Trayvon Martin & Hate Crimes

“We are all connected —to each other biologically; to the earth chemically; and to the rest of the universe atomically.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson

Geneticists have discovered that, regardless of race or ethnicity, humans are a lot more alike than originally thought. In fact, it has been estimated that all humans alive today descended from a population of approximately six hundred individuals in South Africa. That being said, why do we insist on dividing and grouping ourselves? I would like to address the controversy surrounding the death of Trayvon Martin. My condolences go out to his loved ones.

First and foremost, we should be mourning the loss of a human, not fighting against each other about race related details. The reports on the news have only served to be divisive. My last intention is to sound insensitive, but if Trayvon Martin is no longer with us, does it make a difference whether George Zimmerman is racist or not? Let us presume George Zimmerman is not racist. Would that make the crime less tragic or offensive? Does it make the loss of Trayvon Martin less important? I do acknowledge the possibility that Trayvon Martin might still be alive. But there is no way we can determine whether George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin because of the color of his skin.

People are saying this is offensive because a man who committed a hate crime is not in jail. But why is a homicide related to hate, particularly racist hate, more offensive than a regular homicide? Does this make a psychopath’s homicide okay? Hate is a strong emotion and psychopaths are incapable of feeling deep emotions; therefore, psychopaths would be very unlikely to commit a crime based off hate (I am not saying all psychopaths commit homicides, for the record). So, does the intent of the crime alter the severity of the homicide? I do not think that hate crimes should be the basis for determining the severity of a punishment because they are essentially thought crimes. We cannot punish people for their thoughts or emotions during the time of the crime because it is indeterminable. Zimmerman’s innocence or guilt should be based off of whether he acted in self-defense. If he did murder Trayvon Martin in cold blood, then he should unquestionably be punished. But this should only be done after a fair trail is provided.

I cannot fully understand what makes this case so different from other hate crimes committed. Why did the president only address the crime committed to Trayvon Martin? Would it still be a hate crime if George Zimmerman were the same race as Trayvon Martin? I am not downplaying the severity of homicide or the death of Trayvon Martin but I am questioning because according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), there are actually more black on black homicides than white on black homicides, as well as more white on white homicides than black on white homicides [1]. Are those reports upsetting? Why are perceived hate crimes more likely to receive attention? I believe that a crime is a crime is a crime…regardless of the motive.

The main point I would like to get across is that George Zimmerman has a right to a trail. If we believe that it is fair to pick and choose whom we are going to convict without a fair trial, we are disregarding true justice. Do you believe it is more tragic to let a guilty man walk from a death sentence or sentence an innocent man to death? If we do not value the right to a trial, we are increasing the chances of punishing innocent individuals. It is simple for us to see the unfairness behind King Henry VIII’s motivation and power to declare his wives as “traitors” and kill them when he wanted to marry someone else. This is only one example of how the presence or absence of due process can be a matter of life or death for innocent individuals. That is why we should trust our current system. At the end of the day, I understand that death elicits strong emotions, so the outcry for justice is natural. However, let us not mistake justice with our preconceived beliefs about a particular incident. I urge you to uphold due process of law because convicting a person without a fair trial, even if they are guilty, is undoubtedly primitive.

[1] http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2009/offenses/expanded_information/data/shrtable_06.html