Justice Dakota
03/23/2012
Seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot dead in February 2012 in Sanford, Florida, by George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old "community security" volunteer who said he was acting in self-defense.
The only thing we know about this horrific incident is that an ostensibly good and decent young man was shot dead.
The nation grieves for the Martin family. We collectively send our thoughts and prayers to the Martin family.
All parents in America (White, Hispanic, Black, Asian, Native American, or Other... ) -- all know that their child could have been Trayvon Martin.
Fear, stereo-types, bigotry -- (and did I mention fear) -- contribute to incomprehensible acts of violence.
My "arm-chair" analysis of what happened is as follows: Zimmerman was afraid of Martin, and that caused Martin to become afraid of Zimmerman. One of them had a gun, Zimmerman; and Martin, a good, decent, young man went home way too early! Martin's tragic demise is illustrative of what is wrong in our society: Fear of "Others."
It's not always about race! It is usually about fear of different things!
Too many people are afraid of different acting, different looking, different speaking, different praying, different playing, different singing ... etc., people.
Those who fear different people cause different people to fear them (because they are different to them). Hence: conflict, wars, and needless killing of innocent children in the streets of America.
I feel compelled to offer a bit of subjective analysis based on my personal experience (for legal reasons, I will keep this as general as possible).
Over the years, I've noticed a tendency of people who have a gun, and a tiny bit of "security" or "protection" or "guarding" or "supervision" authority to, in general, display a little bit of a Napoleon Complex. They sometimes want to stir up trouble to prove the importance of their position or task.
These "security" people sometimes get bored with having authority never demonstrated. Some people like this, look for trouble. Their motive may not be intentionally bad, but they are motivated toward "positional" validation.
Nothing written or said eases the pain and suffering of Martin's family members.
I would like for everyone who knew, loved, and liked Trayvon to know that his killing, despite his innocent, normal trip to a store to buy some skittles, could potentially change an American societal paradigm that, for whatever reason, is increasingly based on fear of others. Trayvon Martin could change America -- Help make us less fearful!
Also, those who have tiny amounts of authority and guns; people who happen to "feel" small, who are filled with fear. and who tend toward being control-freak, xenophobics -- (and individuals who have a Napoleon Complex) -- should learn how -- to sometimes -- just simply walk away. Their "Crystal Ball" is not science! When they pull the trigger, or simply display their gun, they do it with all the baggage they have carried with them for their entire lives.
Zimmerman could have simply walked away ... and let the police handle the situation ... He will have to deal with his decision to follow a young teenager for the rest of his life!
Many times, these "enforcers" are not objectively killing a perceived threat -- they are subjectively shooting, or chasing, something they fear.
Fear sucks!
God Bless Trayvon Martin and his family!
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