The whole situation concerning Trayvon Martin greatly bothers me, on so many levels. When something hits close to home, it's hard not to become passionate or emotional about it. But our justice system is not based on emotions or passion. So here's the questions I've had the last few weeks that the media is not answering while "reporting" the story.
1. What is the crime rate in the gated community where this tragedy took place?
2. Did Trayvon bear the same level of defensive wounds as the shooter? (I'm not talking about the fatal gun shot here; if there was a skirmish as the defendant claims and the police reports detail, he should have had some bruising/markings as well.)
3. What about his behavior was so suspicious?
4. Do the local and county police who investigated and found the situation to be within in the law have other complaints of racial basis lodged against them?
Anytime I hear a parent say "My child doesn't..." or "My children never..." I cringe. I've been around kids. I've taught school. I've NEVER seen a situation yet where a parent either should or did eat those words. Kids, even the ones with discipline and training, are kids. They make mistakes. They tell lies. They are disrespectful.. They are kids who are still learning how to operate in society.
I've also learned that grieving parents can come up with some of the most outlandish thoughts and ideas while grieving. It's almost as if the pain short-circuits the thought process. The first year I taught at WCA, some of the students were discussing a situation that happened a few years prior to my arrival. During a high school field trip, where students drove with parental permission (signed permission slips waiving the school of responsibility), two students began drag racing on the highway, leading to a crash that killed the driver of one vehicle and injured one of his passengers. The parents of the boy sued the school, the driver of the other vehicle, the car company, the insurance company, and anyone else they could remotely blame for their son's death. (The lawsuit against the car company was filed during my first year of teaching.) I could share other stories, also involving Christian parents who would not believe their children could/would do drugs, alcohol, date rape, etc only to be shocked when the evidence overwhelmingly stated the obvious (or at least what was obvious to everyone else.)
So when I hear the Martins make statements in the media saying "My child would never..." I hurt for them. The reality is, they weren't there. They don't know what their child did or didn't do. I don't want to think evil of the boy. I also hate to think someone randomly took the life of another. I do think everyone needs to take a deep breath, wait until ALL the facts are in, and then react in a way equal to what they are protesting.
Asking for justice while placing a bounty on the head of a person who has been cleared by two separate police organizations is not a cry for justice. Demanding an investigation for truth and the appropriate response to the truth is justice. But from the battle cries ("We won't be satisfied until this man is locked up.") I don't think people are truly seeking justice and truth as much as they are seeking revenge.
For example, there's been several "mistakes" (lies, should we say?) reported already, and yet the protests aren't denouncing those mistakes.
1. It was a white gunman shooting a black boy. Turns out it wasn't a white/black fight after all, but that didn't stop the racism cries. An African-American friend of the gunman states the teenager was over a foot taller than the gunman, so it wasn't the intimidation situation originally reported.
2. There was no way the shooting could have been self-defense. An attorney for the gunman, as well as his friend, listed the wounds sustained by the gunman. They wounds and stains attest to the possibility of a fight.
3. Trayvon Martin was a sweet kid who was never in trouble. This morning someone from his area released info to the media about a suspension from school for possession of marijauna on school property. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but school suspension for drugs throws this whole scenario into a totally different level of discussion.
We do have racial bias and problems in this country. I never realized just how much so until I kept a bi-racial child for a friend. It does exist. It does need to be addressed. But at the same time, we have to be honest and fair in addressing situations. Life is sacred, whether it's the life of an unarmed drug-using teenager, or the innocent 15 year old shot in a drive-by shooting. But when we nationally protest what could possibly be self-defense and ignore the horror of a drive-by shooting which has no other motive than malice, what does that say about us as a society?
1. What is the crime rate in the gated community where this tragedy took place?
2. Did Trayvon bear the same level of defensive wounds as the shooter? (I'm not talking about the fatal gun shot here; if there was a skirmish as the defendant claims and the police reports detail, he should have had some bruising/markings as well.)
3. What about his behavior was so suspicious?
4. Do the local and county police who investigated and found the situation to be within in the law have other complaints of racial basis lodged against them?
Anytime I hear a parent say "My child doesn't..." or "My children never..." I cringe. I've been around kids. I've taught school. I've NEVER seen a situation yet where a parent either should or did eat those words. Kids, even the ones with discipline and training, are kids. They make mistakes. They tell lies. They are disrespectful.. They are kids who are still learning how to operate in society.
I've also learned that grieving parents can come up with some of the most outlandish thoughts and ideas while grieving. It's almost as if the pain short-circuits the thought process. The first year I taught at WCA, some of the students were discussing a situation that happened a few years prior to my arrival. During a high school field trip, where students drove with parental permission (signed permission slips waiving the school of responsibility), two students began drag racing on the highway, leading to a crash that killed the driver of one vehicle and injured one of his passengers. The parents of the boy sued the school, the driver of the other vehicle, the car company, the insurance company, and anyone else they could remotely blame for their son's death. (The lawsuit against the car company was filed during my first year of teaching.) I could share other stories, also involving Christian parents who would not believe their children could/would do drugs, alcohol, date rape, etc only to be shocked when the evidence overwhelmingly stated the obvious (or at least what was obvious to everyone else.)
So when I hear the Martins make statements in the media saying "My child would never..." I hurt for them. The reality is, they weren't there. They don't know what their child did or didn't do. I don't want to think evil of the boy. I also hate to think someone randomly took the life of another. I do think everyone needs to take a deep breath, wait until ALL the facts are in, and then react in a way equal to what they are protesting.
Asking for justice while placing a bounty on the head of a person who has been cleared by two separate police organizations is not a cry for justice. Demanding an investigation for truth and the appropriate response to the truth is justice. But from the battle cries ("We won't be satisfied until this man is locked up.") I don't think people are truly seeking justice and truth as much as they are seeking revenge.
For example, there's been several "mistakes" (lies, should we say?) reported already, and yet the protests aren't denouncing those mistakes.
1. It was a white gunman shooting a black boy. Turns out it wasn't a white/black fight after all, but that didn't stop the racism cries. An African-American friend of the gunman states the teenager was over a foot taller than the gunman, so it wasn't the intimidation situation originally reported.
2. There was no way the shooting could have been self-defense. An attorney for the gunman, as well as his friend, listed the wounds sustained by the gunman. They wounds and stains attest to the possibility of a fight.
3. Trayvon Martin was a sweet kid who was never in trouble. This morning someone from his area released info to the media about a suspension from school for possession of marijauna on school property. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but school suspension for drugs throws this whole scenario into a totally different level of discussion.
We do have racial bias and problems in this country. I never realized just how much so until I kept a bi-racial child for a friend. It does exist. It does need to be addressed. But at the same time, we have to be honest and fair in addressing situations. Life is sacred, whether it's the life of an unarmed drug-using teenager, or the innocent 15 year old shot in a drive-by shooting. But when we nationally protest what could possibly be self-defense and ignore the horror of a drive-by shooting which has no other motive than malice, what does that say about us as a society?
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