My Two Cents on Trayvon

Trayvon Martin deserves more than just the arrest of George Zimmerman. 

A collective outrage in our country has been sparked by the killing of 17 year old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida.  I understand the outrage.  My stomach is sickened even now as I recall the recording of a 911 call that captured Trayvon crying “Help” prior to Zimmerman pulling the trigger.  It is an outrage that a teen has been killed and no arrest has been made, despite how obvious the evidence seems to be. 

It doesn’t help that this is not the first time a young brown boy has been killed in such a tragic manner or the first time a person of color has committed a “hate crime” against another person of color.

Signing petitions doesn’t seem enough.  Putting on a hoodie doesn’t seem enough either.  In fact, it just deepens my grief over Trayvon’s death.  Even though I want justice in the situation, I haven’t gone to any of the vigils or events.  I think it’s because all anyone seems to be demanding is the arrest of Zimmerman.  I believe he should be arrested but I want more than that.

Recently, a $10,000 bounty for the capture of George Zimmerman was offered by the New Black Panther Party.   Just the other day on a gospel radio channel, I heard someone speaking about Zimmerman make the statement: “I hate to even call him a person.”  This sickens me just as much as Trayvon’s death.  Zimmerman shot a 17 year old boy because all he could see when he saw Trayvon is a threat.  He acted out of emotion.  He did not see Trayvon's humanity.  Those of us who want justice in this situation need not make these same mistakes.  Despite his horrendous actions, Zimmerman is a human being, not a dog to be hunted down and captured “dead or alive.”  If we become a mob hungry only for Zimmerman's blood, we should no longer say "I am Trayvon."  A more appropriate statement would be "I am Zimmerman."    

As I reflect on this tragedy, I am not just upset that Zimmerman hasn't been arrested but also over  everything within our culture that taught Zimmerman that people who look like Trayvon are always up to no good and always getting away with it.  Arresting him will do nothing to address this ongoing cycle of conditioning and without interrupting that cycle, it will not be long before another Trayvon comes along.

We need to not only focus on the man who shot Trayvon but the systems in place that allowed him to do it without questioning by the police, drug testing or arrest.  I don't hear enough demand to address the policies, procedures, leadership and cultural racism that allowed this to happen – and has allowed this to happen too many times to count in the past.  

I want more for Trayvon.  What I want is a much bigger ball of wax than making Zimmerman pay for what he did.  I want us to change as individuals and a society.  I don’t know how to make that happen.  I only know that it will require a longer term commitment than resolving this one case.  So, for now, my prayer is for all of us to have wisdom to guide our actions and for us to remember that to which our lives are most committed as we respond to Trayvon’s death. 

May Trayvon Martin’s death not make within us the very thing we despise.