This is a rant about my frustration as a black man when I read about the Zimmerman case.
I rarely rant.
So, please excuse me.
I believe Zimmerman should have a fair trial. I think he's guilty, but he should have a fair trial. I read today about the testimony of the police involved in the case, and, more than any other aspect of the case, the police piss me off. From a public policy perspective, their willingness to turn a blind eye means open season on people like me.
I know this has been said: They weren't doing their jobs as police officers. But, let me add, they failed to be police officers in the court today as well.
Let me repeat: I will leave the issue of Zimmerman's guilt to the jury.
HOWEVER, if I could, I would charge the police with something. The fact that they said or even implied that they believed Zimmerman, despite his inconsistent statements and their belief that he was a liar, is a sign of just how much they profiled both the defendant and the victim. The moral of this story is that if you kill a black man without others around, then the police in Florida will believe you when you claim self defense.
People speak of Zimmerman's possible racism. But, to me, the real profiling occurred with the police. They decided: Zimmerman was to be believed. The black victim was a criminal. With that narrative in mind, every aspect since then has been the officers reinforcing this belief in their minds. I know now they are covering their asses, but the moral dimensions of what they are doing is destructive to the progress this society has made since Jim Crow. We don't, despite failures like stop and frisk, allow people to gun down black people for being in the "wrong place." This is profiling. We sure as hell don't want officers of the law let it slide.
That pisses me.
I asked a friend, what would it take for them to not believe Zimmerman? Because quite frankly, they knew he was a liar, and saw that his story was inconsistent, and yet, somehow, they still didn't see a problem with saying they believed him.
What?
My friend responded the only thing that would have made them believe is if he killed a white man.
That sums it up. For me, as a black guy, what the police have said is that its okay to kill me because the killer will be believed no matter how much he's caught lying. This nation's demographics are changing. The police must as well.