What About Trayvon's Right to Self-Defense?
Printer-friendly version
by Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III
Whose right to self-defense trumps in the Trayvon Martin case – the unarmed Black teenager or his killer? The killer who stalked Martin claims he got the worst of a fight, and then fired his weapon. But, “to accept Zimmerman’s version of events and relieve him of any culpability is to ignore Trayvon Martin’s right to walk from the 7-11 back to his place of residence unthreatened.”
What About Trayvon's Right to Self-Defense?
by Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III
“It was Trayvon who was defending himself, standing his ground.”
When explaining a situation or trying to understand an issue, how the circumstance is defined can play a major role in the approach that is taken. In the case of the tragic shooting of Trayvon Martin, most of the discussion has centered on George Zimmerman’s right to “stand his ground.” What about Travon’s right to move freely about the neighborhood and stand his ground when a threat is initiated by another person?
According to the Orlando Sentinel, Zimmerman told police, “With a single punch, Trayvon Martin decked the Neighborhood Watch volunteer …, then Trayvon climbed on top of George Zimmerman and slammed his head into the sidewalk several times, leaving him bloody and battered, …” Zimmerman then shot the unarmed 17 year-old. This account has supposedly been corroborated by an unnamed witness who stated, “he saw Zimmerman on the ground with Trayvon on top, pounding him and was unequivocal that it was Zimmerman who was crying for help.” These accounts are supposed to support Zimmerman’s claim of self-defense and validate his shooting the unarmed teenager.
These facts are clear: George Zimmerman, a failed "wanna' be police officer," initiated the entire encounter. Zimmerman pursued Trayvon Martin against the direction of police officials and against the stated policy in the neighborhood watch handbook. That's offensive not defensive behavior.
“Zimmerman stopped the wrong young man and killed the wrong young man.”
To accept Zimmerman’s version of events and relieve him of any culpability is to ignore Trayvon Martin’s right to walk from the 7-11 back to his place of residence unthreatened. To accept Zimmerman’s version ignores Trayvon Martin’s right to “stand his ground” and defend himself against the perceived threat of an older and larger man following him and questioning his right to be where he is.
What we don’t know is why after being followed by Zimmerman, Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old with no history of aggression, would turn on and attack a larger adult when he was 70 feet away from the safety of his own back door. But, if we accept the premise that Zimmerman never should have approached Trayvon in the first place, how we analyze the circumstances takes a different turn. If we accept the fact that despite directions from the police to not engage Trayvon, Zimmerman took it upon himself to attempt to exercise police authority and in doing so had his nose broken and head slammed into the sidewalk one can say Zimmerman “rolled up on” the wrong young man. It was Trayvon who was defending himself, standing his ground, and Zimmerman got the “beat-down” that was coming to him.
There’s a saying in the African American vernacular, “don’t start nothin’, won’t be nothin’.” Basing his perceptions on stereotypes, Zimmerman stopped the wrong young man and killed the wrong young man. He should not be allowed to get away with murder.
Wilmer Leon is the Producer/ Host of the nationally broadcast call-in talk radio program “Inside the Issues with Wilmer Leon,” and a Teaching Associate in the Department of Political Science at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Go to www.wilmerleon.com or email: wjl3us@yahoo.com. www.twitter.com/drwleon
@ 2012 InfoWave Communications, LLC
Email this page
Comments
Why Should We Believe Zimmerman's & the Cops Self-Serving Story
First of all I'm not even prepared to just believe that Zimmerman's & those derilect cops convenient self-serving 'It was Trayvon that attack me...' version of events [after an entire month to concoct this story] has much validity. Why would a 140 - 150 lb unarmed Trayvon even tried to attack a 200 - 225 lb armed Zimmerman - if he could have avoided it- especially if he was just 70 ft from home [I really would like to see a detail break down of the crime scene to see if Zimmerman's story even makes sense]??? - According to Trayvon's girl-friend they were talking & he told her he was being stalked by some guy [Zimmerman] just as the confrontation started. How many guys get on the cell phone & have this kind of conversation w their girl-friends as their planning to jump someone from behind??!!! So Trayvon planned to jump Zimmerman [who out weighed him by 50 - 80lbs] w just one hand while holding his cell phone to his ear w his other hand??!! That's BS!!! - Thus IF Zimmerman even had a bloody nose & bruises to the back of his head- its probably because he rolled up on Trayvon w his pistol & Trayvon was left w little choice but to defend himself [PS: The new video released of Zimmerman at the police station after he killed Trayvon- SHOWS NO SUCH INJURIES!]!!
I've seen a layout of the area in question & someone who was analyzing it indicated that- based on where Trayvon fell mortally wounded, if Zimmerman's car was near to where Trayvon fell [Zimmerman claims that he lost track of Trayvon & was going back to & near to his car when Trayvon surprised & slugged him] - this would indicate that Zimmerman drove off of the street up onto the sidewalk between 2 rows of houses -meaning- It was Zimmerman who rolled up on Trayvon before Trayvon was able to get home! OR- If his car was still parked on the Street, Zimmerman is lying about Trayvon attacking him near his car [that's why I said I'd like to see a detailed layout of the crime scene]!
Thus the cops & the FOX Noise type mainstream media do what they always do in cases like this - Demonize the Black victim & make it the unarmed Black victim's fault that they got shot [or beat down] by the cops [or in this case a cop wanna-be]!!! - Which is exactly what's happening in this case! Because First of all- Zimmerman had no business stalking [& was told NOT to by 911] & then confronting Trayvon- From the Get-go!!! So even if his version of events has any validity [& IMO Thats a Mighty BIG IF]- he's still primarily responsible for what happened!!!
News-Flash: Apparently Trayvon called 911 himself & which may have actually recorded the sound of him screaming for help & being shot to death!!! NOTE article '911 Call: Trayvon Martin Cried for Help before Gunshot' [@ http://sandrarose.com/2012/03/911-call-trayvon-martin-cried-for-help-bef... ]: After repeated calls for the release of the 911 audio in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, the Sanford police department finally released the audio on Friday.
Trayvon’s parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton of Miami Gardens, arrived at Sanford City Hall to hear the tapes.
Martin broke down and “cried like a baby,” when he heard his son pleading for his life on one of the audio tapes.
“You hear a shot, a clear shot, then you hear the 17-year-old boy begging for his life,” said Natalie Jackson, one of the family’s attorneys. “Then you hear a second shot.”
The first shot can be heard in the distance — “a warning shot,” said attorney Ben Crump. The second shot is much closer.
“It is shocking when you hear these 911 tapes,” said Crump. “It was far worse than they thought it was going to be.” - On Feb. 27, the day after Trayvon was murdered, Tracy Martin called 911 to report his son missing. Police asked him to describe his son. Later, police showed up at the house where Martin was staying. They brought with them a photograph of Trayvon lying in the morgue. The teenager had blood coming out of his mouth. That’s how a father found out his oldest son was dead.
And there's this conformation that Trayvon's 911 call actually does exist from ABC-7 News Chicago- Hear an audio of that report @- http://soundcloud.com/the-mokelly-radio-report/abc7-chicago-acknowledges...
It goes on to say the the ABC-7 News site has removed the link to this broadcast from its site- Which implies that there's an active cover-up going on w full participation by main-stream news outlets - while at the same time mainstream news sources are 'spinning' things to actively demonize Trayvon!!!
PS: Check out this excerpt from MSNBC's Larry O'Donell Show [@ http://sandrarose.com/2012/03/in-case-you-missed-it-george-zimmermans-fr... ] as O'Donell & his other Guests disassemble [or even demolish] Zimmerman's so-called [phony] Black friend's [an ex CNN News caster] story. Most telling is that this Joe Oliver guy admits that Zimmerman called Trayvon either a F-c-ing Coon or Goon- on that 911 tape- but then tries to lamely explain it away!!! And Oliver also admits that he hasn't talked to Zimmerman since at-least a week before the killing!!! Yet he claims that his 'GUT' tells him that Zimmerman killed Trayvon in so-called self-defense!!! This whole Oliver 'spin' is really about trying to claim that Zimmerman is not a racist. MAN- Uncle-Tom Negroes will prostitute themselves out for just pennies on the dollar!!!