BACKlikeWEneverLEFT

Normally I would give a little background information, explain somethings about why I haven’t been writing or where my thought process is coming from.  Not today, I believe everybody knows my thought pattern.   A year ago I had a post about this case when it initially occurred, however I shelved the post and decided not to continue with the writing.  I can’t step back on this story today.   All of America knows that the killer in this case was found not guilty and cleared of all charges.   I have had this conversation with different people about this outcome, the thoughts, the reflections, the backlash.

Naturally within the realm of people I associate myself with, everyone is thoroughly disappointed with the decision given.  Many people are shocked that such a crime did not fathom any punishment.   Surprisingly enough the verdict didn’t shock me, I felt funny about the case since it originally happen.  The thing that catches my attention is how the judicial system has so many loopholes.  There are cases that happen every year that question the validity of how the system works.  Moving forward pass this case, America has made the concept of murder acceptable in the notion of ” standing your ground.”  Now families throughout the state of Florida have to worry about the possibility of losing a loved one in a senseless act and not receiving any justice for the situation.

A life was lost and a family is left feeling lost.  This is the superficial level of the story however as I take a look from a deeper perspective,  America has also painted a certain image of black youth.   As I take from this whole case, from beginning to the end, the young black male image was depicted as something with little to no value.  Deciding not guilty in this case implies that the life of a black youth is not worth anything.   People around the country have expressed this case would be completely different if the races of the two males involved were switched, which may very well be true.  Unfortunately we can not change the scenario to find out if the outcome will be different.

When Trayvon Martin was first murdered, media released pictures of the youth that portrayed him in such a negative light.  The negative pictures were to confirm something, to validate his murder.   The media knew exactly what they were doing, painting a picture of the typical black teen.  Given the fact that I am black, live in a mainly black populated city and work with black youth in several capacities I know this is not the normal life of a black youth.  America as a whole wouldn’t know that, because many can identify with the culture.   The black young male is a dying breed and a misunderstood population and we have to fix this perception as we are on the verge of extinction.   The Martin case was more than just a young person being murdered, it was about the justice of a dying population.   Sadly I’m highly disappointed with the outcome and the system itself, but hopefully this will continue to open eyes around the country.   We need to make our reputation something to value.