If there’s anything that the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman fiasco has taught us all over the last few weeks it’s that racism is still alive and well in America. Perhaps it died down a little since it’s glory days (the 1960s) but like a cancer cell it is still in America’s body.
When the story first broke from Sanford, Florida about a black teenage boy being shot and killed by a white (his ethnicity subject to speculation) man named George Zimmerman America became riled up within weeks. Like most, I was upset about the case as well. It certainly seemed clear cut: An adult had called 911 to report a suspicious looking boy walking in a gated community (perhaps a justifiable call), he was told not to pursue the boy and that police would arrive shortly ; an order which he disobeyed, after a series of other events the man came out of a dark alleyway with no witnesses and the boy was dead due to a gunshot to the chest. No arrest had been made at the scene of the crime or in the weeks following. Trayvon was a black teenage boy, now dead, who was found with no weapon on him. (unless you count Skittles and Arizona Tea.) Zimmerman was a grown adult who was a white male. He confessed to shooting and killing Trayvon but claimed innocence via Florida’s “Stand Your Ground Law”. Already I could see and feel the seeds of racism behind the case. White man killed black boy, white man gets away with it.
The facts (or my opinions if you want to take them that way) of the case for Trayvon’s defense are as follows:
- Trayvon was walking home at night alone; immediately linking his death as a potential probable circumstance since one of the top tips on avoiding undue confrontations by people is to travel in groups, during daylight, in view of others.
- On his body the police found nothing but a bag of Skittles and a can of Arizona Tea, which according to his father he had been authorized to go get for his family and him to share while watching TV.
- Trayvon was a teenage boy who, compared to Zimmerman, lacked any real advantage concerning weight and experience.
- Zimmerman disobeyed a police order (for argument’s sake a 911 dispatcher shall be considered a police official)
The facts (again or my opinions) of the case for the defense of Zimmerman are as follows:
- George Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch who, by definition, is tasked with ensuring all suspicious activities do not go unreported and to take advantage of an opportunity to make the neighborhood safer. This is according to the Neighborhood Watch Program-National Sheriff’s Association.
- Zimmerman is a Hispanic American who looks white. Although he appears like a Caucasian male, he is Hispanic and that puts him in the minority pool thereby crushing any attempt to paint this as a racial confrontation.
- George Zimmerman potentially could be protected by Florida’s “Stand Your Ground Law” which legally authorizes deadly force if a civilian citizen feels threatened.
- Zimmerman emerged from the confrontation with gashes to his head, a broken nose and grass stains on his clothing. This would support his claim that Trayvon attacked him, and he was forced to act in self defense.
- Standard national self defense laws state that a person may use deadly force as a means of self defense if they are threatened with no way out. Judicial precedent would be on this argument’s side.
There are neutral facts to this case as well:
- There is a video claimed by CNN which was later retracted that (subject to interpretation) shows George Zimmerman during his 911 call reporting Trayvon Martin calling him a “Fucking Coon.” and complaining about how “They always get away with it.” CNN’s initial claim that Zimmerman said these things during the call was backed up by an ‘expert in audio enhancement techniques’ was later nulled by a ‘expert expert in audio enhancement techniques’ stating that is not what he said. According to him it says “Fucking Cold.” which would be defended by weather reports from the night of the incident. The conflicting reports makes me think of this fact as neutral.
- There are photos claimed by ABC which was later retracted that (again subject to interpretation) shows Zimmerman after the incident unscathed and walking fine. Further enhancement of the photos however show Zimmerman with clear markings on his head.
Faced with all of these facts, America’s blood began to boil. People on the Left and Right, from the North and South, began claims of racism, prejudice, bias, incompetence, etc etc. People like Reverend Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton began their drumbeats of racism in America. President Obama spoke out on the issue before a full federal investigation was under way and made a simple statement as “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon.”
Racism
The first claim to check for accuracy is that of the defenders of Trayvon who state that the case shows the prevalence of racism in America. It would make sense. Florida is technically a southern state which has a history of racial issues (Civil War era, Jim Crow laws, etc). Florida’s police department made no arrest towards Zimmerman who although Hispanic appears white. Precedent in other homicide cases in Sanford and throughout Florida (even the United States) would indicate that the only other component in the case be arrested and held until his/her innocence be confirmed. Trayvon was a black boy walking alone in a gated community wearing a hoodie at night in the rain. He has been construed to have looked suspicious because of that. Therein we have our first confirmed case of racism. Trayvon was classified as suspicious, and Zimmerman’s claim as justified, based on him wearing a hoodie and being black in a gated community. Without evidence many politicians, talk show hosts, and political commentators put labels on both men. The next proof of racism comes later in the Reality section.
Race Baiters
Some of the initial participants in the defense of Trayvon were Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. Both men were active participants in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement and marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to end racism in America and bring equality to all. Dr. King’s death, the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and even the election of the nation’s first African American president, Barack Obama, did not serve to squelch their claims of racism in America. In each Civil Rights case since the 60s they have been prominent voices. Many of their critics have labeled these men as the real “Race Baiters” of America. However one must look at what their ultimate goal is. What they are trying to accomplish through their rhetoric, admittedly sometimes harsh and unwarranted, is the education of America that racism is still an issue. Still, that doesn’t excuse the sometimes unjustified accusations they and others like them make towards those not of African-American ethnicity.
Likewise some of the initial defendants of George Zimmerman were people like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Glenn Beck. All three are political talk show hosts who have a well known history of inciting controversy through their dialogue. Limbaugh most recently incited controversy with his “slut” remarks about Sandra Fluke. These men all defended Zimmerman against Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson and began the denial of racism in America and labeled them as the ultimate “Race Baiters” today. By immediately labeling them as such, the three also became Race Baiters. They sought to further the case as a racial issue by focusing on the men specifically and deliberately waging attacks against them for their “racial” remarks. Had Limbaugh, Hannity, and Beck all left the accusations made by Sharpton and Jackson alone, their wild claims may never have amounted to anything of real substance.
Reality
Reality has always been a thing that people have a hard time accepting. We all have a tough time believing that someone is dead, that we’re broke or rich, that something has happened. Part of that denial is our wish for a circumstance to not have ever occurred. It could stem from embarrassment, hatred, fear, superiority, who knows. Reality is though that people deny facts for no logical reason at all. In the case of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman, the reality is that racial issues grew because of it.
It is my opinion that a form of racism is the denial that racism ever happened, was ever as bad as it is portrayed to be, or that it still occurs. The reasons for each sentiment varies, but I believe it all boils down to a form of racism. It has been said that with a new era of American culture comes new things. Perhaps racism has metastasized into this. Many on the right and left of America’s politics deny racism still exists or has any bearing on the case today out of a fear that we haven’t advanced as much as they like. Some would seek to change history by making the horrid events that stemmed as a result of the Jim Crow Laws out to be better than they were. Those same people that do such a thing, help justify the existence of people like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. Because without those types of people that we label as extremists for always inciting race in an issue, we would forget that racism still exists. We would forget because it’s what we want to happen. It hurts us that it ever did happen.
Reality is that Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin’s case had no reason to have racism as the central part. It creeped upon us and before we knew it it surrounded us. Certainly it was a component, but not the most important part. What’s most important is if we allow racism to continue to drive this case and this country’s progress. We’re so afraid of committing racism today that we deny it ever happens. By us doing so we enable racism to grow and thrive in new ways that are not protected against by the laws. There’re facts to the case that could and will prove either Zimmerman’s innocence or Trayvon’s guilt but race should have no play on it. An even greater reality is that there is racism and there are race baiters and often the two go hand in hand and compliment the other.
In the words of President Obama “I think we all need to do some soul searching right now…”
