Zimmerman-Martin: Symptom of Problems Ignored

Zimmerman-Martin: Symptom of Problems Ignored
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
July 18, 2013

The verdict is in, the jury has ruled, and justice has been served. George Zimmerman has been found not guilty of murdering Trayvon Martin. You are now returned to your regularly scheduled country and news about the Obama administration scandals; and not a moment too soon.

A-ha; you think we forgot about the numerous scandals plaguing the Obama administration such as Benghazi, the IRS, the NSA and Edward Snowden, Fast and Furious, Attorney General Eric Holder’s racial cherry picking – ignores New Black Panther Party voter intimidation antics in Philadelphia, plays up interest in Trayvon Martin

The prosecution pitched a terrible game, over-reached in its charges against Zimmerman (second degree murder and manslaughter) and their own witnesses made better defense witnesses than that for the prosecution.
MSNBC whipped up the liberals and race-baiters into a frenzy by doctoring the 9-1-1 tape recording eliminating the 9-1-1 operator asking Zimmerman about the suspect’s race, thus making it appear as Zimmerman initially volunteered the information. The lame stream media showed pictures of Martin as an allegedly cute and innocent 12-year-old, instead of as the 17-year-old thug, misogynist, and marijuana user he became. Martin was no choir boy, had a rap sheet, as well as school expulsions to his "credit." The prosecution’s witness, a supposed dear friend of Martin’s testified he was no stranger to “weed.” Martin’s phone contained pictures of scantily clad and naked women and young girls.

Did Zimmerman know this? No, of course not. Zimmerman was confronted by a person who seemed to be looking for a fight and Zimmerman did the right thing by defending himself. This case was NOT about race, which, again, was trumped up by the media to create a feeding frenzy. Sadly, on the other hand, there is a culture of fear endemic in American society, promulgated even by the likes of Jesse Jackson himself.

Even Jackson said a number of years ago, “There is nothing more painful to me … than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery, then look around and see somebody white and feel relieved.” (US News & World Report, 01/17/94)

As is typical of the post-Watergate media, it attempts to inculcate itself into stories to be part of the news, and not do its job of objectively reporting the news. They tried to turn this into a ratings bonanza, yet ignore the continuing slaughter of young blacks at the hands of other young blacks in the killing fields of Chicago, Detroit, Oakland, et al.

I was accused of arrogance in making my declarative statement about the trial’s conclusion and verdict as a matter of fact. There was nothing arrogant about my comment. I simply assessed the outcome of the trial from a legal standpoint. American jurisprudence is to be free from emotion, and while the system may be imperfect, it is still the best system going. In this country, we are presumed innocent until proven guilty, thus the burden of proof lies squarely on the prosecution who, in this case, had little bona fide evidence, and worse yet, many of the prosecution witnesses were damaging to their own case, and more helpful to that of the defense.

We live in a society of laws. To follow and adhere to them does not make me, or anyone, for that matter, devoid of human decency, as was suggested by a reader.
The jury did its job, even when handcuffed by a judge who seemed to side with the prosecution from time to time. The case is over. While it is sad that a family lost a son, it is also sad that the media and the race-hustlers turned this case into the circus it became turning it into something it was not.

Injecting race into this case is simply a red herring and blacks from both sides of the aisle have agreed on this point – even the grieving parents of Trayvon Martin and their family attorney said as much following the issuance of the verdict. Both Col. Allen West, a former member of Congress (R-FL) and Dr. Benjamin Carson have been outspoken that the jury correctly did its job based upon the preponderance of evidence, or lack of same, in finding Zimmerman not guilty.

As noted above, this case was not about race or politics, so adding to West and Carson from the right, there are rapper Lupe Fiasco and civil rights attorney Leo Terrell from the left who agreed the verdict was accurate from a legal standpoint. Terrell, also a radio talk show host on KABC said the “jury was absolutely correct as a lawyer,” while a guest on Fox News’ Hannity on July 16. The prosecution neither proved second degree murder nor manslaughter, said Terrell, who admitted to agreeing with the conservative Hannity for the first time. Even that anointed king of the liberals, Jimmy Carter said, “I think the jury made the right decision.”

And yet, once again, Obama and Holder entrenched themselves into local matters, ultimately making the situation more volatile and political when neither were necessary. Recall Obama and the Cambridge police matter regarding the arrest of Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Obama, lacking the full story, said “the Cambridge police acted stupidly.” Obama called for calm following the not-guilty verdict, yet he was the one who lobbed the first grenade shortly after the shooting of Martin occurred when Obama said if he had a son, he would look like Trayvon Martin.

Holder announced at the NAACP conference July 16 that charges pertaining to the violation of Martin’s civil rights may or may not be forthcoming against Zimmerman. The prosecution never raised the issues of racism or bias, as neither was determined to have been found. Even the FBI determined no racial animus existed in this case.

Holder also questioned the validity of the stand your ground laws existing in roughly 30 states as well as the concept of a self-defense defense overall. The rejection of these protections will give miscreants an even bigger advantage than they already have, outgunning law-abiding citizens.

Additionally, on July 15 Holder called the death of Martin an “unnecessary shooting.” Are we the people to assume, Mr. Holder, that the thousands of other shootings in this country that you have ignored were necessary? No? So why THIS case?

This case is a symptom of a bigger problem – not that justice is blind, or even color blind in this instance, nor is it about politics. It is about education. Thousands of trials are conducted and thousands of verdicts are handed down that do not have an ultimate result of violence, looting, robbery, and vigilante justice permeating the streets across America. We the American people – not we the black people of America, not we the white people of America – live within a construct of laws

And where are race-hustlers extraordinaire Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton when black thugs are pillaging and plundering, rioting and looting in cities like Oakland and Los Angeles? When did that behavior become an acceptable norm of response when something does not go as expected – such as the result of a trial or an election? Where and when was this taught? These are the bigger problems the majority of the black community and so-called mainstream media refuse to publicly acknowledge. Did whites react violently as miscreants burning and looting following the not guilty verdict in the OJ Simpson case? No, in spite of the overwhelming public opinion that Simpson slaughtered his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman.

Where are Jackson and Sharpton when cities like Chicago continue to explode with the runaway homicide rate of black on black massacre? Doesn’t fit their profile?

Instead, Sharpton publicly fanned the flames when speaking at the NAACP conference on July 17, repeatedly calling out “Time to march again!” Marching is fine – it’s a time-tested way of gaining positive attention – peaceful marching. But then, Sharpton added, viscerally “Stand up; fight back!” Plus, just after the verdict was delivered, Sharpton said, “This puts every child at risk.” And still nothing from Sharpton about the daily tragedies befalling inner-city parents as their children continue getting massacred. 

We live in a culture of fear permeating society whether from physical or verbal backlash where the issue of race is concerned. While it is perfectly okay for Bill Cosby and political commentator Juan Williams to take the black community to task, for 70-plus percent of out of wedlock births and the heinous amount of black on black crime and murder, G-d forbid a white person does likewise, he or she will be castigated in the media and forever be branded a racist. While this simply is not fair, we live in a society that parses every syllable anyone says seeking racism, sexist, homophobia, and any other –ism and –phobia as opposed to dealing with the crux of the matters.

Williams’ book Enough: The Phony Leaders, Dead-End Movements and Culture of Failure That Are Undermining Black America – and What We Can Do About It (2006; Crown Publishers) is excellent and highly recommended.

According to Justice Department data from 1980-2008, “blacks were six times more likely as whites to be homicide victims and seven times more likely as whites to kill,” wrote Williams in The Wall Street Journal.

There is a systemic disconnect within the underclass of the black community, which can be attributed to a paucity of education and the advent of the so-called Great Society and War on Poverty under the ill-fated leadership of Lyndon Johnson (1963-69). In fact, in 1964, the black out of wedlock birthrate was 23 percent, while today it passed 70 percent. In the classroom, graduation rates from 2010-11 are equally dismal for both the black and Hispanic communities. Asians lead with an 81 percent graduation rate, followed by whites at 80 percent, Hispanics at 68 percent and blacks at 62 percent. (www.theatlantic.com) All rates are depressing. There is no reason for an English-speaking American not to graduate from an American high school.

Educated blacks do not take to the streets in violent vigilantism and crime. Yes, there is a frustration about the justice system, high rates of unemployment, even living in substandard housing with no air conditioning or enough food to eat is enough to raise one’s ire, but that simply is no excuse to commit robbery, looting, mayhem, and even murder. When the news media does cover such actions, the viewing public sees fires set in black neighborhoods, and storefronts shattered with thugs carrying away big screen televisions, not shopping carts full of food and books.

But G-d forbid a white writer comments on these behaviors. He will be excoriated as a racist, and for what? Telling the unvarnished truth. If there are people offended by these words, take actions within the several communities to educate those who need it, drive them to take personal responsibility over their own lives, and end the criminal behaviors.

Rest assured the black community is not monolithic. More and more black people are taking public issue with the Obama administration, joining the Republican Party and even running for office under the GOP banner. This is good for not just black Americans or white Americans, but all Americans who feel blacks only speak via one voice – an amalgamation of Obama-Holder-Sharpton-Jackson.

Instead Tim Scott (R-SC) has emerged from the Palmetto State as its junior senator as a solid conservative voice for all South Carolinians. Both Allen West and Benjamin Carson would be excellent candidates for president and Herman Cain brought many good ideas to the table during his campaign for the White House in 2012.

There were several stellar black Republican candidates for Congress, who hopefully will remember that Abraham Lincoln lost eight elections prior to becoming the first Republican president in the United States, and try, try again. Saratoga Springs Mayor Mia Love (UT), author and political commentator Angela McGlowan (MS), columnist and founder of the CURE (Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education) Star Parker (CA), and my personal friend, writer and activist Princella Smith (AR) to name just a few are accomplished black conservatives who are also solid role models.

The Virginia GOP nominated Rev. E.W. Jackson to run for Lieutenant Governor this year and there are some Congressional candidates readying for the 2014 mid-term races. Will Hurd (TX), Glo Smith (FL), and Erika Harold (IL) are just a few of the hopefuls who are already working to represent the people of their districts – all the people.

What is important, is that the black community, while, again, certainly not monolithic, has choices in candidates from both sides of the aisle and so that the Democrats do not take for granted the solid support they have enjoyed from the black community since the New Deal.

Once no longer beholden to the Democrats, who have kept the majority of the black community on what Deneen Borelli astutely calls the “government plantation,” in her excellent book Blacklash (2012; Threshold Editions) they will take control over their lives, strive for home ownership instead of rental properties about which they don’t care, strive for higher education which will lead to greater employment opportunities and less dependence upon government, ending the vicious multi-generational cycle.

Sadly, for now, the body count continues to mount while the current crop of so-called black leaders, Obama, Holder, Jackson, and Sharpton play politics, perpetuates the culture of dependency, and ignores reality hoping to pass the buck to the next generation. Let’s help break that cycle sooner rather than later.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.