Suspicion Nation

by Bloom, Lisa

  Our ancestors committed radical, brave acts by writing equality into our legal documents, in times when verbalizing support for nondiscrimination stood in opposition to much of the mainstream thinking of the day. Today, voicing opposition to racism no longer requires courage because our common values have shifted to a core belief in equal opportunity. What’s required now, as before, is putting those words into action. Each generation has had to struggle to move us closer toward our often-expressed national value of equality, to bring those principles from our founding documents, our constitution, and laws into our streets, workplaces, schools, and homes. And among our human rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the protection of life comes first. When our laws fail to stop or even punish the squandering of human life, they run counter to that universal human right. They cry out for reform.

  As Martin Luther King, Jr. said in his last speech, “All we say to America is be true to what you said on paper.”235 Our culture and laws are and should be ever evolving, as we remember to push forward, to align our institutions and rules to the values we share. The tragedy of the senseless death of Trayvon Martin and the criminal justice system’s ineffective trial of his killer can and should wake us up to the glaring errors we created and that we can reform because we do value life, and we despise racism and violence.

  DOWN IN DAYTONA Beach, Florida, Pastor Ron Durham talked to me about the confusion of not knowing who among his neighbors might racially profile members of his congregation or even him. “I could walk out of my church today and walk to the beach side in blue jeans and sneakers, and I wouldn’t get too far before someone in the million-dollar homes on the ocean said someone suspicious is walking in my community.”236 America is not fully liberated so long as we hold these biases based on skin color, he said. Last year it was Trayvon Martin who was considered criminal, followed and shot dead by a killer who now walks free. This year it could be him, and he knows it.

  One thing about George Wallace, he added slyly, was “at least you knew where you stood.” As Governor of Alabama, Wallace in 1963 stood on the spot where Jefferson Davis had been sworn in as president of the Confederate States of America and proclaimed, “Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever.”237 He spent much of the rest of the year ignominiously standing his ground in schoolhouse doors, attempting to block African-American college and even elementary school students from attending white schools.

  Which is worse: Those, like Wallace, who espoused explicit racism and openly made every effort to hold back the inclusion of blacks into American life, or those, like most of us today, who claim to despise racism and yet allow our schools, police, and justice system to relegate African Americans to the back of the bus? The straightforward segregationism of the past or the hypocrisy of “colorblind” America today, proudly claiming that we have achieved racial equality as black youth are taught in inferior schools, pushed out of education in record numbers, watched and stopped and hassled and locked up in droves for petty offenses whites escape with impunity? When the outcomes have changed so little, when African-American leaders almost—almost—wax nostalgic for the days of George Wallace, our eyes should open wide to the scale of the work that remains to be done.

  The days when bigots drew cheers were worse, far worse, of course. We’re never going back to leaders who stand and proudly proclaim the racial inferiority of African Americans. We’ve moved forward since then, but we haven’t yet arrived at our destination, and it’s still a good distance off.

  Biases that impede our progress toward equality can be sloughed off, even when they’re buried and we want to believe in our own defense mechanism, the denial of their very existence. Laws that are written can be unwritten. We may demonize an individual like George Zimmerman, but that’s so much easier than acknowledging what we have in common with him: suspicion toward our neighbors, unreasonable fears and reactions to that suspicion, a Stand Your Ground culture where guns blaze and our children fall. Zimmerman’s story is not over, but neither is ours. Like O.J. Simpson, he appears likely to bring himself down eventually with his reckless behavior. We can prevent our country from making the same mistake by deciding that the scourges of racial bias and rampant gun violence are intolerable, and that the life of each of our children, every single one, matters and is worthy of our passionate protection.

  NOTES

  1Maddy (juror in the George Zimmerman trial), interview by the author, Celebration, Florida, September 23, 2013.

  2Don West, “Zimmerman defense begins with … a joke,” YouTube Video, posted by “HLN,” June 24, 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiI5bVurSo0.

  3Rick Kissell, “Zimmerman Trial Revs Up Ratings for Cable News Networks,” Variety, July 12, 2013, http://variety.com/2013/tv/news/zimmerman-trial-revs-up-ratings-for-cable-news-networks-1200561565/.

  4TMZ, “Bruce Springsteen America’s Still Racist … Trayvon Martin is Amadou Diallo,” July 17, 2013, www.tmz.com/2013/07/17/bruce-springsteen-trayvon-martin-amadou-diallo/.

  5Peter Dreier, “Will the Killing of Trayvon Martin Catalyze a Movement Like Emmett Till Did?” Huffington Post, July 20, 2013, www.huffingtonpost.com/peterdreier/will-the-murder-of-trayvo_b_3628274.html.

  6Krissah Thompson and Scott Wilson, “Obama on Trayvon Martin: ‘If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon,’” Washington Post, March 23, 2012, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-if-i-had-a-son-hed-look-like-trayvon/2012/03/23/gIQApKPpVS_story.html.

  7Barack Obama, “Remarks by the President on Trayvon Martin,” The White House Office of the Press Secretary, July 19, 2013, www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/07/19/remarks-president-trayvon-martin.

  8Ibid.

  9Maddy (juror in the George Zimmerman trial), interview by Robin Roberts, ABC News, July 25, 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG8KZEJGtco.

  10Ibid.

  11Ibid.

  12George Zimmerman, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z63X-yDefFE.

  13Lisa Bloom, “Zimmerman Prosecutors Duck the Race Issue,” New York Times, July 15, 2013, www.nytimes.com/2013/07/16/opinion/zimmerman-prosecutors-duck-the-race-issue.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&.

  14Gary Fields and John R. Emshwiller, “Federal Guilty Pleas Soar As Bargains Trump Trials,” Wall Street Journal, September 23, 2012, http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10000872396390443589304577637610097206808.

  15Lindsey Devers, PhD, “Plea and Charge Bargaining: Research Summary,” Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice, January 24, 2011, https://www.bja.gov/Publications/PleaBargainingResearchSummary.pdf.

  16New York Times, “Criticizing Sentencing Rules, U.S. Judge Resigns,” September 30, 1990, www.nytimes.com/1990/09/30/us/criticizing-sentencing-rules-us-judge-resigns.html.

  17Mike Schneider, “Martin Family Lawyer Known for Civil Rights Cases,” StarTribune, March 30, 2012, http://m.startribune.com/nation/?id=145073445.

  18Daniel Trotta, “Trayvon Martin: Before the World Heard the Cries,” Reuters, April 3, 2012, www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/03/us-usa-florida-shooting-trayvon-idUSBRE8320UK20120403.

  19Schneider, “Martin Family Lawyer.”

  20Ibid.

  21Edward B. Colby and Gilma Avalos, “Nothing to Dispute Sanford Shooter’s SelfDefense Claim in Miami Boy’s Death: Police Chief,” NBC 6 South Florida, March 21, 2012, www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Nothing-to-Dispute-Sanford-Shooters-Self-Defense-Claim-in-Miami-Boys-Death-Police-Chief-142376875.html.

  22Mirkinson, “Melissa Harris-Perry on Trayvon Martin Killing: Remember His Name,” Huffington Post, March 19, 2012, www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/18/melissa-harris-perry-trayvon-martin_n_1357392.html.

  23Brian Stelter, “In Slain Teenager’s Case, a Long Route to National Attention,” New York Times, March 25, 2012, www.nytimes.com/2012/03/26/business/media/for-martins-case-a-long-route-tonational-attention.html?_r=1&.

  24Michael Leslie and Stania Antoine with Tasha Shangvi, “Trayvon Martin in the International Press,” University of Florida, scholarship.law.ufl.edu/cgi/vi
ewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=csrrr_events.

  25Leslie and Antoine with Shangvi, “Trayvon Martin in the International Press.”

  26Ibid.

  27Nancy Shute, “Around the World, Gun Ownership and Firearms Deaths Go Together,” NPR, September 18, 2013, www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/09/17/223508595/around-the-world-gun-ownership-and-firearms-deaths-go-together.

  28Maddot, “Why Do So Many Americans Have Guns?” HubPages, http://maddot.hubpages.com/hub/Why-do-so-many-US-citzens-have-guns.

  29Zoe Fox, “Trayvon Martin Petition Is Fastest-Growing in Change.orgHistory,” Mashable, March 28, 2012, http://mashable.com/2012/03/28/trayvon-martin-petition-change-org/.

  30Huffington Post, “Trayvon Martin’s Mom Sybrina Fulton Receives 8 Months Vacation Time Donated by Miami-Dade County Workers,” May 12, 2012, www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/12/sybrina-fulton-trayvon-8-months-vacation-time-donation_n_1511553.html.

  31Byron Tau, “‘If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon,’” Politico, March 23, 2012, www.politico.com/politico44/2012/03/obama-i-had-a-son-hed-look-like-trayvon-118439.html.

  32Graham Winch, “Zimmerman Attorney: We Won’t Take a Plea Deal,” HLN, December 7, 2012, www.hlntv.com/article/2012/12/06/zimmermans-attorney-we-will-not-take-pleadeal.

  33Ronald Durham (National Action Network leader), in discussion with the author, Daytona Beach, FL, September 24, 2013.

  34New York Times, “Key Disputes in the Zimmerman Trial,” July 8, 2013, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/07/05/us/zimmerman-trial.html?ref=us.

  35Ashley Hayes, “George Zimmerman: Trayvon Martin Threatened My Life,” CNN, June 22, 2012, www.cnn.com/2012/06/21/justice/florida-teen-shooting/.

  36Ashley Hayes, “George Zimmerman: Trayvon Martin Threatened My Life,” CNN, June 22, 2012, www.cnn.com/2012/06/21/justice/florida-teen-shooting/.

  37Ibid.

  38Douglas Stanglin, “Tape shows Zimmerman reenacting Martin shooting for police,” USA TODAY, June 21, 2012, http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2012/06/tape-shows-zimmerman-re-enacting-martin-shooting-for-police/l#.Up9nlcRDtiA.

  39Justifiable Use of Force, The 2013 Florida Statutes, sec. 776.012, www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0700-0799/0776/Sections/0776.012.html.

  40Zabkowicz v. West Bend Co., 589 F. Supp. 780, 784, 35 EPD %C2%B6 34, 766 (E.D. Wis. 1984).

  41George Zimmerman, www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oTaxG51RYc.

  42“State v. Zimmerman: Evidence Released by Prosecutor,” May 17, 2012, www.scribd.com/doc/93951121/state-v-zimmerman-evidence-released-by-prosecutor.

  43Alicia Stanley (Trayvon Martin’s stepmother), interview by Anderson Cooper, Anderson Cooper 360, June 29, 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjkgI5ShcWs&feature=endscreen.

  44Chris Francescani, “George Zimmerman: Prelude to a Shooting,” Reuters, April 25, 2012, www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/25/us-usa-florida-shooting-zimmerman-idUSBRE83O18H20120425.

  45Hal Boedeker, “Trayvon Martin: Attorney calls race ‘the elephant in the room,’” Orlando Sentinel, September 29, 2012, http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-09-29/entertainment/os-trayvon-martin-benjamin-crump-20120929_l_trayvon-martin-martin-george-zimmerman-benjamin-crump.

  46Sonari Glinton, “Parents of Slain Florida Teen Appear on Capital Hill,” NPR, March 28, 2012, www.npr.org/2012/03/28/149512229/slain-teens-parents-appear-on-capitol-hill.

  47New York Times, “George Zimmerman’s Written Statement,” June 21, 2012, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/06/22/us/21george-zimmerman-transcript.html?_r=0.

  48Francescani, “Prelude to a Shooting.”

  49Matthew DeLuca, “Did Trayvon Shooter Abuse 911?” Daily Beast, March 22, 2012, www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/03/23/did-trayvon-shooter-abuse-911.html.

  50http://mynews13.com/content/dam/news/static/cfnews13/documents/2013/01/zimmerman-discovery-baez-documents-010813.pdf.

  51Maddy, interview by the author.

  52http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1307/14/ndaysun.03.html.

  53Lee Dye, “Assessing American’s Science Knowledge,” ABC News, July 26, 2013, http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=120061.

  54Brandon Keim, “Expert Advice Shuts Your Brain Down,” ABC News, March 28, 2009, http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Science/story?id=7192000.

  55Associated Press, “Shiping Bao, Medical Examiner Who Testified in Trayvon Martin Case, Fired for Undisclosed Reasons,” NY Daily News, September 10, 2013, www.nydailynews.com/news/national/medical-examiner-trayvon-martin-case-fired-undisclosed-reasons-article-1.1451430.

  56Joy-Ann Reid, “Zimmerman Trial Medical Examiner: Prosecutors, Police Threw the Case,” Grio, September 16, 2013, http://thegrio.com/2013/09/16/zimmerman-trialmedical-examiner-prosecutors-police-threw-the-case/.

  57Ibid.

  58George Zimmerman, http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1307/05/cnr.06.html.

  59Lydia Saad, “In U.S., 38% Have Tried Marijuana, Little Changed Since ’80s,” Gallup Politics, August 2, 2013, www.gallup.com/poll/163835/tried-marijuanalittle-changed-80s.aspx.

  60Marc Caputo, “Poll: 7 in 10 Back Florida Medical-Marijuana Plan, Enough to Possibly Affect Governor’s Race,” Miami Herald, February 26, 2013, www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/25/v-fullstory/3253273/poll-7-in-10-back-fl-medical-marijuana.html.

  61Office of the Medical Examiner Florida, Districts 7 and 24, “Medical Examiner Report: Martin, Trayvon,” February 27, 2012, lawofselfdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/trayvon.martin.autopsy.pdf.

  62Reid, “Zimmerman Trial Medical Examiner.”

  63George Zimmerman, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jho9N15elCI.

  64George Zimmerman, www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeYhAc3UytM.

  65Dr. Vincent DiMaio (medical examiner) in cross-examination by Alan Jackson (Los Angeles Prosecutor).

  66Rachel Jeantel (friend of Trayvon Martin), interview by Piers Morgan, Piers Morgan Live, July 15, 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdSxdSPn7HM.

  67www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdzrBw-x8Xc.

  68Rachel Jeantel (friend of Trayvon Martin), interview by the author.

  69George Zimmerman, www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGvwKvdctw0.

  70George Zimmerman, www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGvwKvdctw0.

  71Urban Dictionary, “Cracker,” June 29, 2003, www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=cracker.

  72Rachel Jeantel (friend of Trayvon Martin), interview by Nancy Grace, CNN, July 17, 2013, http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1307/17/ng.01.html.

  73Jeantel, interview by Grace.

  74www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2jLnUIOl4E.

  75Alana Abramson, “Radio Host Tom Joyner Offers Rachel Jeantel Full College Scholarship,” ABC News, July 17, 2013, http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/07/radio-host-tom-joyner-offers-rachel-jeantel-full-college-scholarship/.

  76http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1307/08/cnr.06.html.

  77www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FKF23rkUEI.

  78George Zimmerman, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnv8Q6FCQ8Y.

  79Seni Teinabeso and Matt Gutman, “Trayvon Martin Told Friend About Man Following Him in Final Moments,” ABC News, June 26, 2013, http://abcnews.go.com/US/trayvon-martin-told-friend-man-final-moments/story?id=l9490796.

  80http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1307/12/cnr.08.html.

  81http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1307/13/cnr.13.html.

  82Angela Corey, Bernie de la Rionda, John Guy, and Richard Mantei, statements during Zimmerman acquittal press conference, Sanford, FL, July 13, 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA_fxmm1Ryo.

  83Ronald Durham (National Action Network leader), in discussion with the author, Daytona Beach, FL, September 24, 2013.

  84Mark Sappenfield, “Trayvon Martin Rallies: Has Al Sharpton ‘Gone Mainstream’?” Christian Science Monitor, July 21, 2013, www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Update/2013/0721/Trayvon-Martin-rallies-Has-Al-Sharpton-gone-mainstreamvideo.

  85Rebecca Leber, “Photos: 100 Cities Rally for Trayvon Martin,” Think Progress, July 20, 2013, http://thinkprogress.o
rg/politics/2013/07/20/2332721/trayvon-martin-rallies/.

  86Lisa Wade, PhD, ‘“I Am a Man’: Black Men’s Claims to Humanity,” Society Pages, July 15, 2013, http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2013/07/15/i-am-a-man-fightingdehumanization-in-the-civil-rights-era/.

  87“Ann Coulter on George Zimmerman Verdict: ‘Hallelujah,’” Huffington Post, July 13, 2013, www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/13/ann-coulter-george-zimmermanverdict_n_3593018.html.

  88Rex W. Huppke, “Saying racism is over is the new saying you have ‘a black friend,’” Chicago Tribune, July 23, 2013, http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-07-23/news/ct-met-huppke-race-20130723_1_racism-george-zimmerman-trayvon-martin.

  89Evan McMurry, “O’Reilly Denounces NAACP, Celebs For ‘Grievance Industry’: ‘It’s Not About Trayvon Martin, It’s About The Money,’” Mediaite, July 17, 2013, www.mediaite.com/tv/oreilly-denounces-naacp-celebs-for-grievance-industry-its-not-about-trayvon-martin-its-about-the-money/.

  90Kristen Savali, “Todd Kincannon: Former GOP Executive Director Defends Graphic Trayvon Martin Tweet,” Newsone, February 6, 2013, http://newsone.com/2186779/todd-kincannon-trayvon-martin/.