As an African American male, I feel so connected with the
Trayvon Martin case. So much that the
statement “There by the grace of God go I” really takes a significant and poignant
precedence in my spirit. Here was a kid
who was walking home with a bag of Skittles and an iced tea. He could have been any one of us. He wasn’t trying to steal or hurt anyone, he
was just trying to get to the people who knew and loved him most, and within
the blink of an eye his life was robbed at gunpoint and the worst fears of any
African American parent as well as the greater community materialized.
What goes beyond my rational comprehension is how any
segment of our society could support Mr. Zimmerman (here forth called “the
monster”) and his over zealous, irrational, racist, vigilantism. Furthermore, how can anyone justify Florida’s “Stand Your
Ground” law in defense of this
monster?
I don’t use the word “racist” often. I feel that it has been misused and over
saturated in our society and because of that, the meaning doesn’t carry the
weight it should. To be a racist is to
hold prejudicial or bigoted views over someone and restrict them from something
based on those views. When one uses
prejudged views to illicit power over another individual of a different race,
religion, or creed, that person is a racist.
Therefore within this case, the monster used his prejudicial beliefs and
alleged racial epithets (He used the word “coon.” However, he’s trying to say it
was, “goon.”) to stalk, hunt, restrict and kill Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old
African American young man, thus making the word “racist” an appropriate
connotation in this instance.
Many states have some form of “Stand Your Ground” law. In many
cases, it makes perfect sense. If someone breaks into your home while you’re
asleep, you have every right to defend yourself and family, including the use
of deadly force. On the other hand, Florida has one of the
worst interpretations of this law imaginable.
Under Florida’s
“Stand Your Ground” law, people have faced immunity and justified murder based
on street brawls, road rage, bar fights, and even gang violence! That’s ludicrous because lives are being lost
and the only people winning in this situation are the gun companies that lobby
for these types of laws in the first place.
They know that these laws increase their guns sales and they could care
less about the moral character of the people using these absurd defenses. Those
laws affect overall profits and that’s all that matters to gun companies.
With that being said, Florida’s
“Stand Your Ground” law should not apply to the monster in this case. Trayvon was visiting
his father and therefore a resident in that neighborhood. Furthermore, he had every right as a citizen
of this great country to walk unharmed whenever and where ever he pleased. He was
not smoking weed, carrying a gun, crowbar, screwdriver or 40oz bottle of Old
English. He wasn’t wearing a doo rag,
with oversized pants sagging, talking loud and using all sorts of profanity. He was walking alone, after dark, having a
conversation on his cell phone, minding his own business, in a neighborhood
where he should have felt safe. There is
absolutely no reason, or probable cause for him to have been suspected of
anything?
Florida’s
biased law allows enormous leeway to use deadly force if one feels their life
is threatened. However, where in the law
does it permit one to use racial epitaphs, provoke violence, and then apply
deadly force in order to justify one’s actions?
That monster stalked, hunted, shot in the chest and killed an unarmed
kid at point blank range without justification or provocation. Trayvon did not initiate the confrontation.
Even by him saying, “Why are you following me?!” does not evoke a legitimate
and congruent defense. That monster was
told by authorities to stay in his car. Period. That’s why it’s called
“Neighborhood Watch” and not “Neighborhood Kill.” If that monster had listened to the commands
of professionals, a young, innocent life would have been spared. In laymen’s terms, based on this law, you can
literally start a fist fight, then decide you’re done and shoot the person to
get the confrontation over with.
Many supporters of the monster don’t have an ounce of human empathy. They freely use blogs, which renders them
anonymous, to express their prejudicial viewpoints. Even if this were an African American man who killed a White kid, their outrage should be the same. It’s
about murdering an unarmed child and clearly recognizing that there’s a double
standard in our country. If the adult were African American and the kid was White, we’d see a completely
different set of circumstances. The
African American adult would have immediately been arrested, held without bail
and charged with First Degree Murder and the monster supporters would herald
the justice system for doing their jobs.
Empathy is a quality that should align us as humans. It should assist in building a thriving
community by helping to understand what others are thinking, their motives, and
why others strongly react to certain situations. Without the ability to
consider other people’s feelings or points of views, we’re heading toward and
antisocial and selfish society where the results will be widespread chaos, hatred
and violence.
It has been insinuated by the monster supporters that the
attacked was provoked by Trayvon and that had he answered the monster’s
questions and not been wearing the hoodie, he would be alive today. Geraldo Rivera, a once well known and
respected journalist, even stated the moronic “the hoodie” theory on a
television news program.
First, we live in the United States of America and this
is not 1792. This “know your place”
attitude is outdated and will not be tolerated. Trayvon had the right to walk
anywhere he pleased without the threat of being harassed or interrogated. When questioned by the monster, he was within
his natural right as a citizen and human being to continue walking and choose
not to answer. He was also within his right to demand why he
was being followed in the first place.
With that being said, if anyone had a right to use the “Stand Your
Ground” law, it would have been Trayvon because he had a right to be where he
was and he was under no law to give up ground to his assailant.
Most Whites will never know what it’s like to be followed
based solely on the color of your skin.
It’s insulting when someone attempts to rob you of your dignity and self
respect. It’s infuriating when someone
automatically assumes the worst of who you are based solely on your skin color. I’ve had it happen to me on several occasions
and each time I’ve challenged the observer to look beyond their stereotypical
mindset and find a trace of humanity in their being. (Sometimes, depending on
my mood and the blatancy of the observer, the manner and terms of which I
choose to confront the person is not so philosophical.) It’s creepy, it’s not right or legal and it
doesn’t feel good. So, I don’t blame
Trayvon for confronting the monster. I and many African American men I know
would definitely have done the same thing.
The only difference is I would have used the “f” word in my statement to
the monster. At least Trayvon left it
out.
My most perplexed question is, “Since when has wearing a
sweat shirt with a hood (hoodie) become gang attire?” I would venture to say
that most active men have at least one hooded sweatshirt in their arsenal of
clothing. What? Do hoodies somehow transform themselves into one thing when
African Americans wear them and something else when Whites wear them? I love
hoodies; especially since I have a bald head.
I can wear them at night and not have to worry about a hat. Sometimes I even wear mine to bed! That way I don’t have to put the covers over
my head and almost suffocate in an attempt to keep my head warm. They’re
convenient, can be very fashionable, and they keep your head comfortable. Do I now have the added pressure of
worrying that I might be mistaken for a gangster simply because I choose to
wear a hoodie? Should White folks have that
same fear? Really?
Geraldo Rivera is the biggest moron of them all for even
insinuating that had Trayvon not been wearing the hoodie, he’d be alive
today. Being Hispanic, he should
viscerally understand racial profiling in its most miniscule form. Just because he’s rich and accepted in many affluent
White circles, doesn’t make him immune or less of a target. It is idiotic to spread that mode of
thinking. Assimilation to an irrational thought doesn’t make one any more
endearing. To be honest, it becomes the brunt of jokes by the very people one
is trying to impress. What should Trayvon have done? Was he supposed to disrobe
in the presence of a perceived White neighborhood? Geraldo’s statement showed a
lack of integrity, consideration, and professionalism.
As far as the rest of the media has been concerned
(particularly FOX), I believe they have been absolutely irresponsible in their
reports that Trayvon was suspended for having an “empty” weed bag. First, he’s a juvenile and his school records
should have been off limits. Even if
they were offered to the media, the media should have unequivocally refused
them. Furthermore, what does having an
empty baggie that smelled like weed have anything to do with his murder? I understand the defense’s position on
smearing the victim, but for the life of me, I will never understand
sudo-journalism. Many, many great young people, including myself, and probably
the very people reporting those stories, have tried weed in high school or
college. I’m not proud of it, wished I
hadn’t done it, mainly because I now know the affects it has on the developing
brain. However, that doesn’t deem me a
criminal or a deviant; and the fact still remains, he was suspended for having
a baggie, not smoking weed. By all accounts, he was a pretty normal kid
who’d make a few mistakes, but had loving parents who were supportive and
caring.
In addition, many monster supporters use the fact that the
monster had a broken nose and a blow to the back of his head as basis for why
deadly force was necessary. Somehow
these new allegations are supposed to
be a game changer for the defense. Again,
ludicrous ideology because; what is a person to do if they are stalked, hunted,
approached, and attacked? What would you
do under the same circumstances? What would you tell your child to do at the
threat of eminent danger? Everyone, regardless of race, has the right to
vehemently fight for their life when there’s an attempt on it being taken. It’s
a naturalize right of any living creature.
It shouldn’t matter if that monster’s face looked like freshly
ground hamburger meat minutes after the police arrived. That has no bearing on this case. Trayvon Martin was viciously attacked and he uncompromisingly
fought for his life till his last ounce of breath. His horrifying cries for help, which can be
heard on the 911 tape of a woman who was in her house with the door and windows
closed, were unanswered by an entire neighborhood who didn’t have the decency to
intervene or become involved. Even a simple, “Hey, what’s going on?” might have
saved this young man’s life. At the very
least, the monster would have known he was being watched and may have thought
twice about his actions. (Incidentally, the fact that that monster lied and
said he was the one that can be heard crying for help on the 911 tapes says a
lot about his character and morality. He was probably told to lie by his
retired judge of a father who knew that had those screams been his, they would be
the only thing that would justify a “Stand Your Ground” defense.)
Again, what would you do if someone approached you with the
intent to harass or murder you? Even if at some point during Trayvon’s struggle
for his life, he managed to get the upper hand, does that justify his murder? Particularly
when he was within his given right to “Stand HIS Ground,” fight back, and use
any means necessary to preserve his
life. What goes into the mindset of a
segment of society that fault victims for defending themselves in order to
justify an incomprehensible act?
Moreover, I’ve heard mention that since Trayvon was 6’3” he
was most likely construed as an adult. Again, that doesn’t have anything to do
with this case. Trayvon weighed between 140-150
pounds! Any rational person knows how
scrawny that is. To put this into
perspective, I am 6’ and weigh 180 pounds.
Although I’m not small, no one would ever mistake me for a body
builder. That monster was nearly 250
pounds at the time of the murder! He outweighed
Trayvon by almost 100 pounds. No matter
how tall Trayvon was, that monster would have easily been able to over take him
by sheer mass and strength.
What has become extremely apparent in recent photos of the
monster is that he has been losing weight.
Whether intentional or unintentional, this is yet another ploy for the
monster to appear sympathetic to his supporters, the media, and ultimately the
jurors. It will definitely become
important as the case moves forward through to trial if he continues to shed
the pounds. The reason being is because
at the time of the incident, as previously mentioned, the monster, though much shorter,
significantly outweighed Trayvon. By
outweighing him, one can easily see how menacing and physically intimidating he
can be; especially in the dark. If he
loses those pounds, which he’s obviously doing, he looks less intimidating. I’m
sure the defense will use his new “thinner” frame as a visual comparison to
Trayvon at the time of his death.
Hopefully special prosecutor Angela Corey and her team have taken a
close, full bodied picture of the monster at the time of the murder because a shrunken
monster is visually very powerful and could be helpful in his defense. On the
other hand, the prosecution can show that this is yet another ploy for the
defendant to appear much smaller in an attempt to garner sympathy from the
court.
There’s an innate instinct to want to preserve one’s life.
Trayvon fought for his life on a dark street where there was no one to protect
him and I am humbled and proud of him for doing so. He gave up his life for the right to his dignity
and honor. He stood steadfast in the
face of hatred and although his life was taken, it was not lost in vain. The fact that he fought back is inspirational
and it puts all racist and bigots on notice that we are men, and we are not
going to be slaughtered in the streets like animals without a fight. We will forever retain our self respect at
all cost. Period.
This should be an open and shut case. However, there are many on both sides that
believe the second degree murder charge set forth by the district attorney is
extreme and will not stick. They think a
lesser charge of manslaughter would have been more viable and appropriate. But
the monster intentionally killed a kid! He shot himself out of a brawl that he
provoked. He created the deadly situation for the murder to take place. That’s
murder two! If he’d gotten up in the morning and said, “I’m going to kill a
Black kid today,” that would be murder one.
If he’d had a fight with Trayvon and accidently
killed him, that would be manslaughter.
In this particular case, second degree murder is the appropriate charge.
Whether he is convicted of that charge is a completely different
matter. However, I don’t believe the DA
purposefully charged him with murder two under the pretenses of getting him off
because she knows those charges won’t stick.
It was appropriate and hopefully she will get a conviction.
Because this is such a racially charged case, many people
feel that the issue of race should not be a factor. In spite of those
sentiments, this was a hate crime and race was definitely a motive. Trayvon wasn’t targeted in spite of his race;
he was targeted because of it and thus doing so, actualized the worst nightmares
of most African American communities and mobilized many people of all
ethnicities.
Most African American parents teach their sons to walk and
not run in the presence of authority.
They teach us to be respectful, and most importantly, to show our hands,
at all times, when stopped by the police or anyone with perceived power. It is an important survival “talk” that’s
meant to keep us safe. We are taught to understand
the fear of police officers and their unwavering regard to lump every African
American male into one stereotyping category.
Therefore regardless of our achievements, economic status,
neighborhoods, or upbringing, most of us are very cognizant of who we are and
more importantly, who we are perceived to be.
I could be wrong, but I don’t think White parents have the same “talk”
with their male children. In fact, I
would infer they probably teach them that they don’t have to fear anything,
especially police or anyone of authority because in most cases that authority
looks like them or have assimilated to their way of thinking.
When narrowed down to its lowest denominator, Trayvon was
killed specifically because he was an African American kid in the right place,
at the wrong time. Had he been White,
there wouldn’t have been a 911 call and Trayvon would have made it home
safely. In fact, the monster may have
even struck up a friendly conversation with him and if he followed him, it
would have only been to insure his protection.
Supporters of the monster would also have everyone believe
that this couldn’t have been a hate crime because he strategically switched from
being White to Hispanic and most recently
from Hispanic to Hispanic with a bit of African
ancestry. As if being a person of color somehow makes him exempt from harboring
inherent racist attitudes. That is a
tactical ploy to smoke screen the issue.
Although every race has its propensity to be discriminatory,
I want to make something clear, I’m going to be completely honest and my intent
is not to offend anyone. With that being
said, Hispanics have just as much proclivity to assimilate racist behaviors as
any other group. In fact, Hispanic male
gang members have been targeting and killing African Americans for several years
in an effort to ethnically cleanse their neighborhoods. Unfortunately no one is fervently talking
about it or telling the truth. The
printed media is riddled with African Americans being gunned down by Hispanics
seeking gang initiation or bragging rights.
Hispanic gang leaders have even instructed foot soldiers on how to efficiently hunt and kill innocent
African Americans; their motives, in these instances, being nothing more than
race.
Some semi-invested community organizations are lightly
discussing the issue by holding half hearted meetings about bridging the gap
between African American and the Hispanic communities, but no one has the
courage to articulate the real problems.
We have somehow become a society where politically correctness has taken
precedent over what’s really taking place in communities all across the
country. This has weakened our ability
to speak honestly about the problems that are plaguing communities were African
Americans and Hispanics live and congregate. Most so-called leaders won’t even put the
issue on their agenda for fear it’s not kosher or doesn’t forward their dossier
of obtaining or maintaining the African American and/or Hispanic constituency.
Even Mexican president, Vicente Fox, has made comments with serious
racial undertones regarding African Americans by stating to a group of Texas
businessmen that, “There is no doubt that Mexicans, filled with dignity,
willingness and ability to work, are doing jobs that not even blacks want to do
there in the United States.” He later
apologized, but then within the same year the Mexican government issued a
series of 5 postage stamps depicting a derogatory black cartoon character known
as Menin Pinguin. The popular character
in Mexican comic books is drawn with exaggerated features, thick lips and wide
open eyes. The boy’s apelike appearance,
speech and mannerisms are the topic of mockery by the White characters in the
comic book!
Something clearly has to be done about bridging the
perceptual gap between both communities.
In many places across the country we occupy the same neighborhoods. Our children go to the same schools,
libraries and stores. It’s simply
foolish to fight for crumbs if and when the ruling establishment decides it’s
in their best interest to dole out. Only
when both communities are honest, able to speak freely and break down the
barriers of discord and mistrust, will changes have opportunities to manifest
themselves. We have influence each other’s cultures in so many ways, both in
this country and abroad, but we will never get to the beauty of our commonalities
unless we break down all the misconceptions, miscommunications and
misunderstandings.
With that being said, we have to prevent strategy from deflecting
from what’s really important and focus on the actual issues. If we don’t, then both communities will continue
to be misinformed, miseducated and killed in the streets either by ourselves,
each other, or any other ethnicity that harbors hatred towards both groups. At
the very least we need to stop fighting each other and concentrate on the
larger issues affecting our communities and this country.
What’s most shocking comes from monster supporter Chris Francescani. In a recent article he writes, “The
28-year-old insurance-fraud investigator comes from a deeply Catholic
background and was taught in his early years to do right by those less
fortunate.” That sound great, but I think he forgot to ask the monster if he
listened. It’s obvious that he didn’t because nothing in his article mentions
what he did for the “less fortunate” in his adult life. It mentions he was an alter boy and a
selfless Spanish translator for his middle school. Wow!
I’m impressed. I’m sure since he
spent a lot of time in church he was taught plenty of great Christian
principles. Did he learn, “love thy neighbor as thyself”? Or “But the stranger that dwelleth with you
shall be unto you as one born among you.”
How about, “Thou shall not kill”?!
Those are the one I learned growing up in my grandfather’s church. They’ve always been helpful to me as I
navigate through life. I don’t think
they did much for the monster though.
Maybe he still hadn’t gotten to those principles yet. Hopefully in jail he’ll have more time.
What’s pretty pathetic is Francescani’s attempt to deflate
the race debate by mentioning that the monster had a failed business venture
with an African American (That’s like a White person saying, “I’m not racist, I
have a Black friend.”) and the “dark family secret” of his great grandfather
being Afro-Peruvian. As if Blacks folks are supposed to go, “Oh,
wait…he’s not a racist. His great
grandfather was Black!” And everyone is
supposed to then close their mouths, bow their heads and slowly walk away. I
don’t
think so! I would bet that a month ago, the monster had never met,
seen, or even heard about his African roots.
For all intents and purposes the monster was White up until a few months
ago. At the very least, he was a light
skinned Hispanic who, in some cases, feels they are accepted by the larger
White community anyway. At any rate, this
is pretty much a last ditch effort to save his life by the defense. Too bad Trayvon was never afforded the same calculations.
Trayvon’s untimely death speaks to me and should speak to
all people of African decent in this country.
It’s a “wake up call” that says although we live in the greatest country
on the planet, there are still issues of race that we must deal with head on. The reality is; we can’t change the frame of
mind or intellect of a segment of our society that ignorantly demonizes and
fears us. These people will always consistently create rules of law and
systematic view points that are conveniently concealed in how society runs our
daily lives. They are purposefully and masterfully created to undermine our
confidence and keep us misinformed, fighting amongst each other, and ultimately
free labor behind bars.
Deep down inside this segment knows the true about us, but
they also know that we buy into their theory of self hatred, thus negating
what’s really true, because it doesn’t matter.
That’s the genius of their lie and why they continue the facade. Truth doesn’t matter if we buy into the
festering sores that bind our people and hold us hostage with silence.
Our community needs to be passionately cultured, prepared, proactive
and once again unified. We need to continue the drive for education, pride, and
a sense of communal legacy as if our lives depended on it, because in essence,
they do. As men, we are the pulse and
strength of a village that depends on us for guidance. No longer can we support the negative stereotypes
that we often bring upon ourselves through words, expressions and actions, thus
allowing other groups to give reason for our words, their hatred and actions against
us. No longer can we support deviant
behavior of any kind, no matter what the excuse or cost or challenge. No longer should we support radio,
television, or print media that degrade our people for money with their
offensive music, photographs or commentary and simultaneously don’t bring any
intrinsic value to our consciousness or images. No longer can we afford to
become the Joe Olivers of our community.
When I think of the name “Joe Oliver,” it becomes synonymous
with the term “Sell Out.” (Many people might use “Uncle Tom.” However, I don’t think that’s a fair
assessment because the original Uncle Tom from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 1851 novel,
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, was written in an attempt to be a rejection of the
existing stereotypes of the time. In the novel, the Uncle Tom character was a virile
man of great power and strong moral and religious character. He was very
different from the minstrel adaptations, often performed by White men in black
face, which in most cases portrayed him as shiftless, ignorant, apologetic, and
proslavery.) Here’s an African American
man who has the audacity to make the media rounds claiming to be a friend of
the monster.
Now, by all means, if this man were truly a friend then I
wouldn’t have a “leg to stand on.” If
they had a long standing rapport that was based on mutual understanding and congenial
respect, who would I be to judge? If they supported each other socially and
emotionally while sharing life experiences, aspirations and goals, then I would
be completely wrong in my condemnation. Yet by all accounts, this man was
little more or less of an acquaintance to the monster. Saying a few sentences to someone in a work
environment or social gathering doesn’t give you the authority to comment on
their emotional state at a time of crisis.
In spite of this, he has gone on every major news channel and discussed
the monster’s emotional state and character, as well as defended allegations of
racism, yet he hardly knows him from a “hole in the wall.”
Joe Oliver has become the “Black Face” (pun intended) of the
monster cause. This former CNN news
anchor seems as if he’ll try anything, including quit his current job in the
loan industry, to get back in the limelight. He’s already admitted that he
hadn’t been in contact with the monster for over a month after the murder took
place. He even had the audacity to say his
support for the monster was based on a “gut feeling.” Seriously?! I would like
to know if his “gut” knew of the monster’s three prior arrest for violent offences. What about the monster being fired from an
“under the table” job as a bouncer/security guard because he couldn’t control
his inappropriate aggressive behavior? How about the 46 times he called 911
over the past two years while performing his neighborhood watch “Captain”
duties or about the fact that it was against neighborhood watch regulations to
carry a gun while on patrol? But, the
most pressing question is; how are you
paying your bills while making the media rounds performing your minstrel show?
In this current economy, I wouldn’t quit my job for some of
my best friends! I love my friends
dearly and I wouldn’t abandon them, but I would take all interviews after work
or on the weekends. If I had to fly to Atlanta for an interview,
I’d make sure I had some vacation time or I’d suddenly develop the flu. At the very least, I’d take a leave of
absence. But I, by no stretch of the
imagination, would quit my job, unless I had some money coming in from somewhere…or I was independently
wealthy. Where is this man’s current
income coming from? If we were to dig
deep enough, would it lead back to the monster’s lair?
No amount of money would be enough for me to sell my soul. Even if my best friend murdered a kid of a different ethnicity, I would not
compromise my integrity for notoriety or money.
I owe that to my upbringing, community and self respect. I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I violated my
core values. How this man allows himself
to be exploited because of his race
is beyond my comprehension and should be beyond the comprehension of any
rational forward thinking person. It’s
deplorable and I hope he doesn’t think as a consequence for his “altruistic” backing,
he might one day see his glory days of being back in the line up of primetime
news.
News anchors are personalities the public trust. They have the perception of being nonbiased
and individuals who refuse to be corrupted. Mr. Oliver has already proven he’s
not trustworthy by selling out himself and surprisingly his family. On the contrary, FOX News might be just where
he ends up. I just hope he has good
moisturizer because that black grease paint can wreck havoc on the skin.
People should defy
their community when the notion for what’s right is more prevalent. There are many valiant people who defied
their ethnicities in order to sort out justice; Oskar Schindler, Abraham Lincoln,
Quincy Adams, Benjamin Franklin, William Garrison, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Bobby
Green, Titus Murphy, Terry Barnett and Lei Yuille, to name a few. However, it’s something else when you allow
yourself to be manipulated with the hopes of personal gain. It’s like the field
slave who runs and tells his master of an escape plot with hopes of being
“promoted” to the big house. The master
thwarts the escape, severely punishes the escapees and promotes the slave, but
in the end, when it’s all said and done, the slave is still a slave. He may have better food and a few more
tattered clothing, but he’s no more free to walk the Earth than he was prior to
his snitching.
One of the most powerful lessons I have learned from the
murder of Trayvon Martin is; an unfathomable belief in the fact that this is our
country too. We are not long term
visitors or resident aliens! We have
every right to believe in the phrase, “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness” because
our ancestors literally fought for it. Off
the blood, sweat and tears of our predecessors, this country was built and has
thrived into a symbol of hope and prosperity. We deserve and should continue to
demand all the rights and privileges of this great nation, including taking
stock in its well being and ownership. We need to become inspired by our legacy and stop
feeling sorry or ashamed about the way we got here and start looking at all
we’ve done and influenced in the time we’ve been
here. Only then will we become the
indestructible force God intended us to be; limited only by what we are
incapable of seeing or imagining.
Trayvon Martin’s death was not unlike many other countless
African American males who have been victimized by savages whose true intent
was to emasculate and demoralize. His death really hits home for me because it
reminds me that there are still people
in the world that believe my life doesn’t matter and it is up to me to continue
to prove to myself that it does. Trayvon
proved that his life mattered…and that resonates in my spirit. Out there all alone, in the dark of night,
with no one to help him, he gave his life to prove to himself and the world
that it meant something. That resounds in me and I will forever be affected.
What happened to that young man was ethically wrong and
should never happen to any kid, regardless of race. If you factor race out of the equation, the
facts still remain the same. A kid was unjustly confronted, attacked and
murdered and I would advise every, African American, White, Hispanic, Asian or
Native American who believes in the righteousness for the innocent to “Stand
Your Ground” in solidarity for justice.
The principals of law and order in a civilized society speak for
themselves. In many cases, fairness in
regards to African Americans and people of color have not always been fair, but
I believe we are about to change that collectively.
I don’t condone what the Black Panther Party referenced
regarding the bounty on the capture of the monster. Nor do I condone Spike Lee’s miscalculated tweet
of the monster’s address. I feel his
actions were irresponsible. On the other
hand, I definitely understand the helplessness we feel as a community…as we
remember the times waiting for justice…thousands dead…most are forgotten…most
were alone…in the dark of night…tormentors free…to live…and kill again…but we
patiently wait…for justice…another time…we patiently wait…that makes me very
afraid, if the outcome of this trial, does not end in a definitive second
degree murder conviction.
