Can't we all just get along?

Gray Areas (Pt. 2)

If you haven’t read part 1 of this Trayvon Martin discussion, click here.

Let’s talk about the fact that George Zimmerman wasn’t arrested for nearly a month and a half after, admittedly, shooting and killing someone.  Let’s talk about the fact that the Sanford Police Department took George at his word and had no intention to question him any further after his initial report.  If you’re paying attention, this is exactly why black people rioted after the Rodney King verdict and jumped for joy after OJ was set free.  More truth:  Black people couldn’t care less about Rodney King or Orenthal J. Simpson.  To quote Chris Rock, “I ain’t get my OJ prize in the mail”.  The riots were an angry response to those officers being set free despite having their brutality against a black man caught on videotape.  The jubilation after OJ was found “not guilty” was about vindication because white people finally got to feel what its like to be on the short end of the legal stick.  I don’t care how you word a “stand your ground” law, if you kill someone and there are no clear witnesses or video, it must go through the courts.  George Zimmerman claimed self-defense. To which I ask, what other explanation did the cops expect him to give?  Did they think he would say, “hey look, I was racially profiling, got scared and things got out of hand?” 

White people need to understand that the current criminal justice system is not fair and in the eyes of the law (and the mass media) a black person’s life is worth less than a white person’s life.  The moment we all admit it, the faster we can do something to fix it.  You cannot tell me that had Travyon opened fire on George Zimmerman, claiming he had to “stand his ground” that he would have been sitting at home for 45 days.  These cases will continue to happen and the race-based emotions will quickly spiral out of control as long as we allow this systematic error to remain unchecked.

George Zimmerman said he killed Trayvon Martin after he was physically attacked and fighting for his life.  However there was no hospital visit and he was able calmly enter the police station less than an hour after the incident.  You don’t need to watch Law & Order to feel like something smells fishy.  Let’s also be clear, Trayvon committed no crimes.  George Zimmerman didn’t catch him hiding in the bushes or robbing an old lady for her purse, all he saw was a man walking down the street.  George – who is not a trained police officer – took it upon himself to investigate.  Fair.  It’s his community and he has that right and at first he did the right thing – he called the police.  After explaining the situation, it was heard on tape that the police explicity told George not to follow after he said that Trayvon took off in the other direction.  George disobeyed this direct order and decided to pursue.  I don’t know about you, but I didn’t think it was possible to claim self-defense if you start the altercation.  Keeping in mind that George still didn’t have any legal justification for following Trayvon, an altercation ensues a gun goes off and a child is dead.  I’m not saying that this means that George is guilty and we should throw away the key, but you can’t tell me that there wasn’t enough doubt in his story to warrant an immediate arrest?  This is why black people were up in arms and calling for his head.

When Fox News runs stories about hooded sweatshirts, talks about Trayvon’s suspension from school and even asks if he stole the Skittles and iced tea because no receipt found on his body, it makes black people feel like second class citizens.  You can’t possibly feel like an equal when you watch a 17-year-old murder victim get demonized television.  Having said that, these reports are not reason to generalize all white people as insensitive bigots.  The amount of people responsible for these stories and those that believe them would surprise you.  Despite what many black people think, most white people aren’t racists.  They are just everyday people trying to live their lives the best way possible and don’t want to be blamed for someone else’s problems.  When an injustice occurs protests are very much welcomed but rather than large unfocused acts of rage, they need to be targeted, laser-like protests that attack the actual problem (i.e. the Sanford Police Department) and not all of White America.  Doing this has several benefits.  One, only focusing on the culprits at hand lends credibility to your efforts and will be more productive and two, not creating an “us vs. them” mentality will more easily allow white people and people of other backgrounds to join the movement.  The solution to racism is inclusion, not exclusion.

So where do we go from here?  Unfortunately, I don’t have the answer to that question.  I hope that I’m wrong but I believe the circus to come during the trial and its aftermath will eclipse what we’ve seen thus far.  People will be watching that trial like the Super Bowl and they will most certainly pick a team and root for them to win.  We are going to hang on to every word, watch every nuance of a person’s body language (Did George Zimmerman’s bowed head mean that he feels shame?) and completely blow every element of this trial out of proportion.  When the verdict is finally announced, one side will cheer and one side will curse the heavens – there is no middle ground.  And that’s the real tragedy.

There are three more hard truths that will get lost in this mix and sadly they are the three remaining truths that if handled carefully, could solve the problem of race relations in America.  Trayvon Martin was a good kid, George Zimmerman is probably a good man and both were victims of circumstances that were not completely in their control.  Here’s what I believe happened:  I believe he really thought Trayvon looked suspicious and wanted to protect his neighborhood from future crimes.  I believe he was over zealous in his pursuit and scared Trayvon into defending himself physically once fleeing was no longer an option.  I believe that in that struggle, George Zimmerman was incredibly scared to death and truly believed that he had to use his weapon.  I also believe that if given that option again he would have never left his vehicle.   I believe that regret will haunt him for the rest of his life.  This trial will be very ugly, will ruin the lives of two families and will tear this country in half.  We won’t learn anything that will allow us to progress and I fear for the next Trayvon and as a black man; I’m scared of the next George.  The solution to this very detailed problem is most definitely in the gray area.  Too bad we always keep Blacks and Whites too far away from each other to truly see it.