Why we all owe Trayvon an apology

I tried to not talk about the case this week, but as I tried to type my fingers went that direction. My apologies. The issue isn't that Zimmerman is guilty its that America is guilty. We all have some small role to play in the way things went down.  America is full of racism and issues beyond stand your ground or self defense. For those who think the case has nothing to do with race, shut the hell up. It does. If you don't see it involving race at all, then you live in a much better America than I do. See this video for a little bit of truth.

 

I think to overcome racial issues and profiling, we must first admit it.  I think Zimmerman profiled Martin as a criminal and decided to pursue him. Not the right thing to do. I also think Martin profiled Zimmerman. I think he saw a lighter skinned guy following him with a very low haircut. Almost like a skin-head, and feared this guy wanted to start a fight. Martin might have gotten aggressive. Not the right thing to do. 

I do think that profiling, while at the surface is wrong, serves a purpose.  When used defensively, I think it is fully acceptable. Now before you crucify me for saying profiling is OK, hear me out. Think about a dear friend of yours, preferably a female with a race that differs from yours (for extreme purposes). Imagine she is walking down the street and a group of rough looking dudes of your OWN race is approaching her on the same side walk. She's alone. Would you tell her not to profile the group and not cross the street to be safe? Ten times out of ten, I'm going to tell her to be smart. Who cares if you offend them? Its not worth the risk. Many a times I have walked down the street and seen a woman cross over or clutch her purse. I don't get upset because there are dudes who look like me that are doing dirt. You are not responsible for your entire race. All you can do is be a good example of what you represent and lead by example.

My issue is when the profiling becomes offensive or aggressive. 

Zimmerman. He profiled and became the aggressor and pursued Martin. Martin in turn was most likely offended and afraid. He profiled a light skinned man with a buzzed head in the dark as a racist wanting to start trouble. He most likely got aggressive. Where Zimmerman is wrong and why he should have been found guilty of SOMETHING was the original pursuit of Martin. One plus one is two, and Zimmerman put that initial one and one together and the result was a dead teenager. Martin is also wrong for getting aggressive. But this article isn't being written to convince you of guilty or not guilty. Your opinion won't change. We all know this.

Rather, this is written to say that America is the problem. As a black man in America, I can see the case in a view that six suburban jurors can not. They, in turn, can see it in a way that I can not.  I don't fault the jurors. They weren't raised black in America. They don't know we are raised to be on our toes because our parents and grandparents had to be. They don't understand why we can be so aggressive or so easily offended. They can't see why Trayvon couldn't just talk to Zimmerman in a calm manner to clarify why he was following him and why he felt like he had to fight Zimmerman from the jump. America was built on slavery and racism, and even though I am usually full of optimism I'm extremely pessimistic about significantly reducing race issues in our lifetime.  Our best bet is the next generation. 

We are the direct descendents of parents of the 1960s and Civil Rights era. That says it all. Had roles and colors been reversed, the result would have been exactly the same, and that's the sad truth. Six black women jurors would have found a black man not guilty if he shot and killed a white kid in the exact same situation. Lord knows we would have wanted to protect our own, and black people would have reacted just like white people now. Some black people would see injustice and some would chalk it up to the game. And to make things worse, the result of the Zimmerman case makes it even more likely.  The next white kid killed wrongfully by a black man, will get less sympathy from us. So damn wrong, but true. America as a whole is the problem. We all have our biases.

Our next generation actually stands a chance. Let's not ruin it by living, expressing, teaching, creating, speaking, tweeting, intstagramming, blogging and Facebook-status-posting ill-advised examples to those who are the long-term solution. The youth.

(One last thing. People stop calling for Obama to do/say something miraculous. His hands are tied. He is the President of black people and white people. For him to speak out how he probably truly feels would cause more issues than solutions. Wait until he's out of office to ask him to be that guy.)

Trayvon

One of the biggest and media hypes cases of our generation is underway. Probably since Orenthal James killed his wife Nicole and tried to get away in a vehicle that reaches max speeds of 85 mph and is the size of a utility shed.

If you have no idea what I’m referring to, you probably wouldn’t like our blog anyway. The trial of George Zimmerman really has me a bit perplexed. If you don’t know anything about it HERE is a decent site that sums it up until this point.

I don't like George Zimmerman and I really feel some sort of way about this whole case. To me, the facts are pretty simple. To hell with Florida law.  If this LIGHT SKINNED HISPANIC (as the news was to hell-bent to point out to reduce racial implications) starts a conflict and as a result has to “defend” himself and shoots an innocent teen, his ass ought to fry.  Now let me back up a second to everyone who’s first statement is that this case has nothing to do with race. Yes it does and I don't care what race Zimmerman is. Trayvon Martin was profiled because he was a young black man. He was chased due to this profiling and subsequently killed. The police knowing Florida law, initially, did not charge George with any crime because Trayvon was a young black man.  If a young white girl was the victim here, regardless of the race of the assailant, that dude would have been slapped with murder and a few other accusations. Its sad to say but race is still a huge part of our lives everyday.

The prosecution is in the process of painting an image of Zimmerman as a vengeful racist who knew what he was doing and got over zealous in his pursuit of a potential wrong doer. They are using his previous failed attempts to be a police officer to show his eagerness to enforce the law. Meanwhile, the defense is simply trying to cause confusion and bring in doubt about what actually happened that night.  They have already drilled Trayvon’s friend Rachel Jeantel, who was the last person to talk to Trayvon, to prove inconsistencies in her story at the expense of her spirit and against her will.

To me, all the facts that matter to me are that this dude was told NOT to get out of his car, to NOT pursue Trayvon and to NOT be a hero. This dude is guilty. If a dude is chasing me in the darkness for no apparent reason I’m only going to try to get away for so long. After a while, I’m going to try to beat his monkey ass. And my guess is this is what Trayvon did. And when George was catching that “L” he pulled out his gun and shot him.  Taking an ass whooping never justifies a killing in my opinion, especially if you start the damn fight. Like Mr. Jones said in the classic Friday with his fists raised, “You win some, you lose some. But you live. You live to fight another day.” Not to mention, the medical examiner just said that Zimmerman’s scars from the night of the altercation were insignificant. If I go stand on the edge of a cliff to look over the edge and a strong gust of wind blows my dumb ass off I’m not going to curse the wind. I’m blaming myself because I knew the possibility of wind was there. Or like trying to snatch that bucket of chicken from Precious as she ran down the block. "You lose that battle, you lose that battle 9 times out of 10 (Will Farrell). Just like George knew that if he caught up to Trayvon, he could get that ass beat. 

 

I mean this dude is guilty. This should be evident. Not to mention George has put on at least 120 pounds in the last year.  Some say it’s a ploy to make him seem like a wimp or that he’s stressed. As a bigga nigga, I resent that. I like to think my large physique makes someone think twice about running up on me. My theory? This dude knows he’s going to jail because he knew his intentions that night and has been enjoying his damn life. Eating all the burgers and ham hocks he can get his pudgy fingers on. Probably been enjoying the money he's getting from his 15 minutes of fame. Fat bitch.

He knows everyone hates him because he did something stupid. And he knows what he did was just that. Stupid. George, you were doing too much! He was too anxious. This is what happens when you try to lane hop. Stay in yours. He knows he didn’t and shouldn’t have chased him. He knows he was thinking, “When’s the next chance I’ll have to chase a potential criminal”.   If he’s stressed its not because he knows he’s innocent, its because he’s worried about what’s for lunch and what his last meal as a free man will be. Fry that monkey. Curious George always had to face the consequences in the end in the books. Time to make that a reality.  Hell let him walk free, but make him walk to his car. He probably wouldn't make it alive.