Last week, the leader of a neo-Nazi group claimed its members were conducting armed patrols of Sanford, Fla., where Trayvon Martin was shot.
While Sanford police have not confirmed evidence of such patrols, people are worried about possible escalations in violence due to the racial tensions created by this controversial issue.
Soon after the shooting, the New Black Panthers offered a $10,000 reward for the capture of George Zimmerman, claiming that Zimmerman should have been arrested for shooting Trayvon.
Earlier this week, shots were fired at an empty police car in the neighborhood where Trayvon was killed.
In our own backyard this weekend, a 27-year-old man was beaten while walking home from bars in midtown. The man’s injuries showed signs that he was attacked by a group of people, said Gainesville Police Department spokeswoman Cpl. Angelina Valuri.
Valuri told the Gainesville Sun the attackers were black males who, the victim said, shouted “Trayvon” before they beat him.
Of course, this is just an account of the incident by the victim, so it is hard to say whether they proclaimed “Trayvon” before they beat him or not, or even whether they were black.
However, if the victim’s accounts of the incident are accurate, this attack is clearly symptomatic of an increase in violence related to Trayvon’s shooting.
The escalation of and calls for violence following the Trayvon Martin killing have gotten out of hand for people on both sides of this issue. Of course, Trayvon’s shooting has greatly affected many people in this country. It has accentuated dormant racial tensions, causing divides and often furious debates about our justice system.
Are there flaws in America’s justice system?
Absolutely.
Does this fact provide a legitimate excuse to call for or engage in violent acts?
Absolutely not.
If an injustice occurred, it can and should be discussed, questioned and ultimately condemned.
However, by turning to violence in the face of injustice, the initial act of injustice or violence will be overshadowed by further unnecessary violence and escalation.
None of us knows what really happened the night Trayvon was killed. Of course we can speculate, and there are many factors that were off about the incident and its subsequent investigation.
But violence will not bring justice to Trayvon, and it will not lead to a better understanding of what happened that night. Instead, our energy should be directed at discovering the truth and making the necessary changes to prevent it from happening again.
