Black lives do not get Justice
Photo by CNN
When we think about “Justice” we think of those who fight and struggle for their rights and fairness. In particular, I think about minority groups because I myself am a minority, hispanic to be exact. I like many others are concerned with the justice of many black lives. Thanks to the “Black Lives Matter” movement, the lives of many African Americans have not been forgotten and their stories have become an opportunity for change in this country. Black lives have become marginalized, criminalized, and brutalized and we have come to realize that enough is enough.
The ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement grew attention after Trayvon Martin’s story came to the public eye. Trayvon Benjamin Martin was a 17 year old African American high school student who lived in Miami Gardens, Florida, with his mother, Sybrina Fulton. On the date of February 2012, Martin was visiting his father, Tracy Martin in Sanford, Florida, after receiving a ten-day suspension from Krop Senior High School. The suspension was due to the discovery of drug residue in Martin’s book bag. His attacker was 34 year old George Zimmerman who was the neighborhood watch captain at the Retreat at Twin Lakes gated community in Sanford, Florida, at the time of the shooting. According to CNN, Zimmerman “calls 911 to report “a suspicious person” in the neighborhood. He is instructed not to get out of his SUV or approach the person. Zimmerman disregards the instructions. Moments later, neighbors report hearing gunfire. Zimmerman acknowledges that he shot Martin, claiming it was in self-defense. In a police report, Officer Timothy Smith writes that Zimmerman was bleeding from the nose and back of the head.” Critics believed that Zimmerman was unjustified in confronting the unarmed teen, especially because he did not follow the police dispatchers advice on the phone to stop following him. Following the case to court, Zimmerman was charged with second degree murder, but was found not guilty. The result of the case ignited protests and across the country and the “Black Lives Matter” movement gained national attention. The reason for the verdict was due to lack of evidence to prove Zimmerman guilty, the charges should have been filed for manslaughter instead of second-degree murder, and the testimony, and the voice in the phone recording for help couldn’t be identified as either Martin or Zimmerman. Trayvon Martin’s case was one of many that rose to ignite a new chance against black lives.
Two years later a case similar to Trayvon Martin’s grew speculation and even resulted in the support of many professional athletes. The case was that of 43 year old Eric Garner in New York City, Time magazine reports that Garber “dies after being wrestled to the ground as New York City police attempted to arrest him for selling illegal cigarettes. In cell-phone video recorded by a bystander, Garner can be heard repeatedly saying, ‘I can’t breathe.’ ” This phrase became adopted to start a completely new revolution and was adopted by many professional athletes in solidarity to Eric Garner’s case against police brutality. Like Trayvon Martin’s case, Erics case grew a big crowd and captivated the nation because we were being exposed to more brutality against African American lives and how little they seem to mean against their aggressors. Garner’s case was different due to police being involved, but both are similar because of authority whether it be a neighborhood watch captain or an actual police. In both instances, I would expect these authorities to be aware of what they are doing and how they are confronting the ‘suspect’, but they lack intention of ethical and moral treatment. Instead we see an over use of authority.
Similar to both Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner’s case, in Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar novel The Adivasi Will Not Dance, the Adivasi people are frequently brutalized, marginalized, and criminalized. The Adivasi people are indigenous people of India who were farmers throughout their entire lives but due to the coal mining industry who have taken over their farmland, they have to find ends meet in some other way. They had to become singers and dancers and even tried to fight for their land. Because of the coerhersion of the federal government against the Adivasi protesting the injustice, those that tried were criminalized, put in jail, and even killed. They were not respected nor shown appraisal for their performances and at one point they decided they would no longer dance and ‘be happy’. The Adivasi people agreed that “Unless we are given back our homes and land, we will not sing and dance. We Adivasis will not dance.”
The Adivasi people and black lives like Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner share many similarities, not only are they of minorities, but they are seen inferior and their lives have become targeted for demise. In said cases, both the Adivasi and black lives have been criminalized by their oppressors. In the case of the Adivasi they were stripped of their land and homes, and in the case of Eric Garner and Trayvon Martin not only were they stripped of their lives but they were stripped of their rights. When the Adivasi sons tried to fight for their land they were considered criminals and accused of murdering the KIristan sister said to be their supporter. And in many instances the biggest excuse for the actions against black lives are due to their ‘suspicious behavior’ and their criminal history. Zimmerman attacked Trayvon because of his ‘suspicious behavior’ and could possibly be due to racial profiling. Eric’s attackers didn’t even let him breath as they wrestled him to the floor for selling illegal cigarettes. In both instances, the authority figures try to justify their actions by finding an escape goat and or attacks the victims like criminals in an inhumane way.
I believe that change is coming. However, I also believe it’s going to take a long time for that change to come. There is no clear solution for black lives and all lives to be lost by their oppressors and those with high power. One thing I can think of is to be informed of what we can do. As a person of color I know that there are things we can do to inform those who are not people of color, so they can be informed and acknowledge that they play a big role in our everyday lives. Our oppressors also need to understand that they don’t know what it’s like to be marginalized like us, and once they put themselves in our shoes, real change will happen.
For Further Information
Carter, Chelsea J., and Holly Yan. “Why This Verdict? Five Things That Led to Zimmerman’s Acquittal.” CNN, Cable News Network, 15 July 2013, www.cnn.com/2013/07/14/us/zimmerman-why-this-verdict/.
Sanburn, Josh. “Walter Scott Police Shooting Timeline.” Time, Time, 10 Apr. 2015, time.com/3815606/police-violence-timeline/.
Shekhar, Hansda Sowvendra. The Adivasi Will Not Dance: Stories. Speaking Tiger, 2015.
“Trayvon Martin Shooting Fast Facts.” CNN, Cable News Network, 7 May 2018, www.cnn.com/2013/06/05/us/trayvon-martin-shooting-fast-facts/index.html.
Yan, Holly. “‘Black Lives Matter’ Cases: When Controversial Killings Lead to Change.” CNN, Cable News Network, 4 May 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/05/04/us/black-lives-matter-updates-may-2017/index.html
