In Miami Gardens, 'lovin'Trayvon, hatin' Zimmerman' hits heart of racist reality
If George Zimmerman wouldn't have gotten out of his car to follow Trayvon Benjamin Martin, he would probably be wearing a hooded sweatshirt and be 20 years old Thursday. Zimmerman had a gun. Trayvon wore "hoodies" even when it was 100 degrees in Miami Gardens.
If Martin wouldn't have gotten suspended for 10 days for having a pipe to smoke marijuana, he would have probably graduated from Dr. Michael M. Krop High School and George T. Baker Aviation School. He would probably be a college student at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, where friends said he wanted to go.
"I honestly feel that the murderer of our son should've been convicted," Trayvon's father said Wednesday, after meeting with Department of Justice officials who said Tuesday that they wouldn't file civil rights charges against Zimmerman, because of insufficient evidence to establish that he willfully deprived Trayvon of his civil rights or killed him, because of his race. For years, the NAACP has pushed for action.
"He took a life, carelessly and recklessly, and he shouldn't deserve to have his entire life walking around on the street free," Fulton said. "I just believe that he should be held accountable for what he's done."
It's not easy to let go of perceived injustice. Zimmerman didn't deny killing him, yet a Seminole County jury -- of five white women, a Latina and no African-Americans -- found the aspiring law enforcer not guilty. He was acquitted July 13, 2013.
They didn't convict himof second-degree murder, because they didn't believe the killing was "done from ill will, hatred, spite or evil intent." They also didn't find him guilty of manslaughter for "intentionally" committing acts that caused the boy's death.
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Zimmerman "got away with murder, but can't get away from God," said the Latina juror identified as Maddy, a mother of eight. She added that she was "hurting" and having trouble eating and sleeping. She said she was confused and was told that "if you have no proof that he killed him intentionally, you can't say he's guilty."
African-American parents nationwide -- including President Barack Obama -- felt empathy when they saw Fulton cry. On Thursday morning, TIME revived a 2012 column"Advice for Young Black Boys, 3 Years After Trayvon Martins Death." It warned boys that "black maleness is a potentially fatal condition" and the awareness that it increases the likelihood of being perceived as a villain or a criminal "could save your life."
Zimmerman said he assumed that the boy -- who was unarmed, while walking home, as he talked on his cell phone, after buying Skittles and an Arizona brand watermelon flavored drink -- was up to no good at 7:09 p.m., Feb. 26, 2012. There was a march and a rally, after police didn't arrest the man who got in the way of him making it back home.
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In Miami Gardens, 'lovin'Trayvon, hatin' Zimmerman' hits heart of racist reality