NOTE: This was written as a guest column back in July 2013. I was too long and thus ultimately unpublished. I’m posting it now in May 2020 for posterity (backdated, clearly) and because similar tragedies have since followed.
Original proposed headline:
Why the Zimmerman verdict hurts
By Khari J. Sampson
In 1999, my younger brother went on a short trip with his church to Kosovo. The region was still in the throes of ethnic conflict and encounters with armed U.N. peacekeeping forces wasn’t uncommon.
My brother describes one such encounter, during which he and one — just one — of his six companions were patted down for weapons.
They were the only black members of the group.
My brother and I took it in stride at the time, when he told me about it; we laughed at how the myopic phenomenon of racial profiling of African-descended peoples had even infiltrated the Balkans.
We’re not laughing so much today, in the wake of the George Zimmerman acquittal on the charge of murdering 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida.
Please don’t read what I’m not writing. I am not one of the protestors who wouldn’t have been satisfied with anything less than a murder conviction, which I always thought was an overreach by the prosecution. I also believe the jurors arrived at their verdict according to the law based on the evidence at hand.
Most of all, I’m a survivor of shocking criminal violence myself. Seven years ago this September, I was shot in my own doorway without provocation by a pair of young black men not too dissimilar in appearance from Martin. The gunman was even wearing a hoodie. So I get Zimmerman’s desire not to let the “punks” get away.
But there’s a reality at the core of this case that has disturbed black Americans from the very start — one that I’ve not seen many outside the black community address. It’s the perceived lack of value placed on black people’s lives.
Let’s remember that it took a great deal of public pressure for Martin’s death to receive much of an investigation in the first place. (This is in marked contrast with other cases that some complain haven’t gotten the same media focus as the Zimmerman case.)
Here’s an analogy: A young woman goes running and never returns. Some weeks later, her remains are found. Satisfied that she is no longer a missing person, the police close the case.
Seem ridiculous, doesn’t it? Yet this is precisely how outrageous the lack of initial investigation into Martin’s death was to black Americans. It took well over a month for said investigation and, by then, whatever evidence that might have revealed more of Martin’s side of the story had grown mighty cold.
Our history is peppered with examples and anecdotes of black people, mostly male and usually young, coming into harm’s way seemingly because they offended a racist’s sensibilities (Emmett Till in 1955). Or moved for their I.D. a bit too quickly for jumpy police officers’ comfort (Amadou Diallo, 1999). Or grew nervous about about being tailed by an armed man (Martin, 2012). And then, in each case, their killers were acquitted of the killing.
Contrast with the case of Marissa Alexander of Florida, 32, currently serving a 20-year sentence for firing warning shots at her abusive husband who was in violation of a restraining order. No one killed. No one even hurt. But because someone COULD have been hurt, the jury took all of 12 minutes to throw the book at this black woman.
Say what you will about the Zimmerman verdict: at least his jury was diligent.
These are the cases that got press. But make no mistake, they are just the tip of the iceberg of this implicit message: That black people’s feelings and lives just aren’t worth as much as other people’s. It may not be the intended message, but it’s the one we’ve received throughout the nation’s history. That’s where our anger and hurt springs from.
To put it bluntly: Black folks rarely get the benefit of the doubt. That’s a problem when reasonable doubt is the key element of the “innocent until proven guilty” adage that represents the righteousness of our justice system. It’s an even bigger problem with racial profiling, which presumes guilt until evidence of innocence is uncovered.
That’s the terrible thing about profiling. Zimmerman did it, setting off a series of events that cost Martin his life. So keep this in mind: One day, you may be asked to serve on a jury. As a fair-minded person, then, resolve now to render a verdict based on the law, the evidence — and to check any subtle bias at the door.
One more note about the fallacy of profiling: Though Zimmerman has been painted as a villain by some for killing Martin, a couple of weeks ago he helped rescue victims of a car crash. I had a similar experience in Gwinnett last Sunday as I helped a victim of an auto accident.
Two men who couldn’t look more different. Same basic action. No profile necessary.
Bridge Over Troubled Opinions 