Link after link after link after link.
Folks have sent me link after link about Trayvon Martin, asking me to write about it write about it write about it. I’ve read them all. I’ve read the articles and the reactions to the articles and the comments about the reactions to the articles. I’ve looked long and hard at all of the pictures. I’ve talked about it to no one. I’ve tried to let it all sink in.
After a few days, I think I know how I feel about this tragedy. I think I know what I think. But I feel like I can’t write about what’s in my heart because we are not supposed to tell the truth about these things. My rule is, though, that whenever I decide I can’t tell the truth about something, I must write about it truthfully immediately.
So it is with serious prayer and great fear and trembling that I set out this morning to explain what I feel and think about Trayvon Martin’s murder.
What I feel:
My, God. That precious boy. His almond brown eyes and the apples of his cheeks and his baby smooth skin. What was he thinking about as he walked through his daddy’s neighborhood that evening? A pretty girl? Video games?
His little brother waiting back home. Waiting for his big brother to return. He’ll be waiting forever. And the weary, numb masks Trayvon’s parents wear these days as they’re rocketed into the middle of a national firestorm without any time to grieve privately for their son. Their son, who was their boy, before he was a national symbol. And the Skittles in Trayvon’s pocket. Could there be a more universal symbol for innocence than Skittles in a young boy’s pocket?
And Zimmerman. God, who knows.
Maybe he’s sick. We don’t know yet. And so the rage I feel now is mostly for the “justice system.” Has this man still not been arrested? Still, this morning, while I sit and write this essay? JESUS. What does one do with that? I don’t know. I don’t know what a white woman with no direct power in the Florida police system does with that except to demand, at the top of her lungs, in the place where she’ll most likely be heard: ARREST HIM. A BOY IS DEAD. ARREST HIS KILLER AND THEN FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED AND THEN TELL US. AND SENTENCE WHOMEVER NEEDS SENTENCING. AND THEN REVISIT WHATEVER THE HELL LAW IS ON THE BOOKS THAT WOULD ALLOW THIS MURDER TO HAPPEN AND THEN GO UNPUNISHED.
But I know that to rage against the broken machine and to call others to action is not enough. Those two things are just NOT ENOUGH. Not in the face of a tragedy like this. Trayvon and his family deserve more than that. They deserve more than justice. They deserve to watch the loss of their boy change the world. And so I have greater responsibilities to them. I must do more than rage.
Here are my responsibilities:
Rage. Grief. Responsibility. Refusal. Resolve.
My rage at Zimmerman and the “justice” system has transformed into a deep, quiet grief. I feel grief and I feel responsible. As a member of this family called humanity, I feel responsible. And I feel a staunch refusal to add any more fuel to this raging media fire. This fire that, if we allow it to, will eventually consume us all.
And finally - I feel a strong sense of resolve. My resolve is to turn inward.
In honor of Trayvon and each victim of racism and every other ism, I have to deal with my own prejudices. I have to look for them and talk about them. We have to start telling each other the truth. We have to talk about this. Not just in terms of them, but in terms of us.
All of this finger pointing- it’s warranted. But if we don’t eventually point that finger back towards ourselves – Trayvon’s death will be fruitless. Our anger will succeed in intensifying the war but will not allow us to roll up our sleeves and do the hard work required to make peace. It is easy to yell, it is harder to work. It is easy to make demands of others. It is much harder to make demands of ourselves.
And so our rage must be channeled into resolve. A collective resolve, to look inside. To change things, starting with ourselves. Starting with our own minds and hearts.
There isn’t one of us who knows how prejudiced she is. When we say we aren’t prejudiced, what we are really saying is that we are both prejudiced and ignorant of our own prejudice. We might mean we’re not racist. But prejudice is different than racism. Prejudice is in our subconscious. It’s there, we just don’t know it’s there until it’s too late. Until we’re already scared of the black boy in the hoodie and we don’t know why and we wish it were different but it’s not, and we find ourselves walking to the other side of the street. We have to protect ourselves, we think. We are just being logical.
And we are being logical, based on what we’ve been shown, told, and encouraged to believe.
It is night. I am walking down the street with my purse and my young son. I am approached by three black boys in hoodies. Am I afraid? Am I more afraid than I’d be if I were approached by three white boys with surfer hair and Abercrombie rugbies?
I might be more afraid. I might, whether I like it or not.
Because fear of black people – it’s been ingrained into my subconscious in myriad ways for thirty six years. The most powerful way is the flagrant imbalance of black crime media coverage versus white crime media coverage. I don’t think a black man has ever stolen from me, but I know that white men have stolen thousands of dollars from me in the stock market and mortgage scams. The fact is that I’ve never been offered drugs by a black man. All of my drugs have been offered to me by rich white fraternity boys. In Abercrombie rugbies, not hoodies.
I’ve been trained to be afraid of the wrong people. On the news and Cops and sit-com after TV drama, I watch black men being arrested. I never see the white people who steal from me get arrested. Do they ever get arrested? Where are those Wall Street guys, anyway? Where are their mug shots? I am not suggesting that the white guys are bad and the black guys are good. I’m just saying if we’re going to see any of the mug shots, we need to see all of them. Black and white. We actually NEED to see them.
Because all of these images…they get in. They sink deep, deep down . . . and they turn into thoughts, which turn into words, which turn into actions.
At some point, each of us has to admit that we are prejudiced. Not that OTHERS are prejudiced but that I am too. I am. Glennon Melton. I am prejudiced. I am the problem.
And since I am the problem, I am also the solution. And so are you.
We have to start talking about this. We have to start being honest about how we feel and why we feel it. We need to stop agreeing when people say, “I don’t see color.” C’mon. Lying is not helpful. We see it! It’s there! And so we need safe places to talk and listen and say the wrong things and be forgiven and try again. And once we’ve figured out what’s deep inside us and how it got there, we need to learn how to balance the images and ideas we present to our children – so that their collective subconscious becomes different than ours. Truer. We need scientists and psychologists and movie producers and writers and teachers and parents involved in this peace making process – not just politicians and protesters.
When one member of a family develops a mental problem, it is the whole family’s problem. Racism is a sort of mental problem, and it is OUR problem. It is everyone’s problem who counts herself part of the human race.
I pray that justice will be served for Trayvon. I demand it, as a matter of fact.
But I want more than justice. I want change.
And I’m just here to say that I need help. I think we all need help. We need to find a way to get inside our own minds and turn them inside out. For Trayvon.
Help us, God.
Help us fix our human family.
Love,
G
*Post Script – For the sake of clarity as you begin to post comments- I just want to make sure I emphasize that this essay was meant to be a reflection about two things:
1. The police response to the murder. I am not suggesting that Zimmerman be sentenced tomorrow, just arrested and questioned. Whether it was murder or manslaughter- provoked or unprovoked – an unarmed boy is dead, right? And Zimmerman shot him right? We DO have those two facts. And so here’s where race walks in- in my opinion. Maybe not with Zimmerman’s concern with, pursuit and shooting of Trayvon – what if it WAS some hideous accident???? – but with the RESPONSE to the shooting. Because the truth for me, in my gut…says that if Trayvon were white, Zimmerman’d be arrested by now. At least arrested and questioned. Likely the same night Trayvon died. I don’t LIKE that I think that’s the truth. I just DO. And that was my point here. That I believe strongly that Trayvon’s race played a role in the RESPONSE to the murder. And I think that’s worth talking about. If you worry that I’m attacking Zimmerman here, please – re-read the above essay before deciding.
Like everyone else here is saying- we just need the rest of the facts instead of rumors. But in order to GET the facts – we need a police investigation instead of a media investigation. People keep saying… BUT WE DON’T have the facts…and I’m just saying – EXACTLY! How are we going to get them? Our best shot is a thorough investigation.
2. What I believe is one of the many appropriate responses to this tragedy – soul searching and intentional peace making.
Love,
G
You’re right let’s tell the truth about what happened. Trayvon Martin brutally beat Zimmerman and Zimmerman shot him in self defense. Trayvon Martin had no injuries on his body except bruised knuckles from beating Zimmerman and the gun shot wound. The extreme left wing media edited 911 calls and other facts about the case to make it appear that it was a racist hate crime. Why don’t you tell the truth? You have intentionally distorted the facts in your post to fit into a specific story you want to tell. I don’t think I will be reading your blog anymore.
I dont follow your blog entries closely, but i really do appreciate the ones that i’ve read. a thorough investigation is likely not to happen since so much time has passed and crucial evidence will not be confirmed or even found. i’m very happy that an arrest was made and now i pray that a change is made in our judicial system for the laws that protect crimes like this.
trayvon was my cousin’s nephew and i know that the family is still grieving despite their push for justice. it really saddens me to see the hatred & division in our country. my heart goes out to trayvon’s family and i hope that they can grieve and feel peace over this whole horrific ordeal.
thanks for your entry.
g.
Im not a reader of your blog (Thank God) but clicked in because of a Facebook posting that my sister made. I was really appalled at this post. What an arrogant self congratulating opportunist you are. Where are you every other day when 17 year old African-American kids get killed? Or do they just get killed by the wrong people… People that don’t fitminto your moral superiority scripting. This is turning to be a radically different situation than originally thought and yes, you can be proud of the fact that you played a part in inciting hatred and division. Pathetic. Maybe next time you could wait until the facts come in before you morally pleasure yourself all over your readers. You really should apologize. Just sick.
Glennon, this is one of the most courageous and authentic reactions to the terrible events of that night that i have come across. thank you. thank you for being honest, and balanced, and true to yourself. it’s clear that you’re not ‘convicting’ zimmerman before all the facts are in, just saying he needs to be questioned. that seems so patently obvious – i really don’t understand some of the responses below. you’ve made me look at this in a different way and look at myself in a more probing way. that’s worth a lot. so thanks again.
E,
I have posted portions of Glennon’s essay wich will become clear if you read my comments that follow.
“So it is with serious prayer and great fear and trembling that I set out this morning to explain what I feel and think about Trayvon Martin’s murder.”
“…And the Skittles in Trayvon’s pocket. Could there be a more universal symbol for innocence than Skittles in a young boy’s pocket?”
“And Zimmerman. God, who knows.”
“Maybe he’s sick”.
“…And so the rage I feel now is mostly for the “justice system.” Has this man still not been arrested?”
” … demand, at the top of her lungs, in the place where she’ll most likely be heard: ARREST HIM. A BOY IS DEAD. ARREST HIS KILLER AND THEN FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED AND THEN TELL US. AND SENTENCE WHOMEVER NEEDS SENTENCING. AND THEN REVISIT WHATEVER THE HELL LAW IS ON THE BOOKS THAT WOULD ALLOW THIS MURDER TO HAPPEN AND THEN GO UNPUNISHED.”
“My rage at Zimmerman and the “justice” system …”
“In honor of Trayvon and each victim of racism…”
“1. The police response to the murder. I am not suggesting that Zimmerman be sentenced tomorrow, just arrested and questioned. Whether it was murder or manslaughter- provoked or unprovoked – an unarmed boy is dead, right? And Zimmerman shot him right?”
“… if Trayvon were white, Zimmerman’d be arrested by now. At least arrested and questioned. Likely the same night Trayvon died.”
“… I believe strongly that Trayvon’s race played a role in the RESPONSE to the murder.”
E,
For you and everybody else who believes, “it’s clear that you’re not ‘convicting’ Zimmerman before all the facts are in,” when referring to Glennon, I removed much of the text of her essay. When the other text is removed, perhaps clarity can be restored to your vision and overall comprehension.
When one consistently uses ” murder, arrested, sick, unpunished” the opposite of your feeling is true. One can’t use these words without having formed an opinion of guilt or innocence. If one wants to state the KNOWN facts of the case, George Zimmerman shot Travon Martin, it can be done without using inappropriate wording. A writer knows the gravity of the words he or she choses to use.
I’m not taking away from Glennon’s introspective look at herself and society. I understand and agree with her premise. I do however, have a problem with the picture she paints of Zimmerman without sufficient factual information.
By the way, Zimmerman was questioned by the police, just not arrested as Glennon “demanded.”
Ken for president in 2012!
Wow…opinions are like assholes, everyone’s got one! Sheesh!
What a wonderful post. It’s unfortunate that so many people chose to continue to comment on what their perception of the events that fateful evening were, instead of looking inside at their own beliefs. I feel much the same way you do, and I try to fight my prejudice, but it is hard. That doesn’t mean I don’t have to fight it.
I think this horrible tragedy has actually had a positive impact in that it is forcing people to discuss the issue of race again. Too often, we think that it’s all been solved, or at least I do at times, because I have the luxury of being white. If I were black and had to sit down my kids for the “talk”, I doubt I would think the race issue has been solved. So even if the discussion gets ugly, and it has to at times in order to keep it honest, thank you for providing the forum for this discussion. Clearly, we still have not put the issue of racism in American to rest, and we won’t without some of the soul-searching you have so thoughtfully suggested.
One of the problems surrounding this incident, probably fueled by the media, you, Glennon, and others have made it about race. Remove the media, clear your mind, then listen to Zimmerman’s call to 911. Make sure it’s not the one NBC edited to make Zimmerman appear racist.
Zimmerman calls for the police and starts by explaining, “There have been some break ins in my neighborhood…” He goes on to say, “There’s this suspicious guy…” He explained it was suspicious due to “it’s raining” and the “guy” is walking around looking at the houses. The first time Martin’s race was mentioned was when Zimmerman answered the call taker’s question. Is the guy, ” white, black, or hispanic?” The fact the individuals involved had different racial make-ups doesn’t make this tragic incident racially motivated.
In Glennon’s introspective look, why doesn’t she ask the question, Why, based only on the racial make-up of those involved, has this incident become one of racial motivation? She could have also asked, Why was Zimmerman, who can also be classified as a minority, initially classified as white? Zimmerman, a man who has the same racial percentage of caucasian genes as does our President. The answer to those questions probably lies somewhere in someone’s desire to spark the racial firestorm that occurred.
Sheila, you need to understand your prejudice and fight your racism. What is the “luxury of being white?” What is the “talk” black parents have with their children? You assume in another post, I don’t look like Travon. You have made it clear, In your case, It’s the ignorance of being white not the luxury.
Here’s a great article from the Wall Street Journal by Shelby Steele concerning the exploitation of this case with regards to race.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303302504577323691134926300.html
Ohmyword,
I have been on vacation for a week and I am just reading this post and I am stunned by the responses. Many of the readers here are parents so I am shocked that most of the comments are of the ‘we don’t know the facts yet” variety.
to me this proves the truth of what you say about our ignorance about our own biases. When have we ever had all the facts about any news story before commenting on it? Never. I’m a lawyer who happens to have been involved in several cases that have been in the news and I am always stunned at the disconnect between the reality in the courtroom and the media reports. That’s life. This never prevents people from commenting but now when we are called on to empathise with the family of this young black man, we hesitate. We want all the facts first.
Is there any disputing the fact that this child was walking unarmed when he was gunned down? Is there any disputing the fact that ZImmerman shot him?
Glennon is right, let us all search our souls. And, find our prejudices. As parents shouldn’t our instinct be to empathise with the family of the innocent child? Why isn’t that the case here, why are we more inclined to defend the killer here? I’m not saying, condemn him but this ‘we don’t know the facts’ is an excuse to me. It’s an excuse for us not dealing with the fact that there is still a part of us that doubts that this child could have been innocent. He is the boogie man in the hood afterall. Or perhaps, we relate with ZImmerman’s fear of this black boy.
May God help us and may God heal America.
Clara, you too are mistaken.
First, you ask, “Is there any disputing the fact that this child was walking unarmed when he was gunned down?” The answer to your poorly framed and biased question is, Yes. In the pictures of Travon, that have been posted, they all show he has two arms. Therefore, he was armed. I’ve seen many homicides using hands and arms. Just because somebody doesn’t have a gun, doesn’t mean they can’t cause serious bodily injury and/or kill someone. He was not walking nor was he “gunned down.” The witness reports, in addition to Zimmerman’s version, state there was a scuffle when the shot occurred. Using the words “child and “gunned down”are inflammatory and misleading.
There is no dispute, by his own admission, Zimmerman fired the fatal shot. Was he justified? We don’t know based on the information provided.
For anyone to vilify Zimmerman and proclaim Martin innocent, as you have done, with the limited factual information reported in the media, is wrong and injust. You, as a self proclaimed attorney, should know that. You have proclaimed Martin, innocent although, you seem to acknowledge there are facts missing. Can you, counselor, using the Beyond a Reasonable Doubt scale, say either one of these individuals is innocent or guilty? Now, lower the scale to a Preponderance of the Evidence, how about now? If you say yes, cite the facts you used to render your judgement.
Counselor, I too have been involved in many cases which have received media attention. In the past, I have been sitting in my livingroom, watching a “Live” broadcast, transmitted from miles away, which was showing me on the screen. If you’re relying on the media for factual information you’re doing your clients and yourself a disservice. If, on the other hand you waited until the investigation was complete, to prepare your case using all of the facts you would be acting in a professional and prudent manner. All of us deserve factual information without hype. We’re not getting it, and too many people, including you, are judging those involved, based on what has been reported. Legal professionals should know better.
Now let me ask you, Glennon, and the 73% of people in this country who have determined Zimmerman to be guilty, although you don’t want to “condemn him”, why have you done so? Is it possible, for Zimmerman to be justified and Martin to have been the aggressor? I believe the answer is, yes. Believing Martin could be the agressor, doesn’t mean I’m not empathetic towards Martin’s family. I am. I’m just being objective, realistic, and looking for more information to form a conclusion.
As a parent, should your instinct be to empathize with the parents of Martin? No, while you can and should be empathetic, your instinct should be, to protect your own children faced with a similar situation. If your child is being stalked (as reported – not my choice of words), teach them, don’t get into a confrontation, hang up on their friend and dial 911, return to the store or other public place, run home, and/ or pound on the nearest door while yelling for help. Imagine what would have happened if Travon, took the two seconds to hit the 911 button on his phone.
Ken, with all due respect, I think you completely miss her point. She isn’t saying one is innocent and the other guilty. What she is saying is that a young, unarmed man was gunned down by another man, and the victim (Trayvon) deserves some empathy. Empathy doesn’t just come when an investigation is finished and all blame is assigned. Empathy comes because we can understand how parents who have lost their 17 year old son must feel, regardless of what faults Trayvon might have had. A person doesn’t have to have lived a perfect life in order for us to grieve for their loss. Zimmerman may be innocent and he may be guilty, but he is still alive. The thought that in order for you to have empathy for a young black male, he had to live an exemplary, perfect life does point to some prejudice. I doubt your standards are quite so high for people that look just like you.
I am really getting tired of this “gunned down” phrase being thrown around. Also, you are a making a huge assumption here. How do you know Ken does not look like Trayvon Martin? Has anything he has written stated that? Sheila, you are truly revealing your own prejudices here.
This is a huge tragedy. A 17 year old young man is dead. I don’t think anyone commenting here would argue that. I do not read lack of empathy into any of the comments.
Also, you didn’t read Ken’s comment very carefully. He clearly states that he does have empathy for Trayvon’s family. Since when does wanting to know unbiased facts about a case equal not being empathetic?
Because the facts that have been reported are this: Zimmerman was told not to follow him, and he did anyway. He confronted Trayvon. Those facts aren’t in doubt. Then Ken states that our instinct should not be to empathize with Trayvon’s family; he clearly states that. “Should your instincts be to empathize with the parents of Martin? No.” Seems fairly clear to me. Because Trayvon, as a 17 year old kid, didn’t respond properly to being stalked by an older and bigger man, clearly it was his fault. Had Trayvon done something different, the outcome would have been different. Well, had Zimmerman done something different, the outcome also would’ve been different. But, here’s the difference, and let’s forget race for a minute. Zimmerman is an adult who should’ve known better.
Reread the 2nd to last paragraph of Ken’s comment. He says he is empathetic. “Believing Martin could be the aggressor does not mean I am not empathetic towards Martin’s family. I am.”
In the last paragraph you are referring to, he says your first instinct as a parent should be to eduacte your child on what to do if faced with a similar situation. I actually thought he made an excellent point about telling your child not to be confrontational and to go and get help. He then went on to say you can and should also be empathetic.
You are also mistaken when you say it is a fact that “he” (Zimmerman) confronted Martin. It is indeed not a fact. It could be, but we don’t know that for sure.
You also failed to respond when I said how do you know that Ken does not look like Trayvon Martin?
Sheila,
Based on many of your comments, I question your ability to comprehend what others, including me, have posted. You have stated “facts” which are not actually facts and made assumptions that are simply not true.
I’m pretty good at conveying my thoughts through writing. Other’s, including Beth understand what I’ve written, so perhaps you need a little more of an explanation.
First, I don’t need to agree with someone’s post to understand the point he or she is trying to make. Therefore, I haven’t missed anyone’s point.
Second, aside from Travon being a 17 year old black male, I know nothing else about him. I don’t know what type of life he led, and quite frankly it’s irrelevant.
Third, Zimmerman wasn’t told, not to follow Martin. The call taker said, ” you don’t need to do that,” The real fact is, Zimmerman was a block watch person. Following a suspicious person to keep them in sight and prevent possible criminal activity, is different than “stalking.”
Fourth, we don’t know who confronted who. It is your assumption Zimmerman confronted Martin, not a fact.
Fifth, I believe Travon was reported to be 6’1″ or 6’2.” I haven’t heard how much he weighed. What are Zimmerman’s characteristics? How do we know who was “bigger?”
Sixth, PARENTAL instincts should ALWAYS be to protect their children. Secondary to instincts should be feelings of empathy towards those who lost their child. There’s a difference between instincts and feelings.
Seventh, If Travon had done any of the things I mentioned, he would most likely still be alive today. In particular, If he dialed 911 the call takers (Zimmerman’s and Travon’s) would have been aware of the simultaneous calls. The call takers could have told, each caller, the other was requesting police assistance. They possibly could have established a linked call, with all conversing with each other. So, my thought provoking comment, stand.
I hope things are a little more clear for you now.
Ken,
While I appreciate that you feel so very strongly about this issue, I also think that you need to calm down a little bit. Your comments were well scripted, and I like to think that you weren’t trying to sound disrespectful, but you did. It is important that you state your ‘opinion’*, as it is just as important as everyone else’s, but when you explicitly state that you think that someone “is wrong” in their personal opinion*, it crosses the line from “polite disagreement” to “rude ignorance”. Considering that this community of Monkees aim to be honest, respectful people, among many other important values, I only ask that if you want to state your opinion* on this blog, that you do so respectfully from now on.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Mercer
*I chose to point out the importance of the word “opinion”, because this is all relative. The authorities involved in this case have yet to disclose the final word on this trial, and so until that point all assumptions, blame, and finger-pointing is in vain- until the verdict is decided.
Jennifer,
I appreciate your comment and agree my comment to Clara is pointed. I did so intentionally because of Clara’s claim she is an attorney. If Clara is in fact an attorney, she is trained in the law, should be knowledgable in innocent until proven guilty, and should base “opinions” on known facts. Clara failed on all counts. Which leads me to believe, Clara isn’t an attorney, making the claim to bolster her “opinion” in the minds of other readers. An attorney, who makes a living out of argument, would have responded to my reply and the questions I asked.
I also agree with your final paragraph. The problem is far too many people posting on this case, have done so making claims based on non-factual information, which includes Clara, someone who should know better. If she is in fact an attorney.
Glennon, I was a little disappointed to read this because I love you and your writing and I feel like you have already convicted this man without evidence. I hope you will read this article, as I suspect it has more truth about the situation than what is being reported in the news. http://townhall.com/columnists/kevinmccullough/2012/04/01/trayvon_martin_was_not_shot_because_he_was_black_1/page/full/
Glennon,
I’ve never heard of you before and I don’t know anything about your previous writtings.
When I first heard about this case, I tried to find unbiased reports of the incident. I wanted the facts so I could try to figure out what happened. I have yet to find an article or a news report that doesn’t contain biased, judgmental, and potentially (probably) erroneous information. Journalists have a responsibility to report facts, devoid of their feelings and emotions. Journalists are failing us.
Reading your essay, I noticed you too are guilty of what many media “professionals” have been doing. Your essay, while it’s your opinion, contains a few mistakes based on information you have chosen to believe.
Your first mistake is you have already convicted George Zimmerman. The entire slant of your essay paints a rosey picture of Martin, while painting a heinous one of Zimmerman. For argument sake let’s switch the canvas on which you paint; What was on Zimmerman’s mind that night? His wife, children, parents, and others who love him as they wait to sit down to a family meal. He’s now approached by a neighborhood hoodlum, who just shop-lifted his evening snack from the local store, on his way to burglarize an innocent victim. I’m not suggesting any of this is true but, neither should you.
You use the word “murder” to describe Travon’s death. As of this writing, you’re incorrect. That fact is, a homicide occurred in which Travon was the victim. There are, in the law, justifiable as well as criminal homicides. Using the inflamatory words murder or murderer when referring to Zimmerman indicates you have already convicted him of a crime.
Lastly, you call for Zimmerman’s arrest, then for the investigation to determine what happened. You have the process backward. In reality, and by law, investigations are conducted to determine what happened, then charges are filed – if warranted, then an arrest is made. On the other hand, if there is clear cut evidence at the scene of a crime, arrest can be made immediately. However, when things aren’t clear, investigations must be done.
I agree everybody is affected by prejudice however, not all are racist. In fact a person’s prejudice can be favorable or unfavorable.
Knowing we all have prejudices, we all should strive to filter out the media hype. The reality is a tragedy did occur and a human being is dead. When people chose to focus on “17″, “Skittles”, “Boy”, “Innocent”, or any host of adjectives to paint Travon in a better light while vilifying Zimmerman a great injustice is being done.
Is it possible Zimmerman is guilty of a crime? Yes. Is it possible Martin was guilty of a crime? Yes. A simple reality remains, most of those, including you, who have reported, commented, or blogged about this incident, don’t know what happened. There are very few people who have any first hand knowledge about what happened. The media, celebrities, and the President should butt out and let the firestorm die down. Unlike television dramas, real life investigations take time. Forming an opinion based on hype is just as much of an injustice as are improper or unfiled criminal charges.
Extremely insightful, and well said. Spot-on, Ken.
Thank you Ken! I have been formulating a similar comment in my head, but could have never said it as well as you. I totally agree!
As I told my friend who shared this post with me, there are few articles that make me say “mmmm” and “yes!” aloud. And because I have developed a person-crush on you, I feel the liberty and responsibility to tell you how your “truth” moved me so deeply and so confirmed everything I have come to in my work…that is until the post-sript and the subsequent comments and then my rage started abubbling. I’ll just say this – to whoever might be reading this comment – respect your truth, even if others have different “truths” and are offended by your truth and accuse your truth of being anything other than that. It is only through authentic dialogue that we can manifest new truths and knowledge that would not have be “accomplishable” without said dialogue. Unfortunately, comments sections aren’t particularly dialogue-friendly, usually debate-ridden, or discussion-oriented at best. But, I applaud you for doing the internal reflection necessary in any dialogue, and I just pray that others will join you in that before projecting their knee-jerk reactions onto you.
Signed,
Psychologist-in-training to end isms and phobias through dialogue.
Thank you as always for your truth. I live in Orlando, right near Sanford and have been praying and crying for everyone involved in this situation, Trayvon, his family, Mr. Zimmerman and his family, the police, the elected officials, all of our kids… I think the key here is that our state’s “Stand Your Ground” law takes the Castle Doctrine (common law that states that your home is your castle and you have the right to defend it) way too far… I fear for raising children in a place where we are taught to stand our ground not with our words or on our principles, but with guns in public places…
Do just 5 min of research before joining the mob rule, knee jerk rush to judgement here. In my opinion you have been just as careless and irresponsible with your judgement here as those who convicted the Duke lacrosse team in the court of public opinion. Do a mustard seeds amount of research and you’ll find that this “sweet young boy” was anything but that. I am not saying Zimmerman is a completely free of fault in this, but someone broke his nose and bloodied his head on the pavement. Who could that have been? The only eyewitness to the event says that he saw Zimmerman getting pummeled by this “sweet innocent boy.” I’m not saying Zimmerman should have shot anybody, however what would your husband do if he were in the same position? What would have happened to Zimmerman had he not shot Martin? Would he have been killed? If so, would anybody be talking about it? There are always two sides to a story and you would do yourself a favor in the future to get the facts before racially profiling because someone is not black.
Have you read anything about the police reports that were finally made public in the last couple days or seen the photos of Zimmerman entering the police station? It’s obvious to investigators that the police reports were doctored and by the photos his nose was not broken and his head was not bloody from getting hit on the pavement. There was no blood on his clothes or face and according to autopsy report Martin had no cuts, bruised, or gashes on his hands.
Furthermore, Zimmerman was told by the police to STOP FOLLOWING MARTIN and that they would take care of it. Zimmerman continued to follow him, against police orders!!
I ask you to put yourself in the position that Martin was in. You are 17, on your way to see your father when a man begins to follow you. You start looking at him, because he is following you in a car.
Would you have been scared?
And when you walk towards the car to see why this man is following you, he gets out and he is HUGE compared to you.
Would you have been scared?
I am the first one to play devils advocate and question people when they just assume rather than check the facts, but I have looked at both sides and the facts only point in one conclusion. This should be treated as a murder investigation.
Glennon’s post is beautiful. It made me do an honest gut check with myself.
A 911 dispatcher is not a police officer and Zimmerman is not legally obligated to follow his orders.
My sister was a sheriff’s office dispatcher as well as an E911 dispatcher for a combined total of over 25 years. While it is true SarahJane, that dispatchers are NOT police officers, they are the “first responders”. They answer the calls, gather any info they can, and simultaneously begin communication with the officers, then advise callers on the course of action that should be followed, according to what the officers believe is best. I’ve spent lots of time in a dispatch office, observing over the years, and I know this to be a fact. When you call 911 for help, whether legally obligated or not, it IS wise to follow the instructions given. After all, the dispatchers are TRAINED on how to advise the callers in any given situation. So, although they may not be officers, they could be considered experts in crisis/emergency management. Why else would you call 911?
Here’s another situation where the media is not helping:http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/cutline/trayvon-martin-case-exposes-worst-media-210020839.html
Yes, it would have been wise of Zimmerman to listen to the dispatcher, but he was not illegal in what he was doing.
I just wonder, if he had following that instruction and left the scene, would any of this have happened? There likely would have been no scuffle, no injuries, no shooting, no death. Everyone suffered here. But it could have been prevented by heeding the dispatcher’s advice.
Nobody’s arguing that Glennon’s post didn’t have some good points. I know I have prejudices and so does everyone else. It’s human nature.
I just think the media is running with this story and could by doing so make racial tensions even worse. It is reckless and irresponsible what some people in the media and even some congress people are saying and doing as a reaction to this tragedy.
NBC aired a very poorly edited 911 tape of Zimmerman. They have since apologized. The comment above about the doctored police reports was made on 3/30. It’s now 4/4 and police reports were recently released by an officer on the scene immediately following the shooting that said Zimmerman did have blood on his nose and appeared to be wet on his back as if from being on the ground on his back.
This is a huge tragedy involving two men who made poor decisions. Zimmerman was being overzealous in his neighborhood watch duties. Trayvon should not have responded in a violent manner.
I also believe a thorough investigation should be done in this case. The media should let the police do their job.
Such a wonderful post, Glennon. You smacked the nail square on the head, as usual. Prejudice IS different than racism. I am definitely NOT a racist, but I am aware that sometimes I have, internal, knee-jerk reactions which spring up from the seeds of prejudice. They are there, in me, just as they are in everyone. It’s how you react to them that speaks to your character, I believe.
The entire situation is so tragic and heartbreaking. Every facet.
However it happened, it was unnecessary. A young boy’s life has been taken. And I have to admit I am with Glennon in the awful truth that I believe the response would have been different had Trayvon been white.
Good grief, Florida… what are y’all thinking down there??? You already let Casey Anthony walk away SCOTT-FREE. You need to fix this one. NOW!!!
Thanks for a thoughtful and honest post about an important topic it seems like some of your readers wish you had left alone.
Beyond the heartbreaking reality of this tragic death, I was struck, as a white mom, by comments I’ve heard from African-American moms, now and in past conversations, about having to have “the talk” with their sons. “The talk”, as I’ve heard it described, is when moms realize their son is growing into adolescence and will soon start to be perceived by many people as a threat, just because they are an African-American teenage boy. These moms have to tell their sons, “Look, I know you would never hurt someone, because I didn’t raise you that way, but other people may be afraid of you, and you might be in danger because of that. So don’t stop and help someone change their flat tire, don’t approach a stanger to ask for directions, because you could get hurt.”. The idea of having to tell my sweet, innocent boy that other people might be afraid of him because of the color of his skin kills me… I can’t imagine the grief and worry some moms have to face because of racism and prejudice.
Well said, Kate.
Kate- I’m an African-American mom of 2 boys, and I now feel compelled to have the talk, which makes me incredibly sad. It feels like I have to quell their innocence in a sense. But I’d rather be safe than sorry. Anyway, thanks for your compassion — it helps.
Kate, I’m a white, adoptive mother of two gorgeous bi-racial kids – both sweet as the day is long. We are lucky to live in a city that is unusually accepting & liberal. Until this case, I had naively raised the kids with my beliefs – that we’re all PEOPLE; equal, gorgeous, amazing people. The end. It hadn’t occurred to me that they would need to be aware that the world won’t always be kind to them. Because we’ve been lucky to not personally encounter any issues to date & I was living in my sing-songy daydream world where that would always be the case.
This story made me realize that I’ll have to somehow have that talk with them, and I cried because how the hell do you explain something so wrong to a child? How do you make them understand that no matter what they do (or don’t do), there will just be people who hate them, who fear them? I can’t understand it myself, so how do I explain it to them?
It makes me so sad. How are we not more evolved as a species at this point?! Ugh.
[...] Paul: “When race is the elephant in the room”Glennon Melton: “For Trayvon”Harold Pollack: “Personal moment: the Trayvon Martin case”Kristen Howerton: [...]
I haven’t read the comments and so I’m sure I’m just being repetitive here, but we don’t have all the facts. The media is reporting one thing (which seems VERY biased on the side of Trayvon) and the statements made the the police and an eyewitness speak to another situation entirely. It’s too bad that before a rush to judgement wass made (reminds of the duke/rape situation) and people take to the streets, the facts weren’t made public. I feel for everyone in this situation, the Zimmerman family as well. I’m just saying if my head were being bashed in by some random stranger (I don’t care WHAT color they are) I’d look to defend myself as well.
Here’s a link that writes about the bias the media has had in “reporting the facts”. http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/cutline/trayvon-martin-case-exposes-worst-media-210020839.html
Murder and kill are not the same thing. Innocent until proven guilty….at least suppose to be.
Where is the outrage for this?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Channon_Christian_and_Christopher_Newsom
For those who bring up that Zimmerman had a bloody nose or whatever injuries, Zimmerman brought it on himself. He had no business persuing the young man, as the 911 dispatch told him. He should have let the police handle it just as the dispatch told him. Had he not taken his misjudgement into his own hands, he wouldn’t have a bloody nose and a child would not be dead. If my son were to be alone at night and notice a strange man following him and then approach my son aggressively, I should hope that my son’s defenses are up. The fact is, Zimmerman persued something he had no business persuing. HE was the aggressive one. Please stop making excuses for him. He was wrong. A boy is dead. Dead. Because of Zimmerman’s assumptions. Zimmerman’s actions. Zimmerman’s misjudgements. My heart breaks for Trayvon Martin’s parents.