Black - Afro
Caribbean
Have you followed the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman Case?
If so, are you surprised by the verdict?
Yes. I was not
surprised by the verdict because even on the day Zimmerman murdered Martin, he
was not arrested. They let him go straight home. That showed me how seriously
they would take this issue in Central Florida.
Also, I used to live in that area and I know the vigilante culture that is
present there. I know that Floridians still see this kid [Trayvon Martin] as a
threat to the community and up to no good despite the fact that he was unarmed
and just coming back from the store with junk food. I just hope that this case
gets moved up to the federal level, that there is a following civil suit, and
that states repeal their 'Stand Your Ground' laws. (As it stands, you can
approach someone with a weapon and initiate a fight, and if they fight back,
you can legally kill them.)
Did you know Trayvon Martin or do you know George Zimmerman
personally? Do you have any ties to the case? If not, do you follow other
trials? Why was this particular trail something you found interesting?
I do not normally
follow high-profile cases and I do not personally know either party, but I do
know people similar to Zimmerman and Martin. I know people that are overzealous
vigilantes looking to find a 'criminal' and shoot them (we have a serious
cowboy-culture issue here in the U.S.) and often are looking for
'suspicious-looking' people (who often turn out to be minorities that aren't
wearing business attire). And I know people that are minorities that are often
terrified that people will look at them and assume they are a criminal and that
puts them in danger. Even growing up as a minority in relatively wealthy areas
on the east coast, I am often afraid if I'm in a neighborhood where I don't
look like I belong. I'm more scared for my life walking alone at night in these
areas than I am in some of New York's
most dangerous neighborhoods. My parents have always told me that I have to be
extra careful because I am a minority and that I might get racially profiled by
police or vigilantes. I always thought that it was just because they were
living in 1980s New York
when they were in their 20's, and that things were different now. I only
recently realized that the reason I hadn't experienced any of this is because
my parents carefully chose our neighborhoods when we lived in Central Florida
and North Metro Atlanta.
But upon graduating college and moving out, I've been able to see what they
were talking about all over the country. I travel a lot and I'm very careful of
where I go. I don't leave my car in rural areas or places where I don't see
other visible minorities. For me, the verdict of this case means that I have to
continue to be scared, because anyone that intends to profile and attack a
person that doesn't look like they belong will know that they can continue to
intimidate people with impunity. How can I be sure that I won't get
profiled/followed/attacked/killed next time I am walking down the street in a
hoodie?
Will you volunteer your time to raise awareness over what
you feel is an injustice in relation to the outcome of this trial? Why or why
not?
Yes. I'm already a
natural protester and I attend a lot of protests over variety of issues. On
Sunday I went to a protest in New
York, and I intend to attend many more. Justice was
not served. And the message coming out of Florida seems to be: "It's okay to take
the law into your own hands, and if you're wrong and kill someone that's okay;
it's better to kill a hundred innocent persons than to let one criminal into
our neighborhood"
Say what you will
about the responses you read and although I don't share the same views with a
few of the people with the answers given above, it is obvious to me that this
trial meant more to some than it being just an unarmed black kid getting shot
to death by a mixed man in Florida and nobody has a right to tell them
otherwise.
There are those that
are slighted by the system and the historical track record of our country
has not been fair and it would be sheer ignorance to claim that things are equal
today. But how can we move forward from here
in a way that properly honors the memory of Trayvon Martin?
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
1
1
1
