JUSTICE SHOULD COME FOR TRAYVON MARTIN
(Photo: trayvonmartinfoundation.org)
The
acquittal of George Zimmerman July 13 ignited an already shaky divide of race,
guns, and the Stand Your Ground Laws in this country which has also led to a
call for action and change.
As
everyone knows, George Zimmerman was accused of killing an unarmed 17-year old
Trayvon Martin who was on his way home from a local 7-11 store in Sanford,
Florida the night of February 26, 2012.
Zimmerman claims he killed Martin in self-defense which many believe to
be false since Martin was only carrying a bag of Skittles and an Arizona Ice
Tea. The trial took about two weeks and
the jury consisted of five white women and one Hispanic woman.
During
the two weeks of the trial, America saw the Prosecution work to prove George
Zimmerman’s racist and callous behavior that led to Martin’s death. That night Zimmerman claimed he followed
Martin because he acted strangely as he walked in the rain and wearing a
hoodie. Zimmerman confronted the
unarmed 17 year old and claimed Martin used the sidewalk as a weapon against
him. In self-defense, Zimmerman shot the
teen.
This
incident, coupled with the acquittal caused a firestorm of debate. Many agreed with Zimmerman’s acquittal while
many who disagreed not only got angry, they took action. Many took actions at rallies while
politicians took action on the airwaves.
(Photo: commons.wikimedia.org)
President
Obama even weighed in on case. He talked
about his views on race by injecting his own personal racism experiences into
the conversation.
“You know, when Trayvon Martin was
first shot I said that this could have been my son. Another way of saying that is Trayvon Martin
could have been me 35 years ago. And
when you think about why, in the African American community at least, there’s a
lot of pain around what happened here, I think it’s important to recognize that
the African American community is looking at this issue through a set of
experiences and a history that doesn’t go away.”
The President goes on to talk about
the state of race in this country as it also related to him.
“There are very few African
American men in this country who haven't had the experience of being followed
when they were shopping in a department store.
That includes me. There are very
few African American men who haven't had the experience of walking across the
street and hearing the locks click on the doors of cars. That happens to me -- at least before I was a
senator. There are very few African
Americans who haven't had the experience of getting on an elevator and a woman
clutching her purse nervously and holding her breath until she had a chance to
get off. That happens often.”
Author, Minister, and Gainesville,
Florida native Sabriena Williams (www.authorsabrienawilliams.blogspot.com) speaks
out on her issues with the verdict.
“I do not agree with the jury
decision. I believe a lot of evidence the jury should have considered was not
considered. The evidence of him not staying in his car, him making racial
comments, his previous criminal history (domestic violence and battery against
a law enforcement officer) and etc. should have been considered.”
She goes on to say she’ll continue
to pray for the Martin family.
Author and radio host, The 1
Essence (www.The1Essence.com) was also unhappy with the outcome of the case.
“I feel the jury was bound by the
Florida law definition of second degree murder and manslaughter. I agree that
there was too much reasonable doubt not address by the prosecution to prove
second degree murder but there was enough evidence to convict on
manslaughter. So I totally disagree with
the acquittal on all counts. I feel race and profiling should have been made an
issue by the prosecution and I do not understand why it wasn’t. I am totally
disgusted by the complete acquittal.”
Being a native of Davie, Florida
(Suburb of Fort Lauderdale), The 1 Essence feels the basics of the Stand Your
Ground law was ignored the second Zimmerman approached Martin.
This acquittal also sparked
outraged throughout the music community as well. Many artists with Stevie Wonder leading the
efforts have refused to perform in Florida as long as the Stand Your Ground
laws are active as they are. There was a
list of other artists reported to boycott Florida but now many either have
dropped out or their reported boycott was a false rumor. Whether there is a
state wide boycott among the artists or not, it paints a black eye in the
already troubled state. With the
election fraud in 2000 and the acquittal of Casey Anthony in 2011, the
Zimmerman acquittal fueled an already burning anger both in and out of the
state.
When asked of both ladies if their
feeling on the case puts a black eye on the State of Florida, both agree. In addition to cases such as the Zimmerman
acquittal, there’s a high murder rate, corruption at the state and district
level as well as an obvious huge racial divide.
We tried to find someone with
opposing views on the case but all we asked declined to be interviewed for
quotes.
The FBI is currently looking over
the evidence at the request of the U.S. Justice Department for possible Civil
Rights offenses against Martin. Trayvon
Martin’s parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton are weighing their own legal
options in the meantime which include a civil suit against Zimmerman.
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