<p>razorsharp, “hispanic” is a geographic and ethnic group, it is not a race. It is not white or hispanic. That’s like saying you’re either white, or you’re from Ohio.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>50% of Hispanic people in the US identify themselves on the census as “white.” Apparently Zimmerman considered himself as such. Are you saying there’s no such thing as a white Hispanic person? Are all my cousins in Havana a different race from me because their grandfather made a left after leaving Poland instead of heading straight for New York like his uncle, my great-grandfather, did?</p>
<p>
I am using the term in as it is used in common parlance. Whites are not hispanic and hispanics are not white. The media does not often distinguish between race and ethic groups when it comes to hispanics. Calling a man who clearly does not look white a white person is just another attempt to blame white people for actions against blacks.</p>
<p>If you really want to get technical, a man with very dark skin tone who has parents from Central Africa who also have very dark skin tone is white if he calls himself white. Race is defined by the person and a person can be any race he or she chooses.</p>
<p>Sounds like your cousins are Hispanic like Mitt Romney is Hispanic, except Mitt’s family was there for four generations rather than just two. (Actually, Mitt is a Mexican-American, but apparently not Hispanic. Your cousins sound like Cubans, but - unless intermarried - not Hispanic?) </p>
<p>As to what “race” they are, well, some states still, I think, have “one drop” laws still on the books (one drop African-American, then Black). But laws and race don’t mix real well. And, yes, strangely enough, race can and often is defined by law, and not by self-definition.</p>
<p>I’m Mongol-Semitic, in case anyone wants to know. Maybe “Asian”, if we want to get technical. Grandpa wasn’t allowed in 'cause he was “Oriental” (he was a Lithuanian-born Jewish silk merchant with a Turkish passport who came in as a French-Canadian.)</p>
<p>I expect that Zimmerman did not perceive himself to be the same race as the boy he killed. It is extremely unlikely that Trayvon Martin was without white ancestors.</p>
<p>There is an excellent book on race self-definition by my friend Joy Zarembka called, “The Pigment of My Imagination.”</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>[Analyzing</a> 911 calls in Florida shooting death](<a href=“http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/03/28/analyzing-911-calls-florida-shooting-death]Analyzing”>http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/03/28/analyzing-911-calls-florida-shooting-death)</p>
<p>A lot of states have laws saying if you initiated the conflict you cannot then claim self defense. Zimmerman clearly initiated the conflict by tracking the kid. I really don’t see why he is not being prosecuted.</p>
<p>I am Hispanic, not Latina. But with a mother from Spain, I am DEFINITELY Hispanic, a white Hispanic. I’ll have to disagree and leave it at that. </p>
<p>Oh and he self-identifies as white according to reports. So if he defines himself as that, then we’ll have to call him white.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I don’t think anyone does. That is the reason for all the media coverage and outrage. People want answers.</p>
<p>Romanigypsyeyes. Because this is being called a white on black crime. Why call Zimmerman white and other mixed races as the minority race? </p>
<p>Kluge- my poorly made point was that some media seem to be more interested in stirring up racial tensions that reporting the facts. </p>
<p>I have no idea what the truth is…only that a young boy was killed and his family is suffering every parents worst nightmare.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Wish I would have known that so I could have saved a ton of money in college! 
</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Because it helps the media spread the outrage. Remember we have a “black President” too…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This is what the EEO says. Under these definitions Zimmerman isn’t white unless he self reports being white. If Martin self reported as white it could be a white on white crime if you really want to follow the eeo definitions. </p>
<p>Obama has a black parent so the media calls him black. Zimmerman has a Peruvian parent but all of a sudden he is white because it fits the media stereotype that whites are racists.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Where does it say that Zimmerman is mixed race?</p>
<p>zimmerman is an idiot with a gun in a place where he was being “on patrol” and decided he had the “right” to take the life of a young man he was chasing.</p>
<p>The Police department, or whoever higher up made the decision, behaved in a racist way in not investigating the shooting, in not attempting to contact any witnesses, in not even picking up the darn cell phone to call his home and find the survivors. He was treated as less than a person, drug tested, and his family was treated as if they did not matter, no contact. This is simply NOT what would have happened to a white kid in that town.</p>
<p>It is the town’s racism that is so alarming, and the law they were hiding behind, as they covered up the murder of a young man who was walking home from the store with some skittles. Really. </p>
<p>Racism that systemic is appalling and embarrassing to us all.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Can you prove this?</p>
<p>NEW Video Evidence, not HD but it certainly does not work in Zimmerman’s favor. He appears after the incident with no blood and no noticeable bruises. No grass stains either.</p>
<p>[Trayvon</a> Martin Case: Exclusive Surveillance Video of George Zimmerman - ABC News](<a href=“Trayvon Martin Video Shows No Blood or Bruises on George Zimmerman - ABC News”>Trayvon Martin Video Shows No Blood or Bruises on George Zimmerman - ABC News)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Can you prove that it would? You think it is the PD’s policy not to notify family members when their son has been shot? For three days?</p>
<p>ETA: Do you think the fact that the police chief had only been there for less than a year and had been hired to “clean up” the department after the coverup of a murdered homeless… wait for it… black man points to any systemic problem? I don’t know. Maybe.</p>
<p>Romani, Zimmerman’s father said “my son is a Hispanic and not a racist”.</p>
<p>“Zimmerman has a Peruvian parent but all of a sudden he is white because it fits the media stereotype that whites are racists.”</p>
<p>Funny, but that’s not the way I read it. I read it that he is Hispanic, and felt somehow worried about Trayvon because the latter was Black. If true, he would still be racist even if he was not “white”. (But I think it is systemic racism of the police department that is most problematic, and it wouldn’t make any difference in the least if they happened to have a Black officer.)</p>
<p>Exactly. Even if you assume Zimmerman didn’t identify as white, he clearly wasn’t black, and it’s entirely possible for a “non-black” person to hold racist views towards black people; they don’t have to be white to do so.</p>
<p>Zimmerman’s father is a retired magistrate judge from the Orlando area. It is possible that George is being treated with kid gloves because of this. Maybe the police dept wants to make sure they cross every t and dot every i.</p>
<p>I just watched the O’Donnell - Joe Oliver interview on MSNBC online. Bizarre and embarrassing doesn’t even begin to describe Oliver’s posturing. If he hitched a ride on Team Zimmerman in expectation of glory, he’s on his way to a tremendously dissappointing result, I’d wager.</p>
<p>When there is a suspected homicide, there is usually an investigation, an immediate questioning of all possible witnesses, a logging in of all evidence (clothing, cellphones, etc.), a complete canvass of the area complete with photographs, a follow-up of all leads, an expedited identification of the victim, speedy contact with the victims’ family, a testing of the suspect for alcohol or drugs, an impounding of potential murder weapon, etc., etc. None of this happened. </p>
<p>Crossing "t"s and dotting "i"s? I don’t even see any recognition of the alphabet.</p>