Monday, March 19, 2012

the young ones whose lives were cut short

No time for a proper post again, but here are some things for which all I have are deep breaths, tears and simple prayers, like "Forgive us. Forgive us."

- The death of Trayvon Martin. Petition with his parents' words here: http://www.change.org/petitions/prosecute-the-killer-of-our-son-17-year-old-trayvon-martin

ColorofChange petition here (I've signed both): http://act.colorofchange.org/act/Trayvon

And a very well-researched Mother Jones article, chock full of resource links and careful analysis: http://motherjones.com/politics/2012/03/what-happened-trayvon-martin-explained

- The death of Stephanie Rojas due to asthma. Her mom, Lydia, very bravely talked her way through the tears on MomsRising's BlogTalkRadio chat with EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson today: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/momsrising/2012/03/19/mom-to-mom-the-controversy-of-clean-air


Why "forgive us?" Because I cannot think about these losses without thinking about the system and society that allowed them to happen.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

On Trayvon Martin, the 17 year old boy shot and killed

I have about 20 minutes to write this post before I have to get back to work, to my kids and to my spouse, but it feels like even if I had hours to write about it, I wouldn't be much more articulate.

This post is about 17 year old Trayvon Martin, who was shot and killed February 26 by a neighborhood watch captain in a gated housing complex in Florida. Trayvon was just walking back to his relatives' house after buying some candy at the 7-11. He was just walking home in the rain.

Reading this article at the Huffington Post, I can feel the atoms of my body coming apart. I feel like I'm dissolving into the air around me. I feel my hands tingling, like they've already begun to disappear. Liz over at Mom-101 wrote on Facebook that it made her feel sick to her stomach. Yes to that too.

From Huffington Post:
Tracy Martin, the teenager's father, broke down crying as he listened to the audio on Friday, the family lawyers said. "My son was crying for help, and he still shot him," Tracy Martin, the teenager's father said[...].
Can you imagine your loved one dying alone? Your love, whom you have nurtured, celebrated, gritted your teeth over, changed your life for. Leaving this life in fear and pain, alone, crying for help and there's only his killer. It's more than terrifying. I am grateful I don't have the words for it.

Why has Zimmerman not been charged yet? This happened February 26. Here's the statement from his parents. Under that is the petition link where you can sign to call on the District Attorney to investigate

* * * * * 

On February 26, our son Trayvon Martin was shot and killed as he walked to a family member's home from a convenience store where he had just bought some candy. He was only 17 years-old. 

Trayvon's killer, George Zimmerman, admitted to police that he shot Trayvon in the chest. Zimmerman, the community's self appointed "neighborhood watch leader," called the police to report a suspicious person when he saw Travyon, a young black man, walking from the store. But Zimmerman still hasn't been charged for murdering our son. 

Trayvon was our hero. At the age 9, Trayvon pulled his father from a burning kitchen, saving his life. He loved sports and horseback riding. At only 17 he had a bright future ahead of him with dreams of attending college and becoming an aviation mechanic. Now that’s all gone.

When Zimmerman reported Trayvon to the police, they told him not to confront him. But he did anyway. All we know about what happened next is that our 17 year-old son, who was completely unarmed, was shot and killed.

It's been nearly two weeks and the Sanford Police have refused to arrest George Zimmerman. In their public statements, they even go so far as to stand up for the killer - saying he's "a college grad" who took a class in criminal justice.

Please join us in calling on Norman Wolfinger, Florida's 18th District State's Attorney, to investigate my son's murder and prosecute George Zimmerman for the shooting and killing of Trayvon Martin.

http://www.change.org/petitions/prosecute-the-killer-of-17-year-old-trayvon-martin