The Elephant in the Room is Racism

I watched Anderson Cooper’s interview with a juror from the George Zimmerman case.  She constantly referred to the defendant as “George” as though he was a friend of hers.  It was obvious to her that “George” was merely defending himself.  By stalking an unarmed teenager, then shooting him.

Americans have to face the truth—in the criminal justice system (and other situations), white lives are more valuable than black lives.  If Trayvon Martin had pulled a gun on George Zimmerman, who thinks he would be able to use the “Stand Your Ground” defense?  Unless we have a major discussion on race, black children will always be in jeopardy.  They are guilty until they prove their innocence.

To hear the professionals share on MSNBC their stories of sitting down with their sons and explain the facts of life (behave with the police, don’t resist) especially if they are innocent of any charge made me so sad.  White people are not aware they have invisible white privilege.

The Trayvon Martin Verdict: It's Dangerous to Walk While Black

George Zimmerman, who shot the unarmed teen after confronting him while stalking him, was found not guilty by an all-white jury in Florida.

The trial was rigged from the start.  The prosecution did a piss poor job of portraying Trayvon as the exemplary teen that he was.  Instead, they let the defense show Trayvon as a dangerous thug.

If that verdict didn't prove that we are not a post-racial society, the SCOTUS knocked down part 4 of the Voting Rights Act.  The opinion was that there is no reason to have certain states notorious for their voter suppression tactics have to register with the federal government because black and white individuals are treated the same.  Plessy v. Ferguson: Separate but unequal. 

I don't know if SCOTUS caught a glimpse of the terrible travesty of 2012 election day, especially egregious in Florida, where people waited patiently in line for hours to get a chance to vote, but it seemed pretty political to me.  The day SCOTUS ruled against Part 4, states got busy making it harder to vote.

Now the vigilante law of Stand Your Ground is enshrined as a license to kill.  All one has to do is shoot first and answer questions later.