Last night, George Zimmerman was found not guilty in the death of Travyon Martin. Zimmerman's supporters and his detractors will never come to a consensus on his guilt or innocence. However, one thing we should all be able to agree on is that only two people know for sure what happened on the fateful night of February 26, 2012 and one of them isn't in the position to give his side of the story.
One of the sad aspects of this case is how it became a left-right issue. I think it turned into one because of the involvement of the Rev. Al Sharpton and the comments made by President Barack Obama. Just to be clear, I don't think the actions and/or words of these men made it a political issue. It was how these actions and words were interpreted by many on the right which turned it into one. Because many on the right have a dislike/hatred for the Rev. Sharpton and President Obama, I think they automatically took what they perceived to be the opposite side. What many on the right seemed to have missed is that the Rev. Sharpton only became involved after being contacted by the lawyer for Travyon's family. It's not like he was combing the internet and thumbing through newspapers looking for a case in which the victim was black. Also, the Rev. Sharpton took action and President Obama said what he said (only after being asked to comment by a reporter) because they wanted justice to be served... which is perfectly understandable.
"If anybody watching this show -- either live or on the Internet -- doesn’t believe that if an African-American shot a 17-year-old white boy walking through a neighborhood carrying ice tea and Skittles…if they do not believe that an arraignment would be scheduled by the next morning for the African-American shooter and that the white boy’s family would be called immediately…that an office would actually drive to the white boy’s home and sit down with the parents on the couch and console them because they have lost a 17-year-old son. If you don’t believe that this case and the handling of this case by the people in Florida has nothing to do with race, you are living in a fantasy world."- Joe Scarborough, 3/21/12
Here's my question for the righties: If one of your loved ones was killed and the killer was still walking the streets, wouldn't you want some answers?
With the not guilty verdict, the NRA folks must be dancing in the streets. I don't know about you, but I don't feel safe in those streets... especially if I was in Florida. You think I'm kidding?!
14 comments:
I came back here last week, after giving up on reading blogs for a long time, just to see if you had posted anything about this case.
(Though, I've always liked this blog, for the record, despite a few disagreements along the way!)
Good piece.
I might be wrong, but I remember hearing about a black guy who shot a white guy under very similar conditions in Florida, per the Stand Your Ground laws. So, from the very start, I thought it was bullshit to make it about race.
Florida, to my recollection, also let that suspect go, and he eventually got off because of that law.
So I never viewed this being about race.
About a kid, perhaps innocent, killed in cold blood? A different story.
About an overzealous maniac who wrongfully stalked and provoked someone to satisfy some cop fetish? A different story.
About a law that should perhaps be changed or a culture that relies too heavily on guns? A different story.
But the way the media spun it, a white man murders black teen, was just despicable.
One, Zimmerman's white the same way President Obama's white. Speaking generally, one doesn't get to toy around with the standards of someone's skin tone and then claim the high ground. It's utterly disgusting.
Two, I hated that media pretended they were after justice for a black teen murdered. Look, hundreds, perhaps thousands of black teens are murdered every year in America. Not a f'n peep out of anyone about it, besides perhaps their respective locals.
So it's nonsense for media to pretend they cared on the level they did. They just wanted to perpetuate the white-vs.-black storyline.
Three, this is why I, a right-leaning individual, get nauseated when I see guys like Sharpton and Jackson selectively choosing which incidents they'll carry up on the soapbox to stir up racial emotions when they really don't need to be brought into the discussion.
There are real instances of racism in this nation. It doesn't need to be trumped up. What's up with that?
To date, I've seen zero evidence of race playing any type of role in this case. Unless one wants to make the argument that Zimmerman only followed Martin because he was black, but that's the throw-it-all-against-the-wall theory.
America should care about justice. Martin's loved ones should care about justice.
Was justice met? I couldn't tell ya. But what seems the shame to me in all is, aside from a young man losing his life, is that some people tried a lot of dirty tricks and selective standards to make this about a boy being killed simply for being black.
On an unrelated note: If people want to see racism in action, just watch this season of Big Brother and that horrid excuse for a person Aaryn. If she had a gun...
"Look, hundreds, perhaps thousands of black teens are murdered every year in America. Not a f'n peep out of anyone about it, besides perhaps their respective locals."
True. And normally when murders happen, police go to the murder scene, collect evidence, look for the perps, and if they find the perps, book them, finger print them, and then the courts charge them. That's what happens in normal police work when murders happen.
But that didn't happen in the Trayvon Martin case.
You forget that Zimmerman, the killer, walked after he killed Trayvon. The police did little to nothing about securing the evidence. The police did little to nothing to secure the crime scene. They took Zimmerman's word for what he said was self-defense. It was the black community that called for the investigation of this killing. So yes, there are killings in communities all over the country, but it is not normal to let the killer go home with his gun after killing an unarmed teen. This is what happened in Sanford, Florida.
Trayvon's body lay in the morgue, without any effort to find his kin.
This is what happened in Sanford, Florida, which, BTW, has a rich history of racism.
So, no. This isn't like the killings that go on in other parts of the country. This particular killing of a black American was something that this particular part of the south, Florida, has been engaging in for centuries.
That's what's "normal" in an episode of Law & Order, I suppose.
It's certainly what's "normal" in hindsight when everyone is another expert heard from.
Very hard to argue against perceptions, with reality being relative.
But we're--meaning humanity--to believe this: A non-black man saw an innocent-looking black boy walking, stalked him, murdered him in cold blood, and then the police attempted to sweep it under the rug.
Most certainly plausible. But besides plucking this case out of its own context and putting it in Wells' time machine, nothing bears that out.
It's a dangerous standard to toy with, exceedingly so when these cries of "justice," supposedly for the black community, at long last, are rarely heard if there's no white supposed victimizer involved.
If people want to buy into and perpetuate the NY Daily News' we're-still-in-1955 narrative and the attitude that non-black men* are running around and wantonly committing atrocities against black people, I can only hope some of that vigor will one day rear its head for the 99.9% of other young black men murdered bereft of fanfare.
Every victim is deserving of justice in America.
I personally don't believe Martin got it. And, honestly, I blame the faux outrage and unabashed lies from media and the suspicious zeal from profiteers whose urging and influence forced the prosecution's hand, the end result being a seriously pitiful presentation to prove any malicious intent on Zimmerman's part.
Federal involvement in a state issue, with more to come if Holder can grandstand on this to remove the mountain of stink he's accumulated during his tenure.
A case could have been made for a charge that would have at least put Zimmerman away and offered the Martin family some sort of financial recourse. Maybe even a semblance of closure.
But trying to force this to fit a Till narrative blew it apart.
*I say "non-black" because George Zimmerman is not white. That Trayvon Martin was black is the standard which made Zimmerman white.
Josh: I was wondering what happened to you. Also, thanks for the kind words about this blog.
Although I think Trayvon was the victim of racial profiling, I could be wrong. At the very least, he was profiled because of his clothing. When Zimmerman commented about the assholes who always get away, we'll never know exactly who he meant.
Even though race may not have played a factor in George Zimmerman's actions, I think it's hard to argue that race doesn't affect how these cases are handled.
I'm not sure, but you may be referring to the case in FL where Ralph Wald shot Walter Conley. The URL below is to an article about this case and the one involving Marissa Alexander.
http://www.salon.com/2013/06/11/stand_your_ground_law_helps_white_defendants_a_lot_more_than_black_ones/
I agree with you about how the media spun Zimmerman's race. Not that it's an excuse, but they are only giving the people what they want. The media realizes that stories w/ a racial angle sell. If it's a black-white issue, all the better. If Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were black, the O.J. Simpson trial would have been news... but not nearly as big as it was. If you doubt me, look at the way the media covered the R. Kelly trial.
"Look, hundreds, perhaps thousands of black teens are murdered every year in America. Not a f'n peep out of anyone about it, besides perhaps their respective locals."
I'm going to give the media a pass on this one. First, you can't expect every killing to make national headlines. Also, as Shaw outlines in her comment above, this story only made headlines because of the shitty job done by the Sanford police. Zimmerman isn't arrested until well over a month after the shooting. At the time of the shooting, they perform a toxicology report on Trayvon Martin... but not George Zimmerman. Because of an HTML issue (which has since been fixed), the Joe Scarborough quote I included in this post wasn't visible unless you highlighted the text. As you can see, Joe hits on similar points made by me, Shaw, and others. If you want to get nauseated at the actions of the Rev. Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, have at it. However, I'm more sickened by how the police mishandled this matter.
Speaking of Big Brother, I've been following in passing the stupid remarks made by Aaryn (ironic that her name is an anagram for Aryan). I may still post about it if time permits.
Shaw: It's good to hear from you. You're absolutely right. If the police had done what they were supposed to, we'd never know the names George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin. When some people think of Florida, they get visions of palm trees, Miami Vice and all that stuff. However, FL is a part of the south and has a sordid history of racism.
Josh: It looks like you posted your latest comments while I was writing mine. I'll wait until your next response and kill two birds with the proverbial stone.
I don't disagree that the police may have mishandled this case.
But, then again, at least for some aspects, we're looking at it through the lens of only murder.
"Zimmerman murders Martin" -- even taking the spin out of it, headlines rarely varied from that. Murder was forced into it from the start, and that then skews the graph of expectations vs. actions.
It's also very plausible that police viewed it as the jury ultimately saw it, and thus the case didn't warrant Fin Tutuola's fervor.
(I also have a rebuttal for Joe's take on it, which is shared by many, but this post is going to be long enough as is.)
Unfortunately for Florida residents, and residents of other states where gun attitudes are very Tombstone-esque, "murder" isn't necessarily assumed due to a gun death.
As for media in general and their handling of the "young black men are under attack" storyline on a national level: I don't give them that same pass.
And not because they don't highlight the cases. That's implausible. But because most media shakes in its collective boots over these situations, pushing the narrative or at least giving it a free, uninterrupted platform, and the end result is that it's rare to get anything out of media besides emotion which sides with the prevailing winds.
It's a self-perpetuating cycle once started. Upset = coverage = more upset = tilted coverage = outrage = prophecy self-fulfilled.
...
I believe Zimmerman seen a kid in a hoodie in a previously burglarized neighborhood and "profiled" him as suspicious enough to follow.
Stupid move by him. Malicious?
Well, it's no secret that, while I do get emotional often, I attempt to look at the context. Often failing, but trying nevertheless.
I've spoken about it before, on the Juan Williams "traditional garb" post I believe.
Profiling is not PC. Not at all.
But wrong?
It's a strong evolutionary advantage for us all. It's instinct-driven.
Sometimes that has to due with someone's skin color, unfortunately.
Sometimes it's about what people are wearing clothing-wise.
Sometimes it's that guy that walks into McDonald's with a pool cue case and the "it might be a gun!" thoughts run wildly.
Sometimes it's the tattooed, Mohawk-having, leather-jacket-wearing guy.
And sometimes it's a shaky bridge, an unfamiliar dog, a noise in an alley, etc...
In this case, I believe it was the hoodie, apparent size, time of night, and Zimmerman's zealot, Ben Stiller-like neighborhood watchman Batman fetish that led him to trail Martin.
After months of media coverage, FBI probes, an encyclopedia's worth of character information about Zimmerman, etc, I believe Martin being black was happenstance.
That can't be known definitively, obviously. But the black-men-being-hunted stuff coming from a lot of media is just sad.
I'm also not sure why these things become so damn political. But I suspect it's the cowardice of most media which allows it always split.
Martin deserved justice, and America deserves a more responsible media.
Malcolm, this story gained national attention due to our president's comments about Trayvon looking like his son (if he had one) and Rev. Sharpton's involvement, but I think that, had this case gotten national attention by some other means... I think those of us on the Left and those on the Right would have taken the same sides. Because front and center in this case was the Republican-passed Stand Your Ground law (Right: pro-gun; Left: pro not getting shot by a gun).
It is the Republican SYG law that provides incentive for participants in an altercation to kill the other person, as the surviving person can get a free pass to commit murder by claiming self defense (so long as there are no good witnesses). But the (bad) law isn't being uniformly applied. As you point out (with your Joe Scarborough quote), if Trayvon had been White and George Black... George probably would have been arrested immediately.
As for Michael Dunn... at least the cops arrested him. Hopefully his trial will be short... and he will be sent to prison for the rest of his life. Of course his attorney has to defend his client, but to say Dunn "acted responsibily"? Come on!
Malcolm: When Zimmerman commented about the assholes who always get away, we'll never know exactly who he meant.
I think Trayvon was the victim of racial profiling and am pretty sure I am not wrong. The "experts" apparently say otherwise, but it still sounds to me like George called Trayvon a "coon". And don't forget that George Zimmerman's dad Robert is a racist. He wrote an e-book to complain about how his son was being railroaded by the "true racists". The "true racists" of course being Black leaders, The NAACP, Obama, Holder and African American Congresspersons. I say it isn't a stretch at all to say it is likely that George picked up some of his father's racism. Given George's history of phoning 911 to report "suspicious" Black males (including a "suspicious" Black 7-year-old) -- I say it's fairly obvious George racially profiled Trayvon.
Also, I don't agree with Josh about how the media spun Zimmerman's race. Zimmerman was described by the police as White. The media went with what the police said, although they did try to clarify a bit and acknowledge his Hispanic heritage. I think they were trying to be honest and not "spinning" at all. The term "White Hispanic" does exist. It isn't something the media made up (as some think).
If you're bi-racially Black society considers you Black and not "bi-racial". The reason is our history of slavery. The White slave-owning males didn't want the children that came about as a result of them raping their "property" to have any rights/be considered anything other than property. That history does not exist with Hispanics. And European Hispanics (People from Spain) are White. This is why Barack Obama (even though his ancestors were not enslaved) is not White the same way Zimmerman is White.
The police saw a White guy a White guy (or a person White enough for them) and took his word the shooting of a Black teen was "self defense". The cops didn't test him for drugs or alcohol after the shooting (such tests are standard practice in homicide investigations). So Zimmerman may be partially hispanic, but he certainly benefited from being perceived as White by the cops. So, did the media spin Zimmerman's race? Was it "just despicable"? I say NO.
Yeah. I certainly understand where people are coming from.
I've heard some pretty wild versions of it.
Zimmerman, a proven racist, stalked a black teen with the intent to murder him. He chased him down with his gun drawn, threatened his life before shooting him, and then inflicted the wounds on himself to make it look like self-defense. And then the neighbors and police came in for the coverup.
More evidence for a Hollywood moon landing, but I'll play along.
Even if there were actual empirical evidence to come out to support such things, rather than simple anecdotes and excuses and spin, I would still be grilling media for perpetuating the storyline that white men are hunting down black men -- that it's 1955 and open season on blacks.
One of the main reasons the Zimmerman case is so damn widespread is that this case is really an outlier in today's society. (A few other obvious reasons, but that's one of 'em.)
Unfortunately in this gun-happy country, thousands upon thousands of people are murdered every year by firearms alone. But for a nation that's supposedly terribly racist and has incontrovertible contempt for black men, how many Zimmermans are there?
Hidden? Getting away with it? It's what I've been told, but it doesn't wash. The media would be all over it. They love this divisive shit.
One is too damn many (and I mean someone being killed, period), but while some act like this is something found commonly throughout America, it really is the outlier.
America is ironically being profiled. And despite the crying wolf and hyperbole and demagoguery, this case is still the outlier.
And, of course, all that isn't to excuse Zimmerman--whom I believe should be in prison for criminally negligent manslaughter--or what happened on any level or in any fashion. It's just me saying that I'm still not letting media off the hook. It's still disgusting to watch how it's being played.
I wrote something the other day and thought about bringing my blog out of its three-year retirement. But I've just never liked blogging enough. I was going to ask Malcolm if he wanted to post it, but it's probably not sensitive enough to the Martin side of the story.
So I'll just ask it here.
What is this "conversation" we're supposed to have that I keep hearing about?
I might be wrong, but it doesn't seem to me that this "conversation" is supposed to be a two-sided thing. It seems that opposition to the America-is-racist/Zimmerman-is-racist side are supposed to STFU, admit the problem, and do...I don't know, something to fix it.
It reminds me of dumping money into schools, hoping that'll fix the problems, while never looking at educational standards and material or union strangleholds and bureaucracy.
Obviously just my opinion, but we're talking about the wrong things in America. We're too damn quick--all of us--to thrust skin color into it.
That obviously doesn't wash for the folks who believe Zimmerman is just another in a long line of white racists who murdered a black person in cold blood. But, then again, for those individuals, every time a there's a white person and a minority involved, skin color is going to be the main--if not only--factor considered.
Historical precedence. But, ironically enough, so too did that precedence exist for Zimmerman's suspicions.
But that's certainly not PC. In fact, that's considered outright racist.
At this point, I hope the loved ones of Martin can find closure and that maybe prosecutorial over-charging will tamp down across America.
Last Friday, President Obama made the comment again: "If I had a son..." We all know the story. Only this time Obama in reference to the Zimmerman verdict went further: "It could have been me." This is not very tasteful, especially from a sitting president.
Well maybe, just maybe, if Trayvon Martin had had a “REAL” Daddy and a “REAL” Mama who weren’t dysfunctional, and who gave a shit where their son was and what he was doing, , he might not be dead today..
And maybe, just maybe if these “compassionate liberals" had more contempt for their President And the so called “Black Leaders, and the Attorney General, who are so voicetrous after the fact and so opinionated when it come to their own cause these momma’s and these daddy’s woyld spend a bit of time teaching their son’s right from wrong and not to wonder off at night looking for trouble.
The Trayvon Martin case as in many, many others ALL seem to have one thing in common...SINGLE MOTHERS!! . And all these children with absent and even unknown fathers? In just about ALL those neighbourhoods also have one thing in common.. They ALL have these terrorizing gangs of boys without responsible adult male models or 2 parents at home. ALL those children with multiple absent fathers? ALL those young black males seem to be unable or unwilling to do a day's work for a day's pay. So what happens, they wing up getting arrested for possession of stolen property and having burglar tools in their possession. (Sound familia?)
Take NO responsibility for anyone else, or anything else, but whatever floats your boat!
And thanks to that "Great Black Leader" who now seems to put the blame on our courts and or our jury system, what are we to expect to happen in the future? The President of the United States and the presiding judge and the Attorney General of the USA has done a great injustice to the black community. By himself egging on the protest gangs of the "compassionate liberals" and friends. PLUS cheerleaders in Media and the so called “Reverends are going to have blood on their hands because of this.
So the bottom line is that Trayvon, the racist that he was, was guilty himself of profiling a “CREEPY ADDED CRACKER” and decided to kick some ass. The ignorant Trayvon never took into account that a “CREEPY ASSED CRACKER” who may have been looking for some perp might be out carrying a gun. Failure to learn that lesson from his missing in action Daddy cost Trayvon his life.
This is one of the best blogs I see (not just the best leftist blog). You need to post more.
Yes I say this, like Josh, despite the disagreements.
I said before the verdict that I would defer to my betters on the jury. But it is my "opinion" as an armchair attorney that some sort of manslaughter conviction would have been warranted. It was not Zimmerman's place to follow.
See my post on it:
http://inaholdingpattern.blogspot.com/2013/07/george-zimmerman-in-better-world.html?m=1
Josh: First off, you are giving Dennis Miller a run for his money with your pop culture references... I like it!
Although I am not a cop (hell, I don't even play one on TV), I thought it was standard operating procedure to do what Shaw suggested.
In addition to the reasons I gave in the post as to why this turned into a left-right issue, I think the media (NBC in particular) caused people on the right to join Camp Zimmerman. I singled out NBC because of how they deceptively edited the 911 call between Zimmerman and the dispatcher. Unfortunately, the zeal with which some defended Zimmerman went over the top.
Also, can you email me the proposed post you mentioned? I won't promise I'll use it as a guest post, but I will definitely take a look at it.
Dervish: You could be right about people on the left and right still taking the same sides they did because of the Stand Your Ground law. However, I still believe many on the right dug their hills in deeper due to President Obama and the Rev. Sharpton.
As I said to Josh earlier, I think Trayvon was the victim of racial profiling. However, I could be wrong.
I've listened to the tape multiple times and it sounds like Zimmerman said "coons", "punks", or "cones". The recording so garbled, I can't say for sure.
Also, thanks for shedding some light on how Zimmerman came to be classified as white by the media and for linking to an article about the term "white Hispanic".
dmarks: Thanks for the positive feedback. I wish I had time to post more. My goal going forward is to get something posted at least once a week.
I agree with what you said about a manslaughter conviction. A murder charge was just too hard to prove.
Thanks for the URL. I'll check it out within the next week.
Media was all over the place with what they called Zimmerman.
That a term exists doesn't mean it washes even in every context.
It went from "white" to "white Hispanic" to "half-Peruvian" to "a man who identifies himself as Hispanic."
And not for nothing, but when's the last time media could get away with calling a minority who identifies himself as a minority "white" in any context?
It's not about if the term exists. Technicalities are basically semantics here, as media tried to portray the incident as white-kills-black and then gradually inserted "Hispanic" after the fact.
I can think of a few folks who may be classified as white Hispanics, such as (the gorgeous) Kimberly Guilfoyle, or Dan Le Betard.
(Latino/Hispanic seem to be used interchangeably, so I have no qualms about "Hispanic" for a history much further removed than Latin America. I'd prefer "American" for American, over racial classifications, but if "Hispanic" is acceptable, alright...)
That "white Hispanic" being a real classification is not the point. The point is that it was instantly assumed white-kills-black, and that's how it's still being played by some.
If one wants to argue that Zimmerman was racist, profiled and murdered Martin, that's one thing. To intentionally spin it into a white man to fit a narrative is disgusting.
...
I'll send the piece I wrote via email after I go through and edit it (read: cutting it down a few hundred words). It's about profiling mostly -- natural instincts and situational processing vs. strictly race-based.
Josh: I look forward to seeing the piece you wrote.
I can't find your email address anywhere since you downgraded the blog by tying it into Google +.
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