Tuesday, April 03, 2012

About Trayvon Martin and Justice and When Hate and Racism Lead to Killings in Our Country.......


Originally publish 3.25.12
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"And I know that Justice is Indivisible, Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere"~~MLK

30 Days ago Trayvon went out to get a Iced Tea, some Skittles for his little step brother. All he was armed with was a Cellphone (that as far as we know is still missing ?) and he was wearing a Hoodie because it was damp and rainy. And he never made it Home. He died violently just 60 feet from his own Home. And yet his parents knew nothing , had no idea where he was or what had happened. As a mom I am horrified for this family. I can not imagine something so Simple turning into such a Nightmare. And I keep thinking about that Little Brother sitting by that Door waiting for his Big Brother to return. What did they tell him ? How do they tell him ? How do you talk to someone so Small about Hate ? About Racism ? About Death ? About Losing your Hero, your Big Brother ?

And millions of moms and dads across the Country are trying to have Conversations about this Horrible Death, This Murder with their own sons. What do you say, and how do you explain this ? And the Media is trying to spin it a certain way, yet there are too many Ugly Truths that must be talked about and explored. Questions must be asked and asked Loudly. A Neighbor said to me, we have been talking about this to our boys for years, telling them how to carry themselves, how to act and how to speak. I told her I thought her son had always been polite, but she nodded knowingly with sad wise eyes. It's true I am white and my son is white, and she opened my eyes to what is real and ugly. But as a Mom I know that I should speak out about this, regardless of what color I am. We all should Speak Out, because there has been No Justice.

And the MSM would rather have a tidy discussion about Property Rights and the "Stand Your Ground Law". Yet that is not the issue, because if Trayvon had been white and walking around Zimmerman would not have called the police and not stalked him and called him a "Fucking Coon" and followed him with his car or on foot. And confronted him. And he would not have shot him ...Dead. And this "Stand Your Ground " NRA motivated sponsored law would not have even be known about, and it is a Dangerous Law that we should be talking about. Yet we must make sure we are asking the hard questions about the Murder of Trayvon by the self appointed Vigilante of the gated Community. And we must be sure we are asking Hard Questions about the Police of this Town. Because no one 's son should lay on a cold slab unidentified, murdered left as a John Doe, especially when he was carrying a cellphone. And as a Nurse I have real questions about where is the EMS reports from The Scene, was he rendered ANY Medical Care AT ALL ? His Family was never even showed where their son died, not a single Policeman or City Official took them to the scene and showed them.

I , like so many others, have listened to all the 911 tapes ( Mother Jones has them all ) and I was chilled to the bone to hear that young boy yelling for help , and listening to the neighbors calling about hearing a fight, and then hearing the cries for help and then the gunshot and the Silence. ( The Guardian, Alternet, Raw Story, Think Progress, and Mother Jones have all been doing fine Investigative Reporting on this horrible death).

And yes about the Law, here are some very concerning Stats about this Law that is now in 24 States from Alternet:
In the first five years “Stand Your Ground” was in effect, justifiable homicides tripled, and the law was a factor in at least 93 cases involving 65 deaths. An investigation of cases from the law’s passage in 2005 to 2010 found that charges were dropped or dismissed for 57 people, and 7 others were acquitted. [Tampa Bay Times]
The "Stand Your Ground " Laws should not enable Anyone to be able to Hunt Someone down and Kill them or Harm Them. Period.

We need to be talking about Hate and Racism and some of the groups and politicians and Media that are peddling and promoting the Hate. Because since President Obama became President ( and even campaigned) the Hate groups have been growing, and it is about Racism, and we do have a Problem. ( You can read more about Hate Crimes and activity at The Southern Poverty Law Center Website). And yes the Tea Party Antics and Rallies of the Summer of 2009 were full of Hate and Bigotry, and it has never died down. And the Media is responsible for enabling and coddling this Hate Group, and legitimizing their Smears, Lies and Racism. And during this GOP Election cycle they are still doing it. We need Truth Telling on All levels, for without it, there can be No Justice.

It's been 30 Days, It's time for the MSM to do their Jobs, Investigate Trayvon's Death, Ask the Hard Questions. It's 2012 And A Man shot a boy in the chest and killed him. And it's time for all of us to demand Justice for this young boy, before it happens again. The Little Boy in this photo is right, WHO IS NEXT ?

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Enigma Epilogue....Footnotes on this Discussion...

And yet in an odd way I do know that in Our History Being Black is dangerous, my great-grandfather was black, and he and his wife and their Love suffered many generations for that Reality. And their love led to Secrets and a buried well hidden love affair
because Mixed Marriages were not tolerated in 1920 America, and he bore a large scar on his chest and he and his beloved Ethel lived apart....in America.....that was less than a 100 years ago...So I have to wonder how Alive and how Deep is Hate in America ? Are Lynchings still going on ? Have they now been legalized and legitimized with well crafted laws and ineffective Police ? And no need for a Rope....now there are guns...

1 comment:

Fran said...

Of course this was a racist hate crime. I don't think any amongst us believes a white/blonde girl of the same age, wearing a pink hoodie would have been shot dead, like Trayvon was.

BUt once again it is the "plus gun" part that made it lethal. If the self appointed neighborhood watch guy was not armed, Trayvon would probably still be alive today.

Legit Neighborhood watch programs specifically prohibit carrying firearms.... they are there to literally keep watch over neighborhoods & if something looks wrong, they notify police, who then take over the situation & investigate. Even cops w special training screw up, but a volunteer watchperson is expected to basically stay out of the situation.

The shooter, Zimmerman got his nose broken & some scrapes in the melee. Can you blame the 17 year old, who was walking down the street & suddenly being chased by an adult male with a gun. In the flash of that moment, he had no idea what this guy's deal was.... was he a kidnapper? was he a robber? Why was he after Trayvon?
From the kid's point of view, an armed and dangerous man was coming after him out of the blue. He instantly knew his life was in danger, he just did not know why.

Zimmerman's list of offenses are long--
• He failed to obey the 9-11 operator telling him NOT to follow the teen.
Although operators are not officers, they do work for the department & are told to instruct callers.
• Zimmerman has his own history of domestic violence.
• Zimmerman escelated the situation by following/chasing the young man, while packing his gun.
Had he backed off, he would have observed the kid going home to a nearby residence.

That is the problem w prejudice-- in his mind he' already pre judged that this kid was black, bad, and up to no good. He assumed he did not belong in the neighborhood, and that "they always get away with it".
Every one of his assumptions was *wrong*.
So he was already *seeing red*, before he even got out of the car.
Once a person gets in that emotional state, they lock into a frenzy that prevents them from holding back, wait & see.... in this case see the truth that this teen was fine.
Too bad he was not armed.
There may have been a physical scuffle, but there would not have been an innocent life lost.

A senseless tragedy. A huge loss of a young promising life lost. This was not a case of standing your ground, this was deadly racism.

But the shooter has ruined his own life as well. He is now in hiding, and he no longer goes to work, because it would disrupt and endanger his co workers (read they don;t want him there).
For as much "power" being the only holder of a weapon wielded in that horrible moment he killed that boy, he is now reduced to hiding from public. He was so concerned about safety, that now the tables have turned. He is not safe to live his life, and frankly will for sure not be safe in jail. They are going to need to take him far away & change his name, or he will have to be in solitary confinement "for his own protection". His life will never be the same, which will only lead to his increased paranoia.