Today I woke up extremely disheartened, not because of anything that occurred in my life per-say but due to things I see occurring in society. As I was surfing the web doing some mundane task, I stumbled upon an article that broke my heart and I knew I had to tell this story. The article painted a picture that was so horrifyingly colorful that it brought tears to my eyes. On the 19th of March in the year 2012, I was introduced to a young man named Trayvon Martin. Trayvon, a promising 17 year old so full of the innocence that we all took for granted at that age, walked freely iced tea in one hand and a bag of Skittles in the other hoping to quench his sweet tooth; never did he imagine in his still maturing mind that his trip to the local store would be his last. The store being a short walk away was the obvious place to buy the sweets he had been craving, so off he went. On his way back, so immersed in the phone conversation he was having with his girlfriend, Trayvon noticed he was being followed. He continued to walk along the sidewalk acutely aware of the ominous presence trailing him; we would later learn that the presence had a name, George Zimmerman. On February 26th, 2012, Trayvon Martin came face to face with what would now be known as pure unsolicited hate.
Zimmerman, the self appointed "neighborhood watch" captain was on one of his many "tours of duty" when he saw Trayvon walking back from the store. The mere presence of Trayvon in his neighborhood presented a proposed threat to Zimmerman so he dialed 911. When the operator asked him to state his emergency, Zimmerman stated that there is a "suspicious guy in his neighborhood who looks as though he's up to no good or on drugs or something", he continued his call filled with assumptions and racial epithets. Zimmerman was instructed by the 911 dispatcher to stay away from the presumed threat and wait for the police to arrive. Instead he chose to pursue this presumed threat, after all, why wait on the police when these "f@#king Coons" always get away? Zimmerman, a White and Hispanic male, continued to follow and stalk Trayvon. I mention his race only because it's now become his defense against accusations of racism.
Trayvon, fearing for his safety, tried to dodge and elude George Zimmerman as he was still being pursued by the "watch captain" despite his being told to stand down and await the authorities. For a split second Trayvon thought he had gotten away only to find himself cornered. Zimmerman seeing this, ponced on his prey and began to assault Trayvon and then fatally shot him in the chest a few moments later. Trayvon lay dead; near his body would be found a bag of Skittles and a bottle of Iced Tea. No weapon, no drugs, no threat. It would later be heard by witness accounts and 911 tapes, that Trayvon was screaming for help and attempted to fight for his life. His efforts proved futile since his attacker was not only armed but outweighed him by almost 100 pounds. A neighbor reported seeing George Zimmerman on top of Trayvon choking him just before killing him. George Zimmerman would later tell the Sanford police officers that he acted in self defense; he felt threatened by Trayvon and had no alternative but to defend himself even if the result was death. Police officials accepting his account of the incident, did not administer a drug or alcohol test nor did they feel the need to further investigate the killing of Trayvon Martin. George Zimmerman would go free. Free to live as he'd been living; free to walk the streets; free to breathe, to eat, to sleep and most disturbingly, he is free to continue his "hobby" of hunting and stalking his "prey". George Zimmerman is free to live, while Trayvon Martin's freedoms were stripped from his very hands.
Trayvon's parents, Tracy Martin and Sabrina Fulton, being understandably outraged by the cold blooded, calculated and methodical murder of their 17 year old son, launched an online petition in hopes of it leading to the arrest and prosecution of George Zimmerman. This incident is especially disturbing in 2012. One would think in this day and age, we as a society, as a people, as part of the human race, would have moved passed the days of "stalk and prey". One would imagine that the freedom to walk on a sidewalk in a middle class, integrated community would be just as permissible as drinking a glass of water. As far as we've come as a society it appears we have that much further to go. All of the steps that were taken by freedom fighters of all races, to enact equality for all seems to have been erased with one swipe. How can we move forward? How can we as a world learn from this tragedy? What does one say to a mother that's lost her beloved child and more importantly what does one do to make sure that there isn't another Trayvon Martin? It is my true hope that justice will be served for not only Trayvon Martin, but for all of the Trayvon's that were and all that could be. For one moment, I wished that George Zimmerman had listened to or even read "I have a dream" by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Then maybe, if only for a second, he would have seen the potential of our world and then, maybe then, those words would have detoured him from his hate filled existence. In my mind, in my vision for the future, this is the line that would have sparked the much needed change in him.
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"I have a dream that my four little
children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the
color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
Had George Zimmerman practiced what this quote preaches,
Trayvon Martin may have had a fighting chance at a full life. I've already
signed Trayvon's petition for justice and I would encourage you to do the same,
if not for yourself, do so for your children, their children and so on. Justice
shouldn't be based on the color of one's skin, it should be a basic human right
afforded to everyone.
Signed Your Conscience...
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It's a sad thing to accept, but racism hasn't been eradicated, it's just that racists have mastered the art of concealing it and flipping the script to act as the prey instead of the predators that they truly are. Even if the Trayvons of the world don't get the justice they need from those in charge of the man-made laws, there's going to come a time when God will deliver justice that no man will be able to twist or escape...
ReplyDeleteBeautifully stated and as always true as ever. It's so incredibly sad and disheartening to think that the color of your skin dictates whether or not the wheels of justice turn. One would imagine that in 2012 things like this wouldn't happen but as you've so accurately pointed out, racism is alive and unfortunately well in this world. The Trayvon's of this world come in so many shapes, colors and sizes and that's the thing people don't realize. God's justice isn't blind, prejudice or bending so one way or another, his will be done. That my friend, we can both find comfort in.
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