Why is Trayvon Martin Dead?

Why is Trayvon Martin Dead?

In case you have not heard about this case I will discuss what happened and my thoughts about it. Trayvon Martin a seventeen-year old boy was walking home who so happened to have on a hoodie was listening to music and talking on his cell phone and the most important part was that he had not a gun but a bag of skittles and some ice tea in his hand as he walked. The Neighborhood crime-watch captain George Zimmerman whose mother is Hispanic and father is white called 911 and followed the boy. The 911 operator asked him if he were still following the boy and Zimmerman replied, “Yes” and the 911 operator told him, “You don’t need to do that.” In a matter of minutes Trayvon Martin was begging for his life screaming “Help” to the top of his lungs to no avail Trayvon Martin was dead by a single gunshot. Now my question is why is Trayvon Martin dead?

I am confused to how such a simple situation turns so ugly so quickly. This boy should not be dead he should still be alive and he should still be home. The most important question is why is George Zimmerman not been arrested? The 911 calls speak for themselves it’s a quite simple concept he disturbed this boy because his racism came out and it shined brighter than the idea of knowing that this boy was of no harm and was walking home. The lawyer of George Zimmerman says it was self defense but my question is exactly what was his client defending himself from. It sounded more like George Zimmerman was causing trouble and did cause trouble more than Trayvon Martin. He killed him.

Tears form in the pits of my eyes as I looked at the young children on the news marching for this boy and for justice. I also think about my brother and how so many times this has happened and this is without a hoodie, without an object in his hand, and without any suspicious movement. The one thing that my brother and Trayvon Martin have in common is that they are both black. This happens more with black people and it’s called, racism. I would rather call it what it is rather than scoot around the situation such as what I have been hearing. Some say if the situation “maybe happened this way” or “if there is a possibility it happened this way” then we will take action.” This type of talk is not good enough for me and for those who share my same skin color, for black men who want to breathe without being bothered, and it’s not good enough for Trayvon Martin’s parents who are without a son as I write this right now. It is not good enough for Trayvon Martin who has to be buried at the age of 17.

If this were a situation where a white boy was walking with a hoodie on, listening to music, and he had skittles and tea in his hand the story would end with the boy going home. I am tired of hearing stories that have these types of same endings. These endings are not coincidences, these endings come from the underlining thread of racism that still treads deeply in America and until it is talked about and discussed openly and honestly then the minds of those who know nothing about what happened to Trayvon Martin will start understanding, to black people these types of goings on is nothing new which is sad to say. I do not understand why we are still having the conversation of whether racism still exists. I can answer it for you loud and clear yes, yes it still exists. It does not matter that Barack Obama is our President. It is ridiculous that this situation even happened.

I strongly disagree with Geraldo Rivera. I disagree him but I also disagree with the panel who sat there and let him talk recklessly and said absolutely nothing to stop him. A hoodie does not determine who you are and what you’re about. The hoodie actually is not responsible at all for Trayvon’s death, not even close. When there are surveillance camera video and it catches a robber with a hoodie on 99% of the time I’m going to say that not every robber was black. Geraldo Rivera goes on to use his son for an example as to not where a hoodie or wear baggie pants because he’s dark and people will automatically jump to conclusions. Geraldo says he would encourage blacks and Latinos to not wear a hoodie. In actuality he does a disservice to his son, Latinos, and blacks. Geraldo Rivera goes on to try to make the point that hoodies are worn when a robbery takes place however his point falls flat because not every person who wears a hoodie and robs a place is black or Latino for that matter. So that makes no sense. Who said that anyone was stylizing themselves as a “gangsta?” By the way what would that look like to Geraldo any way? He goes on to state that people will perceive you as a menace if you dress in a hoodie. My answer to that is that is there problem. Now blacks and latinos have to adjust the way they dress so that they want get shot to death over someone else’s racist tendencies or feelings. I am confused as to how he thought it was okay for these words to even come out of his mouth.

The problem is not the hoodie, it is not the baggie pants, or about the things that he had in his hands. This is about racism and how George Zimmerman felt the need to let his racist ways take over a situation where he didn’t even need to be. He was not even supposed to have a gun. George Zimmerman’s lawyer has made claims that he is not racist and that he has many different friends from different cultural backgrounds which has nothing to do with it. For some this is an extreme and tough look at what black people especially black men have to go through on a regular basis and sometimes this is the outcome. I would encourage people to get informed about racism in general. It is something that has been around for the longest and it is time that it be faced and called what it is. A lot of times thinking before acting is involved in stories such as this one. I would strongly encourage people like Geraldo Rivera to really look at the facts of the case and not what he had on or what he had in his hand. The death of Trayvon Martin does not fall on Trayvon Martin it falls on George Zimmerman whose racist feelings and inability to think took things in a very disturbing and uncalled turn, one that George Zimmerman must be held accountable for.