So I'm sure no one here has been living under a rock. I know that by reading the title you know where this post is going.
That's right George Zimmerman being found not guilty in the murder of Trayvon Martin.
If you know me then you know that I NEVER care about current events. Hurricane? Don't care. Child thrown in trash? Don't care. Woman kills husband? Hmmmmm, nope, still don't care.
Maybe it's selfish of me, maybe. Or possibly it's because I tend to worry more about myself and the people around me. I care more that Rudy will be late to work if I don't give him a ride to the train station in the morning, I care more that my mom needs the rent paid on the first, so I gotta do whatever to help her out. I care more that Buddy needs to have these 5 songs recorded by Friday so he can get movin on to the SmooveBoyz or D's mixtape. Worry about my girl's fear of bugs, and not liking her make-up Etc. Etc. But I digress, I say all that to say, there's very little room in my head for the problems of other people in the world. Much less when there is nothing I can do about those problems.
So naturally, last year when I initially heard of the Trayvon Marin case, I tried to ignore it. You can imagine how hard that was with it trending all over FaceBook and Twitter. Remember tho, if it aint concerning me or my people then hey.... But a few days ago, when George's trial actually began, I decided (for the first time in my life) to pay attention to a case. I'm tellin ya, I never watched CNN more than I did in the last 72 hours! I didn't pay this much attention when 9/11 happened (not to say I didn't care about 9/11, just wasn't as tuned in.)
Now, watching the trial doesn't mean I was expecting a miracle. Hell I wasn't even expecting anything great to happen. I've been born and raised in this country, and I' can't remember the last time "Justice" was served. Especially when race is a prominent factor.
Believe me when I say I try my hardest never to use the race card, but guess what America, today, it's the only card left in my hand.
If you know me, then you know I don't blame anything on the white man. I don't say shit like: "Oh, it's cause I'm black" or "Well had I been white......" To me, black and white are nothing more than colors. Sometimes however, you just gotta call a spade a spade. I watched the last days of this trial and a small part of me thought "Maybe this time it'll actually go the way it's supposed to go" knowing deep down that I would be disappointed with the end result. I'm a realist, and I know how this country feeds on the weak, and by weak I mean black. So it was no surprise to me that after 16+ hours or so of deliberating the jury (6 women) came to find Zimmerman not guilty.
Remember when I said a small part of me thought it would go the right way? Yeah, that small part was being driven by the fact that the jury was composed of 6 women. Women that may very well be mothers. Mothers like Sybrina Fulton (Trayvon's mom) women who could have been the mothers who lost a child that night on February 26th of 2012.
I mean given all the evidence, how could they not find this man guilty. Are you seriously expecting me to believe that Trayvon used the concrete as a weapon? C'mon America, that's a new low even for you. All that was found on him was a bag of Skittles and a dollar can of Arizona juice. And did we all forget that Zimmerman was told by the police to stay in his car? Why was that not considered? He didn't have to follow the young man, and he definitely didn't have to be armed with a gun. If you live in a neighborhood where you need to carry a gun as the neighborhood watchmen, then I think it's time you pack up and go.
I couldn't believe these things when I heard them.
Now here comes the last card left in my hand: MY OPINION.
Had Trayvon been a young white kid from the same neighborhood, with the same stature, the same Arizona and Skittles and had been killed by Zimmerman, then I'm sure Zimmerman would have went down. The trial might not even had lasted this long. Open and shut case. "Hey white man, did you kill this little white boy? You're done." And would have probably only gotten a few years of jail time, and let out earlier than expected for "good behavior" There would have been no need for the media to dig up 5-7 year old pictures of the victim with his pants sagging and holding up 2 middle fingers to convince you, the people, that he was a thug who got what he deserved. In fact I'm willing to bet that had he been white, they would have dug up pictures of him in a boy scouts uniform, even if they had to photoshop it themselves, to convince you that he was a good kid who didn't deserve it.
So let's not even try to imagine how much worse it would have been had Zimmerman been black in the same scenario.
At one point in all of this I didn't care at all, I didn't laugh at, repost or in anyway support the memes (Pronounced Meem: for those of you who don't know a meme is a picture with a witty or otherwise funny statement written on it. It's like a modern day political cartoon)
I didn't make a sign that read "Justice for Trayvon" or anything like that. Then at one point I was neutral, where I felt "Ok, Zimmerman, you're wrong, but because I wasn't there, I'll keep my opinion to myself and let the Jury deal with yo ass." And now I find myself upset. I've played on every side of this ordeal. Not Guilty? I'm not surprised!
This entire case should have been about a wannabe cop. A man with a gun who saw a teen in a hoodie and personally felt he looked suspicious. Dude it was raining, I'm sure that's why he had a hoodie on. The man was told by the police not to get out of his car and pursue the teen. He did anyway. What happened next, only two people know and one of them is no longer here with us. That leaves you, Zimmerman.
I don't know about you folks who are reading this, but in my opinion if there are two people in a physical altercation, and now one is dead, I'm going to suspect the last man standing of murder, be it intentional or not. But that's just me, and who am I right?
The media tries to clean it up by portraying Trayvon as a drug using hoodlum. Posting pictures of him with his middle fingers waving. So you've never flipped anyone the bird in a picture right America? It was ok for Johnny Cash to do it right? Shit, even Justin Beiber and Mr. Rogers have been caught on camera with the tangible "Fuck You" fully extended! So what else are you gonna tell me? He smoked weed! Yeah? Well so does Willie Nelson, why don't we kill him too?! I guess it's okay because they are all the appropriate color.
Do I think he should have been found guilty? Yes, I believe he took a life whether or not he planed to. The life of a son, a brother and a friend. Race aside, he killed someone, and I personally feel that's good enough reason to lock someone away til the good Lord calls them home.
Why is it we hear so much about gun violence, and how we need to clean up the streets and get guns out of here, but no one seems to think that a neighborhood watchman is wrong for having his and using it on an unarmed victim?
I tell you, this country has shown me once again that I am nothing more than a target, fair game for any man hunting as long as his skin is lighter than mine is. This will in no way change my opinion on white people, because I have white friends that I know wouldn't do this to anyone! But it does change my views on the country we all live in!
To Trayvon, R.I.P young man. You didn't deserve what you received, death. But if I am right to believe in God and believe that there is a heaven, then I know you're better off than I and all of us are.
To the family of Trayvon, my sincerest and most humble apologies for your lost. I know what it is to lose a member of my family, however, none have been taken from me at the hands of another person who didn't have the God given right to do so. I pray that in time you can find a way to cope with your loss. I pray that you celebrate your son's life and not mourn his death.
As for Zimmerman, I pray that you are taken care of by the law of the Lord when ever your time comes. You know what you did and now you have to answer to a higher power.
God Bless.
