At this moment I don't know what to think. I am speechless. I am heartbroken. I am shocked. I am a white woman, married to a black man, and sadly, he isn't shocked at all by the not guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman case. That breaks my heart as well. Injustice is something my husband has become used to as a black man in America. When will this change? Why are we still looking at young black men in hoodies as criminals and young white men in hoodies as keeping warm? Why?
We ALL know if George Zimmerman had run into a young white man in a hoodie on that infamous Florida night, he might have glanced at him, but he would have nodded and moved on. We all know this. We do.
George Zimmerman was told by the 911 operator to wait for the police. He didn't. Trayvon Martin was carrying a bag of Skittles. George Zimmerman was carrying a gun. George Zimmerman took the law into his own hands and Trayvon Martin never had the law on his side. We can say he did. We can say a jury saw more evidence than we did. But what we can't say is, justice was done. It wasn't.
The loopholes in the law that allowed George Zimmerman, as an armed security guard, to decide not to wait for police officers and to take the life of an innocent young man, didn't allow justice to be done, the laws allowed a young man to die for no reason. The insane laws in Florida allowed another man to get away with murder. Period.
I'm ashamed of our system. I'm ashamed of our courts. I'm ashamed that attorney's are standing up and celebrating a win. A young man with an entire future ahead of him, who committed no crime, is dead! A win?!? Shameful.
Until the fear based on stereotypes and racism is erased, we will never be able to move forward. Until change is made, until Trayvon can rest in peace, until his parents can go to sleep at night knowing the right thing was done...we can't stop speaking for Trayvon. We won't. I know I speak for many when I say...we are so very sorry Trayvon.
Justice was not done. Injustice was.
16 comments:
So sad. I hope Trayvon's parents sue in civil court and I also hope George Zimmerman always has to look behind him, in front of him and to his side and that he will live a tortured life. Then the women in Florida with no record gets 20 years for firing a warning shot. Yep, she is black. Sadly, I am so disillusioned with America, that this doesn't even surprise me anymore and that is the worse feeling of all.
Would you have written this if Tarvoon wasn't black?
Did you write a bleeding heart post for the little 9 year old negro girl that was killed by her fellow negros in a drive by?
Or ANY of the black on white or black on black victims in Chicago or anywhere else in this nation?
No? Why not?
I'm going to have to call you out on this one as a racist.
The worst kind of racist.
One who suspends all reason and integrity because she is in an interracial relationship, either because she knows deep down she made a decision she truly regrets, or she feels she has to buy into the racial bullshit in order to hang onto her "black card" or risk rejection by her black "family", some of whom she knows damn well don't trust her, like her or believe her.
Ignoring reality, facts, evidence and the veracity of witness testimony because of the racial components of the situation is itself racism.
Very simple.
Zimmerman neighborhood watch.
Concealed carry legal action
Where he goes in his neighborhood and when he goes there all100% his choice and legal.
Sees suspicious person.
Calls police as he follows suspect.
Police say he doesn't "need" to follow suspect because cops close.
Zimmerman loses sight of suspect, turns to return to car.
Meanwhile, suspect in bushes, drops burglar tools so he doesn't impale himself when he ambushes Zimmerman as planned.
Suspect conducts ambush. Thinks he's really smart, bad-ass who will be bragging to fellow hoodlums later about beating up another "cracker" just luke the bus driver he previously cold-cocked.
OOPS! Suspect puzzled at loud noise and 9mm hole on his chest. Should have studied harder in civics class.
Zimmerman feels bad, but knows in his heart it was necessary to save his life from a large, strong, detrrmined assailant.
Only when racial hatemongers such as "Hymietown" Jessie Jackson and "Tawanka Brown" Al Sharpton bring their agenda to bear, is the sheriff intimidated into bringing charges against a man he knows is innocent, and the actual victim here.
Yes, it's too bad a 17 year old young adult died here, but he was the only one in a position to commit or not commit the precipitous action that caused his death; the physical attack on another person. Up to that point, everything else was horseshit.
To commit to words the utterly biased and twisted essay you penned, you fan the flames of racism yourself in the worst of ways. Something deep in your soul is amiss.
As stated before, you either realize the gravity of the mistake you made, but are "doubling down" on your situation rather than admitting your error, correcting it, but suffering the embarrassment and "I told you so's" from family and former friends, or you're a true believer, in love with your man, but so unsure and afraid of how all his family and friends REALLY feel about you...the glaring looks, sotto-voce comments, and all the rest you try to ignore, pasting on a smile as if nothing in the world is wrong, but knowing derp down you truly aren't accepted in the negro world. So you write the essay to enhance your "street cred" and keep your "black card".
Either way, you are as racist as anybody involved with or just observing this entire kangaroo court show trial where one innocent man's life has been destroyed to appease race-baiting publuc personalities and their brainless acolytes who will be set loose to behave like feral creatures if their demands are not met.
Trade in your "black" card for an "interracial guilt racist" card...
To Anonymous. Your tirade has no validity at all and because you are unwilling to give your name shows your own fear. If this were my blog you would have been deleted without evidence that you exist as in a name and ability to see who you are. Amy is a better person than me.
Anonymous...If you believe all these lies that you've posten then why don't you stand up for your racist beliefs and attach your name for all to see. COWARD.
Anonymous,
I know people expect me to hate you but I don't. I do wish you would have the courage to state your name, but that's okay because hate is based on fear so I understand. The thing is, I feel sorry for you because you hold hate in your heart. I love people for who they are on the inside, how they treat others and what they give to the world. Their skin color happens to be what they were born with, nothing more. How they choose to live...that is what matters. Because I believe in people's hearts I am able to open my heart to ALL types of people. AND, because of that...I fell in love with the love of my life 21 years ago. We have a life filled with joy. I wish you the same. I truly do.
Madge and Valerie,
Thank you for your comments, friendship and love.
Madam, please remove your black glasses.
This tragedy was never about race. It was about crime. Period.
A man who saw a prowler was mugged by that prowler.
Not until the usual cast of characters, race-baiters and rabble-rousers who personally amass fortunes by insuring racism never goes away, Sharpton, Jackson, and their useful idiot accomplices in the media made it about race.
Zimmerman deserved to be acquitted.
It is sad Mr. Martin ended up dead, but it was his actions, predicated by a long history of criminal activity and bad decisions, that led him to attack an innocent man.
I only pray that, should your husband go out one night, see a suspicious character in your neighborhood, and then have the situation duplicate what happened to Mr. Zimmerman, that you not have your lives destroyed, dragged through the mud and whipped into a racial frenzy by a media concerned with ratings and fully willing to "create news".
Like the jury, who displayed wisdom and grace under pressure, I would expect that your husband would be quickly cleared without charges being filed, or if they were, found Not Guilty by a jury of any racial background, even if the assailant was white.
It is about CRIME not RACE.
It is about LAW not FEELINGS.
Your having "solidarity" with anything black, I excuse because you have maneuvered yourself into a corner where dissent is not allowed...where any departure from the racial story line is deemed by your peers as "racist".
I feel bad that you lack the true deep confidence of your convictions that you feel you must parrot the racially acceptable position rather than use your mind.
This unwillingness to accept the truth and have honest conversations about the state of racial relations in this nation is why they have gotten worse rather than better in the last 30 years, and especially since this administration came into power.
Facts are facts and unfortunately, a higher proportion of blacks make a litany of bad decisions and embrace bad behavior than any other racial group.
Pretending this is not so, or refusing to discuss the reasons why does not help racial relations, It hurts them.
Certainly, some aspects of the discussion are "Chicken and Egg", but that is no reason for the black community not to attempt to fix their problems regardless what the rest of us do to fix ours.
And yes, the actions of one member of a race can and do tarnish the reputation and expectations of others, even the completely innocent. That works both ways.
And when it comes to courtroom justice, I can assure you that the vast majority of white people look at ALL hoodlums as hoodlums, regardless of their race, and wish to see them get their due.
Had Zimmerman been black and Martin Hispanic/white, the very people who are applauding the verdict today would likewise be applauding it then.
continued....
Get past the "racist" hogwash and understand it is BEHAVIOR that people are judging. Criminal behavior that touches and disrupts the lives of far too many Americans these days.
Until you speak up and call them "RACIST" for daring to have an opinion about the criminal conduct they are commenting on, that is....
Then they become angry for being accused of something that simply wasn't in their hearts or minds. And that, madam, being wronged and grouped based upon race, does turn into a racial bias those people will carry with them.
I would hope that this racial hatemongering by the media, certain government officials, and the usual cast of characters does not escalate to a racial or civil war, because a lot of innocent people will end up getting hurt.
Yes, I applaud you for having such deep feelings. You're obviously a passionate, caring woman.
But I also pity you for feeling that you must seize onto a position based on just race, not fact, and to fear that disagreeing with the "black" view on the subject might alienate you from your husband and/or his friends and family.
That, madam, is the curse of silent racism.
And, do tell, why is this particular case so important that you would be "devastated", "shocked", "heartbroken" etc. when a 17-year-old with a documented history of burglary, fighting, drug use, school expulsion, to name a few, is killed in the course of committing a crime, but do not comment at all when Hadiya Pendleton was killed in Chicago?
That was a true tragedy. No matter the race. A 15 year old girl with such promise...no history of crime or drugs. Gunned down in a park with her friends during a drive-by conducted by other black gangsters.
Want to see racial unity?
Start being devastated, shocked, heartbroken, and angry about that sort of tragedy. You will see people of all colors, religions, races and political affiliations come together.
But to do so, it takes honesty and courage to ignore the taboos of racial discourse. It means that blacks will need to accept that there is such a thing as a bad black person. And that when a white person dislikes a black person, it is not automatically racism.
Madam, your writing is good. You are obviously intelligent. You do, however, lead with emotions rather than fact. That is not necessarily bad, but it clouds your judgment in cases like Zimmerman.
When white people make decisions or formulate opinions in that same manner, they are called "racist".
I daresay that what's good for the goose, is good for the gander.
I wish you and your husband, and any family you may have nothing but the best.
And I pray that you and your husband never end up in a situation like Mr. Zimmerman and be faced with the sort of racial-based prejudice he was.
It turned a simple case of self-defense into a media-driven circus and you bought into it for one reason or another inexorably related to your mixed marriage.
Having taken the time to peruse some of your writing, you, madam, of all people ought to be beyond that.
Amy: We Love you and we (your loyal followers) will Always stand with you and behind you because we know that God and Jesus Christ has blessed you with a beautiful heart and mind.
With that said, I do agree with your friend, Madge. I would have deleted Mr. No Name/Anonymous. But you are like You Tube and being fair to give everyone a chance to speak even if their opinion does not go with yours. And that is being fair to all views.
This is a time to leave you and all readers with a quote from my favorite t.v. pastor, Joel Osteen: "Everyone has a right to tell you their negative opinion and you have every right not to listen to it." by Pastor Joel Osteen.
Amy: I just thought of something I read a few years ago. I was reading an article on a world famous Latin singer/song writer, Jairo Varela and his band; "Grupo Niche" from Colombia.
He wrote about some times in some parts of Colombia the police are racist. They treat dark skinned Latinos different to White skin Latinos in Colombia.
Jairo died last August 2012. He went on to write that for the police " a Black man running is a suspect. a White man running is an athlete."
Amy: Help Note: Oops, I just wrote a comment which is the last one at the bottom. It was accidently put in as Anonymous, but I want you to know the last one was me, Nay K.
You do Not need to print this comment here, but please if you can add my name to the last one where I am writing about the Latin music band from Colombia.
Wed, 17 July 2013:
Amy: I just found this today. Pass this link on to Madge and your other supporter. This is on Trayvon.
http://tv.yahoo.com/blogs/tv-news/-the-wire--creator-david-simon-on-trayvon-martin-case---ashamed--to-be-an-american-011408813.html
nkd
Nay K,
Thank you so much for your never-ending support and kindness!
Thank you for sharing the story of Jairo and the video and story as well.
It's a sad commentary when an unarmed teen is gunned down and the killer WITH the gun claims self defense. Sad beyond belief.
As far as anonymous goes, I have no problem with differing opinions -- those I respect -- however, I do not respect opinions when they turn hateful. There is never a need to hate. Disagreeing is fine, hating is unacceptable.
I pray that one day we won't need a blog like this anymore and we will accept each other for who we are on the inside and the color of our skin will just be. One day.
Best wishes to you and your family,
Amy
Amy, you wrote that you hope some your blog will not be needed. Your blog is so great that I hope it will Always be needed, desires and read.
Your blog should be read by everyone in the country and it should be mandatory reading by all racist regardless of their skin color.
I want to give a computer shout out to your friend Madge W for her great opinions on your blog. Miami Heat for a 3 pete in 2014.
Nay K.,
Thank you for your sweet words!
I hope that one day we won't be viewed as an interracial couple but just a couple. That's what I mean by one day I hope the interracial blog won't be needed. =)
Thanks for the shout out to Madge. She is a dear friend!
Love to you and your fam...Amy
George Zimmerman did not bring up Travon's Martin race until the dispatcher asked him, "is he white, black, or Hispanic?" Zimmerman called and reported to the dispatcher, "Hey we've had some break-ins in my neighborhood, and there's a real suspecious guy near Retreat View Circle...This guy looks like he's up to no good, or he's on drugs or something. It's raining and he's just walking around, looking about...looking at all the houses...now he's just staring at me...now he's coming towards me...He's got his hand in his wasitband...Somethigns wrong with him. Yup, he's coming to check me out, he's got something in his hands, I don't know what his deal is..."
Zimmerman was not told by the police dispatcher to wait for police. The dispatcher asked Zimmerman, "Which way did he run?" "Are you following him? (Zimmerman says "yeah") "Ok, we don't need you to do that".
Zimmerman was not working as an armed security guard when this happen. He was running an errand to the grocery store. If Trayvon Martin committed no crime then how did Zimmerman get all of the injuries to his face and back of his head? If Trayvon Martin was an innocent kid why was he suspended from school multiple times for fighting, possessing drugs, stolen jewelry, and burglary tools?
Please read the following link in it's entirety
http://www.dlas.org/questions-zimmerman-verdict/
911 transcript
http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/326700-full-transcript-zimmerman.html
Police interviewing George Zimmerman
http://youtu.be/7qfkRTC5gF4
And who is Roderick Scott?
Truth > identity
Where was the justice for Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman?
This case shouldn't have been about race...Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson made it a race issue...this case came down to 4 min...just 4 min. is all it took to (justifiably) acquit George Zimmerman...and those 4 min. occurred after Zimmerman hung up his phone and Trayvon hung up his phone (when he was talking to illiterate Rachel)...and until the gunshot...
Who punched whom first? From witness testimony, Trayvon was on top of Zimmerman...since no one saw the first punch, and the way our system works is "reasonable doubt," there is no proof Zimmerman punched first...so he can't be found guilty...
Trayvon was on his father's porch...he could've went inside and been done with it...but according to illiterate Rachel's testimony, Trayvon didn't listen to her and left his porch...now he was the one hunting Zimmerman down...
Race was never an issue...the talking heads and media spun it into a race issue for the ratings and controversy...
Want further proof? Go read any article from Yahoo.com about this case...how do they describe Zimmerman? A "white Hispanic"...and Trayvon? An "African-American"...Zimmerman is a Hispanic-Jew...not white...
ANd if they're going to call him, incorrectly, a "white Hispanic" does that mean Obama is a "white-black"?
It makes no sense for race to be brought in...hopefully Zimmerman can get FLorida to pay for his court fees and can sue Sharpton and the media for slander and libel for labeling him as a racist...
Post a Comment