Trayvon Martin

Can we just please stop all the racial profiling? Trayvon Martin, the 17 year old black teenager shot to death by a 28 year old neighborhood watch volunteer, is only the latest case. How many times do we have to kill a black (or Hispanic or Muslim or Jewish) child before we finally get it. The Sanford, Florida Police Department says they won’t file charges against the volunteer.

Here’s why.

In 2005, Jeb Bush signed “Stand Your Ground” into law in Florida. It says a person can use deadly force if threatened without retreating. George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch guy, is claiming immunity under that law. Before 2005, 13 citizens had been killed in Florida in some sort of private person/suspected criminal confrontation. After the law was passed, the number doubled and in 2009 alone,  45 people died at the hand of citizens using this law as their defense.

29 states have a form of this law, Kansas and Missouri among them, and four more are considering it. Obviously, the problem occurs in its interpretation.  The Florida State District Attorney  has convened a grand jury and The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the Martin case, but that’s hardly enough. The Sanford Police Department should also be held accountable although the police chief temporarily stepped down saying he wants to ‘cool things off.’

George Zimmerman says Trayvon threatened him. Zimmerman weighs 250 pounds. Trayvon, 140 pounds. Zimmerman was driving and had a 9 millimeter handgun in his car. Trayvon was walking with a can of ice tea and a bag of Skittles in his hand.  He was unarmed. He’d pulled his hoodie over his head because it was raining. Zimmerman, who was arrested for resisting arrest and violence and battery in 2005 (who hired him to be a neighborhood watch volunteer anyway?) got out of his car, chased Trayvon, and shot him. There is additional evidence that Trayvon did not provoked Zimmerman.Instead, he ran from him.

Since January of 2011, Zimmerman has reported 46 other black people in the neighborhood. This time he killed one, a 17 year old high school honor student.

I think it is outrageous that George Zimmerman hasn’t been arrested, and I hope you do too.