Trigger Warning
The vigilante shooting of Trayvon Martin, an African-American 17 year-old-male visiting his father in a gated community in Florida, armed only with skittles and an iced tea, is a tragedy and an outrage. The fact that George Zimmerman — a 28-year old unregistered community watch member, who followed Martin from his SUV and was armed with an automatic weapon, and had a criminal record and a penchant for reporting young black men as “suspicious” — claimed self-defense is ridiculous. And the fact that law enforcement accepted Zimmerman’s tale and has allowed him to walk free is a miscarriage of justice and a threat to public safety. But nothing is as chilling, painful and heart-wrenching as hearing what sounds like Martin’s cry for help in the background of a 911 call (at around 1:30 in the video. The transcript is here.)
katiehalper.com 