Unless you have been living under a rock for the past two weeks, you know about the injustice committed against a young man from Sanford, Florida. This 17-year-old boy, Trayvon Martin, was on his way from the store to his father’s house when George Zimmerman, 26, called 911 to report suspicious behavior from Trayvon. Though the 911 operator told Zimmerman not to follow Trayvon Zimmerman disobeyed the operator. Zimmerman shot and killed the unarmed teen shortly after he made the call. Zimmerman was not arrested because the “stand your ground” law in Florida protects him and he is currently free and in hiding.
People, young and old, have taken a stand in support of bringing justice for Trayvon Martin by attending rallies, signing petitions, and making a public statement by wearing hoodies and holding a bag of skittles and Arizona Iced Tea (the items Trayvon had in his possession when Zimmerman killed him).
This incident is tragic, indeed, but not surprising. Though Zimmerman is half Hispanic and half white, this situation needs to be looked at as not only a case of racial profiling, but an all-out hate crime. Though we have come far as a country in social equality, there is still much ground to be covered. We do not live in a post-racial society (even if our President is African American). Please do not be naïve in thinking so. The screams that came from Trayvon from the second 911 call should be enough evidence to convict Zimmerman. His voice was full of terror and pain. As I listened, I was so angry to the point that I had to turn the sound off on my Mac Book for a minute. There have been arguments that Zimmerman was just an over zealous community watchperson, but my question is how does zeal turn into someone blatantly aiming to kill a minor? I believe Zimmerman should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
The news reports that an unarmed African American boy was killed that day, but it is so much more than that. Trayvon is our brother, our son, our teammate, our classmate, and our friend. Trayvon is one of us. This is not a setback for equality in the United States because the equality movement seems to be at a standstill for the longest time. So I propose a call to action. Not just for Trayvon Martin, but for justice. I propose a call to action for Sean Bell, Jena 6, and all of the other victims to these heinous crimes. Hate crimes are some of the most heinous of crimes and if we stand up today but forget about it tomorrow, we don’t really want change. Injustices like this have been going on for too long to be only a temporary motion and not a permanent movement. Please do everything you can to support this movement so that we won’t have another innocent person be a victim to racial profiling or a hate crime.