Not guilty. Race
is not a factor. These two things correlate together when it comes to the
murder of Florida Teen Trayvon Martin and the trial of George Zimmerman for the
murder of Trayvon Martin, regardless of how much the media and citizens of this
country try to rule out race. The foundation for this death and trial stems
from not "profiling" but "racial profiling" by George
Zimmerman. The trial of George Zimmerman deviated from the charge of murder of
an innocent person to why George Zimmerman had to defend himself against an
unarmed individual that he pursued to justify his intent. Black skin, a hoodie
and a gated community proved to be a lethal mix in the eyes of George
Zimmerman. A neighborhood watch captain is supposed to be cognizant of
suspicious activity; not people. How do you as a person determine if a person
is suspicious? By looks or by actions? When a person begins to make assumptions
and generalizations based on looks it is profiling. The facts presented in this
case show that the profiling by Zimmerman was deeper than simple profiling; it
was in fact racial profiling. This was based on previous robberies in the
neighborhood and he figured that sense this was not a black community, any
black within this neighborhood, dressed a certain way does not and did not
belong, forcing him to take the law into his own hands to rectify this
"wrong" in his eyes. As the 911 tape indicates, the dispatcher told
Zimmerman to stop following Trayvon, but this was disregarded, leading to the
tragic death of an unarmed teenager. This trial became deeper than the actual
murder charge Zimmerman was in court for when the Trayvon's life prior to the
second he was murdered was introduced to the trial. These two individuals had
never met before in life; yet the defense formulated the idea that Trayvon's
previous actions justified Zimmerman's action's on this fatal night. Everything
that pertained to Trayvon was magnified in an attempt to justify Zimmerman's
action of murder. The fact of this case is that had Trayvon Martin not been
racially profiled as a black kid in a neighborhood that he "didn't belong
in" he would still be alive today. The lawyers and the media did an
outstanding job of voiding race from this trial, but the fact remains that race
is and will always be a factor in the United States of America, especially when
it comes to perceptions and ideologies about criminals. Black men in this
country are perceived to be angry, difficult and thugs by many people in this
country; whether in a suit or tie or in a hooded sweat shirt, jeans and tennis
shoes. This is a truth that I can attest to everyday in my life. From the
moment I leave my house till I return home I encounter a plethora of
stereotypes, whether I'm in a suit with a bow tie or in a t-shirt and some
shorts, simply because of the color of my skin. It's never fair, never will be
fair, but I understand that to be the harsh reality of this society that I live
in. It's something that cannot be explained with words that can make another
person understand; it's like oxygen, everybody knows it's there but it can't
necessarily be seen. Everybody plays a role in the perceptions and the racist
ideologies running rampant in this country. People seem to negate the fact that
racism is taught. Racism is not inherited, sold or bought. Some black
individuals in this country also need to realize that many times you are
setting yourself up for unwarranted stereotypes by actions and ideals.
Glorifying the very ills of our community that fuel the stereotypes developed
by others is why these stereotypes will linger above our heads as citizens in
this country. We can't necessarily change people, but people can change laws by
educating their selves and putting their selves in positions to enact change.
Trayvon Martin is not the first and definitely will not be the last black youth
to be killed without a cause, but we all can do our part to ensure that the
avenue for stereotyping, racial profiling and MURDER is not an open avenue for
anybody to drive down.
