I wrote my Trayvon Martin article right after the George Zimmerman trial, which I watched on TV. I have more information from then, plus recent developments.
We can learn from other people who have different cultural experiences. I learned one thing from the friend of Trayvon who said she was on a cell phone call with him just before he died. Trayvon had spotted the neighborhood watchman who was following him. Trayvon said he was probably some “creepy ass cracker”. I interpreted that to be “creepy ass”, just a negative term, and “cracker”, a slang term for a white guy. She explained to the prosecuting attorney that “ass cracker” meant a homosexual.
At one point she asked the prosecuting attorney, “Are you stupid?” I forget what his question was. She had very poor language skills and did not seem likely to be a close friend of Trayvon’s, whose mother is an English professor. Recently it came to light that the witness was an impostor. Trayvon’s friend was not willing to testify in court, and her half-sister pretended to be the last in contact with Trayvon. That is the subject of a current lawsuit. I wonder if the police and the prosecuting attorneys had any clue about this fraud.
Trayvon’s parents got a one-million-dollar settlement from the neighborhood watch organization’s liability insurance policy. I wonder if his parents would have done anything different in their lives if they could have foreseen what was going to happen to him. He, like all children, needed a stable, loving family. He was not given such an environment. The last thing his mother did for him was to kick him out of the house when he was put on suspension (again) from school. Then he visited his father and his father’s new girlfriend.
There are many examples of fraud in the online discussions of Trayvon Martin. Articles about Trayvon show pictures when he was much younger than when he ultimately was a vicious thug. They say that George Zimmerman shot the unarmed Trayvon Martin as he walked to the apartment where he was staying. Many people who do not know the facts would be influenced by these lies. If someone has a valid point, they should not need to distort their story.
George Zimmerman is obviously suffering from PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He has had multiple behavior problems after his murder trial that he did not have before. His family and legal team should have recognized his problems and guided him into treatment. Soldiers returning from combat have similar mental health issues and need effective treatment.
President Obama said that if he had a son, he would look like Trayvon Martin. That is not relevant. He should have said that if Frank Marshall Davis and his own mother had a son, he would look like Barack Obama.