Sunday, July 14, 2013
This is not about our kids... just my thoughts as a mother about Trayvon Martin
The Trayvon Martin case verdict weighs heavily on me. I know I am not alone. A boy is dead and the state laws allowed the shooter to remain free. But what concerns me, as a parent and as a person, is the systemic issues we have created as a society to allow this sort of tragedy.
I live in a community where crime is prevalent, police are both understaffed and not always trusted and people are scared. Scared of being harmed or their homes and belongings being violated. We don't have enough police so our community relies more and more on private security and many individuals believe they are are on their own when it comes to their safety. They choose to arm themselves or band together to protect themselves from outsiders. And do we really know who these people are? Are they trained to handle the responsibility and the weapons that they often carry? In my own neighborhood we had a senseless double homicide a couple weeks ago. The shooter was a security guard and carried a weapon for his job... though maybe not legally. He was getting food at a local restaurant and somehow felt his safety was being threatened. He ran to the back of the restaurant and when the staff came to check on him he shot and killed them both. I know their isn't a lot in common with these murders and Trayvon Martin's, but I see the correlation as senseless deaths by people with guns who felt like or had a right to carry them.
What do I tell my children about these neighborhood watch groups and private security? They aren't the police, I have no idea who they are. Is public safety a priority for them? If something was to happen or go wrong I can't tell my kids to find someone in a uniform, since so many of them wear uniforms that look similar to police. If my kids were being followed through our neighborhood by someone in a private car wearing plain clothes I would advise them to try and run away and if that didn't work to fight back.
And what do we do about the guns? Why can't we have a discussion about gun control. With out a doubt Trayvon Martin would still be alive if George Zimmerman wasn't armed, so would the restaurant employees in my neighborhood, so would the kids in Newtown, the list goes on and on. I am not suggesting we outlaw weapons... actually I would suggest that, but I know that would cause people to freak out, but what about proper training and waiting periods... can we just talk about that?
A mother's son is dead and my heart breaks for her as a mother and I hope we can come together to look at the deeper issues here. Our lack of public services, like police officers, racial prejudices and our concern for the rights of gun owners over the safety of our people.
I live in a community where crime is prevalent, police are both understaffed and not always trusted and people are scared. Scared of being harmed or their homes and belongings being violated. We don't have enough police so our community relies more and more on private security and many individuals believe they are are on their own when it comes to their safety. They choose to arm themselves or band together to protect themselves from outsiders. And do we really know who these people are? Are they trained to handle the responsibility and the weapons that they often carry? In my own neighborhood we had a senseless double homicide a couple weeks ago. The shooter was a security guard and carried a weapon for his job... though maybe not legally. He was getting food at a local restaurant and somehow felt his safety was being threatened. He ran to the back of the restaurant and when the staff came to check on him he shot and killed them both. I know their isn't a lot in common with these murders and Trayvon Martin's, but I see the correlation as senseless deaths by people with guns who felt like or had a right to carry them.
What do I tell my children about these neighborhood watch groups and private security? They aren't the police, I have no idea who they are. Is public safety a priority for them? If something was to happen or go wrong I can't tell my kids to find someone in a uniform, since so many of them wear uniforms that look similar to police. If my kids were being followed through our neighborhood by someone in a private car wearing plain clothes I would advise them to try and run away and if that didn't work to fight back.
And what do we do about the guns? Why can't we have a discussion about gun control. With out a doubt Trayvon Martin would still be alive if George Zimmerman wasn't armed, so would the restaurant employees in my neighborhood, so would the kids in Newtown, the list goes on and on. I am not suggesting we outlaw weapons... actually I would suggest that, but I know that would cause people to freak out, but what about proper training and waiting periods... can we just talk about that?
A mother's son is dead and my heart breaks for her as a mother and I hope we can come together to look at the deeper issues here. Our lack of public services, like police officers, racial prejudices and our concern for the rights of gun owners over the safety of our people.
