It's Been Proven Already

Just like a lot of people in the country and abroad I watched the Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman case unfold through the media. Besides the people actually present in the courtroom watching this action play out daily, I received the same type of information from the media as everybody else, except, as a black man in Amerikkka, I watched from a prison cell in Boscobel, Wisconsin.

There have been questions asked by many people involving this murder case, especially from black people, which were: If George Zimmerman was black and Trayvon Martin was white, what's the outcome? Or if Trayvon Martin would have shot and killed George Zimmerman, what's the outcome? Many believe the formal is Zimmerman gets convicted, and the latter Trayvon gets convicted. We can all play with the hypothetical in our minds, but I'll give the answer from my own experience and conviction in Amerikkka.

I was in Trayvon's age group when I was convicted (18 years old) on July 27, 1994 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for shooting a white Jewelry store owner who pulled an illegal sawed off pistol grip shot gun on me over a dispute about my personal necklace he'd repaired, that left me no choice but to shoot him... The incident happen May 31, 1994, I was arrested June 2, 1994, found guilty July 27, 1994 by ten (10) whites, and what appear to be two (2) blacks, after three (3) hours of deliberation, from one of the most, if not the most, highly media publicized cases in Milwaukee in the year 1994, and from my arrest to conviction, took fifty six (56) days.1

Paul Anton was a white sixty eight (68) years old man who owned a jewlry store on the south side of Milwaukee, who had been in business for 30 years according to others. Unbeknownst to me his business had no security camera's, he had six (6) guns strategically planted throughout his store, with an emergency panic button, in the work area his was shot in. what I was aware of, from being buzzed in and out two security doors... On May 31, 1994 when I entered the store after being buzzed in I was simply coming to get my repaired necklace, which only cost $15 for the repair. I was carrying a 38 revolved (5 shots) on my person, why? because I was a street dude who carried guns. I started carrying guns after I got shot coming from school in April of 1991 in Lima, Ohio, and I convinced myself if I could ever prevent getting shot again carrying my own guns was a way. So, whether the weapon I had was illegal or not the law makers and other opinionated people wasn't there to protect me from being shot at 15 years old, so, they shouldn't dictate or judge how I choose to protect myself thereafter.

There was a couple of customers in the store already, however, I simply told Paul Anton I'm coming to get my necklace and without any questions he went straight to some box and grabbed the necklace, (he knew exactly who I was), he laid the necklace out on the count and I asked. Was this how it's supposed to be and he must of took that statement as some type of dissatisfaction for his work, which it wasn't, at this point he started to say things like: I've fixed this things so many times I don't know to how to fix it anymore, (he'd fixed the necklace before), then, he required some identification (I.D.), but clearly he knew who I was already, he was offended. I wasn't tripping on the I.D., so I simply told him I'll go get my I.D. out the car.2 When I got to the car I did not have my school I.D. in the car, which I thought I did, however, I had an I.D. that read STANLEY WOODLEY, (OHIO STATE I.D.), I carried this I.D. because it looked like an Ohio State Driver's License. However, I figured this guy is a business man and he knows full well who I am and probably didn't want to look unprofessional in front of his other customers, so, I'd figured to negotiate with him one on one.

On my way back into the store I passed by the elderly white couple who was in the store the first time I was there, (Robert and Carol Meganek), Robert Meganek testified that when they came out the store they seen me pacing back and forth in the alley on the side of the store and knew I was up to trouble (racial profiling - George Zimmerman types), however, a person who did not testify, but gave a statement, said this person pacing in the alley wasn't me, and it wasn't.3

Me and the Meganek's simply crossed paths with each other and they are staring at me as we crossed, I felt like I was in a Korean store, (you buy, you buy!!), so, I stared back at them as we crossed paths. When Anton Paul buzzed me back in the store for the second time there was different people in the store this time. A Latino couple and child and a guy who was speaking to Paul Anton who looked like he was in his early 40's, who had just told Paul Anton he'd be back in 15 minutes. The Latino couple and child left behind him, leaving myself and Paul Anton in the store alone.

I basically told him my I.D. situation and then told him that he knew who I was and knew the necklace was mine so there was no need to go through these changes, the old man flipped on me, telling me the necklace probably wasn't mine. I think he's trying to keep it, I think he want this shit, just going on an old grouchy man rant. I didn't get loud with him. I was simply wondering what was behind his attitude, he was turning red and started walking and talking towards this little work area. He bent over grabbed an illegal sawed off pistol grip shot gun that was in a clot case.4 I instantly got spooked and feared for my life and quickly pulled my weapon, however, I didn't initially shoot him. I purposely shot toward the left of him in hopes of scaring him, deter him from continuing to raise up with his weapon, but he continued, so I shot him twice, once in the left arm. (The left arm bullet went through his arm and entered his body stomach), the second bullet entered his left cheek - face. The smoke from the weapon caused the fire alarm to go off, so imagine, I just shot this jewelry owner is his store, I'm trapped in and the fire alarm is going off alarming the whole neighborhood. A young 18 year old black male trapped in this store, I panic! And needed to get out of there. How I got out of that "caged" in store is irrelevant to the point here, but I did, only to get caged in prison unjustifiably for life.

I do not know the specific language for the "STAND YOUR GROUND LAW," but every state, with the exception of Ohio, has the same or similar law of self-defense on the books. (See Wisconsin State Stats.939.48(1)-(6) (Self-defense, defense of others), which I should have been privileged too, for shooting this white man who pulled an illegal sawed off pistol grip shot gun on me, and to add insult to injury the little brother-Trayvon Martin didn't even have a gun.

1. Reading the case law on my case will not give you the specific truths about the blatant injustice I was a victim of, however, review it anyways: STATE V. FELTON, 1995AP2485-CR, 204 WIS 2d 110; 552 N.W 2d 878 (unpublished) Slip Op. (WIS. Ct. app. July 31, 1996) (Direct Appeal); STATE V. FELTON, 2005 WI APP 176; 285 WIS 2d 806; 701 N.W. 2d 653 (Post-conviction Motion 974.06 WIS.STAT.) Wis. Supreme Ct. denied review in both appeals.

2 The police officer who hand wrote my statement fabricated that I said I went out to the car to get the money to pay for the necklace, I didn't proof read the statement, my error, I should have known when dealing with the police-silence is golden it could never be misquoted.

3 A couple years after my conviction Paul Anton's son was indicted, however, the indictment was really on the father (Paul Anton), however, he was killed in my case, but the police had been investigating Paul Anton for criminal activities e.g. selling stolen jewelry, stealing, etc. The son was acquitted, obviously, because the indictment wasn't for him. This probably why Paul Anton was making those types of statements at me - knew he was under investigation.

4 I didn't ask him to see a gun, he grabbed this weapon while snapping at me, he was either going to do two things: (a) pull his weapon and tell me to leave his store, which he could have done without a weapon; or (b) Shoot me. What person reading this would have waited to see the decision that Paul Anton was going to make?

G'esa Kalafi AKA (Stanley Felton)
Wisconsin Secure Program Facility
1101 Morrison Drive
P.O. Box 9900
Boscobel, WI 53805
Political Prisoner