What’s the “Lesson of Trayvon Martin”?

Last updated on: July 16, 2013 at 9:50 am by Jane the Actuary

What’s the “Lesson of Trayvon Martin”? 2013-07-16T09:50:00-06:00 Jane the Actuary

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[What follows is based on memory, not research; apologies if I get a fact or two wrong.]

When the Drudge Report filled up its “headline” links with reaction to the Zimmerman trial verdict, I figured that this was more wishful thinking than anything, hoping for riots so as to point to what uncivilized people the Left were. But they’re not going away. And I have to admit that, not only do I disagree with the protesters, I’m not even sure what their point of view is.

As far as I can tell, there are a couple ways the chain of events might have unfolded. Zimmerman’s story is that, in returning to his car, Martin knocked him down and started raining down punches. Afraid for his life (and, in various retellings, thinking that Martin had seen and would reach for the gun), he shot him.

All the forensic evidence — the injuries on Zimmerman’s head, the bruising on Martin’s fist, the testimony about how the bullet entered Martin (including the statement that the shirt was hanging down, indicating that Martin was on top) — as well as the eyewitness evidence (the witness indicating that the man with the color shirt that corresponded to Martin was on top) corroborates this version, and makes any other version improbable.

Alternative #2 is that the two men confronted each other; there was no instigator, each was a hot-head. Nothing corroborates this alternative — even the cries of “help” are unlikely if both men were actively aggressors.

Alternative #3 is that Martin was wholly innocent, that Zimmerman chased him down in his anger about the robberies, landed a couple punches, and decided to finish him off with the gunshot.

But here’s the thing: I’m not even sure that the Trayvon Martin defenders believe Alternative #3.

Some of the quotes I read are “he was standing his ground” — as if he was fully justified to start beating on Zimmerman because he was “being stalked.” And most quotes are that “Zimmerman should have never gotten out of his car in the first place.”

But he did — not because he “racially profiled” Martin, but because, in the rain, Martin was casually wandering through the back path and seeming to be scoping out the houses. (From all reports, the area is racially diverse, so it wouldn’t make sense to call the cops on every black man.) Did he give up his right to self-defense upon leaving that car?

Zimmerman also said, “he looks like he’s on drugs” — and there are reports (true? urban legend?) that all it takes is Skittles, iced tea and cough syrup to create a mind-altering drug. I’ve never read anything credible on this, though — or even a more complete statement from Zimmerman about what being “on drugs” looks like.

From all reports, Martin was a troublemaker, and at risk of heading towards more trouble. In many of the reports of gang shootings in Chicago, the best the distraught family can say is, “sure, he got in trouble a lot. But we hoped he would turn himself around, and now it’s too late.” Would Trayvon Martin have turned himself around? Would any of these young victims of violent crime, in circumstances in which they are not innocent and caught in the cross-fire, but caught up in a life of violence — would any of these young men have turned themselves around?

None of which offers any “lessons.” Come to think of it, I don’t think there are any lessons. Let’s find our lessons somewhere else and leave this man, these men, alone.

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