Several weeks ago, I started hearing on Facebook and various websites about the shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, by George Zimmerman, a Hispanic and a self-appointed and armed neighborhood watchman. Zimmerman claimed self-defense and was never charged. Initially, it sounded to many like a case of miscarried justice. Because the two men involved were different races, people raised questions of racism as well. “Zimmerman killed him because he’s black!” many of us assumed. “This is a hate crime! Justice must be done!” I ran with the idea for a while and read several news articles about the case.
Strangely, I wanted Martin’s shooting to be racially motivated. Why? It gave me a good excuse to get riled up, a clear and noble cause to fight for: an innocent black teenager gunned down by an overzealous, racist weirdo. Who wouldn’t cry out for justice? Despite all the progress we’ve made as a society, we all know racism still exists. I see it in friends, acquaintances, and relatives. I see it at work. I see it in strangers. Racism angers me, but rarely can I do much about it other than try to avoid the people involved. Sometimes I ignore it. Other times I say something that never makes any difference beyond appeasing my conscience a bit. It would be nice to see one of them get theirs for once, and maybe this Martin case would provide an opportunity. To support Martin’s cause, I posted a political picture on Facebook. Yay me, I’m Fighting for Justice on Facebook!
However, one of my police officer friends took me to task for it later. Her objection? Not that I was posting something political on Facebook, as she was used to that. She objected to the way the media and so many people like me, despite being far removed from the facts, had jumped to conclusions on the case, condemning Zimmerman as a murderer and the local police as corrupt racists. Only one living person knew what really happened that night in Florida, and unfortunately he was the suspect rather than an objective witness. Finding the truth would require a real and thorough investigation rather than a hasty trial in the corrupt and ignorant court of public opinion. As a cop, she understood the importance of searching for evidence, talking to witnesses, and building a case rather than seeing a scene and immediately rendering a judgment.
I couldn’t argue with her because she was right.
As you’ve probably seen if you’re following the case, further details are emerging that muddy the waters like a boat propeller. It turns out that Zimmerman has proof that his doctor examined him the next day and found significant injuries consistent with taking damage in a fight, just as Zimmerman has claimed. But a police video from the jail that night showed Zimmerman with no visible injuries or obvious pain. Various witnesses report hearing the two men yelling at each other and fighting, with some reporting that Martin was attacking Zimmerman. Some people say Zimmerman is a known racist, while others say he actively helps black people in his community. And at least one news agency deliberately edited the recording of Zimmerman to make him sound racist. Sure, Zimmerman ignored the police dispatcher’s advice not to pursue Martin, and the whole incident didn’t need to happen, but the case isn’t turning out to be the clear-cut racial hate crime that so many people assumed at first.
What really happened that night? The jury will decide in time. But we were fools to assume we had all the facts just from a few details we read in the news. And maybe those of us who immediately and cynically assumed a racial motivation are actually helping to perpetuate racism. We’re making race a “thing” when it doesn’t have to be a “thing”.
Lessons learned.