Trayvon Martin
By: Nicole Lashomb/Editor-in-Chief—
And the verdict is in. Not guilty. As I watch the news coverage on the George Zimmerman trial on CNN, I am disgusted at how racism continues to somehow be justified or excused. Let’s get real. I am fairly confident that if Trayvon Martin was a 17-year-old white kid who was armed with nothing other than Skittles, and Zimmerman was Black, he would have already been tried, prosecuted and on death row.
“I’m happy that this jury kept this tragedy from becoming a travesty,” said Don West, Zimmerman’s Defense Attorney. “This trial is about George Zimmerman …”
Silly me. I thought it already was a travesty and that this case was about the murder of Trayvon Martin. What about that child who was murdered for being guilty by the color of his skin, wearing a hoodie, and who died at the hands of a ego-centric power-hungry and racist fanatic? We have all heard the 911 tape … “Do not follow him,” the operator told Zimmerman leading up to Trayvon’s murder. And follow, he did. It wasn’t only the fact that Trayvon Martin was gunned down, but more about the fact of what motivated Zimmerman to follow him in pursuit in the first place. [pullquote]”I’m happy that this jury kept this tragedy from becoming a travesty,” said Don West, Zimmerman’s Defense Attorney. “This trial is about George Zimmerman …”[/pullquote]
“If George Zimmerman was black, he never would have been charged with a crime,” said Mark O’Mara, another Defense Attorney. As a Caucasian woman, I know the privilege that I hold, simply because of the color of my skin. The fact that race is being completely disregarded as a non-determinant factor of the cause and outcome of this trial is beyond any reason and reckless.
“We’d be intellectually dishonest if we don’t accept the racial undertones of this case,” said Benjamin Crump, the Martin Family Attorney.
In addition to race, I cannot help but wonder how much involvement the National Riffle Association has had in this trial courtesy of Florida State Attorney Angela Corey. Her smug answers coupled with a George W. Bush smirk during the press conference post-verdict was appalling. On more than one occasion, she said that the state greatly believes in the right to bear arms. Why was this important to repeatedly state when a child’s life was lost as the result of an overzealous maniac who possessed those arms?
The NAACP has started a petition to the Department of Justice after the jury’s verdict.
“A jury has acquitted George Zimmerman, but we are not done demanding justice for Trayvon,” read part of the petiton, posted on the NAACP’s website.
“We call immediately for the Justice Department to conduct an investigation into the civil rights violations committed against Trayvon Martin. This case has re-energized the movement to end racial profiling in the United States,” said Roslyn M. Brock, Chairman of the NAACP.
Today is a sad day for America as millions mourn the loss of Trayvon Martin and the failed justice system composed of those jurors, attorneys and special interest groups that hijacked it.
To sign the NAACP petition, visit http://tiny.cc/martinpetition.
