“No confidence” vote for Sanford police chief

By Frederick Sparks

Commissioners actually split 3-2 in a no confidence vote over police chief Bill Lee’s handling of the Trayvon Martin case.   The vote followed a call for resignation from commissioner Mark McCarty.  It is the most incremental of incremental steps.

House minority leader Nancy Pelosi released a statement Wednesday asserting that the tragic story “spurred many leaders, including members of Congress, to call for action.”  Pelosi praised justice department involvement in the case.  President Obama has not commented officially on the case; White House press secretary Jay Carney deflected specific commentary, referring to the case as a matter of local law enforcement. While many have criticized the President’s lack of commentary (specifically given his comments in the Henry Louis Gates controversy),  attorney B.J. Bernstein (who represented Genarlow Wilson and most recently two of the plaintiffs in the civil suit related to sexual abuse allegations against Bishop Eddie Long) asserted that it would be inappropriate for the president to comment on a case subject to an ongoing Justice Department investigation.

Meanwhile,  in Manhattan’s Union Square, demonstrators took part in a Million Hoodie March in memory of the murdered youth and to call for justice.  Martin’s parents addressed the gathering.  “We’re not going to stop until we get justice,” said the teenager’s father, Tracy Martin. His mother, Sybrina Fulton, told the crowd: “My heart is in pain, but to see the support of all of you really makes a difference.”   The march was organized largely on Facebook and Twitter, and many social network users posted pictures of themselves wearing hoodies as a  virtual show of support.

{advertisement}
“No confidence” vote for Sanford police chief
{advertisement}

7 thoughts on ““No confidence” vote for Sanford police chief

  1. 1

    The “Stand Your Ground” Law is very dangerous. Anybody can just say that he thinks someone else is up to no good, and say he feels threatened and shoot. Or; anyone can just say somebody he encounters does not answer his question, and shoot.

    1. 1.1

      “Anybody can just say that he thinks someone else is up to no good, and say he feels threatened and shoot. Or; anyone can just say somebody he encounters does not answer his question, and shoot.”

      And anyone can claim they tried to *flee* the maximum too. BTW “anyone can just say somebody he encounters does not answer his question, and shoot” *must* be a *new* provision.

  2. 2

    So two commissioners had confidence in him despite the fact that he conducted no investigation when an unarmed kid was shot, then blamed the kid in a statement to the media later>

  3. F
    3

    I admit surprise. I did not imagine that any such action would be taken locally. I hope we can skip to the part where Zimmerman is arrested before having to resolve what to do with the police chief and commissioner, although proper resolutions should certainly come soon.

    I can think of another reason Obama would decline to comment, and that’s because racists will muddy and stir the waters with claims of “special privileges for Black people”, which would be fully an additional layer of dreck to wade through while seeking justice for Trayvon. Because this country is like that.

      1. F

        Anyone would be fine, I’m sure. But again, one doesn’t comment on current investigations (except for when one does, which is wrong).

        Someone outside the the immediate administration would be best when a comment is made, if the investigation doesn’t change the current atmosphere. Unless the President wishes to tackle, head-on, all the racism inherent in the reaction of a good portion of this country. And we know what a bunch of bigoted, unreasoning jerks are among us. The current climate is the one which gives us our ridiculous Republican lineup, outdoing the insanity of the party’s offerings in the previous election cycle.

        I’m not saying it is a good thing, it is just the political thing to do, particularly at this point in the cycle. bI heartily wish it were otherwise, and the vast majority of the nation turned to these men in Florida and said, “WTF? Get out”.

  4. 4

    IANAL, but as I see it the (former) Chief of Police is an accessory after the fact to premeditated murder, and so is every officer involved in this case even peripherally, and they all belong in the dock alongside Zimmerman.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *