A Watershed Moment

The Trayvon Martin case is tragic.  How is it that this young man has been gunned down in cold blood and his killer still roams free?  The police in Sanford Florida blew it.  The chief blew it.  The legislature blew it when they passed the "stand your ground" law.  What is this, the OK Corral?  This one can be laid in the NRA's lap and they have to accept it.  It was their lobbying for this controversial policy that probably got the initial "Castle doctrine" upgraded to where it is now (Stand Your Ground). 

I am very angry that the killer is still free.  There are reports out now that are trying to paint Trayvon Martin as a trouble maker (The Blaze, The Hoodie)!  The Blaze's article tries to call Trayvon Martin the villain and Geraldo Rivera (an ethnic minority by the way) says that martin's hoodie made him a target.  Where else in the world does the victim become the villain except for in racist America?  Let me see, if I wear a hoodie, does that give anyone with a gun that is afraid of me the right to shoot me and "stand their ground"?  How can anyone fix their mouth to defend Zimmerman?  Why don't these cowards have the guts to call this what it is, murder.  Not even on another planet can you develop a scenario that includes a bag of skittles, an iced tea and an unarmed teen running from an armed adult where the adult would be justified in taking the teen's life.  What do so-called questions about the charater of Trayvon Martin have to do with him losing his life for nothing?  How asinine is that? If God judged us based on our past deeds, we would ALL be sentenced to an eternity in hell, no questions asked. The Scripture in Romans 8:1 speaks volumes when it says, there is therefore NOW no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! Christian right wingers (Mormons too- Beck is a Mormom and developed the site, the Blaze) have no business saying such things at all!  This is an example of racist media outlets propagating racism and racist stereotypes and an attempt to perpetuate said stereotypes so that future self-defense cases MURDERS will not be tried in court!  

They brought up the fact that he had been suspended to make a point that he was a bad kid.  My question is this, what exactly does him getting suspended have to do with Zimmerman pulling the trigger.  This moment in time had nothing to do with the character of Trayvon Martin.  It was a senseless act of paranoia and racism.  Zimmerman was acting on a stereotype, nothing else.  He had ZERO information about Mr. Martin and made a stupid assumption that cost this young man his life.  The fact that he didn't stand down when the cops were telling him to on the phone amounts to resisting arrest or at least failure to obey an officer of the law, doesn't it?  I mean, if the cops were there and told him to drop his weapon and he didn't, they could have shot him- but they probably wouldn't have.  IF Trayvon Martin was the one holding the gun however, he would have been riddled with bullets!

Here is my main point in writing this message.  This is a watershed moment in the history of this country.  We are all angry that Trayvon Martin is dead.  We are all upset that he was killed in cold blood and nothing has been done about it.  Let's take this energy and translate it into action.  Everyday, this happens in the inner cities of America.  Young, African-American males are gunned down in cold blood every day in our urban areas.  The murder rate in cities like New Orleans and Philadelphia is astronomical and continues to increase.  The only difference is that the shooters are, oftentimes the same color as the victim!  Where is the outrage?  I'm sure that your anger simmers whenever you watch the news.  I am always incensed when I see one young black man destroy the life of another and in the process destroy his own life as well. Rarely do we do anything about it though.  We just shake our heads and flip the channel to Martin or some re-run of Sanford and Son.  We can use this moment, as a race of people, to show the insanity and senselessness of black on black crime!  If brothers and sisters, regardless of socioeconomic background, are outraged that a "white" man committed this murder, we should be doubly outraged when the triggerman is another black man.  Why don't we channel this outrage into a peace treaty between every gang in this country.  Why don't we use this to stop selling death and destruction to each other on street corners around the nation?  I'm tired of seeing young black men put into body bags over senseless quarrels, turf battles or stepping on the wrong person's shoes.  We need to see Trayvon Martin's face every time we think about pulling the trigger on another brother!  What happened to Trayvon Martin in his father's neighborhood could have easily happened to him in Miami in the Pork-n-Beans district. 

It's time to wake up and smell the coffee black America.  Every death of a young black man should be met with this same outrage.  Not fear and quivering, not a "no-snitching" code but a vehement demand for justice!  Imagine if the neighbors acted on the no-snitching code, Zimmerman may not even be a suspect.  Yes he's still a free man, but I have a strong feeling that he won't be free for long as the evidence is beginning to pile up against him.  Don't let this tragedy slip past and not learn something from it.  As sens less and maddening as it is to see Zimmerman walk, it is just as senseless and maddening to see brothers killing brothers everyday and ending up in the pen for 20 years to life.  Let's take something away from this that will help all of us.  Those of us that are already sounding the alarm that black on black crime is out of control, this is a great moment to reiterate the call to stop the violence.  If you are a one that's considered a "gangster", you are gunning down Trayvon Martin every time you point your gun at your brother or sister.  Wake up!