The Verdict is In...

So it has been nearly a week since the big announcement...GEORGE ZIMMERMAN NOT GUILTY. Several words can describe how I felt at that time: sad, outRAGED, discouraged, sympathy, angry. I literally nearly hyperventilated when I saw that on TV.

The next day there was a peaceful protest in my neighborhood to express the anger amongst the community. Not only because of the verdict but also because of the several underlying issues that are happening in the City of Buffalo. I decided to join that protest. I normally don't participate in the front lines of those types of events but something inside of me felt for Trayvon's family and so many of the other families that have lost loved ones to senseless violence. Something pushed me to get out there and show my support. My 10 year old daughter felt the same and went out with me in the unbearable heat.

It was an uplifting and spiritual experience. I have never participated in such an event. At first there weren't many people but as the minutes went by, the crowd grew to almost 100 people. Not just black folks, ALL types of folks. Not only did the crowd grow, the chants grew louder, hearts grew bigger and minds came together for a single cause. People that you would never expect to care were there. We walked and chanted in unison. We were one.

The crowd gathered in an empty lot which coincidentally was Seneca Nation land. I heard stories of police brutality, wrongful incarceration, voices of encouragement and wisdom far beyond my own years. I was enlightened. At one point my eyes began to fill with tears because I could not believe that we were all standing together in unity. No fighting, just peace.

That night I logged onto FB to see if i could see myself on the news and I did lol. I scrolled down to read the nearly 400 comments under the story and I was enraged! So many people making negative comments.

"These people are stupid. What is marching going to do?", 

"Isn't it interesting that Blacks always band together to demonstrate when a White person is found Not Guilty" 


"They need to go home"


 "It must be nice to have so much time on your hands from not working that you can

 protest alleged racism between minorities...."

There was even a woman that went on to call black people 
"colored". This case may not have so much about race but this 
protest really brought the racists out the woodwork. I shouldn't have been surprised but unfortunately I was. I was so angry that I began commenting which I don't normally do on news stories. And they wouldn't listen. They kept on with their racist comments so I kept it moving. It wasn't worth trying to explain to  people that I'll never see in my lifetime that this protest wasn't just about that. I didn't have the energy to bring to their attention the Stop the Violence Coalition, The Street Council, Fight the Power or Buffalo Save the Kids. All of these movements that were around before the verdict. How could they say that no one cared until now??


Monday I went to work and no one spoke of the case, not a peep. not even in passing in the hallways. Not in the cafeteria. It was strange. There was no one available for me to discuss my great experience with. I didn't want to being it up because I know how these discussions can get in the workplace. I just mentioned to one of my co-workers what i did. I told them how I felt after the march and all they said was "oh ok". I was ok with that. I'm not a good person to get into a discussion with anyway.

So now it's Thursday and the outraged FB comments are dwindling down. Was it heat of the moment or are people really going to contribute to the solution of the issues in Buffalo? There's more meetings and more rallies but are those same people going to be there? I cant say that I'm going to be at every meeting and every rally but any effort counts for something. This is keeping me intrigued. 

What is the solution? How can we fight the issues? How can we stop another Martin/Zimmerman tragedy from happening? Where do we start? You start at home. Talk to you children. Hell, talk to these ADULTS. The respect level in the county is at an all time low. The street mentality and the idea of vigilantism is taking over the minds of adults young and old. Zimmerman was a grown man and obviously forgot the value of HUMAN life. There are many roads that could have been chosen to avoid a fatal situation. Many people that exhibit violent behavior forget the value of human life. HUMAN BEINGS are being killed by other HUMAN BEINGS. The only time that this should happen is if there is a WAR. We're in a state of emergency and apparently at war. At war with ourselves. 

As I sit here and write this, I have the news playing in the background and there has been another shooting. Obviously there was no wake up call. No epiphany. No change of heart. Guns are still on the street. People still don't care.  I don't want to be afraid for my children's lives when they cross the street to go to the corner store. Black, white or brown, any mother in their right mind should be upset about a dead 17 year old unarmed child. We blame the jury, we should not.  They were chosen to do a job and they did the job based on the evidence that they were given. The Florida laws are to blame. There is no stand your ground in NY so who is to blame for the violence right in our own backyard? Discussions are necessary. We need to not be afraid to speak out. We need to not be afraid to get out into the streets and ask these questions. Maybe we should go to the prisons and ask them WHY. Walk up to the the guys on the corners and ask them WHY. Walk up to the politicians and ask them WHY. Walk into the Police station and ask them WHY.

It's time to stand up people. All people of all races come together. Let's make the country safe for ALL people of ALL colors and genders. We can't fix everybody but even the smallest change makes a difference.