There will be riots in the streets of all major cities if George Zimmerman is found innocent of murdering Trayvon Martin. Angry black mobs will burn, loot and cause urban mayhem.
Never happened. Outside a few isolated incidents, wonton violence did not erupt in the black community. Anger? Yes. Outrage? Of course. Riots? Not this time. This time the cause and effect was more complex and introspective.
Not to compare apples and oranges -- and this point is still lost on the zombie (and predictable) right-wing talking heads -- Trayvon Martin receiving justice in our court system has no correlation to the extremely high and unacceptable black youth on black youth gun violence.
The right-wing noise machine, instead of honestly evaluating the misuse of deadly force by George Zimmerman -- the force that left an unarmed teenager dead -- employ a cheap debate tactic: change the subject from Zimmerman to urban violence.
The goal?
Have the court of public opinion declare: How can black folks raise hay about Trayvon when thousands of black young males kill other black males every single day?
The far-right miscalculation.
Mass post court decision violence did not occur for the exact same reason FOX nation cited black folks should not be outraged by Trayvon's murder. The community is just as appalled by senseless violence between Ray-Ray and Jamarcus. The community movement is about Trayvon and more. The mission is about saving our boys, brothers, and sons from gun violence.
The Martin miscarriage of justice has served as a watershed moment to re-energize the black community in the fight against root causes of gun violence: poverty, mis-education, lack of hope and opportunity and societal bias.
Ebony magazine has dedicated the September 2013 issue to Trayvon Martin and the movement to save our sons.
We are all Trayvon Martin here at The Greg Street Show!
And Ebony Magazine has dedicated it’s September issue to the slain teen and his family. You can see his mother (Sybrina Fulton), father (Tracy Martin), and older brother (Jharvis Martin) on the front, but that’s not it.
There are three additional electrifying covers that feature celebrity dads Dwyane Wade, Boris Kodjoe, and Spike Lee with their sons.
The editors said they were inspired by the hurt that ran through the black community after the “Not Guilty” was delivered. So they have taken time in this issue to explore solutions for how to heal and move forward.
It’s time to take our community back and save our sons! source
And very predictably, the right-wing talking heads have already cried: Reverse Racism! Go figure or not.
It sure doesn't seem as if other young black men are held in the same regard as Trayvon. That's just being brutally honest. It doesn't seem like many give a damn. At all. Whatsoever. Full friggin' stop.
ReplyDeleteI know some do, but even remotely close to this level? That earns a legit LOL.
If others do, then they're not on platforms quite as high as those decrying the Martin situation. And media is held equally responsible for the lack of spotlight.
The annihilation of entire communities and unthinkable numbers of black youth murdered every year doesn't receive equal footing to something that fits into a Till narrative. That's objective reality.
A lot of those right-wing talking heads are dishonest to suddenly act like they care about anything but their own careers and their own neighborhoods. And, of course, some are only speaking out because they're sick and tired of being thought racist because they're white and not Democrats. White Republicans is where the finger is pointed anytime "racism" is brought up.
But there's also a lot of hypocrisy in people who throw on their hoods and address the nation with their concerns over racism while not doing the same concerning the state of young black males in the nation overall.
Does D-Wade tweet out concerns over those other issues? Maybe he does, but they don't get a platform. And I'll risk making an ass out of myself by saying he doesn't. (That could be the Celtics fan in me speaking.)
But I forgive that. It's extremely political in a lot of instances. It's extremely polarizing, even within same-race communities. And, let's be honest in another aspect here: Many blame it ALL on racism anyway. So it stands to reason that Trayvon's story would make such news, as it was a prime example of a "white" man profiling, stalking and murdering a teen for no other reason than being black.
Some right-wing loon hypocrites might need their ass handed to them here, but that anyone would have to be "re-energized" in order to help solve severe problems in some communities is just pitiful.
It shouldn't take something like this.
My hat is off to the people, of any race, who do try to reach out and help others, of any race, when there are problems. The people who have been sacrificing to help effect change from their hearts deserve awards, especially when juxtaposed against those who do absolutely nothing but hide their heads and expect others to do.
To everyone else who needs to be led there through media hysteria, just go back to sleep. I'm afraid it's gonna hurt more than help in the long run.
@Josh... you write: "If others do, then they're not on platforms quite as high as those decrying the Martin situation. And media is held equally responsible for the lack of spotlight."
ReplyDeleteThe multitude that profoundly care and not only care but are moved to action on a everyday basis rarely get elevated to the big stage. The daily trials, tribulation and triumphs are routinely ignore by MSM.
Have you heard about the Detroit 300? Probably not but here is a link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p1M9aZB5iw
As I reported: crime is a 40 year low (including homicides) in Philly. Have you heard about the Philly 10,000 men against crime? Probably not...here is a link http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/30/us/30philadelphia.html
Did you read my own post titled: The fight for black men goes beyond justice for Trayvon Martin. In this post I not only challenged black Americans but all Americans to stand up a face this crisis. http://harveysglobalpolitics.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-fight-for-black-men-goes-beyond.html
And on a very positive note: I linked the Time magazine story on all the grassroots organizations that are in the black urban community fighting for the lives of black men.
Of course, more voices need to stand up. But never assume, from your perch, that just because they are not given the national spotlight the Al Sharptons enjoy that these concerned and hardworking American citizens are not there!
And my hat is off to those folks. But are they enough to keep things going in a more positive direction? I hope so.
ReplyDeleteThousands seem like pretty big numbers until stacked up against the whole. So for the sake of America's future, I do hope more people stand up to America's real problems and stop focusing so much on distractions and problems that, while still shitty, do not require millions of supporters and months of outrage.