Three years ago, February 26, 2012, to be exact, a 17-year-old young man left his home to go pick up snacks for himself and his younger brother. On his way back to his loved ones, he took a leisurely stroll home; he was talking on his cell phone, kicking at pebbles, just being a typical teenager walking through a neighborhood. He was in no particular hurry to get home.
He would not be allowed to get home that night ... or any other night. He was hunted down and murdered by a vigilante type who racially profiled him, confronted him, and then took his life.
This week, our last hope of seeing Trayvon's murderer pay for his crime was dashed when the Justice Department announced that Zimmerman will not face federal charges. Case closed.
The federal investigation sought to determine whether the evidence of the events that led to Martin’s death were sufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman’s actions violated the federal criminal civil rights statutes, specifically Section 3631 of Title 42 of the U.S. Code or Section 249 of Title 18 of the U.S. Code, as well as other relevant federal criminal statutes. Section 3631 criminalizes willfully using force or threat of force to interfere with a person’s federally protected housing rights on account of that person’s race or color. Section 249 criminalizes willfully causing bodily injury to a person because of that person’s actual or perceived race. Courts define “willfully” to require proof that a defendant knew his acts were unlawful, and committed those acts in open defiance of the law. It is one of the highest standards of intent imposed by law.Not enough evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, said Eric Holder's office.
"My client is relieved," said the murderer's attorney.
The mother of the murdered youth, Sybrina Fulton, had this to say:
"He took a life, carelessly and recklessly, and he shouldn't deserve to have his entire life walking around on the street free. I just believe that he should be held accountable for what he's done."
The Trayvon Effect
Despite the lack of accountability, I'd like to think that Trayvon didn't die in vain. His death has given birth to a new era of activism. We have been introduced to a slew of young, dynamic, passionate civil rights leaders. New organizations dedicated to the fight for justice and equality have sprung up all over the country. Had there not been a Trayvon, what happened to Michael Brown would be a one-paragraph story in a local newspaper. The #BlackLivesMatter movement had its genesis in the fight for justice for Trayvon.
On Daily Kos itself, it was the fight for justice for Trayvon which gave birth to our group, Support the Dream Defenders. It was brilliant members of our group who authored and crowd-sourced on Daily Kos the Michael Brown Over-Policed Rights Act which gained the approval of members of two prestigious civil rights organizations, the ACLU and the NAACP. The MBOPRA seeks to protect the civil rights of citizens and gives them avenues of redress when those rights are violated. The FOIA project seeks to force Republican governors to reverse their policy of refusing the Medicaid expansion and stop killing 17,000 people per year.
Thank you, Trayvon Martin. You have inspired us. We owe you a debt of gratitude, and in your name we continue the fight.