Guess Who

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What to O.J. Simpson, George Zimmerman, Casey Anthony, The 45th U.S. President and The Duke have in common? They were all convicted a crime and got off.

Lo G and Colbonyx  are trying to send signs to the world that The Duke, their corrupt and greedy employer and CEO of a record label, is guilty for illegally supplying blood samples to Tim Nugget, CEO of a corrupt tech company called Manogen. The Duke was in a court case but was found innocent even though he wasn’t.

This is the premise for a series of illustrations I did for this local band. I branched towards caricature for the two band members in the series so things get a  bit distorted in a fun way.

Guess Who? is a two-player character guessing game created by Ora and Theo Coster, also known as Theora Design, that was first manufactured by Milton Bradley in 1979 and is now owned by Hasbro.

Each player starts the game with a board that includes cartoon images of 24 people and their first names with all the images standing up. Each player selects a card of their choice from a separate pile of cards containing the same 24 images. The objective of the game is to be the first to determine which card one’s opponent has selected. Players alternate asking various yes or no questions to eliminate candidates, such as:

  • “Is your person a CEO of a record label?”
  • “Is your person greedy?”
  • “Is your person wearing a top hat?

The player will then eliminate candidates (based on the opponent’s response) by flipping those images down until only one is left. Well-crafted questions allow players to eliminate one or more possible cards.

Division The Travon/Jordan Project is based on hundreds of hours of interviews.

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On February 10th I went to the final dress rehearsal for the original docudrama, written and directed by John DiDonna, called “DIVISION The Trayvon/Jordan Project”. For those unfamiliar with the incidents that hit so close to home, Trayvon Martin was a young black man walking home from a store who was shot to death on the evening of February 26, 2012 by a neighborhood watch coordinator named George Zimmerman. The shooting of Jordan Davis occurred on November 23, 2012, at a gas station in Jacksonville, Florida.
He was a 17-year-old African American high school
student, who was fatally shot by Michael David Dunn, a 45-year-old software
developer from Brevard County. The incident began when Dunn asked Davis and his companions to turn down the loud music. George Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder and of manslaughter charges. The Michael Dunn jury was unable to return a unanimous verdict on a charge of first-degree murder, the judge declared a mistrial on that count. Dunn was convicted, however, on three counts of attempted second-degree murder for firing at three other teenagers who were with Davis and one count of firing into a vehicle. Dunn’s retrial for first-degree murder began the week of September 22, 2014. Dunn was found guilty October 1, 2014, and was sentenced to a mandatory
sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole on October 17, 2014.

To create this project, students conducted over 150 hours of interviews with people involved in the cases.  What results is an open raw dialogue about Division and racism in America. I identified deeply with a female reporter played by Danielle Marie Irigoyen who covered the story. She confided that she cried when she listened to 911 calls made the night Trayvon was shot. I remember having the same gut wrenching reaction when I listened to them to help write about events as they unfolded. As a journalist you are supposed to be dispassionate when you report the news. This story was different. She had a sound technician analyze the audio and he concluded that Trayvon Martin could be heard pleading for his life moments before the gunshot silenced the night. This evidence wasn’t allowed in court because not everyone is convinced that the new technology is 100% accurate.

“That’s Just the Way It Is” by Bruce Hornsby was playing on the sound system as the audience arrived, followed by “Imagine” by John Lennon. The large cast began their discussion about division, with everyone shouting while no one listened. projected on the screen was “We are…” anyone in Sanford or Central Florida knows the response is “Trayvon”. In a riveting moment, the entire cast turned to the screen to read the “Stand Your Ground” statute. It was Machiavellian with every word seeming more insane. It is a license to kill. Much of the production felt like an intimate, heated class discussion. Barry Kirsch a talented local photographer was the official photographer of the Trayvon Martin case. It was fascinating to see his opinions molded around a character played by Dean Walkuski in the play. Some actors were built around the opinions of many different people while others stood expressed one person’s opinion. The show isn’t about reliving the horrors of each case, but instead focuses on how those events influenced communities both near and far.

The play opens a much needed discussion. After each performance there will be a talk back with the audience so the discussion can continue. Staying silent and hoping that these violent acts will stop isn’t a solution. Change only comes from the concerted efforts of a few. When Sanford was torn by the Trayon Martin shooting many people felt the incident would pass quietly away. However, one local woman played by Avis-Marie Barnes worked the phones and ultimately over 50,000 people converged on Sanford to demonstrate. Even if one person listens, and you change their mind, then you’ve changed the world. What are you going to do to help change the world? Don’t miss this production. Join the discussion.

WHAT:
“Division: The Trayvon/Jordan Project”
A World Premiere Docudrama

WHO:
The Valencia College Theater
Written and Directed by John DiDonna
Written in collaboration with Valencia students

William Adkins, Aidan Bohan-Moulton, Carolyn Ducker, Phillip Edwards,
Nathan Jones, Anneliese Moon, Elina Moon, Dennis Ramos, Stelson Telfort,
Michael Sabbagh.


WHEN:
Only 6 Performances
Feb 11, 12, 13, 14 and 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Feb 15 at 2 p.m.
WHERE:
Building 3, Black Box Theater
Valencia College East Campus, Performing Arts Center
701 N. Econlockhatchee Trail, Orlando, FL.

TICKETS:
$12 general admission
$10 for Valencia students, faculty, staff and senior citizens
Box Office: 407-582-2900
Online: www.valenciacollege.edu/arts

The Travon Martin Project touches raw nerves.

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On the night of February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida, United States, George Zimmerman fatally shot Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old African American high school student. George, a 28-year-old mixed-race Hispanic man, was the neighborhood watch coordinator for the gated community where Martin was temporarily living and where the shooting took place George was told not to follow the youth but he followed anyway.  Responding to an earlier call from Zimmerman, police arrived on the
scene within two minutes of the shooting. He was taken into
custody, treated for head injuries, then questioned for five hours. The
police chief said that Zimmerman was released because there was no
evidence to refute the claim of having acted in self-defense. The police chief also said that Zimmerman had had a right to defend himself with lethal force. An arrest was finally made after the incident became national news and protesters filled Sanford. George was given a trial and found not guilty.

Producer Beth Marshal wanted to create a show that deals with the huge divide that Trayvon Martin‘s death caused in Central Florida and the country. Her son is about the same age as Trayvon and if her son was seen walking through suburban Sanford, quite frankly he would be alive. The show opens with Billy Holiday singing “Strange Fruit” as the audience entered the theater. The song referenced “blood on the leaves” in a sorrowful anguished voice. The show opened with a congressional hearing about the ban on certain items. There were long heated debates about how these items needed to be outlawed for everyone’s protection. One committee member had smuggled the item into the hearing like a knife into a courtroom. The committee erupted in chaos as he showed them the hoodie which is quite functional on a cold evening.

  

John DiDonna acted as the show’s narrator. He talked about Sanford‘s past and how racism has been woven into the fabric of the towns history. Back in 1946, the city of Sanford ran Jackie Robinson out of town while he was playing for the Montreal Royals, the Brooklyn Dodgers AAA team, which trained in Sanford. Then there was the story of schoolteacher Harry Tyson Moore,
who was the founder of the first branch of the NAACP in Florida’s
Seminole County, where Sanford is located. Moore fought tirelessly for
racial equality in Sanford, including voting rights for African
Americans. That made him a dangerous man to many white people in town. On Christmas night of 1951, the home of Moore and his wife
Harriette Vyda Simms Moore was fire bombed. It was the couple’s 25th
wedding anniversary. Moore died on his way to a Sanford hospital and his
wife died 9 days later of her injuries. In Sanford’s more recent past, the 2010 case of Sherman Ware had some troubling similarities to the Trayvon Martin tragedy. On Dec. 4, 2010, 21-year-old Justin Collison, was captured on a YouTube video leaving a Sanford bar, when he walked up behind an
unsuspecting Ware, a homeless African American man, and punched him in
the back of the head, which drove Ware’s face into a utility pole and
then onto the pavement breaking his nose. Sanford police questioned Collison who was not cuffed that night and had
possession of the video but did not arrest him. You see, Collison’s
father is a Sanford police lieutenant and his grandfather is a former
circuit judge and wealthy Florida landowner.

20 years ago when I moved to Orlando, the Ku Klux Klan held a demonstration at the Jewish Community Center in Maitland.  There was a heated debate at the time about if there should be a counter demonstration. Some argued that by counter demonstrating, we would be giving the KKK the attention they wanted. Hundreds of counter demonstrators showed up verses six or so KKK members hiding behind robes. Janine Klein spoke of isms in her monologue in the show. She was a Jewish school teacher and did grow up facing racism. In the talk back after the show she said that she realized that she wants to be more of an activist to help bring about change. Silence isn’t the answer.

The talk back triggered an amazing conversation with the audience. One woman in the audience was of Cuban heritage. One of her cousins had light skin and she was treated differently than all the other children with dark skin. So there was racism even within a family. Sheryl Carbonell, from the cast is inter-racially married to a white police officer. He has been bitten, beaten and shot at on the job. 14 incidents were all caused by black men. None of these incidents were ever covered by the media. The Jordan Davis shooting happened during production of the play. It is clear that these type of shootings continue. Kerry Alce who plays Trayvon said that he is desensitized and frightened by all the shootings of black children. The talk back was every bit as powerful as the production itself. Change only happens when you open a dialogue.This is a daring production that certainly opened that dialogue. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Martin Luther King

There are only 2 shows remaining of The Trayvon Martin Project…

October 4, Saturday at 7:30pm

October 5, Sunday at 2pm

at the Valencia College East Campus Black Box Theatre building 3 (701 North Econolockahatchee Trail Orlando FL).

Tickets are $20 general admission and $15 students. Proceeds from this event benefit The Travyon Martin Foundation.

“The Gun’shine State”

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Over 1200 peaceful protesters marched from Lake Eola to the Orange County Courthouse on Wednesday July 17th to honor Trayvon Martin the 17 year old who went to the store to get some skittles and was shot to death by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer in Sanford. George Zimmerman had been found not guilty around 10pm this past Saturday by an all female jury in the shooting. Shock and outrage swept the nation.  Protests turned violent in Los Angeles and Oakland, California and across the nation this week. There were no reported problems at the Orlando march. Helicopters  grew louder as the protest approached the courthouse. It had been raining hard as I walked towards the courthouse but the storm clouds passed allowing me to sketch when I arrived.

As protesters filled the plaza in front of the courthouse, they chanted, “What do we want?” and everyone replied “Justice”. “When do we want it?!” “NOW!!” Protesters carried signs saying, “No Justice, No Peace” and “We are Trayvon.” Some protesters wore hoodies which is what Trayvon wore when he was profiled by Zimmerman as someone up to no good.

Natalie Jackson, an attorney for Trayvon’s parents urged protesters to “vote and raise your voices against Florida’s ‘stand your ground’ law”. This law makes it possible for a vigilante to be innocent if they at anytime feel threatened. Travon tried to run, but Zimmerman followed. At some point the teen had to defend himself, but he had no weapon, Zimmerman did. The law needs to change.  Florida is once more a joke because of its warped and backwards justice system. Olumide Ajileye shouted out, from the courthouse steps, “Everyone needs to get involved, this does not end today!”

Someone told me that Zimmerman might even make money on this travesty by suing an NBC show that edited down the 911 call he made on the night of the shooting. The edited audio made it seem obvious that Zimmerman was profiling the black teenager. Zimmerman could become a multi millionaire in a civil case against the media. Reader, Abbe Wise Arenson , suggested a new state motto, which she picked up from a pundit, “gun’shine state” – we need reform!

Police officers kept walking over to see what I was up to. The first officer liked the sketch and each officer in turn came over to look as word spread.  I was just glad they didn’t tell me to get out of the bushes where I was sitting. When the hour long rally ended, protesters quietly drifted away. When I was two blocks away, I realized I forgot my umbrella  back where I had been sketching, When I returned it was still there. I had to get to a final dress rehearsal for “Violin(ce)” at the Shakespeare Theater.

Zimmerman Not Guilty

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Saturday July 13th was the 40th World Wide SketchCrawl. I deviated from the planned itinerary and went up to Sanford Florida to see if there were people waiting outside the courthouse for the verdict in the case against George Zimmerman.  The courthouse was surprisingly quiet.  Dark storm clouds loomed heavy and grey. Just hours later, jurors would announce the verdict that George Zimmerman was not guilty. I didn’t follow the trial on TV but I was there when the first protests happened.  On the morning of the final deliberations, prisoners shouted “Justice for Trayvon” from their cells.

Zimmerman shot and killed the unarmed Trayvon Martin in a Sanford neighborhood. Zimnerman was a citizen neighborhood patrolman. He called a police dispatcher, saying that he saw a suspicious youth with a hoodie walking through his neighborhood. The dispatcher told Zimmerman to stay in his car, that police were on the way. Zimmerman got out of his car anyway, stalked Trayvon and shot him to death. The youth had skittles in his pocket.

The jury was entirely made up of women.  Though found not guilty, Zimmerman certainly isn’t innocent. It is unlikely that he will ever again walk the streets of Sanford on patrol. He is easily identifiable with his round face and small eyes. He is a pariah, and will likely disappear from public sight very much like Casey Anthony, the mom accused of killing her two year old daughter. Though found not guilty, she is still embroiled in law suits. She owes $800,000 and hasn’t worked since her case was settled. She filed for bankruptcy, but in March, a lawyer filed a motion asking for a Florida judge’s permission
to sell “the exclusive worldwide rights in perpetuity to the commercialization of Anthony’s life story.” Casey didn’t want any part of it. She had to pay $25,000 to settle the case and keep her story to herself.

George Zimmerman’s wife, Shellie, will likely be charged with perjury. She lied saying that the family had no money for lawyers fees when there was $135,000 in the bank. Money was being transferred out of George Zimmerman’s account in an effort to hide the money. This isn’t the last day in court for the Zimmermans. TV reporters kept asking people to express their anger, shock and resentment as if this is the only thing that is news worthy.

Spike Lee used Twitter to send out George Zimmerman’s home address during the trial. He got the address wrong and ruined the lives of an elderly couple,  David and Elaine McClain, who had to suffer the abuse of false public scrutiny. They have nothing to do with the Zimmerman case.  There were threats on social media and notes left on their doorstep.  They had to leave their home fearing for their safety. The woman suffered a heart attack after the stress and strain.  This false address is still being re tweeted endlessly. The Internet, rather than bringing people together is helping tear us apart.

Justice 4 Trayvon

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An estimated 8,000 people gathered in Sanford’s Fort Mellon park to rally for justice in the Trayvon Martin shooting. Reverand Al Sharpton had flown to Sanford to support the cause. Originally the rally was going to be held at the First Iconium Baptist church, but organizers realized that the church couldn’t support the expected crowds. With such a huge crowd, I realized I couldn’t get close to the stage. Instead as community leaders spoke, I wandered inside the crowd that filled the stadium sized field of grass. I didn’t look towards the stage, instead I looked back at the crowd of people behind me.

I decided to sit down and sketch these three teens holding signs for Trayvon. The Hollister T-shirt was similar to the one worn by Trayvon in the photo seen everywhere. They were about his age and probably went to the same school. Grief counselors have yet to advise students on how to handle the events surrounding the shooting and death of their classmate. A teacher calling roll, called out Trayvon’s name having forgot he wouldn’t be coming back. She broke down and cried. George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain followed and shot the unarmed teen when he was walking home from a convenience store carrying iced tea and skittles. A witness heard Treyvon crying for help just before he was shot.

On March 23rd thousands of students from roughly 50 schools in Florida staged walkouts to protest the killing. Meanwhile, the Change.org petition demanding the arrest of George Zimmerman, Martin’s shooter, surpassed 1.5 million signatures, making it all time fastest-growing petition in Change.org’s history, according to the group. Supporters of Martin’s family organized a “Million Hoodie March” last Wednesday in New York City. Hundreds of participants wore hoodies to the march which sought to protest both the police handling of the shooting and racial profiling in general.

Sybrina Fulton, Martin’s mother, stood on stage with Al Sharpton and tearfully said, “I stand before you today not knowing how I’m walking right now, because my heart hurts for my son. Trayvon is my son. Trayvon is your son. Thanks so much for your support.” “This is not about black and white. This is about right and wrong.”

Treyvon Martin Justice Rally

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27 days ago George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain, shot and killed, the unarmed, 17 year old Trayvon Martin. Trayvon was returning to a gated Sanford community in the city after buying candy at a convenience store. He was unarmed and was wearing a hoodie. Zimmerman called 911 and was told by the dispatcher that he shouldn’t follow the youth. He followed anyway and shot Trayvon in the chest, killing him with his 9mm pistol. Zimmerman has said the teen attacked him and he shot him in self-defense. Trayvon was unarmed, only carrying Skittles and iced tea. A witness heard someone yelling for help. A shot followed and the yelling stopped. Trayvon was on the phone with a girl from Miami as he was being followed, the girl stated Martin said, “I think this dude is following me,” and then ran to get away from him. She said she heard Martin ask Zimmerman why he was being followed, and shortly afterwards the called ended. When she tried to call him back, there was no answer. Zimmerman has not been charged with any crime.

The day before the Rally, City commissioners voted “No Confidence” in police chief Bill Lee who did not arrest Zimmerman. The police chief said that he is temporarily leaving his job to let passions cool.
Reverand Al Sharpton came to Fort Mellon Park in Sanford to address the crowd. His mother had died that morning. He said, “My mother raised me to stand up and fight. She would have been ashamed of me if I wasn’t here tonight. This mother has to bury her son. Mothers are not supposed to bury their sons. We love our children. We may not have as much as others, but we have each other!” The estimated crowd of 8,000 people cheered.

He continued, “Some people said to me in the media — ‘Let me get this straight,’ they said. ‘Reverend, it seems like there’s a lot of people who are angry — are you afraid of violence?’” Sharpton preached to the Central Floridian crowd. “I said, ‘No. I’m afraid of the violence you already had.’”

“Violence is killing Tray Martin,” Sharpton continued. “Don’t act like we are the ones [who are] violent. We didn’t shoot nobody.” Al began a loud chant that swept through the crowd, yelling “No Justice!” The crowd responded “No Peace!” The chant continued, growing louder as more people joined in. “Enough is enough!” he shouted. Zimmerman should have been arrested that night!”