I've not spoken to anyone about the Trayvon Martin case because I wanted to wait until I got enough information together to confirm the facts. So far, the facts are as follows:
1. Trayvon Martin is dead.
2. George Zimmerman shot him.
3. Trayvon Martin was unarmed.
4. George Zimmerman is a neighborhood watch captain.
Usually I wait until all the chatter has died down somewhat before I go running my mouth, but I'm still getting used to this whole 'being a public figure' thing so bear with me.
Here I go. I'm jumping in and giving you my opinion. It follows thusly:
People. Be. Stupid.
There's a lot of chatter on how Trayvon shouldn't have been wearing a hoodie, has been suspended from school multiple times and that he attacked Zimmerman. Doesn't matter.
There's a lot of chatter saying that Zimmerman and the police force that may have bungled the investigation are racists. Again, doesn't matter.
As a neighborhood watch captain Zimmerman's role wasn't to be carrying a firearm, but to be actively engaged in contacting the police if he was observing suspicious behavior from Martin.
And if wearing a hoodie and walking around at night translate to suspicious behavior then I've been guilty since adolescence.
I was not there to know whether Zimmerman was attacked by Martin. I was not there to verify that Martin was acting suspiciously. And I was not there to observe the police investigating the whole affair.
What I know is that a 17 year old boy is dead by the hand of a grown man in defiance of the rules he volunteered to follow and that the man that shot him has received no admonishment whatsoever.
I will keep reading and following this case because it has clearly become the news story of the year. I will not, however, pay any attention to those that stand to profit by involving their organizations in the protest efforts.
I will pay attention to the list of more than 2 million names (and growing) that have signed Change.org's petition to bring George Zimmerman to justice. I will also pay attention to the thousands of people holding vigils in protest to the death of Trayvon Martin and the circumstances that surrounded it.
And I will hope that no matter what the Florida Attorney General and his staff uncover they will pursue truth and hold all relevant parties accountable to it.
Or...they can let people be stupid. That's the only real truth I can rely on anyway.
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