Trayvon Martin, Black Male, George Zimmerman

Trayvon Martin Found Guilty of Being Black

By Mildred Robertson
 

I have been amazed to watch the trial of George Zimmerman in the murder of Travon Martin in Sanford Florida. It occurred to me this morning as I watched clips from the trial, that it is ludicrous that anyone would think that there is any way to justify the actions of George Zimmerman on that tragic evening. Who was on top, who threw the first punch – all irrelevant points.

The only misconduct that occurred was born in George Zimmerman’s mind as he profiled a young black man and determined him to be “suspect” based on nothing other than the fact that he existed, and had the audacity to exist in Zimmerman’s space. The only crime that occurred was that George Zimmerman stalked and then killed a kid who simply took a walk to pick up some skittles and a soda. The only thing Trayvon Martin could have done to avoid this tragedy is not to exist in the time and space that put him in Zimmerman’s path.

It takes me back to a dramatic scene in the movie “A Time to Kill” when the defense attorney asked the jurors to close their eyes while he graphically described the rape of a little black girl on her way home from the grocery store. After recounting the horrific acts committed against the child, he told the jurors, their eyes still closed, “Now, imagine she is white.” The moment was stunning as the jurors’ eyes popped open, and you could see that they understood.

That powerful moment is one that needs to be re-lived in this real life tragedy. “Now imagine if Travon was white.” Had he been white, it is doubtful that Zimmerman would have even noticed him.

But he did notice him. He did feel threatened by him, despite the fact that there were no grounds for his distrust. He then stalked and killed him, because this one was not going to get away. It was a series of actions set in motion by George Zimmerman’s verdict that a young man like Travon had no right to be in his neighborhood.

It is clear to me that many people get it. To be a black male in America is to be automatically a threat for people like George Zimmerman. There was nothing Travon could have done to change the situation.

Once Zimmerman determined that Trayvon did not belong; that he was not entitled to the freedom to walk through the neighborhood of an acquaintance, that covering his head from the rain with a hoody was intimidating, that having an unfamiliar face made him suspect; the scene was set for tragedy – a tragedy born in Zimmerman’s mind that resulted in the death of an innocent young man.

And he was innocent, despite what the defense would have us to believe.

The defense would like us to believe that Trayvon was dangerous. He liked to fight. He smoked dope. Zimmerman was right in viewing him as dangerous.

Whether they are true or not, these allegations are irrelevant. Even if Trayvon had a fight daily, and took a hit from a joint every day, it would not justify a death sentence. And that is what Zimmerman gave him. He served as the judge, jury and executioner of a young man who had done no wrong, and seemed to have no intent to do so. 

If there is any justice in our system of law, George Zimmerman must pay for this crime. Failure to do so will fortify the racist assumption that the mere existence of a black man makes him suspect and subject to capital punishment at the hands of a vigilante.