Apparently, I’ve been under a rock with this whole Trayvon Martin case.  I guess I’ve been so tired and so not paying attention to the news that I had no interest in clicking on people’s links to the story.  But as I read OneChele’s post yesterday and FINALLY read what happened, my heart crushed.  Let’s look at the facts-a(n unarmed) 17 year old boy is walking in his soon-to-be stepmother’s neighborhood one Sunday evening and is killed.  Apparently, he looked like he didn’t belong, at least to the “head” of the Neighborhood Watch, a 26 year old man who called police and stated someone who looked “suspicious” was in his neighborhood.  Even after the dispatcher told George Zimmerman to stop following the young man and that police were on the way, he did what he wanted to do.  No one knows exactly what transpired, but by the time police arrived, this kid who had dreams of being an aviation mechanic lay face down in the ground, dead from a gunshot to the chest.  The only things he had on him were a bag of skittles, a can of tea, and some change.  Even after confessing to shooting this kid, proclaiming self-defense, George Zimmerman is a free man.  Of course the community and Trayvon’s family is in an uproar and wants to know what the police are going to do about it. 

And lest we not forget Mitrice Richardson, the young lady I have mentioned on my blog NUMEROUS times, whose body was found 11 months after she walked out of the Lost Hills police station in Malibu, CA after being arrested for not paying a restaurant bill.  Today at noon (PST), the Los Angeles County is releasing a report of how the police handled Mitrice’s remains.  Yes, Mitrice’s parents just settled a wrongful death suit with the Sheriff’s office, but in my eyes, that’s not enough.  A cause of death has not been determined, even after having her body exumed, and her killer still roams the streets. 

I ask you all not to ever forget these two young people who had dreams, goals, and families who loved them.  Most of all, they were taken away too soon.  I truly hope and pray that their killers are brought to justice.  Until next time, I’m just a Southern girl…in the city.

Related articles

• The Nation Is Watching: the Killer of Trayvon Martin MUST Be Arrested (UPDATE) (theindustrycosign.wordpress.com)
• Fatal shooting of Florida teen turned over to state attorney (news.blogs.cnn.com)