Trayvon Martin...Victim or National Hero

As a nation, let us mourn the loss of Trayvon Martin but let us not cheapen his death by portraying him as just a victim― his death could mean so much more.  Let us portray him as a national hero, one whose life was sacrificed― justly or not, so that Americans of all races could openly engage in a much needed national dialogue on crime.     To be effective and to add meaning to his death, we must set aside political correctness and be prepared to tell the truth, the whole and nothing but the truth. 

Right now, emotions are raw and as I mention in my book- Good Morning Uncle Sam, where one stands on the subject is likely based on one’s race and other socio-economic factors.  This however does not mean that one is right and one is wrong, it only means that we have differing perspectives.  We’re divided; not only as a nation and as communities, but also as individuals within our own races.  Too many people have personal interests in keeping us divided; doing so provides them with fame and wealth and keeps them in the public spotlight.  They have blamed everyone for the problem except for those who actually created it.

Typically, I prefer to cite statistics to make my point but I will not do so now― they simply are not required.  Unless you’re a cave dweller somewhere in New Mexico, you know that black crime― particularly black-on-black, has been at its boiling point for a number of years.  Until Trayvon’s tragic death, we, as a nation chose to remain silent for fear of being labeled racist’s or Uncle Tom’s but let us no longer be afraid.  Lives are at stake.

As the population majority, whites commit the majority of crimes but blacks commit a disproportionately high amount of crimes based upon their percentage of the national population and commit certain crimes such as murder at rates eight times greater than members of other races.  Now, regardless of your race, if that number alone does not raise your suspicion or your level of caution, you are foolish.  But in case it did not, of the 32 persons currently wanted for armed robbery by the Chicago Police Department, 22 are black, 7 are white and 3 are Hispanic.  Sorry, but I had to throw in some stats. 

There is no denying black crime.  However, all of us must realize that it’s only a very small percentage of the black population that’s engaged in criminal activity.   Sadly though, their actions impact us all, particularly decent, hard-working and successful blacks who are probably more enraged by this bad behavior than anyone else.  To add insult to injury, unless they have reached the upper levels of society, society’s fear of black crime is often projected towards them.  Given human nature, how do we prevent this from occurring?

Of the more than 2900 species of snakes in the world, only 725 are venomous and only 250 of those can kill a person with one bite.  That’s only 9 percent which is a very small portion of the snake community. Why then are we so deathly afraid of snakes if only 25 percent are venomous and only 9 percent can kill with one bite?  Because unless you know what to look for, it’s not always easy to tell the good from the bad.  In the human world that’s called profiling― looking for danger based upon certain characteristics.

We associate certain characteristics with certain behaviors and we respond accordingly.  This is done intra-racially as well as interracially. Whites are very good at separating white trash from low-income whites― we’ve been doing it for generations.   In turn, blacks are very good at distinguishing between blacks who are ghetto and those who aren’t.  Rarely though, are we good at accurately making these distinctions outside of our own race.  

  

Once the characteristics that we associate with criminality blend with pop culture, it becomes all but impossible to distinguish the good from the bad.

The man on the left has a gun pointed at a clerk, so we can be pretty sure that he is a criminal.  But what of the guy on the right?  All we know is that he is a white guy who is wearing a hoodie, much like the one the robber is wearing.  You can almost bet that if the clerk from the photo on the left survived, he or she would be suspicious and perhaps scared of the person on the right should he come into their store.  It does not matter that he’s white or that he happens to be a very famous rapper, it only matters that he looks like a thug. 

Appearances do matter and when someone makes themselves appear counter to societal norms, they must be willing to accept coming under suspicion or being ostracized, regardless of  their race.

What we know about the men in either of these groups is based simply upon their appearances.  Now ask yourself which of these groups do you fear the most?  I’m white but if I came across members of either group in a darkened alley, I would gravitate to the blacks for my own safety.  The way that we perceive people and situations is a survival instinct and I would perceive a much greater threat from the white guys, and none from the black guys.

From these same groups of people, who would you be more likely to let into your house?  Or if you are an employer looking for a sales representative for anything other than biker gear or motorcycle parts, who would you hire?  Is this discrimination?  You’re darn right it is and your 100 percent justified in doing so!

Just as whites have done, blacks must also draw a line of separation between the good and bad portions of their race.  Blacks have every right to be mad about black crime but they should ONLY be mad at the portion of the black community that’s committing the crimes.  Besides criminals, nothing or no one can be blamed for society’s current perception and fears related to black crime― not slavery or poverty and certainly not the white community.  

Although many attempt to claim that Zimmerman's motives were racially based, the simple fact is that if black crime were not such a problem, there would not have been a neighborhood watch and the paths of Martin and Zimmerman would not have crossed.   I am not placing blame on Martin, he was more than likely doing no harm.  I am however placing it where it belongs, squarely on the shoulders of black thugs. 

The death of Trayvon Martin is a national tragedy but let his death unite the good from all races so that we may be an Army of one― prepared to defend all that is good.  Stop wearing hoodies in protest, stop listening to race-baiters and start the national dialogue that could finally led us to the Promised Land.