond that was irretrievably broken on the night of February 26 in Sanford, Florida. That's when a neighborhood watch captain shot the teen to death, an act he claims was self-defense.

A composite created from news reports, rallies and press conferences shows the elder Martin, bald head and neatly groomed beard, as a doting father and Fulton as a loving mother who fought their hardest to keep their son from being a statistic, and even worse, a victim.

On Monday, the two were fighting together, this time at a news conference to defend the teen's reputation in the wake of media reports that were later confirmed by a family spokesman connecting the 17-year-old to marijuana residue.

Read more: Trayvon's father addresses Sanford town hall

"The only comment that I have right now is that they've killed my son and now they're trying to kill his reputation," Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, said to reporters.

The boy, who lived in Miami, was visiting Sanford while serving a 10-day suspension from school, the family spokesman said. An empty plastic bag found in his book bag had marijuana residue, family spokesman Ryan Julison confirmed.

The divorcees lived near each other in Miami Gardens, according to the Miami Herald. Tracy Martin made a living for himself as a truck driver. Fulton worked as a Miami-Dade government employee, the newspaper reported.

On the night of the All Star game, some 25 miles away in Orlando, the elder Martin was visiting his fiancee’s house in Sanford. He figured his 20-year-old nephew and Trayvon were together, and so he thought nothing of it when the boy didn’t answer his cellphone despite repeated calls.

“There wasn't a panic that he wasn't at home," Tracy Martin told People. "I figured that they had gone to the movies, because they had said they might. So I laid down, thinking they would show up later," he was quoted as saying in the magazine. The next morning the police showed him a picture of the teen's body, according to People.

Read more: Trayvon Martin's former coach speaks out

Even while publicly grieving, Sybrina Fulton has shown poise and composure. She told a raucous crowd at last week's Million Hoodie March in New York: "This is not about a black-and-white thing. This is about a right-and-wrong thing. Justice for Trayvon!"

The boy whose fatal shooting would provoke a social movement in death was in life a liaison, acting as a go-between for his parents, "sending little messages back and forth between us," Tracy Martin told Time.

“Tray was a beautiful kid,” Martin told the Miami Herald. “He was raised to have manners and be respectful. He was a teenager who still had a lot of kid in him. He still loved to go to Chuck E. Cheese with his cousins and would bake them chocolate chip cookies when he was babysitting them.”

Fulton called for Miami students that protested her son's death by walking out of class to instead channel their energies into activism. “Ms. Sybrina Fulton contacted Miami-Dade County Public Schools to voice her disapproval of student walkouts and to encourage students to instead sign petitions, attend organized rallies, and pray," a statement on the school district's website said.

A spokesman for Miami-Dade schools told HLN Monday that the district was discussing ways to honor Trayvon Martin. He would not divulge further details.

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

 Mikhail Muhammad of the New Black Panther Party speaks to the media next to a memorial to Trayvon Martin outside The Retreat at Twin Lakes community where Trayvon was shot and killed by George Michael Zimmerman.

Over the weekend, members of the New Black Panther Party showed just how tense the situation in the Trayvon Martin shooting has gotten: They offered a $10,000 bounty for the capture of George Zimmerman, who shot and killed the unarmed teenager.

The Orlando Sentinel reports that Mikhail Muhammad announced the reward during a protest on Saturday, and when a Sentinel reporter asked if he was inciting violence, Muhammad said, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."

Nationally the shooting death has brought up questions about whether Zimmerman, who was on a Neighborhood Watch patrol, profiled Martin and whether Sanford police's failure to arrest Zimmerman had to do with racism.

The New Black Panther's bounty just heightens that narrative.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the New Black Panther Party has been rejected by the Black Panther Party of the '60s and '70s. The SPLC says the group is "a virulently racist and anti-Semitic organization whose leaders have encouraged violence against whites, Jews and law enforcement officers..."

The Sentinel also reported that the group "called for the mobilization of 10,000 black men to capture Zimmerman."

The paper adds:

"Sanford city officials issued a statement late Saturday, condemning the group's appeal and asking citizens to leave all arrests to the police. The statement was sanctioned by Sanford Police Captain Robert O'Connor — one of two Captains now leading the department in the wake of Police Chief Bill Lee's temporary suspension.
"'The City is requesting calm heads and no vigilante justice,' the statement said. 'Attempts by civilians to take any person into custody may result in criminal charges or unnecessary violence.'"