Biased Views and Reckless Actions

Tensions across the country continue to increase as the details of Trayvon Martin's death slowly come to light. Although, as of yet, there has been no warrant issued for George Zimmerman's arrest, I have to believe that it's imminent.

From the beginning, this case has been handled irresponsibly by the media. First off, by reporting that an unarmed black teen was shot and killed by a white Hispanic, they set the wheels in motion for inevitable racist allegations. Of course, this might have been part of the plan. After all, look at the attention this story has gotten. No doubt, controversy sells. If George Zimmerman wasn't initially described as a "white" Hispanic, this would not be a national news story. And there's something fundamentally wrong with that.....

I have also heard some news sources referring to the "murder" of Trayvon Martin. Unless I'm missed something, the Martin incident is still considered a case of self defense. By calling it a murder, the media seems to be convicting Zimmerman before any details of the formal investigation are completed. They seem to be playing to people's emotions rather than reporting the unbiased facts.

With the predictable emergence of the race hustlers, tensions have only escalated. I have heard at least one of these guys (I can't remember who) refer to the Zimmerman/Martin incident as "typical". I assume this means that it's "typical" for a white guy (or a "white Hispanic" in this case) to shoot an unarmed black guy. But statistics tell us otherwise. According to the Department of Justice, 93% of black homicide victims are killed by blacks*. But opportunists like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton never like to let facts get in the way of a good shakedown.

Jackson has continued to fan the flames by saying that Trayvon Martin's killing shows that "blacks are under attack" in this country. Perhaps there's an element of  truth to his statement, but maybe he should dig a little deeper before he throws down the race gauntlet? Martin Luther King was fond of saying, "The truth shall set you free." Jesse Jackson is no Martin Luther King......

Of course, there's also the issue of the bounty that's being offered by the Black Panthers for the capture George Zimmerman. Is this even legal? Why is this not considered an obstruction of justice? And when did the Black Panthers become a law enforcement agency? It's appalling to me that we haven't heard an official statement from someone condemning the Panther's actions.

Also, there have been instances of celebrities, most notably Spike Lee and Rosanne Barr, tweeting the addresses of George Zimmerman and his parents. This is both, reckless and irresponsible. How is this going to help the case? And what the hell did Zimmerman's parents have to do with this? Oh, by the way, the address that Lee tweeted? It turned out to be the residence of a couple that had absolutely nothing to do with the Trayvon Martin shooting. They were harassed so badly as a result of the wide broadcast of their address that they had to temporarily move out of their home.

There is also a Twitter feed called "Kill Zimmerman" which basically calls for the shooting of George Zimmerman**. Again, how is any of this helping things? If this idiot gets his wish, we will likely never know what really happened on the night of the Martin shooting. Do you really think that will help the family with closure?

On Wednesday, Illinois Congressman Bobby Rush donned a hoodie and dark sunglasses while giving a speech in the House of Representatives chamber. Rush founded the Illinois chapter of the Black Panthers back in 1968. I must also mention that Rush lost his son in a 1999 shooting and has since been an advocate for victims of gun violence. But nonetheless, I don't think his attempt to make a statement is appropriate until we know all of the facts.

I also read a story about a Democratic National Committee member who organized a "hoodie rally". From what I understand, rally members were then being registered to vote (as Democrats). I'm having a hard time understanding the logic behind this one because George Zimmerman is a registered Democrat. In any event, I personally feel that using the death of a teenage boy for political gain is despicable.

There seems to be a deliberate attempt to pit blacks and whites against one another. This is not productive for this case or the country in general. If the Martin incident turns out to be a case of racial profiling or any other type of discrimination, then treat it as such and impose the appropriate penalty. But it's unfair and unrealistic to paint this tragic incident as a microcosm of the way things "typically" go. How about we stop pointing the finger at one another and let the investigation take it's due course......

Depending on which way you lean, it's really easy to form an opinion in this situation. There will undoubtedly be instances to support arguments from both sides of the Martin shooting. The media's job is to provide us with the factual developments. Anything less is disingenuous....

kw

* http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/htus8008.pdf
**  https://twitter.com/#!/KillZimmerman