The George Zimmerman Verdict: How Not to React.

There are plenty of facts about the Zimmerman Trial and Verdict that are disturbing.  Here’s a chain of events that is not in dispute by either the prosecution or the defense: George Zimmerman spotted Trayvon Martin, thought he looked “suspicious,” called 9-1-1, was told not to chase Trayvon Martin, did so anyway, confronted him, fought with him, and then shot and killed him.  I feel like Kevin Bacon in “A Few Good Men” describing the Code Red to the Jury during opening arguments. Let’s be clear about the fact that the entire interaction was precipitated by a guy who decided, against the advice of law enforcement, to chase down a person who wasn’t doing anything wrong.  If he had just turned up ‘Winger’ on the 80s station, we’d never have heard of either Trayvon or Zimmerman.  This pretty much makes him a shitty human being.  In the aftermath of Zimmerman’s acquittal, much of the country was outraged, and a multitude of responses were registered, including lamenting the United States government, political grandstanding, and egotism.  You’re welcome to have an opinion about the outcome, and welcome to react to a heavily publicized case.  Don’t do it like an absolute moron.

Reaction 1: Misunderstanding what actually happened

The United States Government didn't acquit or try George Zimmerman.  Blaming "America" for this is idiotic.  The state of Florida tried George Zimmerman.  The state of Florida's laws are the ones that allow someone to chase down another person, start a fight with them, and then kill them when you lose.  If you want to blame anyone, blame Florida for caring more about guns than people.

Based on the laws of Florida, George Zimmerman was "not guilty." The jury didn't convict because he had a legal right to do what he did.  Morally, he's a fucking murderer, but we don't throw people into jail and lose the key because we all think someone did something morally wrong.

Additionally, Zimmerman is no hero. He's no gun rights champion, and any attempts to portray him as some crusader for law and order are misguided at best. He's a prick with a gun who chased down an innocent kid, confronted him, fought him, and shot him. Which leads me to my next point:

Reaction 2: Political grandstanding.

Since the trial was highly publicized, everyone from Tiger Woods to President Obama were asked to weigh in on the case.  This, of course, is kerosene to the tire fire that is 24-hour cable news networks.  Ann Coulter’s reaction was “hallelujah” after Zimmerman was acquitted.  Had he been convicted, some Trayvon supporters would have celebrated.  Celebration isn’t a reaction anyone should have.  There’s someone who died from this.  Vengeance and injustice are not things to celebrate.  Unfortunately, we have a culture, and a media that takes sides so virulently that they become wedded to the idea of maintaining their own image more so than being honest.  They become professional wrestling announcers, blindly supporting their “team,” and Ann Coulter then celebrates the murder of a 17 year old kid.  This is how we got to Spike Lee tweeting Zimmerman’s “address,” which turned out to not be his address, and how we get to running Trayvon Martin through the dirt for having smoked marijuana and taking foolish pictures on his cell phone.  Was he a saint?  No.  But he, his past, and his character also weren’t on trial, and wasn’t guilty of anything the night he died.  Instead of an informative discussion about the “stand your ground” law, or the racial overtones of the opinion that it’s okay to think black people look suspicious just by wearing a hooded sweatshirt and walking through a back alley, we got side-taking and grandstanding, and then end-zone celebrations when one side or the other won.

Reaction 3: How can I make this about me?

I spoke with someone who showed me a reaction a friend of theirs had posted on social media about how the most frustrating part about the Zimmerman Case is that there’s nothing that person can do.  Dwyane Wade tweeted a rhetorical question about how he could tell his children.  My old buddy Tim Wise tweeted that his white daughter cried when she found out.  Here’s what you don’t want to do when you aren’t personally connected to a tragedy: make it about yourself.  Here’s who wasn’t personally affected: a person who lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, the Shooting Guard for the Miami Heat, and a Race Activist’s young daughter.  The Martin family and friends, and the Zimmerman family and friends were personally affected.  All three of the people mentioned are entitled to their opinion.  All three can have stupid opinions, but it’s really stupid to make your reaction to a trial that externally doesn’t really change anything about the way you go about your business on a day-to-day basis hinge solely on YOU.  You were not convicted or acquitted, killed or living, murderer or murdered.  You were an onlooker.  If you passed by a fiery wreck on the highway and knew someone died, you wouldn’t turn to the person in the passenger’s seat and say “Oh my god, how am I supposed to have the rest of my super-size fries and McShake now that I have seen that?”  Or, if you would, I hope you lose a foot to type-2 diabetes, because that’s a really shitty, self-centered thought.

Here’s my response to each of those egotistical reactions:

“There’s nothing I can do”: There IS something you can do about it.  Lobby.  Protest the laws in Florida.  Fight “stand your ground” legislation in your state.  Become a racial activist and fight injustice when people assume black people are suspicious because they are black.

“What am I supposed to tell my kids”: Wait until they are mature enough to understand, and then look them in their dumb faces and tell them “We have a really stupid country when it comes to our love of guns, and would rather make sure everyone feels safe by being able to kill by twitching their index finger, rather than making sure everyone feels safe by taking care of our citizens, and creating a true social safety net that establishes a comfortable baseline for everyone, reducing the desire to steal and be violent toward one another.”  And then tell them, “We also have some really ignorant people who think that because black people are born with lots of melanin in their skin, that means they are inherently bad or doing bad things, especially when they wear a hooded sweatshirt.  Don’t associate with those people.”

“My daughter cried when the verdict came in”: First, ask her why she is up, and ask yourself why you’re letting a pre-K child watch something that many adults don’t fully understand.  Then, explain to her that murder is tragic, but what would be worse is if we decided to throw out all our laws and try people in the court of public moral outrage. What George Zimmerman did was immoral and murder.  Based on stupid Florida law, he’s not guilty.

If these are the wrong reactions, what’s the right path to take?

Action. It’s that trite old Gandhi quote: “be the change you want to see in the world.” Be mad that we still live in a country that has to have a discussion of whether or not a black person is suspicious or “asking to be killed” because he was a fucking teenager who smoked pot and had pictures of themselves holding a gun on their cell phone.  You know what?  The vast majority of teens and adults in this country have smoked pot.  Here’s the other thing: my dad owns several guns.  He keeps one, loaded, nearby at all times.  I’ve held it before.  I’ve aimed it before.  It’s a Walther PPK.  That’s the James Bond pistol. I kind of wanted to take a picture with it.  This was two years ago, when I was 26 and a fulltime professional with a  master’s degree.  There’s a picture of me holding a .22 rifle.  I don’t look like a criminal to most, but a handgun in the clutches of a black teenager automatically means bad egg.  Get pissed about THAT.  Get pissed that we have laws that protect the rights of a gun owner over the LIFE of someone who didn’t have a gun in a struggle.  Even the wild west didn’t have gun laws that lax.  Then take all that angry energy and put it towards changing that stupidity in our society. Be angry, and be productive. Let George Zimmerman live out his miserable life as a murderer who divided our country. Turn off Fox News when he is interviewed by them.  Don’t buy his inevitable book. Forget he ever existed as a person, but remember his legal slaying of an innocent teen.  Someone tweeted something about wishing they lived in a world where George Zimmerman had chased down Trayvon Martin to offer him a ride home on a rainy night. I agree. Let’s make it happen.