C.R.E.E.P.

Was it really God’s plan?

In George Zimmerman’s first TV interview about the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin he stated that it was “all God’s plan.” But, was it really inspired by God for Zimmerman to act against authority, follow Trayvon, and ultimately cost a young man’s life. I’m not saying it wasn’t God’s plan, but I strongly disagree that it was inspired by God. I can’t state it was not God’s plan not because I have doubts, but because God is a complex being, and there is wisdom our human minds may never comprehend until we reach the afterlife. 

For Zimmerman to state it was “all God’s plan,” and he does not second guess it is an arrogant statement. Is America supposed to feel that thedeath of Martin is all well now since the manner of his death was “all God’s plan?” We know that Martin had to die someday, but the situation looks more like he died before his time. If we are to judge whether Martin’s death was inspired by God then we must judge the situation with God’s word.

“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgement on themselves.” Romans 13.

Now, the only scripture when God tells us to not follow authority is when its contrary to God’s law. George Zimmerman was ordered by authority to stand his ground and not follow Martin. This simple order would have saved Martin’s life and Zimmerman would not be on trial for murder. Therefore, I believe Marin is not dead because of God’s plan, but because of Zimmerman’s disobedience.

Zimmerman pleads not guilty.

Is it safe to say that justice is served? Zimmerman is arrested on 2nd degree murder, but I’m sure many people are already jumping to conclusion that he is proven guilty and soon to serve a life sentence. Not necessarily, we still have the process called a trial where the prosecutor and the attorney argue amongst each other trying to woo the jury to their conclusion.

If Zimmerman is convicted of murder then he goes to jail for life––end of story, but what if the jury finds him innocent? Well, because of the mass media attention Trayvon Martin’s case has received for the past 48 days Zimmerman will not be a free man whether in jail or on the streets. If Zimmerman is acquitted of the murder then he will have to go back into hiding because there will be a horde of angry people looking for his head on a platter; only it won’t take a girl to dance sensually to make it happen.

Albeit, if Zimmerman is set free for murder then he will merely have to hide until the next media frenzy murder case. Surely, no one is talking about the Casey Anthony case now days, and I’m sure she has snuck out to a few parties while Sauron’s eye was fixated on Zimmerman.

Whether Zimmerman is convicted or not, it is safe to say that justice has been served. He was arrested, and he will face judgement in court. The Trayvon Martin case is not merely about a teen boy who got fatally shot, it’s about the many young black boys who were fatally shot and the family never received justice for their lost. Trayvon is for the many mothers of different colors who lost a child and the case got pushed under the rug as if they were nothing more than a piece of dirt. So whether Zimmerman is convicted of murder or not, I am happy that justice has been served in the court of law, and at the end of this case I will be proud of the justice system no matter how it ends.

Too Much Martin?

The Trayvon Martin case is still gaining media attention. Every time I turn on the TV to CNN there comes a moment when Trayvon is being discussed, and frankly people are getting tired of it. Republicans (not surprised) are far more exhausted of the Martin case than Democrats. The statistics rank at 56% GOP, and 25% Democrats according to Pew, which surveyed a “nationally representative sample of 1,000 adults” last Thursday through Sunday about top new stories.

Furthermore, 43% of whites said the story has garnered too much coverage, compared with just 16% of blacks, Pew said. These statistics are understandable without assuming there is much racism involved. When the subject is not about your race, class, gender, etc then you will not have many interests as the people who are directly affected. Surely, there were more parents involved in the Casey Anthony case than singles. 

Honestly, as a black man I’m a bit tired of hearing about the Martin case as well. Not to say I care any less than when I first heard of the tragedy, but I’m mostly ready for a conclusion to this case. The tragedy happened in February when I was thinking about what I wanted to do for spring break. Now, its April and I’m thinking about what I want to do for the summer. In layman’s terms, this case has been dragged on for too long.

What else is there to do besides sit and wait for justice? There has been dozen of marches, protests, treats, and if that is not enough to gain justice then the media should pack up the cameras and go home. Whether Zimmerman is convicted of murder or not, the media has changed his life forever. It’s not like if Zimmerman is acquitted of the shooting then he can go back to living his normal life. George Zimmerman and Casey Anthony are in the same boat so maybe they should build their own Noah’s ark and hope that the world floods away. 

(Source: CNN)

The New Black Panther Party is as irrelevant as the new American Nazis.

Recently on CNN I watched Anderson Cooper interview the New Black Panther Party about the February fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin. I caught the argument right in the middle, but from what I heard the president of the Black Panthers was saying that he doesn’t follow the “white man” law, and was yapping about how the justice system always fail black people.

The New Black Panther Party is as irrelevant as the new American Nazis. The Black Panthers are nothing more than an organization that merely supports their own culture’s rights, and worries about the wellbeing of their own minority just as the American Nazis. The justice system failed many white people as well. If you ever watch, those TV shows about unsolved murders majority of those victims is white females. 

Just as Caylee Anthony, the two-year old girl who’s body was found abandoned in the woods, and to this day she has not received justice for her murder case. The only accused suspect Casey Anthony was acquitted of the crime, and there has not been another convicted suspect since the trial in June 2011. Therefore, the Black Panthers have no right to say that the justice system always fails black people.

Trayvon Martin was merely another unfortunate murder case because young black males dying aren’t anything new. Not to say that we should be immune to the black male crimes, but instead of constantly blaming the “white man law” for minority crimes we should contemplate ourselves and see why are we attracting such negative attention. Many black men want to sag their pants then question why the police harass them. And, for the harassed decent black men, well, that’s another unfortunate case of ignorance. If you ever come across an analogous situation just let go and let God. 

How I prevent Myself From Racial Minority Crimes

The recent cataclysm of Trayvon Martin has sparked many young people (mostly young Black men) to take photos ofthemselves wearing hoodies and asked, “Do I look suspicious?” Albeit, thesupport for Martin ardently shows how people are disgusted with the minority racial crime, and so am I. But, I know when I’m in public I never need to question myself if I look suspicious. “In 2009; for example, 72 percent of all pedestrians stopped by police were African American. Moreover, the stop-and-frisk policy hasn’t proven to be much of a crime-fighter. Police had reason to arrest just 8 percent of people singled out for a stop-and-frisk” (Niddle). 

As a twenty-one year old black man, I am proud and blessed to say that I never got pulled over by the cops, and I haven’t been frisked. It can have a lot to do with merely being in the right places, or angels watching over me, but I feel it also has much to do with how I dress. I hardly ever wear baggy clothes, hoodies, or any clothing that typically depicts me as a thug, or someone suspicious.

Usually, when I come across the police I get a polite nod. Maybe it’s the driving hats that I wear, you know the kind that usually granddads wear. As a young man I believe it shows maturity on me. I wear my pants on my waist. I don’t believe you can trust a person who doesn’t know how to properly wear a pair of jeans. I wear my shirts fitted, not two sizes too big, or too small. Fitted shirts makes me look my age, instead of a boy trapped in his father’s clothes. 

If I were walking in the same neighborhood as Trayvon, I ardently conjecture that Zimmerman would not have contemplated me with suspicion. Beside the color of my skin, there is not reason to contemplate me with suspicion. I don’t dress in baggy clothing. I don’t carry any gang affiliated attire such as bandanas. I don’t have any tattoos that possibly depict affliction. It’s not easy to conceal a weapon behind fitted jeans, and a shirt that hangs a little below your waist.  

In some circumstances, conforming to reality is what’s necessary. Black men need to come to realize that they cannot dress however; they want without the consequences. Black men who sag their pants, where baggy clothes, have revealing tattoos that symbolizes gang affiliation or violence cannot cry wolf when a policeman frisks them. If I were a cop I would suspect them of concealing a weapon, or carrying drugs too. I’m not suggesting that Trayon was responsible for his death because he wore a hoodie. I’m merely suggesting that his hoodie did play a key role in why Zimmerman felt suspicion. 

Then again, we don’t exactly know why Zimmerman felt suspicion. It could have been Trayvon’s walk, maybe his hands gave a suspicious gesture, or it could have merely been the color of his skin. But, I ardently conjecture if Trayvon was not wearing that hoodie then the story would have been different. Should black men stop wearing hoodies and baggy clothes because of what others think? Well, if a hoodie makes me look thuggish, and I have no intentions to be a thug or display as one then I’m not going to wear a hoodie unless it has college letters on it. 

How A Hoodie Can Costs Your Life

Geraldo Rivera, host of the newsmagazine program and makes regular appearances on Fox News Channel stated that Trayon Martin’s hoodie is as much responsible for his death just as it is George Zimmerman is for shooting him. As a black man I understand Rivera’s point of view. At first, it may seem that Rivera is ignoring Zimmerman’s crime, and blaming Martin for his innocent death, but as a black man who experienced both the side of the hoodie clothing and the side of peak coat clothing I can agree with Rivera.

Martin being a young black male walking in a neighborhood where people are not familiar with him sent negative signals in itself. By Martin wearing a hoodie, let’s say it added fuel to the flame. As a 21 year old college black man I have experienced the tension when wearing “thuggish” clothing, and when I wore a stylish peak coat. My own black friends have stated that I looked like a thug when I wore my black zip up hoodie, and I felt thuggish wearing it. 

During the winter months if I needed to go to the store, I would change my hoodie to my peak coat because I didn’t want to look thuggish in public. The public didn’t know that I was an education college student. The only thing they would have seen is a black man in a black hoodie which equals trouble. The only hoodie I wore in public was my college hoodie; therefore, people couldn’t have mistaken me for a thug.

I’m sure if Martin were wearing a polo shirt and khaki pants then Zimmerman probably would have left him alone. Albeit, it wasn’t merely the hoodie that captivated attention to Martin, it was the color inside the hoodie. Black and Hispanic males look more thuggish in hoodies (especially when the hoodie is one size too big) than white males. So it’s no surprise that Zimmerman felt suspicious when he saw an unfamiliar black male walking in his neighborhood. Though, I still agree that Zimmerman harassed the boy more so for his color than the mere fact that he was dressed “thuggish.”

(Source: The Huffington Post)

The meaning of self-defense.

Many have heard of the fatal shooting on February 26 of 15 year-old Trayvon Martin who was killed by a single bullet to the chest by 28 year-old George Zimmerson who was the neighborhood watch at the time of the shooting. Reportedly martin was in the neighborhood to buy a pack of skittles when Zimmerman called the police to report a “suspicious” person in the neighborhood. The operator told Zimmerman to not follow the boy, and that policemen are on their way, but Zimmerson thought it best to follow a person he felt threatened by. According to the police report Zimmerson and Martin had a confrontation, which led to the fatal shooting.

A 16 year old girl who was the last person Martin spoke to on the phone moments before his death reported that Martin was the victim. Martin was telling the girl that a man was following. The girl told Martin to run, but Martin refused to run, and said he will walk fast. Eventually Martin ran, which is when Zimmerson caught up with him, and killed him with one bullet to the chest. The main reason why Zimmerson is not yet arrested is because he is protected under the “Stand Your Ground” law which allows a person who is in no criminal act to use force when feelings threatened.

I don’t understand how a big 28 year old man feels threatened by an unarmed 17 year old boy. And, according to police tapes Martin was screaming for help seconds before he was killed. What kind of aggressor screams for help? Rapists don’t scream for help when they’re in the act of raping. I seriously doubt those terrorists on 9/11 were screaming for help moments before the planes crashed. And, an innocent boy who merely wants to buy some snacks won’t scream for help if he’s out looking for trouble.