Murder In a Florida Town

Trayvon Martin - Million Hoodies March 2012 020 (Photo credit: calvinfleming)It sounds like something out of a bad crime novel or TV show, but here goes:  In a town just outside Orlando, Florida, a teenager named Trayvon Martin was coming home from a convenience store when he was shot down by a man named who apparently thought he was going to commit a crime in the gated community he was trying to protect.

That was a month ago, according to Sanford, Florida police.  Since then the alleged shooter, George Zimmerman, has been in hiding somewhere and has not been arrested or charged.  His supporters claim claim what he did counts as self-defense under Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law, which apparently allows citizens to kill intruders if they felt so much as threatened by anyone who doesn't look right.

(Versions of this law are on the books in 21 states.  A similar measure was vetoed by Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton last year.  If the Republican-dominated Legislature had it to do over again, they would have turned it into another constitutional amendment for people to vote on this November.)

After a slow start, the Martin case has become a national cause celebre.  Cable and network news devote hours to it, now that the GOP primaries are winding down.  The Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton (neither of whom met a camera they didn't like) headline rallies calling for Zimmerman's arrest.  And President Barack Obama tells us that Martin was like the son he never had.

Let's talk about hoodies for a moment.  The apparel Martin was allegedly wearing at the time of the murder has become a symbol of sorts to his supporters, who wear them in tribute to him.  People of all races wear hoodies--hip hop artists, football coaches, etc.--but for some reason it's become associated with crime.  Now, blaming Martin's hoodie for criminal behavior (as Geraldo Rivera of Fox News did) is as ridiculous as blaming a sexual assault victim for the way she was dressed.    It's just not germane to the conversation.

Trayvon's parents have been all over TV declaring their son's innocence, and for providing their version of events.  That's fine.  But in a situation like this, they don't know everything that went on in his life.  What parent does if their kids don't let them in on it?

Zimmerman's defenders don't believe he's the cold-blooded monster the media has portrayed him to be.  After all, they say, he was the community-minded watchdog defending his neighborhood against intruders.  In this case, it was an intruder armed only with candy and a cell phone.

We're not going to tell you who we think is guilty or innocent, because not all the facts in this case have been investigated and made public.  That is the job of the proper authorities.  The truth lies somewhere between racial politics, grieving parents, grandstanding advocates and breathless media coverage.  Even if the facts do come out, both sides will claim it's not the whole story.

The one voice in this maelstrom we won't be hearing from is Trayvon Martin himself.  It would have been really interesting to hear his perspective on what happened, but dead men tell no tales.