I do realize I've been really soapboxy lately, but there's be a whole lot to be soapboxy about. And this subject I'm about to soapbox on is not out of knee-jerk reaction, but out of ongoing frustration of misconceptions & running with it.
Oh yes...I'm going to give my take on the Tayvon Martin case. I'm going to tell you upfront that what I will be saying here will be a lot. You are not going to agree with everything or any of it, but I do ask you to read to the end, breathe & think on it BEFORE you give a knee-jerk reaction response. So, if you're up to it & think you can handle it, then strap in brace yourselves, and here we go!
I'm going to start by saying this whole event is tragic. It's sad that it even happened. But I'm going to lay out a lot of stuff & I am not taking sides. You'll understand why in a moment.
Thanks to the media, national media, no less, has done such an injustice to this whole ordeal. They manipulated what they wanted to show to stir things up...and did they ever!
The 911 call that was replayed early in this mess was edited. Edited in a way that it caused a mass hysteria over an issue that it has nothing to do with. Over an issue that did not need to be torn up when such strides have been made. An issue that has taken over 300 years to continue to make better has been thrown backwards so far...it's nearly unmentionable (but I'm talking about it anyway). Thanks to the media, this whole thing was thwarted into a racism war. It's awful.
People reading this. Put your hoodies away. Quit buying Skittles if you weren't purchasing them before. This whole thing was absolutely NOT about race! It's about some horrible law in one state, guns, actions that should never have happened & a continually deceptive media trying to get rating instead of putting the full truth out there.
We already know that George Zimmerman was overzealous in his neighborhood watch duties. He was actually a bit of a nuisance to the police department. But he was trying to do what he thought was right, even if it wasn't, necessarily.
George saw something in his neighborhood that seemed suspicious, even though he apparently saw many things as suspicious. I would love to know what else he called in to give some perspective.
However, he made the call to the police to report yet another suspicious thing. He'd never seen Trayvon in his neighborhood before. Now...I need you to take a couple of deep breaths before continuing. I know there will be some of you already stirred up, but I need you to hear this out...
When the actual tape of Zimmerman's call was played, he talked about someone walking in his neighborhood. The dispatcher asked if the figure was male or female; the answer was male. Then the dispatcher asked George if the male was white, black, hispanic; George answered the dispatcher's question with "black". He didn't just jump to conclusions & give up information. The dispatcher pried it out of him, people!
And, for those who think he is so racist, he's Latino. Did you even realize that? I bet you would've felt differently if his name were at least Carlos or Juan or Jose; maybe even with a last of something like Gonzales or Rodriguez.
OK, let's move along now to the fact that he called in his suspicious thing in the neighborhood...again...and then the dispatcher said they had the information & told George to not approach, the police would check it out. This is where it went terribly wrong. Zimmerman should never have left his vehicle. Ever. But he did...with a gun in his pocket.
Before I move along with that, I want to point out that the early MEDIA reports made it sound like Trayvon was anywhere from 8-12 years old. Then he was portrayed as an early teen, maybe. Ummm, folks, Trayvon was 17. Trayvon had been suspended from school for possessing marijuana. Trayvon had his Twitter profile pic of him with gold teeth & tweeting pretty rough things. And people are upset as to how Trayvon is being portrayed?? What he puts on his twitter account is HOW he wanted to be portrayed! He was [allegedly] smoking pot. And guess what, people. If Trayvon would have been the shooter instead, he would have been viewed as an adult. Most states have very blurred lines as to what "adult age" is when it comes to legal matters. Trust me. I know. And many who have read my most read post will know & understand.
Folks, there are 8yo's & 11yo's being tried as adults. In high school, students are being prepped for making adult decisions. Trayvon would have been an upper classman. He was not some helpless baby that happened to be shot for nothing kind of deal. He was 6 foot in stature. This is important to keep in mind, too.
Thanks to the MEDIA, all the pictures shown of Trayvon are of him at 13 & younger. No wonder people think he was the defenseless little thing.
The pictures used of both involved were & continue to be wrong portrayals of both. They used an old mugshot type pic of George, not an updated one except to blow across the screen quickly. The media only used out-of-date picture of Trayvon to make him seem so much younger than he actually was. Shame on you, Media!
Oh, speaking of MEDIA screwing with this whole thing, let's talk about Geraldo Rivera who took it to a new disgusting level of adding the hoodie angle. Really? So...more insult to injury? And what was worse was the fact that people took the race thing & the hoodie thing to a whole new level. And since Trayvon wasn't armed, only possessing Skittles & iced tea at the time, people had giant protests set & ready before actual information was even out. They ran with partial information & the media created these mass protests over skewed information.
Here's the real issue: a civilian with a handgun took advantage of a Florida law. Keep in mind that Zimmerman is 5'9". Most 17yo's look quite a bit older, especially when they are tall. They were both trying to defend themselves, but Zimmerman also thought he was protecting his neighborhood. When he is overtaken by someone bigger, he felt his life was in danger & shot. We don't know how it all went down, but the fact is this part took place. Zimmerman felt threatened & shot.
Bill Cosby is an Afro-American with a good head on his shoulders. He calls things in a worldly way. Even he came out & said it wasn't a race issue. He says it's about guns, and goes on to say that he owned a gun. He had a discussion with an officer about the gun in Bill's pocket one day when he was told, "Once you pull that trigger, you can't take it back." Hmmm...wise words, officer. That was a wake up call for Dr. Cosby.
So, you have the Conceal & Carry law on top of the Defend Yourself if You Feel Threatened law, and it's a recipe for disaster.
If anything needed to be protested, it should be the law.
The fact that it was blown up (thanks to Media) into a giant race issue is frustrating. Supposedly these protests were for trying to get Zimmerman arrested. But it was made into something completely different...nationwide! It was Media that screwed over the life of a man that needs help. Does he need to be held accountable? Absolutely!
But we (as a nation) couldn't let this guy get any kind of fair shake. I say that in this regard: "You are innocent until proven guilty." Giant protests went up, with Media involvement & scrutiny, that allowed racist gatherings to yell "CRUCIFY"!
Whites have worked hard to make relations better between races. But when someone white makes a comment that seems the least bit derogatory toward another race, the torches & pitchforks come out. But when the tables are turned, then whites are questioned on why they are offended. There is major racism on all ends. And it's awful when it gets stirred up again & has major setbacks when the Media screws that over. And how dare all of us fall into that trap.
When anyone automatically makes a issue a racism one, even when racism is a part of it, then that is racist as well. Keep that in mind. Look at all things.
I know that knee-jerk reactions are human nature. At first, I had a knee-jerk reaction to this whole situation based primarly on what Media put out there. And it was wrong. So, so, so wrong!
So when I see these hoodie protests (thanks again, Geraldo, for that), it makes me sick. I think how far we have fallen off for that moment as a nation. I was even more frustrated when there was a protest in KC & the mayor turned out for it. Inappropriate in so many ways.
There are things that we all don't know about concerning this case. There are things we may never know. There are reasons that we don't know about as to why Zimmerman wasn't taken in at that time. But it seems he was questioned for 5 hours. And it wasn't enough because he wasn't yet crucified. Then he was landblasted over his head injury claims over a grainy video. All that had to be taken in was a report by the EMTs on the scene. My belief is that he should have been apprehended for disobeying direct dispatch orders & abuse of the neighborhood watch system. Then the law can take it from there.
You know...he turned himself in to shut you people up. You all made him the new most hated person in the nation. Why? Because of the Media! Did you know the guy that wrongly edited the original story resigned because of what he did? Well, it happened!
And then you have people trying to cash in on this mess. Like a depiction of George Zimmerman (the old, out-dated mugshot) done in Skittles. Like there was supposed to be some kind of deep irony there. It's rude & an artist trying to make a name for himself. And when Media covers junk like that, it perpetuates this whole deal into a deeper, faster downward spiral. For shame! For real!
Again, Zimmerman needs to be held accountable for his actions. If he needs psychiatric help, then I hope he gets it. Trayvon is no longer here & it is sad that he was taken at such a young age. But it was for being in a wrong place at a wrong time and with the wrong neighborhood watch guy.
But I am going to throw out there that Trayvon was still a teen. If he retaliated, we must remember that, even though we try to prep teens for adulthood, the good decision-making part of the brain shuts down until the 20's. He made a bad decision to attempt to [allegedly] fight back.
Those who are calling this a racist issue, you are being racist. For those who are in support of the conceal & carry thing, a life was taken. For the Media who perpetuates the wrong image of this case, stop it!
Now then, Zimmerman is in custody. But because of the insanity created in these protests, he may not get a fair trial. You know what that means? It means it will be dismissed & he will be let out & will have to deal with hateful people trying to track him down to make sure he gets crucified.
Everyone is in a bad light in this. No one is/was innocent. We need to drop all of this race issue within this case as we have to try to mend relationships yet again...over something that had nothing to do with race.
On a side note: Our Latino suspect is being supported by right wing conservatives for this move. He's a registered Democrat. I hate that I know that, but it's a point worth making. Simmer on that for a while.
I will step off of my soapbox for now. I know this may have really aggravated many of you. But that's how it is. Sometimes the truth does hurt. I am not taking George's side. I am not taking Trayvon's side. I am taking the side of the justice system & will have high hopes that this brings crazy laws into the forefront to be taken care of.
Stay tuned...if you dare...
God Bless, AM~Erica
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