Miamians rally on
behalf of Trayvon Martin, slain by a neighborhood
watch member who claims that the young man
attacked him, Apr. 1.
America Needs Change After Killing of Trayvon Martin (Frankfurter Rundschau, Germany)
“Shoot first and ask questions later. That summarizes
the philosophy of some Americans. In the end, the dead are usually Black. … unless
there is a change in American society and social conditions as well as in the
country’s mania for weapons, the next boy will soon be lying dead on the
pavement.”
Florida children stand near a make-shift shrine to Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida. The killing of the young man has once again exposed America's racial fault line and the battle over the easy availability of firearms.
We still don’t know exactly what happened. Only one thing is
clear: In the end, Trayvon Martin lay dead on the
street. Shot. The deceased is a Black teenager with a childlike face. The
shooter: A Latino by the name of George Zimmerman who claims to have acted in
self-defense. Trayvon Martin’s parents have their
doubts, and in the meantime, so do many other Americans.
But what is the truth? According to the police report, the
boy allegedly attacked Zimmerman and slammed his head violently against the
ground. Then shots were fired. In a police video taken of Zimmerman shortly
after his arrest, he appears to have no visible injuries and his clothes are
neat and clean.
Who attacked whom?
On one hand, the police report states that Zimmerman’s head
had grass stuck to it, and his nose and the back of his head were bleeding. He
reportedly received first aid in the police van. On the other hand, police
initially sought an arrest warrant against Zimmerman and charged him with “negligent
manslaughter and unnecessary killing to prevent an unlawful act.” But because
Florida law requires more evidence, the police released the perpetrator.
Posted
by Worldmeets.US
It’s completely unclear who attacked whom in this case. Did
the boy feel threatened because Zimmerman was following him? Did Zimmerman in
turn feel threatened when Martin questioned him in return? Did they have one or
two encounters? Was there really a fight or did Zimmerman just lose his nerve?
Whatever the case, when racism and the trigger-happy combine,
someone usually buys the farm. And most of the time it is a Black man. Here again,
such was the case. Zimmerman obviously and immediately mistook the boy in his
hooded sweatshirt for a potential criminal and thought it better to shoot
quickly rather than wait for help - which is what the police had advised him to
do via cell phone.
Why do these things continue to occur?
Every reasonable person, both here and in the United States,
is asking, “Why are one of these neighborhood watch
people running around with a loaded gun and shooting at the first opportunity? Why
does this type of thing continue to occur? In his film Bowling for Columbine,
Michael Moore explained it pointedly:
“The truth is that the U.S. is in many ways more like a
third world country than we generally assume. Many are poorly educated (some
practically illiterate), unemployment has increased enormously (often veiled as
“self-employment”), the rich continue to get richer and the poor continue to
get poorer. As a result, social tensions are increasing. The “haves” fear more
and more for their property and their lives. So they are arming themselves and
living in gated communities with guards, who, when danger threatens, would
rather pull the trigger than put themselves in harm’s way. This was the climate
in which Trayvon Martin’s death occurred.” [translated quote].
President Barack Obama has demanded a thorough investigation
and clarification of the case. That is the proper course. However, unless there
is a change in American society and social conditions as well as in the
country’s mania for weapons, the next boy will soon be lying dead on the
pavement. It is time for a change.
