A Perfectly Imperfect Mother's Opinion On Trayvon/Zimmerman Case
So, it's been over 24 hrs since George Zimmerman was acquitted in the murder of Trayvon Martin. Emotions are high whether you were Pro-Zimmerman or Pro-Trayvon. I turned the telly off about an hour before the jury announced their decision. I knew that whichever the outcome, there will be no justice for either. The entire story and events that have led up to now, and what will be in days and weeks and probably months to follow is going to impact our country.
I remember when I first heard of the death of Trayvon. I remember seeing Trayvon's mother and father crying and holding a photo of Trayvon. Oh, my heart broke for them. I'm a mother to 2 sons... naturally the thought of any parent losing a child breaks my heart. I remember hearing all sorts of stories of some gun-crazy, cop-wannabe, white man shooting a poor black child who just had Skittles and a drink. I saw the photos of Zimmerman and Trayvon. I admit, I saw Zimmerman as a monster and a child killer. I didn't pay much attention to all the media coverage in the beginning. In all honesty, we hear of crime like this ALL THE TIME. Typically, it gets a day or two of coverage and it's over. Then ol' Obama had to go and say "If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon." When he politicized this tragedy, I knew our country was in for another round of race wars. I wasn't wrong to think that.
Well, it sure didn't take long for it to begin. I admit, in the beginning of all this, I just picked up bits and pieces, and had some pretty bad judgement of George Zimmerman. For a few weeks, I just listened here and there. I felt bad for Trayvon, his family, and his friends, but I just kept feeling like "Why is this case getting so much attention? I have been hearing of racial murder crimes going on years, SO WHY THIS CASE? I hate that a young man lost his life but is this case so big because Obama put his 2-cents in? Yeah, that is part of the reason... we also got ol' loud mouth Al Sharpton and race-baiter Jesse Jackson, and the good ol' liberal media going on by this point. Pretty much every day I turned on the tv, it was going on about Trayvon and Zimmerman.
Okay, some of yalls might get pissy with me because of my opinions on Obama, Sharpton, and Jackson. Anyone who knows me, knows my opinion of Obama. As for "Reverend" Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, I do not really have the greatest opinions of them either. I admit, 40-50 years ago, I appreciate everything they have done for civilian rights. Their participation in civil rights made it possible for me to grow up knowing that blacks do not have to use segregated schools, stores, water fountains, bathrooms, etc. In my 35 years of living, I have been friends with people of different skin color and never thought anything bad of it. I have grown up seeing people of different races date, marry, have children, etc. and not think anything bad of it. Actually my first boyfriend in kindergarten was black, his name was Michael and he was so funny! Many of my celebrity crushes have been black and many of my favorite shows were The Jeffersons, Soul Train, Gimme a Break, etc. Love me some BoyzIIMen, Jodeci, Shai, etc... Anyways, I am thankful that because of the protests and marches that MLK Jr, Jackson, Sharpton, and many others risked and staked their lives so I could grow up not seeing a person for the color of their skin. I grew up seeing a person for their character. Kudos to my parents for the non-racist upbringing! ;)
Now, I am not saying that there has not been some racial issues in the 80's/90's/and 2000's... Rodney King is probably the first I remember learning about in my lifetime and understood that a black man was unfairly and unlawfully attacked and beaten by asshat racist cops. I remember hearing about riots breaking out. I know on occassion that Sharpton and Jackson come around, and yes, at times it's been merited... but it seems to me that over the last 5 years, they are ALWAYS on tv. Running up the race card. I didn't expect them to become Obama's constants. I got tired of hearing that election from people who voted because Obama was black. Many people did. I know several who did and openly admitted it. I didn't vote for him, but I can guarantee you my reasons had absolutely nothing to do with his race. I am not even going to go there with my political reasons for not voting democrat. My point is, here we are... 50 years later. What are they running their race card about? I see politicians of every race in D.C. Not every black person is a democrat. Not every white person is a Republican. People of every color are rich, famous, educated... There are poor, uneducated, and lazy people of all color... There are average, hard-working, median income people of all colors. America, our amazing and wonderful country is a melting pot of beautiful bi-racial/multi-racial people. Blacks/Asians/Latinos/Indians/etc. are together as friends and family. Thank God there are no 'white's only'/'blacks only' signs because the majority of America's population would be confused on where to go!
Where there is 'good', which is not white or black, there is also 'evil' which is also not white or black. Good, evil, rich, and poor does not discriminate. Every race has their bigots. Every religion has their extremists. Criminals come in every color too! Take a look at the mug shots and you see humans of every race... some I am not even sure they are human. Seriously... have you ever watched COPS or looked at mug shots???
So, there I go again, getting off topic. Oh well, if you know me, that's no big surprise there. Back to the Zimmerman/Martin trial. I admit, I never really paid attention to Zimmerman's story. I just knew a kid was killed for having Skittles and a drink. About 2 months ago, I started reading more. I am not saying I completely side with Zimmerman, mmkay? I have listened to the 911-calls that were not doctored by NBC. Yes, the one thing that sticks in my head is that Zimmerman got out of his car when he was told to not pursue Trayvon. I agree with the rest of the world on this. Yes, there are things about Zimmerman's story that changed here and there. I look at the case from the time Zimmerman went to see where Trayvon went, to the time that he was killed. All I think about is what I would have done.
If you live in an area that has been burglarized, you look at people in the neighborhood more. If you have lived in a place long enough, you typically know who your neighbors are. Some you may know personally and have bbq's with. Some you just know by their face when you drive by. You start to recognize faces and names after 3 yrs of living in a place. If you live in an neighborhood where there have been burglaries and other crimes going on, you are going to be suspicious if you see someone you don't know walking between houses. You are going to notice. "Why did he think Trayvon was suspicious?" people ask... Well, like I said, if your neighborhood has been experiencing crime, you become more aware of surroundings and what you are used to seeing and not used to seeing.
"Why did Zimmerman have a gun?" Yes. He had a CCW. I know a lot of people with CCW licenses. Many carry their guns everywhere. I know some who are so used to wearing their gun, that it's like a wedding ring. You wear it all time. No law broke there. True, he should not have used the gun being a head person in the Neighborhood Crime Watch. He should have left the gun in his glove compartment... No argument here. He walked and looked around to see where Trayvon had gone. We don't know what all really happened between the time Zimmerman and Trayvon came face to face to the time that they caught attention from neighbors and witnesses.
I really wish Trayvon's girlfriend had been a more trustworthy witness. Rachel Jeantel, damn, I wish she had not lied so much in the beginning. I feel she was the worst witness when she could have, should have, and would have been the prosecuting teams best key witness. BUT nooooo... Her testimonies were not consistent and she had told too many lies... her attitude in court that first day did not help matters. In all honesty, the race card that came into play with this came with the "creepy ass cracker" comment. I have heard no race comment (other than the NBC doctored one that by this point we all know was false) from the Zimmerman side. She believes calling white people crackers is not racist. *smh*
I grew up being told to not say the n-word. Or any word that referred to a person of race in a derogatory way. You just didn't say it. In our town, the hispanic population was pretty high and a lot of people said "beaners" "wetback" and I said them not really even knowing the meaning of them. I even had a few friends that were hispanic and called each other those names. I said it around my momma and let me tell ya, she fixed that real fast! My great-grandparents used the word a lot but we rarely were around them. The times we were, my mom had given my sis and I the talk about how saying certain words that are bad now were not considered quite the same back when they were younger. I believe now, as I have grown older and became a parent that there is no double standard to using any of those words. I don't care if you are black and think it's ok to call each other "niggaz" or whatever. If you don't want someone of another color calling you that, then you don't say it as a term of endearment to yourself or put it in your music and movies and be offended when lil white boy be spending his money (or his parents money) on your crap, dressing like a thug, and talking just like you.
Anyways, I don't see how people keep saying Zimmerman racially profiled Trayvon. Like I said earlier, criminals and creepy ass people come in all colors of race and you never hear Zimmerman say anything about black people or uses the n-word. Oh, he said "I get sick of these people getting away with this" (i know that's probably not the exact word for word quote but it's close and i am tired and about to wrap this up). "These people"... where's the racist ephitat there? You people, those people, these people... hell, "people" refers to a lot of different things.
So we only know from photos of Zimmerman's face and head, and hearing testimony that Trayvon was on top of Zimmerman. Those are facts that we know of. From Zimmerman's story, apparently Trayvon attacked first. I am not saying it's true or not. But we know that Zimmerman had visible abrasions. Trayvon only had the gun shot wound and the scuffs on his knuckles. There are somethings that, i still don't trust from Zimmerman. I know there are things that don't match up. As for the cries for help... WHO KNOWS?!?!?! I do not believe it should have even been brought up in the court... when the FBI said they would not be able to use the scream, it should have been left out. There is no facts on who it could have been.
I was not there. No one but Zimmerman and Trayvon know the truth, and only one is alive to give their story. Whether it's the truth or not, we will never know. From my view, if I was punched in the face by someone and my nose got broken and then my head is being beaten in the concrete, you can bet your ass I would shoot if I could. Trayvon was taller and more fit than Zimmerman. Keep in mind, Zimmerman was a lot thinner and not athletic for sure at the time. But anyways, everyone has a right to defend themselves if they are being beaten. By law, Zimmerman had a right to shoot because he felt his life was in danger. The Stand Your Ground Law, you don't even have to have marks on your body to prove your right to defend yourself. In all honesty, and by law, the jury was right to acquit Zimmerman. I am not saying I like it. You should have heard me about the Casey Anthony verdict, but i learned the reason why her verdict became what it did. You can still be guilty but things about the law can make you innocent. At times this can work to an advantage and at times it's a freakin bitch.
At the end of this trial, I feel like this... The prosecuting team SUCKED. I feel they didn't even really try. That was the absolute worst case of prosecuting I have EVER seen. Were they trying to throw this case for a reason??? I don't know if they really are pathetic lawyers or if there is more to the story behind it. Am I a conspiracy theorist? Well, in some cases, i do believe there is more to a story and this O-administration sure has proven to me that conspiracy theories are very plausible. I pray for the family of Trayvon that this is not so. How I feel for them... I cried when I saw Trayvon's family after the verdict. I wish Jackson, Sharpton, Obama, Holder, the Black Panthers, the liberal media, NAACP, and the rest of the world who are not happy with the outcome of the verdict, would have respect for Trayvon's family. Spreading more hate, more violence... why??? Why disgrace his death and memory. Trayvon's memory and his family deserve better than that!
As for the Zimmerman's. I pray for his family too. They will be viewed by the world terribly because of George Zimmerman's lack of better judgement about how things went down that night. I don't view Zimmerman as the monster the world is making him right now. I don't believe what he did was racially motivated. Like I said, I believe that night things just went terribly wrong in so many ways. So maybe God used him and Trayvon as instruments to prove the world something... WHY DON'T WE STOP AND LISTEN!??! I do believe God is trying to tell us but the hate, the anger, the revenge is taking over the hearts and minds of people who got so involved in this case. I see Zimmerman and Trayvon as scared men that night. I wish Trayvon had just ran home. I wish Zimmerman had just stayed in the car. Those are 2 things I wish had happened, but nothing will change what went down that fateful night. I know that Zimmerman may have been acquitted but he is not a free man. He will never be a free man. His family will never be safe or free. The fact that Obama's administration got involved in this does not settle well with me.
I pray for those jurors. Those women followed the rules of the law when they made their verdict. I know many of us do not agree. But when people are threatening these women and telling them to kill themselves. I am sure these women will always feel torn about their decision. They could not give a verdict on emotion. Speaking as a mother, I know that was the hardest decision ever for them. I pray they don't get audited or screwed by the IRS because of the outcome.
I pray for our country. We are once again letting race divide us. WHY?!?! 50 years of civil rights and we are resorting to this again??? Oh, a hispanic man killed a black kid, so let's go on a kill whitey riot. *smh* Sharpton, Jackson, NAACP, and others... how about instead of going on a white people are evil riot, how about standing up to these gangs who kill for the joy of it. Sharpton, use your "Reverend"-status to teach people about Jesus. How God does not see color... how regardless of our skin color, we are all His children??? I have yet to really see Sharpton really be a man of God. You can talk the talk all day, sir... Words are words, but actions... ACTIONS prove the man. When the day of judgement comes around, will you really be able to say you deserved to have "Reverend" at the beginning of your name? I pray that those who preach civil rights, can look in their soul and honestly say they believe in equality in ALL races?
I am getting tired... I am going to end this now and I am not going to touch this case anymore. I am tired of it. I am tired of the race card. I am tired of riots and innocent people being hurt because of it. People are rioting, killing, hurting innocent people right now to prove their "justice for Trayvon". The family of Trayvon deserve better. Trayvon deserves to rest in peace and be with our Lord and look down and see that his death was just the result of more hate and violence.
So this is my last rambling about the Trayvon/Zimmerman case. I am a woman, a wife, and a mother who does not do everything perfect... but I have a good heart and I have a lot to say. My opinions are mine and will differ from yours. God bless Trayvon... God bless his family. God bless the Zimmerman's. We will never know the coulda, shoulda, wouldas. I am not going to concentrate on it anymore. My opinion... It was scattered and rambly... but it's me. it's where I stand. Good night... God bless.
