While this is a sports blog, with four different men, giving four different opinions, for one purpose… the love of sports, I felt it would be morally wrong and insensitive of my own reality as a 25 year old African American male, if I didn’t use this platform to address the current state of our nation, which is stained by a brutal injustice boiling our society to its breaking point.
“Cops give a damn about a negro. Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he’s a hero.” The late great Tupac Shakur wrote those hard hitting lyrics back in 1992, and that evil mentality is a black cloud still hovering over this country to this day. However, I’d like to elaborate a tad bit on Pac’s word’s and make note of the fact that not only cops, but the entire United States judicial system does not give a damn about an African American life, and this latest tragedy is nothing more than another testament to that toxic way of thinking.
As we all know, Sunday February 26th 2012 marks the tragic evening when 17 year old Trayvon Martin was walking home to his step mother’s house, and before he got there was shot down in cold blood by George Zimmerman.
From what we know, we can put together a story that goes something like this: Trayvon was walking down the street with a bag of skittles and an iced tea. George Zimmerman, the impulsive self appointed neighborhood watch guy spots Trayvon. He then proceeds to follow him. Meanwhile, from what we know…Trayvon tells his girlfriend on the phone that some man (Zimmerman) is following him…she tells him to ignore the man and keep walking. While that’s going on, Zimmerman is telling 911 that Trayvon “looks suspicious,” he also prejudicially suggests that the young male “must be on drugs or something.” The conversation continues on with him saying all sorts of absurd criminalizing remarks, calling him a coon among other things. 911 then specifically orders Zimmerman NOT to follow Trayvon. A short time after this call, Trayvon lies dead in the grass, killed by Zimmerman.
He then claims he acted in self defense…Officials took him in to custody, but released him hours later. Even gave him his gun back. Now am I missing something?? This man just killed a 17 year old kid for absolutely NO reason, and you let him go? And give him the murder weapon back? Since when is that police protocol in a murder investigation?
Make no mistake about it…that’s exactly what this was… Murder…. In the first degree, and I find it appalling that this bogus “stand your ground” law of Florida has so far helped to exclude Zimmerman from a jail cell.
We all know that this was not an act of self defense; this was an act of unwarranted cruelty and hatred by an egotistic self appointed neighborhood watch man who saw a black kid walking in his neighborhood with a hoodie on so he decided he was going to kill him. And he’s simply let free…allowed to roam the streets as he pleases! How is this possible?
I think it’s fair for me to say that if Trayvon Martin would have been a seventeen year old white kid named Landon Miller, there’s no way George Zimmerman proceeds to follow, and ultimately kill him. And if that were to happen, there is no doubt in my mind that Zimmerman would have been locked up that night. Now I’m not trying to over dramatize the situation, these are just the facts of life in this society we call the “United” States of America. I’m just laying it out there in the open.
How blatant does the slaying of an innocent young black male have to be before justice can be served? Fact is, Trayvon Martin was walking harmlessly down the street, and he ends up dead on the sidewalk in the cold rain. Does the picture have to be painted any clearer? Does it get any more brutal and in your face than that? We all know who his killer is… yet nothing has happened.
If justice isn’t served in the system, would it be wrong to hold court in the streets? Of course that would be frowned upon, but what other options are left?? Occurences like these have gone on in this country since its inception. Have we forgotten about 1955, when Emmitt Till, a 14 year old African American boy was brutally beaten and killed by a group of white men in Mississippi because he spoke to a white woman?
Or how about Rodney King, who was brutally beaten in the street by LA police, when he was clearly not resisting and posed no threat that warranted the brutality he was treated with?
Not to mention Troy Davis, the 42 year old African American man, wrongfully given the death penalty for supposedly killing a police officer in 1989. Although there was plenty of refutable evidence that strongly suggested his innocence, not to mention the blatant tampering of witnesses. He spent 20 plus years in prison before being put to death in 2011. Davis maintained his innocence up until his last days.
These instances are only a couple among hundreds of tragic dehumanization’s of black males. There are MANY more cases like these that have either been public, or faded away unseen.
But this Trayvon Martin’s death is so horrifying, that a revolution may be on its way if justice is not served sooner than later. Our forefathers fought too hard for us to let situations like these continue to slide!
Illustrations such as this one exemplify the ignorance prevalent in the society we’re forced to live in. Uninhibited ignorance that we must cope with, and pretend doesn’t exist. But it does exist. And it can no longer be tolerated. This drawing is making a mockery of a sickingly heinous act! An act that should have never taken place!
The fact is, Zimmerman shouldn’t have even been carrying a weapon that night in the first place. According to the USAonwatch Neighborhood Watch program- “the way we teach it, and the way it has always been — is based on the premise that we don’t carry weapons, nor do we intervene in any incidents.” –grio.com-
But instead of looking deeper into the background and psyche of Zimmerman…somehow this tragedy has turned into an issue of Trayvon’s life prior to his tragic murder.
It frustrates me that one day I turn on the news, and I see a story about how Trayvon supposedly had an empty baggy of marijuana on him. Then I turn on the next day, and now they’re dissecting every facebook post or tweet he has ever posted on the INTERNET. Then there was his high school suspension… But NONE OF THAT has ANY bearing on the deadly events of February 26th. Can you imagine how his mother and father must feel?
Their son was murdered… his killer is still out free, and now Trayvon is being painted as this troubled black kid who was deserving of the fate he was dealt. Some media outlets are trying to turn this injustice into a justifiable circumstance, and that cannot be tolerated! An arrest must be made!
For our so called judicial system to work justly, George Zimmerman must be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. I do not recommend the death penalty as some may suggest when the time comes, (if it comes) because I believe that sentencing gives Zimmerman a go to hell free card…It’s the easy way out for him.
Zimmerman deserves to rot in prison and think about Trayvon for the rest of his life. But will that be enough? Will that be enough to change a racially charged society that takes its fear of us as African Americans and molds it into this sick, twisted hatred? NO, we as black people have been ridiculed, dehumanized, and singled out throughout the history of the United States, and it won’t stop until we make it stop.
Tupac again said it best,” We gotta make a change. It’s time for us as a people to start makin’ some changes. Let’s change the way we eat, let’s change the way we live, and let’s change the way we treat each other. You see the old way wasn’t working so it’s on us to do what we gotta do, to survive.”
CHANGE. President Obama used that word in repetition, really as the driving force of his 2008 Presidential campaign. But one thing is for certain, the emergence of the 1st ever African American president in Barack Obama did not change the racial undertone that has always haunted the United States. In fact, tensions seemed to have grown higher since his presidency began. His time in the White House has created an out in the open frenzy of racy comments and actions. And it’s given the extremist substantial reason to get extreme.
I mean really… when have you ever seen an individual in the political mix stand up and call the President of the United States a liar in the middle of his speech?? In front of everyone! But the reality check is this…with a black President comes heightened racial jabs. (Remember the chimpanzee cartoon?)
I bring this up for one reason. If the society we live in harbors such resentment towards an African American President, then tragedies’ like Trayvon are simply catastrophic dents in an entire system that needs to be broken down and re-shaped.
We’ve got to start pushing back! The nationwide hoodie rallies have definitely made it known that this tragedy will not go unnoticed and without serious public protest if justice is not served. And if Zimmerman is not taken in to custody in handcuffs VERY SOON; the rallies MUST increase in both number and effectiveness.
I’m talking about gathering every day. I’m talking about marching and holding rallies outside of every major city hall/ police department and major news station in EVERY state. I’m talking about an Occupy the Streets movement far bigger than the Occupy protests of a few months ago. This incident is GREATER than the Rodney King beating of 1992 that led to the LA Riots.
But with time comes maturity, and we’ve learned from the mistakes of those riots where we destroyed our own neighborhoods, and our own businesses. Now we’ve transformed into a community ready to progressively let our concerns be heard and seen around the world.
With this new age of social media at the fingertips of everyone willing to reach for it, there are no limits to the changes we can truly make. We have the power of numbers. Sports figures and political figures alike have displayed remorse for this tragedy by wearing their hoodies as a sign of public protests. We must all stand up and hold our ground. With relentless effort, tactical networking and diligent planning, The Revolution will be televised!
In a country that promises liberty and justice for all, where is the justice for young Trayvon Martin??
NO JUSTICE… NO PEACE!
By: Ibn Akbar
This is a very thought provoking post, and I applaud you for your eloquent words regarding this tragedy. I agree on many of your points Ibn. Zimmerman should be locked up and if this happened to white teen, he would be locked up. However, I don’t know enough about the situation to agree that he should locked up for life. A claim of self defense is just that, a defense, which means it should presented and proved with evidence at trial. Furthermore, the “stand your ground” statute blurs the line between police discretion in arresting individuals, prosecutorial powers to investigate and charge people with crimes, and a jury’s responsibility to determine guilt through factual analysis. In short, the law gives police the power of cop, prosecutor, and jury. The law perverts the judicial system and helps lead to these types of tragedies. As a black man, what happened to Trayvon and the subsequent response by the media and our culture sickens me but it also reminds me just how far we have to go. As a US citizen, I don’t know how anyone can stand by and not be outraged by the state not doing its job and allowing the infringement on the most basic human right, life. Sometimes I wonder who is watching the watchmen.
To anonymous, I would like to thank you for taking the time to make a comment on this story. And I appreciate the applause. Your response is very thought provoking as well, because i too often wonder “who is watching the watchmen.” An I’ve come to realize that the watch men are simply watching themselves. So its up to we , the people, to watch them. And thats exactly what the people will be doing if justice isn’t served, and the rallies get even more focused and even more frequent.
Anonymous you make a great point when you say “As a U.S citizen, I dont know how anyone can stand by and not be outraged by the state not doing its job and allowing the infringement on the most basic human right, life.” That right there is the primary reason why I felt it was so necessary to put out an article like this one. I felt I HAD to speak out. Hoping that others will see just how damaging it is that “the state” has failed to do its job once again.
Now I’m not the type of person to pull the race card for every little thing, but in my opinion this tragedy is Another instance of an African American life ENDED based on racial prejudice, with no consequence suffered.
And in response to your comment about Zimmerman being locked up for life. I suggest a sentence like that because I see no other justice for taking a life unjustly, then to have your own life taking away while your still alive. And thats exactly what it would be if he were to spend the rest of his life in prison.
Hopefully justice is served appropriately and firmly by the time this all plays out. But I’m truly worried that George Zimmerman will walk away from this without any consequence for taking Trayvon Martin’s life. And if that happens…The people, inclulding myself, can not stand by and let this tragedy simply fade away. We have to make our voices and actions heard around the world, or things will never change.
Thank you again for your comments. And I encourage others who are reading, or have read this article to comment as well.
This “article” is so racially bias from the beginning it is sickening. (Not to mention choosing the baby-faced 5 year old picture of Trayvon rather than choosing a picture of him at 17) Clearly the “author” has an agenda to push and somehow knows more facts about the case than anyone else in US. I like how the “author” talks about the “facts” of the case but fails to mention the several eye witness accounts who say Trayvon was standing over top of Zimmerman and that ZIMMERMAN was screaming for help. Also, you should know that voice experts agree that Zimmerman did NOT use the word “coon” , but hey don’t let facts get in the way of pushing your “it so hard for us in America” agenda. Not to mention Trayvon was wearing a HOODIE!!! You also seem to play the race card A LOT in this article, talking about a black cloud hanging over the country. I didnt realize that African Americans and Liberal Hispanics were in the midst of a race war, leaving the African American people fighting for their rights. I hope that African Americans and Liberal Hispanics can find peace amongst their race war soon! I hope that you continue to keep an open mind and can fight for justice for whomever was in the right on that fateful night. As the facts continue come out it looks as though ZImmerman truly was defending himself. Justice is blind, and we should be to . Fight for justice. In this case it looks like Zimmerman was justified.
Also, the fact he sold and smoked marijuana, was suspended from school, assaulted a bus driver, and displayed profrain language/pictures on Facebook an Twitter ha A LOT to do with this case and will be a heavy influence in court; if this case ever even goes to court. It shows that Trayvon wasn’t the innocent little boy that the media has made him out to be; it shows that, in fact, he was a very troubled teen with a history of violence, a lack of respect for authority (neighborhood watchmen), and a history of “thuggish” and gang-related actions. Couple this with the fact he had burglary tools in his backpack, gold teeth or a “grill”, and was “inked up” we begin to see what Trayvon stood for. With these things in mind, there is A good chance Trayvon was the aggressor and it could actually lead to charges against his mother and father for child neglect!!! Just my opinion.
Your name says “Colorblind”, however your response says that you are anything but!! The fact that you mention Trayvon’s hoodie, his gold teeth, and the fact that he’s “inked up” shows your negative disposition towards attributes of Trayvon that relfect his affinity towards mainstream culture. I watch the TV show “The Apprentice”, and one of the most successful cast members of this season is Paul Teutul, a white man in his 50s who made his fortune selling motorcycles; Paul is ten times more “inked up” than Trayvon could ever be, however I am pretty sure that you would NEVER characterize him as being “thuggish and gang related”, therefore you make these erroneous judgements solely based on the color of Trayvon’s skin. It is this kind of mentality that keeps our country so divided among the racial lines.
I am a very successful middle-class corporate manager, and yes, on the weekends I like to wear my jeans, t-shirt, and maybe even a hoodie!! You would be suprised (or mabe you wouldnt be) how many times I have walked into a store or a car dealership and have been profiled, discriminated against, and even disparaged simply because I like to dress comfortably, and it is sad that people like you use such shallow determinations to judge others. I can assure you that I won’t change the way I dress, the music I listen to, or the styles that I identify with in order to change the masses, and people like you will continue to miss out on a sale, miss an opportunity, risk lawsuits, etc. until you wake up and accept the fact that all Americans don’t look like/talk like/dress like YOU.
The bottom line is this: had Trayvon been a 17 year old rich white kid with tatoos and a hoodie, and Zimmerman was a large 28 year old black man with a gun, we wouldn’t be having this discussion because Zimmerman would be buried UNDER the jail (that is, if the cops didn’t find a way to jusify killing him on the way to the station for “resisting”, etc). It’s time for “Colorblind” and people like you to wake up, take off the blinders, and know that we are here to stay so get used to it or go find a nice bridge to jump off of!!
First Colorblind, I will address your initial comment. And I would like to start off by saying I am not the least bit surprised at the ignorant comments you chose to post on this blog. There are thousands upon thousands of mindless maniacs, such as yourself, that are incapable of understanding the magnitude of a situation like this. But I digress..
You begin your comments by highlighting the fact that I chose to use a younger picture of Trayvon Martin as opposed to a more up to date photo? Are you trying to suggest that a more present picture would reveal Trayvon as some sort of young teenage hoodlum of some sort? (We’ll get back to your ignorance in that matter in a second) But the funny part about it is that in almost EVERY picture that has been put out of Trayvon; he has been seen with a grand smile on his face, looking happy with both friends and family, and with his football team.
So already your first comment is based on pure IGNORANCE. And to make matters worse, you highlight the fact that Trayvon “was wearing a HOODIE!!” Are you saying that all young black males walking around with a hoodie on deserve to be shot down?? You probably are! But lets put your OBVIOUS prejudice against young black males aside and get to the facts as we respectively see them.
Now listen to yourself for a second, ” the author failed to mention the several eye witness accounts who say ‘Trayvon was standing over the top of ZIMMERMAN and that ZIMMERMAN was screaming for help.” You’ve GOT to be kidding me!? What several eye witnesses are you speaking of? Are you privy to information about this case that the rest of the WORLD has been kept in the dark about? Now I do recall an eyewitness saying that she witnessed George Zimmerman kill Trayvon Martin, and she did not believe Zimmerman was acting in self defense. But of course that witness has not been heard from in weeks.
But even without eyewitness accounts, its HARD to imagine that George Zimmerman was being attacked, an almost killed, by 17 year old Trayvon Martin, who is half the size of Zimmerman. We’ve all seen the video footage of Zimmerman being brought into the police station with no apparent cuts, scrapes, bruises, or anything that would suggest he had within a matter of a couple hours survived a brutal fight for his life! What happened to his “broken nose?” Where was the blood??! It’s obvious that extremists such as yourself will hold on to any version of these outlandish lies as long as they signify the innocence of George Zimmerman, and the justified murder of Trayvon Martin.
And to wrap up my rebuttle on your 1st comment, I must address your dilusional attempt at suggesting this whole black vs hispanic “race war.” Let me clarify that the fact that Zimmerman (the son of a retired US magistrate judge) being Hispanic has little to do with the fact that ANOTHER African American life was taken with no justice being served. Zimmerman’s ethnicity does not change the fact that this was a racially charged incident.
It is another testament to this stigma that all young black males are out to commit some sort of ill intent. Even further, the point is that the American judicial system is FAILING to do it’s job, and it has once again proven that it is not “colorblind.” But again, you WOULDNT understand that.
Now for your second comment. There is little there to work with, as your ENTIRE argument is based solely on ignorant and racial assumptions that had absolutely NO BEARING on the tragic events of that night. You are a microcosm of the very sick and twisted mentality that our society needs to get RID of.
But again, you are merely one of countless others who share the same idiotic view point in this matter, and in society in general, and I accept the challenge of beating you and everyone like you over the head with the TRUTH. And the truth is:George Zimmerman MUST be locked up and tried in the court of law for the murder of Trayvon Martin committed on the night of Feb 26th 2012.
BOTTOM LINE IS THIS THE POLICE DEPT DROPPED THE BALL THE DA’S OFFICE DROPPED THE BALL.NOW THE FEDS ARE GOIN TO GET INVOLVED(ANYONE KNOWS NO STATE MUNICIPALITY WANTS THE FEDS SNOOPING AROUND THEIR STATE.TRUTH IS THE STORY IS UNRAVELLING AS WE SPEAK.WE LEARNED THAT GEORGE TRIGGERMAN IS A CONNECTED/PROTECTED INDIVIDUAL IN THE FLORIDA COUNTY BUT NONE OF THAT MEANS JACK TO THE FEDS.JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED BROTHERS AND SISTAS JUST WAIT.TOO BAD AND A TRAVESTY THAT THE FEDS HAVE TO GET INVOLVED.LOOK YOU HAVE A DA WHO STEPPED DOWN AND THE CHIEF OF POLICE,WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU??IDICTMENT IS ON IT’S WAY
My take on your article triggers two responses in me. One is from a emotional positions which sees a young African American responding to a tragedy that touched him deeply, the killing of Trayvon
Martin. I have great respect for any young person getting involved in the issues of their day and speaking out with great passion! but i respectfully disagree that this a” tragedy that sparked a revolution” Yes I do agree that the lost of human life in their youth is a tragedy, but the lost of many human lives in their youth is a greater crime! African American youth are perpetrating a greater crime against their own neighborhood then any racist i have ever seen in this day a time!
I was reading a article last week in Chicago about 158 murders by African Americans youth against African American youths! (that’s for just Chicago! what about other major cities around the country– Baltimore, DC, New York, Boston, TX, etc) This should spark a revolution! we should be out raged that our young people a killing themselves at such a alarming rate!
Yes, Trayvon death is a tragedy, and people have a right to speak out if they want to. But where are their voices against the tragedy in Chicago by their own people! African American have a tendency to point the finger at other people, but they fail to point the finger at themselves.
This article is not about pointing the finger at a Hispanic, or whites, but too bring to the attention of your readers to something bigger than the Trayvon issue!
The great Diversion!
I believe this is a great mass diversion to take minds of the masses of people away from the real great issues of our day. The real issue of our day is not race!, the real issue is this unbalance, unequal distribution of wealth! How fair is it that 1% owns 99% of the worlds wealth!
The masses of people on a global scale is getting tied of this unbalance, a world leaders are beginning to feel the pressure points breaking,
That’s why we see this upraising in Syria and other places in the Middle East. The world leaders are afraid that it might take place in Europe and America on a large scale.
They see signs of it with the march on Wall Street! and also the protest in other States over Union issues.
So to stop the pressure from the masses on them, they find something to divert your attention from the most important issue -( share the wealth!) They know that most of the people are emotionally charged up when it comes to the race issue(they created the charged to work against you) and race has always worked for them in the past! — reduce their minds to see thing only in black and white and they will never see things from a Universal prospective!
To see things from a universal prospective, mean i see what’s wrong done to any human being on this earth , not just black or white! also it put you in a position of mind not to just compete with the white man or the black man, you compete with the best of all men on this earth! don’t you know that’s have been the hidden power of some the most powerful people on this earth! do you think that Steve Jobs just competed with just white folks or black folks! no he competed with the best minds on this earth and he found a niche that made him billions!
This is also the other diversion they want to take your minds off of: The untapped potential in the human being that comes with his birth. They know that if the attention is given to unleashing your inborn potential, you will be a great threat to their wealth holding! why because you will be competing for wealth and power, and that means the pie will be getting small, if the mass of people are competing on a global scale !
The last observation of this diversion: Opportunity, this is the best time in human history to make great advances in your personal life,as we know knowledge is at your finger tip, you can talk to and reach people all over this earth without leaving your house! We can do business globally with the touch of a mouse! You can learn a new language without ever stepping into a class room!
I could go on an on about the new global opportunities for the common man. I’am talking about global competition on a mass level! this is the greatest global threat the world leaders has ever seen in human history- Mass competition from the common people world wide! and believe me the opportunity is here. They don’t want the many to focus on these new global opportunities , so they create a diversion for your mind and spirit to hold on to. So my message is to all people you still have their head on right, do not let your mind be used as a advocate for the wrong thing, keep you mind focus on taking advantage of the great purpose for mankind on this earth- work to serve all people in the best excellence of the human being
Peace
No one could have said it better than you did. I have two teenage sons and I could not imagine losing them in such a tragic way. Especially with nothing being done about it. This is so unbelievably racist that it makes no sense at all & I will stand up for Trayvon as if he was my own. Justice needs to be served & there needs to be something extremely big happening in every state on the same day @ the same time. Let there be justice for Trayvon & all black men, young and old!
Ms. Wilkins, I truly appreciate you taking the time to both read and comment on this article. I would also like to thank you for commending me on the content. I’m glad I was able to reach you the way I did.
The whole reason for me putting this piece together was to ensure that the magnitude of this tragedy didn’t go unnoticed. And your firm comments are a true testament for me that this article is serving its purpose. You mentioned that you have two teenage sons, and I can tell that your sincerity comes from that very fact. Trayvon Martin could have been any black parent’s child. And every parent would want justice for there child in the case of a tragedy like this.
If Zimmerman is not arrested and tried in court, then we the people must do all we can to have that non judgement reversed! As you mentioned “there needs to be something extremely big happening in every state on the same day @ the same time,” and that should happen on as many days as it takes for Zimmerman to be taken into custody. And if he isn’t convicted with the appropriate amount of years, then “there needs to be something extremely big happening in every state on the same day @ the same time.” And that must continue until justice is served!
Thank you again for your comments Ms. Wilkins, it means alot.
George Zimmerman has been taken into custody and charged with 2nd degree murder. This is a big step towards justice for Trayvon Martin, but it is only the beginning. Now comes the tough part. Trial. Trayvon’s mother made a great comment in her press conference when she mentioned that ALL people, black, white, hispanic, asian, etc… came together to protests the outcome of this tragedy. Lets all pray that justice is served in the coming months.