When Skittles, Ice Tea, And A Hoody Combined As A Cause To be Murdered... oh, And Being Black...

When Skittles, Ice Tea, And A Hoody Combined As A Cause To Be Murdered… Oh, And Being Black…

No matter how educated… no matter that you or your love ones have the means to live in fancy gated neighborhoods, the Black man must remind himself that he must be awfully careful, especially in places like Florida, which still harbors much of the racist sentiments of the Ante Bellum South. For most of us… it does not help that we suffer the consequences, sometimes dire, for the few who act like animals - the dire consequence of the death of Trevon Martin… on what to me was tantamount to a white-picket-fence-lynching is what took place on that fateful day in Florida. Even if I wanted to give the Police the benefit of the doubt in their handling of the initial investigation, the fact that they tested Trevon’s body for drugs, and that they did not have the courtesy of informing his parents of his demise for three long days, and the salient fact that the shooter did not see the inside of a jail cell spoke biased, racist volumes. I am a supporter of the Police because my father made his living as one of the boys in blue, but I hope that those who read this blog know by now that I have tried to be measured on the issues, unless I am opining on my Christianity.

Let us play devil’s advocates and hear the other side. We are told that Trevon was wearing a ‘hoody’ and that he had that stereotypical menacing look and attitude… and moreover, there is that law that says one does not have to retreat in defending his home or person when threatened. All of these facts would be great and exculpatory if it were not for those pesky recordings of the shooter to the 911 operator, with the latter telling the former do not pursue Trevon; in addition, there are those telling conversations Trevon had with his girlfriend on his cell. I do not know what compelled Mr. Zimmerman to pursue Trevon when he was told by the authorities not to do so… we are told too by Mr. Zimmerman’s lawyer that his client was punched and suffered a bloody broken nose and his client shooting of Trevon was self defense.

Let us be honest, had the opposite were true, any Black man that gunned down someone White would have seen the inside of a cell, until, at least, the preliminary investigation had taken place. In Trevon’s death, all the stereotypes about Blacks worked in a deadly tandem, but it is indefensible when wearing a ‘hoody’ is being blamed for a blatant killing. Now, this is where many might get mad at me because if we are going to rely on the stats or stereotypes about Blacks… and let us be honest, much of it is borne out by the stats vis-à-vis certain violent crimes. Let us say that you believe that the stats of violent crimes done by Blacks warranted Mr. Zimmerman to have been more circumspect because of Trevon’s color, working in tandem with his wearing of the ‘hoody,’ which then amounted in Mr. Zimmerman’s mind to be a “Clear and Present Danger”… meaning that it were as if he were engaging in preemption. Ok, then, by the same token, if the stats say my White brothers are prone to be Serial Killers or Pedophiles, as an officer, do I then pull over every White man, even killing him because of the “Clear and Present Danger” to children and the general public from serial murders?

To add insult to the tragic death of Trevon for me is the typical race hustlers who will take advantage of the situation for their respective benefit and putting on the backburner the interests of justice for the dead young man and his family - but I digress because who would have thunk it that skittles, ice tea, and a hoody, oh… and being Black would be cause for a lynching… normally, to warrant a lynching, we had to have done something blatant like whistle at a pretty White girl, Ala Emit Till. Years ago, down in Antioch, California, I witnessed a playground where Black and White babies were interacting and playing, which made me smile, but in the back of my mind, I knew that the toddlers’ version of racial rapprochement was not going to last... for around five or so, we start poisoning their minds. I forever take refuge in the only place I trust and know - that of the Word of Christ Jesus, who showed John, The Revelator, a Heaven with every race dancing around the throne of the one God.