Lynch Mob Justice and Racism

A white volunteer security guard shoots a black teenager in a wealthy Florida neighborhood and remains at large. The case has shaken the entire nation.

A bullet fatally struck 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in the chest in February. The youth had gone shopping for some candy. On his way back home, he took a shortcut through a guarded residential area in Sanford, a city adjacent to Orlando in the state of Florida.

Trayvon’s fate was sealed by two things: He wore a hooded sweatshirt and he was black. For the white Hispanic George Zimmermann who was voluntarily on neighborhood watch, that was enough. He alerted the police, telling them Trayvon was probably under the influence of drugs and in addition to that had his hands in his pockets. The 911 tape reveals Zimmermann saying, “These assholes, they always get away.”

Trayvon weighed about 140 pounds and was a model student. He had a can of iced tea and a bag of Skittles in his possession when he was shot. Zimmermann, weighing twice as much as Trayvon and babbling on his cell phone, had a 9mm pistol. During a call to his girlfriend, Trayvon said there was a suspicious looking person with a cell phone following him. She heard a voice yelling at Trayvon and sounds of blows being struck. Then the connection went dead. Neighborhood residents heard Trayvon screaming and then a gunshot, followed by silence.

Silence is exactly what the Sanford Police Chief would like: Witness statements have been “corrected,” files have been buried and Zimmermann was never taken into custody. But the public outcry has been enormous. A teenager died because of racial hatred and firearms lunacy. It’s clear not only to Trayvon’s family that had the shooter been black and the victim white, he would have already been behind bars. Martin’s attorney said, “They are making it look like Zimmerman is the victim, and their son is in the grave.”

The John Wayne Law

That a rent-a-cop who isn’t even employed by a registered security firm can shoot a teenager dead without being called to account is thanks to a law reminiscent of the pioneer days in the Wild West. Some call the law “Stand Your Ground,” while others refer to it as the “John Wayne Law.” In actuality, it is a license for anyone to kill anyone else if he feels himself threatened. It applies not only in defense of your own home; it applies everywhere.

It became law in 2005 when conservative Florida Governor Jeb Bush, younger brother of George W. Bush, signed it with the support of the National Rifle Association (NRA). It was signed despite warnings from many that it could make life more dangerous in America than it was in many world crisis zones. And, in fact, the number of victims shot by private security guards and other rent-a-cops has tripled since its signing.

These armed guards aren’t even required to have a clean slate. Caroline Brewer of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence says, “The law allows Floridians with criminal backgrounds, including many who plead guilty to assault, burglaries and child molestation, to obtain concealed carry licenses. You’re talking about people who are dangerous, people who are violent. And yet, just within a very short time after the law was passed, Florida had hundreds and hundreds of these people with these licenses to go out and kill somebody else.”

21 States Follow Suit

Meanwhile, 21 additional states have passed similar laws. Some even permit citizens to carry weapons in public and they may eventually be allowed to carry them across state lines if Alaskan Democratic Senator Mark Begich has his way in Congress. Caroline Brewer says, “The NRA has been successful in allowing people who are dangerous and are criminal to be able to carry guns and to be able to use them against our families and people in our communities. They have made us a much less safe nation.”

Trayvon fell victim to this law. He is dead. But his parents and supporters are fighting back. They demand justice for Trayvon, along with the arrest of his shooter and an end to America’s culture of “blazing Colts.” As of Thursday, their petition had attracted 800,000 signatures.

Florida Democratic Senator Chris Smith also wants to revisit the law. Human rights activists like the Rev. Al Sharpton, as well as prominent entertainment world professionals like Spike Lee and John Legend, have denounced the law that declares open season on any American citizen if he’s in the wrong place at the wrong time.

And especially if he has the wrong skin color.