In my first two diaries, I sought an answer to one question: Why would any rational person do what Trayvon Martin is alleged to have done? Let me rephrase that: What rational white person would get anywhere near a person that scared them?
Zimmerman communicated his intense displeasure of Martin in word and deed. He stared into Martin’s face. Martin ran rather than confront a potential existential threat. Zimmerman mounted his assault to detain Martin in stealth mode. Martin resisted. They fought. Martin lost and Zimmerman ultimately killed him. Zimmerman had total control of both the strategic and tactical situation and the tools to maintain that control.
All I want is some peace of mind because I can not imagine any reasonable white person returning to confront Zimmerman in any circumstance. And if by some major flaw in my logic he did, then why on earth would that person not use the tools available as weapons?
When I heard the verdict I wasn’t surprised because Florida did not want a trial. The prosecution refused to offer a theory of the “crime”. They presented a defense case. The judge allowed a cartoon to be shown to the jurors and thus the world.
When juror B37 said that Martin was “hugely” responsible for his own death because he got mad and doubled back when “he” should have just walked away, I choked. None of it made any sense. She was parroting the same points that I was reading on the internet. Juror B37 said with seeming familiarity that “George” was a good man and implied that Martin was not so clearly she had followed the demonization of Martin on the internet. I heard a guest on Bill Maher say a “wanna be cop and a thug” but I don’t think that he knew either person. I bet he also formed that impression from the internet.
Clearly, there is a chasm between the races when it is accepted that a young African American boy would do something that no white boy would.
In my previous diary, I was dismissed when I used the “coon” versus “punks” discussion last year as part of the pattern that I believe deceived so many. As an African American, I hear the word “coon” the same way I hear the word “black” when Santorum said “bl*h people”. If you are an African American that lived in the south your sense of survival is heightened when you hear certain words (yeah even parts of them). Zimmerman did not enunciate because he caught himself when he realized that he was being recorded like Santorum.
But the dismissal reminded me of something. I have had situations where I have had written proof or video of an event and the solution was to dismiss or simply ignore it. I learned that there are white facts and when anything contradicts those facts then they are ignored or dismissed.
If you believe that the trial and verdict represent equal justice; help me understand by giving me a logical answer to my question. Otherwise, I don’t see how the races can find common ground if you accept that Trayvon Martin suspended his self preservation instincts after displaying a desire to avoid conflict and stay alive. Who would do that?