Interview: Trayvon's stepmother is asked whether race was a factor in her step-son's killing

[adric mutelovic]

Anderson Cooper interviewed Alicia Stanley on Friday. He asked her this question, among others:

COOPER: Do you believe race was a factor in why Zimmerman zeroed in on Trayvon?

STANLEY: I would be lying if I said yes, so I'm going to say this, no, I really don't think it was Zimmerman don't like black people, or he picked him out because he was black. Did he profile him with the hoodie and stuff like that as this thug or whatever walking or whatever was in Zimmerman's mind, yes. But to say that he targeted him because he was black, no, I don't think so.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1306/28/acd.01.html

Let's discuss, DU'ers.

[tularetom]

1. Well, she is his mom so I have to respect her opinion

but I'd also have to disagree with her.

[dkf]

4. This is the father's ex-girlfriend.

Not to say her views are any less valid but this isn't his birth-mother.

[adric mutelovic]

6. She cried during the interview

and she had Trayvon since he was 3. Don't pooh pooh the fact that she didn't give birth to him because you don't like what she said, please.

[dkf]

7. I saw it. My point was to correct a possible misimpression, no more or less.

[onehandle]

2. Then we're agreed. A legal gun owner 'picked out' a minor to stalk, harass, and kill.

Good to know.

[riverwalker]

3. there will be testimony

that Zimmerman was a bully. He tormented and bullied vulnerable coworkers (but not the big tough guys, he only picked on those vulnerable), and ex-girlfriends They are on witness list.

[Duckwraps]

10. Any idea of when

this sort of testimony will be presented?

[JI7]

5. what is their to discuss ? she is the stepmother and she complained her ex husband

doesn't contact her.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

8. There's more than one type of racism, you know.

There's hard core bigotry, which is an openly expressed hatred of another race, ethnicity, etc. That's your KKK and Neo-Nazi types.

Then you have people who might not be hard core bigots but are still capable of soft bigotry, which is having subtle biases and stereotypes against certain races, ethnicities, etc. based on pre-conceived and prejudicial notions. That type of person won't self-identify as a bigot, but the bigotry remains all the less.

If you read the interview, she's saying that Zimmerman was not a hard bigot who hated black people for who they were. However, she said she does believe she profiled him, which is still racism and soft bigotry and wrong.

You're misstating your position.

[Sheldon Cooper]

9. Well then, there you have it.

If his ex-stepmother doesn't think it was racist, then it wasn't. Case closed.


, in case it's needed.