Views from Point Breeze

The trial of George Zimmerman is currently riveting the Florida community and many parts of the nation.  Many people of African American heritage are watching with interest as the victim was of our ilk and the perpetrator was part-Hispanic.  The Stand Your Ground law is also under discussion because George Zimmerman was initially allowed to remain free because he indicated that Trayvon Martin left him no choice but to shoot to kill. George Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed Trayvon Martin on February 26th, 2012 in Sanford, Florida.  Trayvon Martin was unarmed and on his way home from purchasing Skittles among other things.  He was pursued by George Zimmerman as a potential criminal.  George was purportedly tired of young punks getting away with crimes in his community.  In spite of the fact that the 911 representative that he spoke with asked him not to get out of his vehicle, Mr. Zimmerman got out and eventually put a bull...

I attended a workshop sponsored by Juntos on Sunday, June 9th, 2013.  It was an outline of the proposed Dreamers Act. The DREAM Act ( acronym for Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors ) is an American legislative proposal first introduced in the Senate on August 1, 2001, S. 1291 by Dick Durbin and Orrin Hatch . [ 1 ] This bill would provide conditional permanent residency to certain immigrants of good moral character who graduate from U.S. high schools, arrived in the United States as minors, and lived in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill's enactment. If they were to complete two years in the military or two years at a four-year institution of higher learning , they would obtain temporary residency for a six-year period. Within the six-year period, they may qualify for permanent residency if they have "acquired a degree from an institution of higher education in the United States or [have] completed at least 2 years, ...

Some people might have been surprised by the recent arrest of a 45 year old mother in Scarsdale, NY.  The woman, and her two daughters, were living in an affluent area that boasts spectacular homes and prominent neighbors.  Growing up in a low income area, most people dream of the day that they could own a home like that.  Purchasing weed should be the furthest thing from the minds of anyone that lives in such a great situation.  One of her neighbors indicated that a single mom needs to make ends meet.  Can that reason be utilized to justify wrongdoing in any situation? I guess life imitates art in many situations.  The premise for cable series Weeds, that ran eight seasons, follows: Nancy Botwin's family lives in Agrestic , the fictional suburb of Los Angeles. Her husband, Judah, died of a heart attack while jogging with their youngest son, [1] a few weeks before the series' pilot. Nancy's children, Silas and Shane, both attend Agrestic's ...