The chorus of people, both Black and White, who are outraged with the George Zimmerman not guilty verdict has only increased. Trayvon Martin, the African-American boy who was only 17 years old is dead, and Zimmerman is seemingly out of control. He has been stopped by police at least twice on traffic violations, and now he allegedly had a bad encounter with his wife and his father-in-law.
You would think a man in his precarious state would steer clear of law enforcement officials. But George Zimmerman seems to be courting trouble. It almost seems as though he is saying, “I gotcha and you can’t catch me now.” Seems to me that Zimmerman is playing out a “bad hand.” Others agree.
Patrick Williams, a clinical psychologist and founder of the Institute for Life Coach Training said, “He saw somebody [Zimmerman] who thought he did the community a favor, you know; like he was some hero.” Williams added, “The biggest predictor of your future is your past. I think people kind of create their reality. And I’m not sure he’s learned to make good choices.”
I have often said that if you are Black and male, when you leave the house, you may never see it again. Why? The chances of us being shot or killed are pretty high.
Just a few days ago, a young African-American male, Jonathan Ferrell, was involved in an automobile accident in Charlotte, N.C. I went to college in that city, and I know it reasonably well.
The accident was so severe that the 24-year-old climbed out of the wreckage through the car’s back window, according to reports. The former student-athlete at Florida A&M University was on foot for about half a mile before coming to a house where he could ask for help. This occurred at about 2:30 a.m., and the woman who answered the door became alarmed when she saw Ferrell and called police.
The Charlotte police tried to Taser him, but it did not work. I don’t know about the effects of a Taser because I have never had one used on me. However, I have had the opportunity to see an in-person demonstration, and they do work. The person was stopped cold. Why Ferrell didn’t respond to a Taser, I don’t know. Was his adrenalin at such a high level that his body was immune to the shock?
