Yesterday, I was watching "Orange is the New Black" on Netflix on my cell phone(totally check this out. Really well written), my phone beeped saying that the jury has come back with a verdict. I immediately put the show on pause and turned over to CNN to see the verdict being read live. In my head, I knew that George Zimmerman would be found not guilty, but in my heart I wanted to believe that he would be found guilty. As soon as I heard the verdict of not guilty, my heart sank. I became angry. Then, I became sad. I wondered why the jury in itself convicted trayvon of committing assault even though he was not the aggressor. I was sad that another child (and yes he was a child) had to die due to gun violence. I was sad that another black male had to die for no reason.
Last night as I was watching FOX News and Geraldo said "tragedy does not equal crime." Let's dissect this. Was sandy hook not a tragedy and a crime. What about the shootings in aurora? Or the countless other massive shootings this country has had to endure. So yes, in some instances, tragedy does equal crime.
There are other trayvon martins out there. Targeted because of assumptions. When will this end? When we be able to sit down at the table and have an honest conversation about gun violence? About race? Until we recognize that these issues do exist, we will never be able to move towards a solution.
