Why I Care About The Death of Trayvon Martin

Photo Credit: werthmedia

Trayvon Martin is dead and he should still be alive. He should be experiencing what other kids his age are going through now. Looking to finish high school. Getting prepared to go to college. Spending time with his friends and family.

But he doesn't get to do any of those things because a self-appointed protector of his community felt that Trayvon was "suspicious" and caused an encounter that led to the death of this 17-year-old young man.

I first wrote about this story two weeks ago, days before it became a national headline. My home is about a half-hour from where Trayvon's death took place and this tragedy has hit close to home for me, both literally and figuratively.

I'm a Christian who is a white evangelical and those like me have been accused of not caring about the death of Trayvon. But I do care. I haven't remained quiet about this and I won't remain silent about it until Trayvon's killer is brought to justice. If our "Stand Your Ground" law says that a man can ignore the instructions of the police, kill an unarmed young man that was doing nothing wrong and not be arrested, then that law needs to be changed.

I care about the death of Trayvon because I've invested most of my adult life in young men just like Trayvon and I'm sick and tired of black men being targeted as criminals for no other apparent reason than they have brown skin.

I care about the death of Trayvon because I've heard too many horror stories from African American friends of having store employees confront them about stealing merchandise or squad cards surrounding them or guns pulled on them because they "fit the description."

I care about the death of Trayvon because I'm appalled of how black life is devalued in our culture and how the benefit of the doubt is given to the criminal rather than the victim.

I care about the death of Trayvon because I'm weary of my Christian brothers and sisters saying they care about injustice in other parts of the world while ignoring the injustices within our own communities.

I care about the death of Trayvon because of the way our society often assumes that black men are "up to no good" in ways that those that look like me aren't.

I care about the death of Trayvon because "flour bombing" a Reality TV starlet leads to an immediate arrest but killing a kid does not.

I care about the death of Trayvon because I have sons that like Skittles and wear hoodies and a man that killed someone not much older than them is somewhere on the loose in the area in which I live.

I care about the death of Trayvon because although I identify in many ways with the black community, I realize that the color of my skin affords me privileges that I have not earned nor deserve and I am spared from certain realities that I will never have to experience.

I care about the death of Trayvon because I realize that this case is about more than one lost life, as tragic as that is. It represents countless numbers of African Americans who were denied "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" in a country that supposedly treats everyone as equals.

I care about the death of Trayvon because those that I love care about the death of Trayvon.

I care about the death of Trayvon because I'm a follower of Jesus and my God cares deeply about injustice -- no matter who is experiencing it.

I care about the death of Trayvon Martin. Will you care, too?

If you want to let your voice be heard, join me and over 1.5 million who have signed the petition asking for justice for Trayvon. You can sign the petition here.

A Florida Gator Gets Kicked Out of School

Living in Central Florida is great in many ways but our interactions with nature and wildlife can make this an adventurous place to live. The prospect of hurricanes each summer and fall weighs heavily on each of us and you never know when you're going to step on a fire ant mound or come across an armadillo or a bear rummaging for food.

But one of the most dangerous things about living in Florida is the presence of alligators. You could encounter one in the most unlikely of places and always need to be especially careful when near lakes, ponds and rivers. Some kids at a middle school in Tampa learned this the hard way the other day.

A seven-foot gator somehow found its way into the school building as students were beginning their school day Monday morning. Here's a short CBS segment on the gator:



What was most remarkable was how the gator got inside the building. From AOL News:

"Preliminary reports suggested the gator somehow crawled inside the school during the weekend. But Gary Morse, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says that, in reality, a custodian let the alligator inside early Monday morning.

"The alligator was found between the parking lot and the cafeteria, and the custodian let the gator inside," Morse said. "I understand his thought process -- he thought it would be easier to apprehend if it were in a contained area, but that just makes it worse.

"When an alligator is confined, it feels far more threatened. Ever try to get a dog out of a cage when it's unsure of its surroundings?"

Alligator sightings are not unusual in Florida, according to Hillsborough County School District spokesman Steve Hegarty.

"Florida has lots of gators," he said. "If you're a Floridian, you will run into one."

Fortunately, no children or teachers were hurt but they probably should have a little sit-down with the janitor and explain how to handle gators in the future.

A couple of years ago, an eleven-foot alligator found it's way from a small pond into the parking lot at the Campus Crusade for Christ headquarters. A trapper was called in and the gator had to be put down due to its aggressiveness. So next time you come down to visit Mickey Mouse just be careful near the water or you may run into something like this: