TO WHAT DEGREE OF INJUSTICE RISES OUTRAGE?

The Trayvon Martin Shooting.

By Wayne D. Lewis, Sr. © 2012  Part 1

Whether this is considered a continuing series depends on the circumstances as they evolve.  But I believe that given the set of circumstances involving the shooting and killing of unarmed black males by those in authority, it would be important to follow-up from my previous blog at www.RichfitUSA.com, TEMPERED OUTRAGE  (Police-Involved Shootings of Black Males) by Wayne D. Lewis, Sr. © 2012

Let me state once again, that I extend my personal condolences to all families who have suffered a loss due to the on-going violence that permeates our communities throughout America.  My intent is to look at as objectively as possible at each set of circumstances and give an evaluation that I hope will be added to the growing number of the same from all over the country.  My qualifications to speak come from several standpoints, and hopefully will add substance to this ever-growing problem of black males being killed on our streets by Law Enforcement authority.  I’ll discuss these qualifications later.

It is March 23, 2012.  On February 26, 2012, Trayvon Martin, a 17-year old high school junior of Sanford, Florida was reportedly shot and killed by a man posing as a neighborhood watch captain.  The initial reports were that Trayvon was a suspicious black male walking around a gated community, and that the watch captain, a white male, who had called into 911 after seeing Trayvon, was advised by the 911 Dispatcher not to pursue his quarry (Trayvon).

As we would later learn, the shooter, the neighborhood watch captain, identified as George Zimmerman, would claim self-defense after having approached, intercepted and then shot young Martin in the chest.  The investigation, such that it was, would, for the most part, clear Mr. Zimmerman, as he was not charged, nor arrested as of this writing.  There were no eyewitnesses to the incident, however other information would come to light that would seem to call into question not only Mr. Zimmerman’s actions, but that of the Sanford Police Department as well.

At this point, this is where I throw in my disclaimer, where I state, without equivocation, that I was not there.  I did not see from any angle the circumstances that lead to Mr. Zimmerman shooting young Mr. Martin, or Mr. Martin taking offensive or defensive action precipitating his being shot and killed.  And so I, perhaps like the Sanford Police Department, should accept the version of events provided by Mr. Zimmerman.  I don’t accept it, and I offer my evaluation of the information presented by various broadcasts and news reports as follows:

1. George Zimmerman- (White) A neighborhood watch captain with a gun
2.  The police took no blood samples of Mr. Zimmerman after the discharge of his gun
3. No one from the Neighborhood Association has stepped forward to claim or disclaim Mr. Zimmerman as an authorized representative for the neighborhood association
4. Reports are that Mr. Zimmerman maybe a felon in possession of a weapon (his files were sealed)
5. The release of multiple calls from Mr. Zimmerman to the Sanford Police Department may reveal that he may have been involved in other similar situations where a black or minority was the subject of his stops.
6. Mr. Zimmerman was reported to have referenced Mr. Martin in a racially derogatory manner according to taped phone calls to 911.

To What Degree of Injustice Rises Outrage? The Trayvon Martin Shooting. by Wayne D. Lewis, Sr. (C) 2012 continues in Part 2 at www.richfitusa.com