The Sanford, Florida Police Department has said that it cannot arrest George Zimmerman for the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin because they cannot find probable cause. Zimmerman has claimed self-defense, and because he had a cut on the back of his head and appeared to have been roughed up, they are claiming that self-defense cannot be ruled out.
But what if it was Trayvon Martin who was standing HIS ground?
Consider the circumstances, as described by news reports. The young Martin is walking home, hood on his head, minding his business. He is spotted by Zimmerman, who calls 911 and says Martin looks “suspicious.” He starts following Martin in his car, although police tell him he doesn’t need to do that. The 911 tapes reveal that Zimmerman agrees to meet police at the front gate.
But Zimmerman continues to follow young Trayvon. I am sure that the youth knew he was being followed and became nervous. Then, for some reason, Zimmerman gets out of his car. The news reports do not say that Trayvon’s body was found next to Zimmerman’s car, which would have shown that Trayvon approached Zimmerman. Rather, Trayvon’s body was found on the grass not far from his stepfather’s home in the gated community.
That says to me that Zimmerman got out of his car and approached Trayvon. Wouldn’t that mean that Trayvon felt threatened, and fought with Zimmerman, probably frightened as well as angry? Doesn’t the place where Trayvon’s body was found tell a story of his having been approached, suddenly, by this unknown man who had been following him in his car?
How come the Sanford police are not considering this scenario, which, the more I think about it, is much more likely what happened. Perhaps Trayvon yelled out to Zimmerman while he was in his car, asking him why he was following him…but the way the incident has been described still indicate that Trayvon was approached and assaulted by Zimmerman, not the other way around.
The chief of the Sanford Police Department is frustrated that this case is generating so much attention. I am not surprised; it would have been much easier to just let this case shake out the way Zimmerman has said, with another African-American young male the sacrificial lamb, “one more again.”
This is racism at its ugliest. It is the type of incident that shakes the very souls of African-Americans in this country, who have made strides not because of this country, but in spite of it.
It is a moral outrage, and an insult, and a slap in the face that Zimmerman has not been arrested, and that nobody is certain that he will be. Larger, this case speaks volumes for the raging infection called racism that is eating away at America’s very core.
A candid observation …
Candid Observations 
Candid – was glad to see I wasn’t the only one out here who’s considered that part of the scenario, that Trayvon had the right to stand his ground too. I write for a newsblog in Vermont, and I’ve been following this since early last week. This is the link to my story about this: http://lezgetreal.com/2012/03/justifiable-use-of-deadly-force-in-florida/
If you have the time, check it out. Good “observation”.
As a white male, I don’t think I could be more ashamed of this tragedy, or our justice system’s reaction to it. What I really want to know is what white people like myself can (or must) do to fight back against the kind of systemic racism that makes tragedies like this possible, even commonplace. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to hear your thoughts about how white people can combat institutionalized racism.
Thank you for taking the time to put this blog together!
Wow. Thank you for reading the piece and for your sensitivity. I think the first step for everyone, white as well as black, in combating institutionalized racism is to study it …study what has been been the reality of race in America as opposed to the watered down version we are all taught in school. I honestly think that if people really knew the history of racism in this country, things would change, because neither white nor black people would stand for it. I would be happy to recommend some things for you to read; I am compiling a bibliography and will share it soon on the blog.
Again, thank you for taking the time to read and to reflect on this pesky issue called racism.
Everyone in the country besides these police officers seems to get the obvious, Trayvon was approached by Zimmerman, not the other way around. It’s just baffling to me how the police see “no probable cause”. The police are basically saying that Zimmerman had a “license to kill” because Trayvon looked “suspicious”…newsflash…NO ONE has a right to kill, and especially not based solely on an air of suspicion (and race). Just maddening.
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