In this adult blog, it is my hope that you find things that make you think, give you opportunity to voice your opinion, and allow us to be a community of people who care - even if from afar - for eachother. Be welcome and let your heart be heard.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
RIP Trevon
3 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I am glad you didn't make commentary on this whole mess. I am so tired of the pundits, online and on-the-air, deciding how we should think about the trial, Zimmerman, Martin, the whole thing. I just have to wonder if the criminal justice system worked for once. Who knows? We weren't in the courtroom, we saw only "analysts" analyzing what they took away from it, and regurgitating it to us. Ugh.
I live in Florida. While I can not say I know what was in Mr. Zimmerman's heart or mind, I do know two very important things.
Race is still an important part of living in Florida. I was in a restaurant with a black friend and the waitress wouldn't take his order, kept asking me what he wanted. We finally had to get the manager. My friend was so humiliated and embarrassed, and upset..he just wanted to leave, but Ron and I wouldn't allow it to pass.
Second, I know that some people have a view that police officers are "power". And they try to join the force to be part of the power. We hear routinely about police who abuse their positions, and right now we have a case of a sheriff's deputy who not only had a record of speeding in his personal car, but was filmed beating on a black guy...and he is fighting his firing..the sheriff I will admit wont put up with it, but the lower ranks are filled with people who go on power trips.
Why do I mention this..because Mr. Zimmerman tried to be a police officer. He was not judged fit for it. He felt himself entitled to follow and decide what people belonged in his area, what he felt they should do, and that he felt he had the right to confront them. After being told not to follow or confront the person, he felt he had the right, the power, the authority to do so. Once it escalated, he pulled a gun.
The thing about a gun, and I carried one for many years in my work, they can make some people feel powerful, more than they are. It is called the great equalizer for a reason. I feel that he pulled the gun thinking it would give him command of the situation. However it is like pulling a knife, you have to know what to do with it, how to use it, and what it really can do for you. I don't think Mr. Zimmerman did know what to do with his gun, I think he just felt it gave him power.
Regardless a young man is dead, another man's life is in upheaval, and families on both sides are hurt. Plus the state is out a lot of money to try the case.
I believe in our courts, even when I do not agree with them, I feel that we must respect them and what they say as it is the only way we can have a civil society. So for me I must accept the verdict. I do not believe in repeatedly trying a subject until you get them as in the O.J. case. Found not guilty of the murders, and then retried and found financially responsible...what is that mean? that is like saying I was responsible financially even though I committed no crime.
Again, this is simply a sad event that did not have to happen. I hope we can stem this loss of life because of the need to feel powerful and the use of guns.
I agree with you both. We don't really know the truth of things, and we are only going to know what those who control the information are willing for us to know. I can't speak to the attitudes of those living in Fla. I can say that I've met some cowboys in cops clothing before. What bothers me, is the concept of confrontation. When a person confronts another, there are a number of outcomes possible. A wise man will understand that things can quickly get beyond control and take care to maintain himself. I would wonder why Mr. Zimmerman did not simply tell the young man, if he felt a confrontation at all necessary, that he was part of the neighborhood watch program and is watching him because he is suspected of trespassing, that the cops were on the way, and that he hopes Trevon understands that he will simply have to demonstrate to the officers that he is not tresspassing. The problem came in that he confronted the young man at all, and worse that he confronted him armed with a weapon that has only one purpose: to kill. I don't know what happened. I don't know who was right, who was wrong. What I do know is that a young man is dead. His family and friends have lost someone special to them. Mr. Zimmerman will always need to live with the fact that he took a life. There are some things in this world that once done cannot be undone. There is no going back, no repairing the damage. If something can be learned from this, then perhaps that life is precious, every life is precious - even those who trespass against us.
3 comments:
I am glad you didn't make commentary on this whole mess. I am so tired of the pundits, online and on-the-air, deciding how we should think about the trial, Zimmerman, Martin, the whole thing. I just have to wonder if the criminal justice system worked for once. Who knows? We weren't in the courtroom, we saw only "analysts" analyzing what they took away from it, and regurgitating it to us. Ugh.
Peace <3
Jay
I live in Florida. While I can not say I know what was in Mr. Zimmerman's heart or mind, I do know two very important things.
Race is still an important part of living in Florida. I was in a restaurant with a black friend and the waitress wouldn't take his order, kept asking me what he wanted. We finally had to get the manager. My friend was so humiliated and embarrassed, and upset..he just wanted to leave, but Ron and I wouldn't allow it to pass.
Second, I know that some people have a view that police officers are "power". And they try to join the force to be part of the power. We hear routinely about police who abuse their positions, and right now we have a case of a sheriff's deputy who not only had a record of speeding in his personal car, but was filmed beating on a black guy...and he is fighting his firing..the sheriff I will admit wont put up with it, but the lower ranks are filled with people who go on power trips.
Why do I mention this..because Mr. Zimmerman tried to be a police officer. He was not judged fit for it. He felt himself entitled to follow and decide what people belonged in his area, what he felt they should do, and that he felt he had the right to confront them. After being told not to follow or confront the person, he felt he had the right, the power, the authority to do so. Once it escalated, he pulled a gun.
The thing about a gun, and I carried one for many years in my work, they can make some people feel powerful, more than they are. It is called the great equalizer for a reason. I feel that he pulled the gun thinking it would give him command of the situation. However it is like pulling a knife, you have to know what to do with it, how to use it, and what it really can do for you. I don't think Mr. Zimmerman did know what to do with his gun, I think he just felt it gave him power.
Regardless a young man is dead, another man's life is in upheaval,
and families on both sides are hurt. Plus the state is out a lot of money to try the case.
I believe in our courts, even when I do not agree with them, I feel that we must respect them and what they say as it is the only way we can have a civil society. So for me I must accept the verdict. I do not believe in repeatedly trying a subject until you get them as in the O.J. case. Found not guilty of the murders, and then retried and found financially responsible...what is that mean? that is like saying I was responsible financially even though I committed no crime.
Again, this is simply a sad event that did not have to happen. I hope we can stem this loss of life because of the need to feel powerful and the use of guns.
Hugs and loves. Scottie
Hi Jay and Scottie;
I agree with you both. We don't really know the truth of things, and we are only going to know what those who control the information are willing for us to know.
I can't speak to the attitudes of those living in Fla. I can say that I've met some cowboys in cops clothing before.
What bothers me, is the concept of confrontation. When a person confronts another, there are a number of outcomes possible. A wise man will understand that things can quickly get beyond control and take care to maintain himself. I would wonder why Mr. Zimmerman did not simply tell the young man, if he felt a confrontation at all necessary, that he was part of the neighborhood watch program and is watching him because he is suspected of trespassing, that the cops were on the way, and that he hopes Trevon understands that he will simply have to demonstrate to the officers that he is not tresspassing.
The problem came in that he confronted the young man at all, and worse that he confronted him armed with a weapon that has only one purpose: to kill.
I don't know what happened. I don't know who was right, who was wrong. What I do know is that a young man is dead. His family and friends have lost someone special to them. Mr. Zimmerman will always need to live with the fact that he took a life.
There are some things in this world that once done cannot be undone. There is no going back, no repairing the damage. If something can be learned from this, then perhaps that life is precious, every life is precious - even those who trespass against us.
hugs
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