Walking While Black
May 4th, 2012The entire nation has been riveted by the senseless killing of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida on February 26, 2012. The young black man was walking in his father’s fiancé’s neighborhood, when there was a confrontation with the neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman. Trayvon was coming back from the store and had is hood up because it was raining. Based on some of the transcripts from the call Zimmerman made to the police, he mentioned seeing a suspicious character. Even though the operator explicitly told him not to intervene and wait for the police, Zimmerman still decided to approach Trayvon. Did Mr. Zimmerman’s suspicions of Trayvon have to do with his color, his clothes, or both? Given the recent burglaries in the area, was Mr. Zimmerman just out for blood and hell-bent on dispensing vigilante justice? Given the racial profiling that many in law enforcement do, how can we even be sure that the outcome would have been any different had the Sanford police arrived on the scene first?
The lead homicide detective on the night of the shooting, Chris Serino, was unconvinced of Zimmerman’s side of the story and recommended to State Attorney Norm Wolfinger that he press charges. Wolfinger denied Serino’s request, citing lack of evidence. This decision caused a national outcry as on the face of it there seemed to be a glaring double standard in how Zimmerman was being treated. Most black folks are convinced that if the races were reversed, a black shooter would surely be in jail by now. Demonstrations have been popping up nationwide asking for further investigation of the case. If this wasn’t enough, Sanford’s police chief, Bill Lee, temporarily stepped down after receiving a “no confidence” vote from the city commission for his department’s handling of the case. Recently, the Martin family asked the Justice department to take a look at the case as they feel Trayvon’s civil rights may have been violated.
Tensions had been heightened as both saw themselves as being unfairly treated. In fairness to Mr. Zimmerman, we still have not fully heard his side of the incident. Still, the Zimmerman camp feels that he has been unfairly vilified, and the Martin camp feels this is an unjustifiable homicide where the shooter has been allowed to walk free. The Martin family has every right to be angry, given the history of the treatment of black men in this country, where many are not given the benefit of the doubt. The Martin family is also right to be stupefied by a system that has not charged Mr. Zimmerman with anything, knowing that if the races were reversed, a black shooter would likely be in jail without bail.
President Obama weighed with what I thought was a very measured response to the situation. Speaking from the viewpoint of a parent, the President said that if he had a son, he would likely look like a Trayvon Martin. He empathized with the Martin family and said they have every right to demand a full disclosure and investigation into facts about the shooting. Predictably, the right–wing whackos in the Republican Party didn’t take long to accuse the President of being a racist. Asinine comments by Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum suggested that the President was “racist” for merely mentioning the Trayvon Martin case! These men, like many on the right, still have the plantation mentality that blacks should not speak out about injustice done to their own. They fear blacks who are intelligent and articulate and deem them arrogant. Apparently, we should wait for the plantation master’s permission. Many right-wingers don’t believe that racial profiling exists – it’s just a figment of black folk’s imagination! It just galls these closet racists that we have a black president who is at least able to acknowledge that something may have gone wrong when incidents like this occur.
Bowing to public pressure, Florida Governor, Rick Scott, entered the fray and removed State Attorney Wolfinger from the case and gave it to another State Attorney, Angela Corey. Thankfully, forty-five days after Trayvon’s death, Ms. Corey decided to file second degree murder charges against Mr. Zimmerman. Ms. Corey claimed that they don’t dispense justice based on public sentiments and that the only “color” that the prosecution saw was “V” for victim. Well, we know that’s a lie. If it weren’t for the public outcry from this perceived injustice, nothing would have been done.
Many whites cannot understand, and may never understand, why black people are often suspicious of law enforcement’s version of events. We have a saying in Jamaica: “He, who feels it, knows it.” Like many black folks who have been unnecessarily harassed, I’ve been questioned by the police for just reading a map while legally parked in Beverly Hills! I’ve been followed in stores and even denied access to a store just because of my color.
The buffoonery continued when Geraldo Rivera suggested that black and Latino children should stop wearing hoodies (hooded sweaters) as they would be in danger of their lives because of negative stereotyping. Somehow only children of color should feel threatened when wearing this popular fashion item. Announcement to white America: Your children are safe! Thanks, Geraldo, for further validating this insidious stereotype!
The election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States was a watershed moment in history. However, let’s not kid ourselves that racial prejudice and stereotyping ended with his election. There still is a strong undercurrent of racism in this country, especially, with many in power. Instead of assuming Trayvon was up to no good, Zimmerman could have simply asked him if he was visiting someone at the complex. Zimmerman assumed the worst and had already made up his mind about Trayvon’s character before he even spoke to him. I have a theory that most law enforcement officers who are shot when doing a traffic stop or serving a warrant at a home, are done so at the hands of white perpetrators. Why? That’s because the police usually assume the worst when it comes to black suspects and are ready at any moment to shoot. When whites are given every benefit of the doubt it is easier for them to cause harm. Can you say “white privilege?”
We can only hope that the Trayvon Martin case will eventually come to a conclusion where we can all feel confident that it was properly investigated. Somehow I feel that whatever the outcome, both sides will not be happy. Regardless of your race or ethnicity, as a nation we should be grieving that the value of Trayvon’s life was not worthy saving. Many in the black community are wondering aloud if “walking while black” is now the next threat black males have to contend with. As a parent, Trayvon could also have been my son too. I shudder to think of the times my son has walked home from a friend’s house with his hood up, so in this regard my heart grieves for the Martin family. I can only hope that if my son is ever confronted by the next George Zimmerman that calmer heads will prevail with the realization that all our children are precious, not only the white ones.
April 16, 2012