Politics: Weigel on the other Sanford

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Politics The Other Sanford While Trayvon Martin's killer remains free, Sanford's black community seethes—and tries to make sense of it all. By David Weigel Posted Thursday, Apr 05, 2012, at 01:12 AM ET SANFORD, Fla. – Johnny Holiday lifts the bike that he bought for $15, and he makes room for me on the bench. His day off was ending at Veterans Park, the sweet spot of Sanford's Riverwalk. From our vantage point we could see clear across the lake, or we could turn and look at the area where civil rights leaders have been rallying for Trayvon Martin. "It was wild, bro," says Holiday. "You put yourself, a guy like me, in that mix, and you hear things. I got called 'cracker,' you know. 'Skinhead.' I got looked at funny." You can't imagine anyone seriously messing with him. Holiday is tall, leathered, and built like a linebacker, biceps bulging in his T-shirt, veins bulging in his forearms. He was a Marine, served in Somalia, still wears his dog tags. And when he got to Sanford—a  pit stop, hopefully, before he makes enough money to head back to Panama—he stayed in a homeless shelter. Almost nobody else was white. But everybody got along. "It's different since [Zimmerman] shot that kid," he says. "My friends that are black have a different outlook about me. I mean, why is that, bro? Was that guy even white? He was Hispanic, wasn't he? Hell, I think they should probably try him for manslaughter." Holiday lowers his voice, even though there's not really anyone in earshot. "Shit's gonna go down if they don't arrest that guy." What does he mean ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Stiglitz: The U.S. President Has Way Too Much Say Over Who Gets To Run the World Bank Ignore the Uproar—Mary J. Blige's Burger King Ad for Fried-Chicken Wraps Isn't Racist The Oakland As Should Move To New York. It'd Be Good for Them—and Baseball.	Advertisement
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