Popular Racism

I'm sure everyone has heard of Trayvon Martin theses past few weeks, and before anything else is said, it is a tragedy that he died. But was it a crime? The black community has been up in arms about the supposed white man shooting an unarmed black teenager that was innocently minding his own business inside a gated community. There are two issues with that train of thought, firstly George Zimmerman the guard who shot Trayvon is not white, he is a white/hispanic mix, and second, what was Trayvon doing in a gated community? Perhaps he was taking a regular shortcut or wanted to see a cool car or house, maybe he was looking for something to take. To assume to know what exactly he was doing is folly, and to assume that the guard shot without any reason is tragic.

Now as to these large public organizations taking up Trayvon's cause, as the Miami Heat was doing, is in my view quite ludicrous. They took a picture with all of them wearing black hoodies and with their heads down. The image they are trying to defend is one that any average person would take suspicion in. If I saw a man I did not recognize walking down the street with such clothing on, I would be on my guard to say the least. I don't live in a gated community filled with starched white people, I live in a normal neighborhood with hispanics and blacks. I would still not be comfortable with hooded kids walking around at night.

Lastly there is a growing outcry against the 'Stand Your Ground' law. This is foolishness, how many incidents have been rectified due to this law? How many innocent people have been saved, or bad guys stopped? It is a basic right of the people to defend themselves when they are confronted by those that do harm. I myself keep a loaded .45 by my bed(I have no kids), and not because I am scared that someone is going to come kill me while I sleep, but to defend myself and those around me.

In conclusion, it is incredibly sad that a kid was killed, and if it was done unjustly then the perpetrator should be punished. But if Trayvon did something to make George feel that the only way out of the situation was to kill, then nothing more need be done. My prayers go to the Martin family and to the Zimmerman's, and also to the judge and jury that justice is carried out.