Posted on 07/13/2013 12:31:35 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Over the past several days, I have been watching the trial of George Zimmerman in horror, anger, and disgust. My heart has been heavy.
I watched at the attempts to discredit Trayvon’s parents - Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin. I watched as they cried throughout the trial, my heart aching as Trayvon’s mother looked away when her son’s dead body was shown on the screen. I could see the immense pain in her eyes.
.. And then there was Trayvon’s friend, Rachel Jeantel. I watched how Zimmerman’s defense attorney grilled Jeantel with unnecessary details. I noticed the mocking tone, and the condescending requests for her to repeat her words “loudly and clearly.” The disrespectful attempts to paint her as dishonest, ignorant, and uneducated were obvious.
And then I watched the closing arguments -- how the prosecution provided point after point demonstrating where truth and justice in this case lie; while the defense attorney relentlessly tried to tear apart a kid’s character, painting him a criminal, aggressor, and thug.
What is striking to me about the Zimmerman trial and overall media commentary is the intentional erasure of race, as if Trayvon was murdered in a vacuum. It’s as if race and racism in this country do not exist, as if race had nothing to do with Trayvon’s death, when in reality, race is at the heart of it all.
For those of us who understand how race relations in this country work, race is the elephant in the room. To us, it is clear what happened: Trayvon, a young, black male, was walking down a street in white, upper-middle class suburbia. He was consequently racially profiled, followed, and then killed - by a man who made assumptions about his identity and values merely by looking at him.
We all know Zimmerman did not have to act; he was told not to by authorities. He didn’t have to follow, shoot, or kill. But he did, because what he made himself believe was that Trayvon was a criminal. Just another “f***ing punk,” one of “those assholes” who always gets away.
This trial and Trayvon’s death hurt. It hurts because this is not new. It’s part of a long history of violence against black and brown bodies, a history of violence that is intimately connected to our own present-day lives.
On a daily basis, people of color are profiled and policed. From the way we are perceived when walking down the street, in the airport, and malls; to the way colleagues and peers make assumptions about our competence in schools and workplaces; to the subtle microaggressions we deal with from passersby; to the disproportionate state violence and brutality of our communities by police and authorities.
Racial profiling is our daily lived reality.
That’s why it is a slap in the face for people to say race had nothing to do with the way Zimmerman profiled Trayvon. This statement in itself completely denies us our truths and our lived realities. It essentially says, “We don’t believe you. We don’t see race, racism, or racial profiling, so it can’t be there. Stop making this up.” To that I say: “We know it when we see it. Just because you don’t see it does not mean it is not there. It means you are privileged enough to not have experienced it or understand it.”
And that is the gut-wrenching irony in all of this: that the victims of racial profiling, racial violence, harassment, and microaggressions are told to keep quiet. We are told race doesn’t matter. That racial bias did not play a role in Zimmerman’s decisions. And, in fact, the judge herself ruled the term “racial profiling” would not be allowed during the trial.
Well, this begs the question: How can you even begin to fairly administer justice if you have already sanitized the crime? How can you get to the bottom of it, if you have already eliminated the very real possibility of racial bias? It seems to me that justice for Trayvon was - from the beginning - set up to be a futile effort.
The double irony in this is, it was, in fact Zimmerman who first made this a race issue. Had Trayvon been a white, blond-haired teenager, I doubt Zimmerman would have acted in the way he did. But, Trayvon wasn’t privileged enough to be white. He was black. He was wearing a hoodie. And that was enough for Zimmerman to assume he was a threat.
Sadly, something in my gut tells me justice will not be served. That, even in the best case scenario, Zimmerman will not face the full charge. For those of us who are on the side of justice, obviously this is not enough. All we can do is anxiously wait for the verdict.
However, what is clear to those who understand America’s race problem is that the Zimmerman trial merely spotlights how black life in America is worthless and disposable. The refusal to acknowledge racial bias and stereotyping as a cause for Trayvon’s death represents a myth: the myth of “post-racial” and “colorblind” America.
This America simultaneously devalues black life, while e-racing racism and tangible manifestations thereof. This America attempts to “move forward” from the race conversation, while completely sidestepping it. This America tries to apply a band-aid to the wound, without stopping the bleeding first.
I submit that our country’s race problem will never go away until we first heal the wound. Until then, it will keep coming back to haunt us.
Lolla Mohammed Nur
OPINION | Sidestepping race in Zimmerman’s trial only puts a bandaid on America’s racial wound
By Lolla Mohammed Nur, At the Intersection
July 12, 2013
It was just a "moon is green cheese" opinion, not a news report supposedly reporting fact. It should havr been posted that way, eh?
Since when is the purpose of the criminal justice system to heal America’s “racial wound”? (Rhetorical question, of course.)
America’s “racial wound” will never heal as long as there are people who make money by picking at the scab.
Which is another way of saying America’s “racial wound” will NEVER heal.
She dares to show her face? Stone HER!!!!
And injecting “race” where it does not belong does . . . what? Oh yeah, slashes the wound open to the point where staples would barely hold it together. This woman obviously is looking to incite jihad.
I don’t for a moment question that Trayvon was a racist, and he thought George to be a cracker. I don’t know if race had anything to do with Trayvon attacking George, but certainly it has something to do with the aftermath. Had George been a black man, we wouldn’t be reading all this sappy, nonsensical, meaningless crap about racism. Nothing would have happened. What race-baiting poverty pimpers are riled about is that they may not be able to manipulate the system.
He’s give or take as black as Mr. Obama. Does that count?
America taking lessons in religion, morals, and free market economics from the Russians? Yeah, I can stand it. Ironic but I can stand it.
America taking lessons in racial relations from a hijabi Mohammedan!!!? NO FREAKING WAY!!
):^(
Over the past several days, I have been watching the trial of George Zimmerman in horror, anger, and disgust.
Me also. What a shame that a man can be put on trail to satisfy a political agenda. This should never happen in America.
A man defends himself against a drugged thug life wannabe and the media tries to make a angel out of the thug. What a crime.
What is striking to me about the Zimmerman trial and overall media commentary is the intentional erasure of race,
HUH??
You are either as dumb as a box of rocks or you are just a liar. The only reason there is even a trial is because of race. This is only about race. If it would have been a white thug shot we would not be at this point. If it had been a black man shootng a black thug we would not be at this point.
This was a politically driven race trial.
If racial unrest follows Zimmerman jury decision, blame it on Activist Obama
Saturday, July 13, 2013 12:08:14 PM · 18 of 26
mosesdapoet to rktman
The Canadians got it right.! Too bad half of the so called conservatives talk show hosts I’ve been listening to can’t seem to be willing to connect the dots to what a heavy hand his imperious highness played in this example of socialist justice meted out to serve the policies of the state . Turning this into a show trial replete with wall to wall tv coverage..
Even after learning the shooter was a very dark skinned hispanic. Obama did nothing to curtail the hyperbole claiming the neighborhood watch captain was a “white hispanic” by a compliant propaganda machine. Worse yet allowed his US Attorney General to use questionable activities to promote a show trial and ignored using a threat of prosecution to black militant groups threatening the watch captain’s life.
Meanwhile attacks by black groups on selected happless white victims which wind in their death get ignored by the mainline socialist messengers MSM service and black on black killings many of the age of the so called victim is likewise same-o same-o.
Title: How to Respond If Zimmerman Is Acquitted
Historically the Black community has spoken out about racially-sensitive court cases. How should we respond this time? Season 2013 (07/12/2013)
http://www.bet.com/video/news/national/2013/how-to-respond-if-zimmerman-is-acquitted.html
Perhaps several loudspeaker booths playing some soothing Hip Hop handclap beat would help when the acquttal arrives.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbqmjsHasow
:0)
The only racial wound America has is the lingering racial pandering and agitation perpetrated by the likes of Obama, Sharpton, Holder, Jackson and the congressional black caucus. America has a black President, a black Attorney General and roughly 20% of the federal workforce is black while only 14% of the population is black. 40+% of all federal entitlements goes to black Americans. Yet when Joe Biden talks about being put back in chains the media and the race baiters react as is=f the entire black population is oppressed and discriminated against routinely.
The original problem was not a race problem. It was a crime problem, and was seen that way by Zimmerman, who is not a racist.
He legitimately observed unusual conduct of someone not recognized as of the community and asked for the law to investigate. It was Martin who made it a race issue by his attitude. Sucker-punching Zimmerman was crime issue, not a racist issue. Self-defence to a criminal act was not a racist issue.
It was Martin that needed the trial.
“while the defense attorney relentlessly tried to tear apart a kid’s character, painting him a criminal, aggressor, and thug.”
Which is exactly what the self styled “All_in_Nigga” was, though the defense was not allowed to tell the jury the truth about it. All these race baiters keep saying we need to talk about race in this country, but no discussion of the huge culture of criminality in the black “community” is allowed.
Well, stupid white people have not yet discovered the truth that about 95% of blacks in this country are white hating bigots who do NOT want to be friends.
Like the kenyan once said, “when you are around white folk, don’t make any sudden moves.”
Want to know what your black “friends” think about you? Let them talk in a group of black peers when they think YOU can’t hear them.
What an education.
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