Opinion/Classifieds
We Want Vick-Type Justice for Trayvon
I
n 2007 it was discovered that
Michael Vick, an African
American football player in the
NFL, was participating in organ-
ized dog fighting. As a result, peo-
ple from all over the nation were in
an uproar. Members from diverse
communities rallied together to
express their disgust, moral out-
rage and call for action. The pro-
testors were passionate and
relentless. Communities of people,
from all over the nation used all
their resources, including the
media, to pressure the government
and the NFL. There was no rest
until the justice they were calling
for was served. This level of sus-
tained intensity and passion was
something that we had rarely seen
before and have not seen since.
Vick served 21 months in prison as
a result of their efforts. Although
Michael Vick eventually returned
to football, the outrage from the
fan base and Atlanta community
influenced the Atlanta Falcon own-
ership to trade him to another
team.
We want Michael Vick type jus-
tice for Trayvon Martin. Trayvon
Martin was a 17-year-old kid who
was shot and killed on February
27, while walking in his own
neighborhood by George Zimmer-
man, a neighborhood watch cap-
tain. Zimmerman shot and killed
this unarmed teen after labeling
him “suspicious.” As it turns out,
Trayvon Martin was doing nothing
but walking to the store for a
snack. It is clear that Zimmerman
engaged in racial profiling to label
this young Black man as a threat—
and Zimmerman’s suspicions ulti-
mately led him to take the
adolescent’s life. What is more
astounding is that Zimmerman was
questioned by the police and
released. It appears they merely
Seven Things You Can Do as
a White Ally
E LIZABETH P ARKER AND
A NDRAÉ L. B ROWN , P H D
took him at his word without any
attempt at a thorough investigation
into the loss of this young life
clearly not deemed to be worth the
effort.
While we are calling for justice
in this particular instance, we
know that this is bigger than
George Zimmerman. We know that
this is bigger than the Sanford
police. This is about who we are as
a nation. This is about all people
across communities and races tak-
Be loud- We need to show that
many of us don’t support violence
and hatred. We can not be quiet
when injustice itself becomes
loud. We need to be louder than
injustice. We need to show that
people who believe in equality
and justice are a powerful force.
We need to understand that when
we stay quiet we are supporting
the status quo. We are allowing
the injustice to remain.
Use your social media- There
have been many powerful clips,
songs, and articles written about
We know that this is bigger than the
Sanford police. This is about who we
are as a nation
ing a stance against racism.
I know in my heart that this is not
all of us. I know there are many
people of all races that know that
what happened to Trayvon Martin,
and countless others like him, is
wrong. I know that there are many
of us that see past the tactics used
to distract us. Past the propaganda
used to keep us apart. I know there
are many white people who are
asking themselves, “What I can I
do to change this? What can I do to
support
people
who are living this
injustice? How
can I show that I
am a white ally?”
Trayvon Martin and other
tragedies. Post these on your face-
book/blogs/ twitter etc. to let the
people in your life know where
you stand. Educate those around
you the dangers of racial profiling.
Create your own forms of
social protest- Use your art, writ-
ing, poetry, music, etc... to bring
attention to this and other
tragedies. Many people from the
African American communities
have already done so. White allies
need to also contribute to the
movement in this way. We can use
our creativity and passions to
show our solidarity.
Know your history- It is impor-
tant to understand this country’s
bloody history to understand
where we are today—as painful as
it might be. The Trayvon Martin
tragedy is part of a violent legacy
that has been perpetuated against
Black men in this country. This is
not an isolated incident. It is con-
nected to this country’s racist
practices towards Black men
specifically and towards people of
color, in general. It is directly
linked to a history lynching and
the long lasting legacy of Jim
Crow. We need to understand this
in order to change this.
Talk with your friends and
family face to face- Educate oth-
ers on why this is important to
you. Interrupt racism when you
hear it. Help those around you
understand that we are all hurt
when human life is devalued. We
all suffer when we deny others
their humanity.
Attend functions put on in
your community- If it is a prima-
rily African American function,
practice your listening skills.
Understand that you might have to
prove that you are a safe person to
talk to. Don’t minimize the impact
that race has on people’s lived
experience. Don’t minimize or
compare experiences. Talk from
your heart. Listen with your
entirety.
Contact local, state and feder-
al government- Twenty-four
states have Stand Your Ground
Laws including Oregon. This law
allows for the use of deadly force
if threatened in both public and
private spaces. Once this defense
is taken it is up to the prosecution
to prove that death was not ima-
mate for the defendant. In other
self-defense laws, you can still be
found guilty if you could have
walked away but choose not to. In
some states, including Oregon,
“the duty to retreat” is not
required. What this means is that
you have a right to kill someone if
you feel threatened, even if there
are other options available to you
at the time. In Trayvon’s case,
Zimmerman felt threatened by a
Black kid walking alone in his
neighborhood. He is claiming this
was enough reason to kill him. We
cannot allow laws that protect
racist crimes to remain. Demand a
change.
In 2007 we saw what a group of
outraged and relentless people
could accomplish with Michael
Vick. We want to see that now. We
need to show our resilience and
our resistance to this type of injus-
tice. We have seen the power of
white people using their voice to
seek justice. We want to see the
same type of passion and commit-
ment in this case.
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April 18, 2012 The Seattle Skanner Page 3