Most days I have one specific topic that I want to talk about and I hone in on that topic and allow my thoughts to flow effortlessly. Today, is not one of those days; I have a few ideas jumping around, all wanting to be laid out first, none more restless than the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman shooting incident. I don't have anything new to say that hasn't already been said or written by the media and the community, but like everyone else I can't get over the mind numbing incident.I feel as disgusted, shocked, horrified, stunned, stupefied as anyone else. And this week, as new information surfaces about Trayvon's background, specifically his suspension from school for being in the possession of an empty "baggie" (a tiny bag used to hold marijuana), the people on Zimmerman's defense are using that to cast a shadow on his character. They are also stating that there was a struggle and Trayvon was trying to take the gun away from Zimmerman all to lead the Grand Jury to believe that Trayvon may have played a part in getting himself shot and that Zimmerman is not to blame.
Zimmerman has his lawyer friend, Joe Oliver, who seems to be African American giving interviews and stating that Zimmerman is not racist, which is evident as his chosen mouthpiece is African American (WTF?!?), and that he himself is a minority. In our group, I'm Loving Me on Sunday night, a few of the ladies reminded us that racism is not only White on Black hate; other minorities are just as guilty of being racist to other groups and ofentimes their own.
What this incident has clearly brought the to the surface and make everyone take notice is that FEAR BREEDS VIOLENCE. Mr Zimmerman saw a young black man, over 6ft tall wearing a hoodie at night and everything in his being told him that this young man was a threat to him. What I want to know is what incident in Zimmerman's life led him to believe that black men in hoodies pose a threat? Pretty soon selling or buying hoodies might be taboo. If you wear a hoodie you must be "gangsta" or "ghetto", and we all know people from the ghetto are always up to no good. And if you wear one, you better look out, cause you might get shot. This type of logic is
"ASS BACKWARDS". Did you hear that Geraldo??
PEOPLE make threats, not hoodies
This issue has definitely got me thinking. It is true that black men in goodies are perceived as a threat but from what I've been hearing there is definitely more to this case. I'm not going to be quick to judge either side of this but I agree with you it definitely brings to light that racism and stereotyping is still very much prevalent and not restricted to just blacks and whites.
ReplyDeleteI agree there is more to the case and I don't like to jump on a bandwagon especially when then media has taken it and run with it as the new "it" thing...but one key point for me is that fact that Zimmerman was following Martin for an extended period before the alleged altercation and certain death occurred. If even he's acting in the capacity as a "law abiding block association person" and even if Martin was a known troublemaker or even guilty of a crime at that point in time, which doesn't seem to be the case, Zimmerman should has listened to the authorities and "stood down", waited for "official" back up etc. He was not being threatened by Martin and only got into an actual confrontation after following him. For that alone to me the reliance on the Stand your ground law goes out the window. What ground was he standing? The one behind Martin's back that would have left him with increasing distance between himself and Martin if he stopped following him?
ReplyDeleteThe racial component, the stereotypes about hoodies, blacks, latinos and all those other angles being paraded in the media are secondary and unfortunately may contribute to mistakes in the case.
It was a sad, tragic and seemingly preventable death. Good to see the outrage is alive, but I think the basics of the case need to always be the main focus point.