Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Trayvon, Sam, America

"If A goes to America, will she be shot?"

This was asked by my friend's daughter, who has a West Indian nanny, after watching some of the coverage of the Trayvon Martin case.

You have to wonder about America sometimes.

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I get most of my news these days from Facebook, so it wasn't until Trayvon's picture began popping up that I began paying attention.  I had to go to numerous news sources to get coverage; the story hadn't gained traction at that point up here in Canada.  It was hard to get a timeline of events and an understanding of what exactly had happened.  That a boy was thought suspicious, followed and shot. He was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and carrying tea and skittles.  That there is a law in Florida called "stand your ground." (Query: why do we need Florida anyway?*)

The more important questions: Why did this other person need/have a gun? Why didn't he call the police and let them handle it, if he was truly concerned for his safety? Why are we so distrustful as a society?

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Yep, all people in hoodies look pretty scary to me. We wear a lot of hoodies in Canada. It is cold here, and we like to cover our heads.  It wouldn't occur to me to think something else.  Rep. Bobby Rush wore a hoodie on the House floor today. He was escorted off because of a rule that says there are no hats  in the house chambers.

Question: Does that also mean no yarmulkes? No head coverings when an Islamic woman is finally elected?

 Bobby Rush in a hoodie, above, and below, without. Just so you can compare. 

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Now I understand that there may have been a smear campaign about the reputation of Trayvon, and that Zimmerman's supporters are reluctant to speak up.  Compassion is warranted all around.  For a man who shot someone else without thinking about what he was doing.  Compassion for the parents of Trayvon, who have lost a child, and have to suffer that unthinkable loss in the bright light of the media that surrounds this story.

This story is a loss for our country. Not for the families, but for our country as a whole, that we have developed to a point where people feel the need to carry guns to keep them safe, shoot people without confirming they are dangerous, and defending their actions in a media court instead of a court of law.

Lives are worth more than this.







*It is a TERRIBLE state. Hanging chads, stupid laws, corrupt politicians. And DisneyWORLD.

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