In the recent light of the Trayvon Martin case and the not
guilty verdict, I have been hearing some disturbing things that concern me
about people’s outlook on black people.
I hear that because Zimmerman was Hispanic that he could not have
profiled Trayvon. This may come as a new
flash, but minorities can be racist against other minorities. Black people do profile other black people
just as I am sure Asian people profile Hispanic people and so on and son forth. Some other things that I hear is that
Zimmerman had a black friend or took a black girl to prom, and all other type
of nonsense that proves because he associated with some black people, he could
not have possibly profiled Trayvon. With
my undergraduate degree being in criminal justice, this is somewhat of a
passionate topic for me. So I wanted to
give my opinion on the whole thing.
I think the real issue here is not that George Zimmerman is
racist against every black person. But that he stereotyped Trayvon for a thug
because of the way he was dress and looked (him being black and the way he was
dressed being another part). So yes that does equate to racial profiling. Just
because Zimmerman likes some black people or took one to prom doesn't mean that
he is blind to race or did not judge Trayvon. Just because he has one black
friend or whatever does not mean like he likes all black people or doesn't mean
that race did not play a factor in his decision to approach Trayvon. I think
that Zimmerman thought he was chasing a thug that was trying to rob the
neighborhood based off his appearance. Had it been a 17 year old white teen
walking around in the area, dressed in khakis and a shirt, I can guarantee he
would not have been shot, followed, or even approached. And that ladies and
gentleman is the definition of racial profiling. I think that what most
people's point is when supporting Trayvon and making it a race issues that
others who do not support cannot understand. Zimmerman supporters do not understand this aspect
and feel that black people are playing the victim and making it a race
issue. I think by the remarks of some white
people are quite disturbing (even the juror that gave the television interview)
racism has become so imbedded in some peoples mind that they say it and do not
even see that it is racist.
An example of this was a television personality that tried
to compare Trayvon’s case to a case in which a black man grabbed a gun to
defend himself against looters that were white.
She said people supported the black man and tried to say there was no difference
in Trayvon’s case. I think what she was
missing was that Trayvon was not a criminal, looter, or was not in the neighborhood
to do harm to anyone. He was just trying
to go home. She herself categorized Trayvon
as a criminal by comparing him to this other case, when it was like comparing
apples and oranges.
Like one juror said Zimmerman’s heart was in the right place
when he decided to follow Trayvon because of the recent break in’s in the area
by black people. My response is this just
because there were break in's does not mean that Trayvon did them, nor does it
mean that he deserved to be followed and die because of other black people's
mistakes. I keep hearing that Zimmerman
was justified in his decision to follow Trayvon, because of what other black
people that Trayvon didn't know nor was he affiliated with did. It does not make sense to me, and although
human nature, that we all may profile people (hence Trayvon seeing Zimmerman as
a creepy a** cracker), I can say that most people do not approach the person they
are profiling or feel is suspicious, and kill them.
One thing that I think we keep missing is that a 17 year old
kid (yes he is still a minor) and he is dead.
His life is gone and taken undeservingly so. Where was Trayvon's rights
to defend himself against a "Creepy A** Cracker" (his words not mine)
that he felt was following him? Did he
not have a right to defend himself against someone that he thought was
following and could potentially hurt him? Trayvon did not know who Zimmerman
was, for all he knew he could have been a kidnapper, psycho, or robber. So where is his right to defend himself from
being followed by this person? We all
have seen the pictures of Zimmerman’s face.
Somehow the trail turned into Trayvon being the aggressor. Is possible that Trayvon was defending
himself against someone that he saw was following him and someone he felt could
attack him? Is it possible that Trayvon
was using self-defense against a man that appear to him to be creepy and he had
no idea what his intention was as he was being followed by this individual?
I think that it is, I also think that Trayvon’s right was
overlooked to defend himself, and people call Trayvon the aggressor for
possibly defending himself against somebody that he deemed suspicious. We all seem to overlook that because
Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch person that he had the right to follow
Trayvon due to other break in’s by other black people. Trayvon had a right to be in that
neighborhood like anyone else and did not deserve to die for other people’s mistakes
or because how he looked. Point, blank,
period. I myself live in a suburban area and have a
son. I myself am also black just like my
son. I think was most black people and
mothers of black son’s see this and a chance to stand up so that when their
child is out walking around the neighborhood that may return safely, not to be profiled, shot down like a
dog, and them blamed for their own death.
Truly a sad story not only for Trayvon, but also for the many unnamed people
who have been killed in similar ways and their death still goes unpunished. One thing that can be said, everything has a
reason and a season. No crime will go
unpunished in the eyes of God. I think
we can all take heart in that when he hear about Trayvon or stories like
Trayvons. Perhaps it is situations like this,
which brings attention to a bigger problem in American, and cause people to
unite.
Although Zimmerman was found not guilty under Florida law,
you can still support Trayvon’s right to live, by signing the NAACP petition
that says just that. Trayvon had a right
to live, he had a right to walk home, and he had a right not to be followed,
and he had a right not to be shot and killed.
Check out the petition below by seeing what other ways you can show
support.
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