Many will argue that because George Zimmerman was in fact acquitted by a jury of his peers, he should no longer be looked upon as a murderer. However, in a justice system where what you can prove often outweighs what actually happened, it is more than understandable why many will always view Zimmerman as a murderer. Many times a not guilty verdict simply doesn't equal a person's actual innocence. But what would make him a celebrity in anyone's eyes? I often wondered what people who were cheering and rooting for Zimmerman throughout the trial were actually cheering for? It could't be that he would get away with killing an unarmed black teenager. But other than that, what exactly is he famous for?
Whatever the explanation, George Zimmerman has currently agreed to a celebrity boxing match for charity.
This is wrong on so many levels. Before we make jokes about signing up Mike Tyson or Kimbo Slice, let's first imagine how Trayvon Martin's parents must feel at this moment.
Words cannot express how disrespectful this is to the parents and loved ones of Trayvon Martin. They have endured not only their son being labeled as a thug, his reputation and character smeared by the prosecuting attorney and the devastating humiliation of a not guilty verdict that lowered the value of their son's life to less than nothing, but add to that this complete spectacle of a charity event involving Trayvon's killer. From the time their son's life was snuffed at the hands of Zimmerman, and throughout every step of the process thereafter, they have handled everything with a grace and dignity that is unimaginable. Why insult them any further?
What type of a human being would actually organize an event like this? The entire ordeal is disgusting.
Furthermore, to exploit the emotions of an entire country who were intensely following the details of a case that not only devalued the life of Trayvon Martin but every young black teenager in the country is not only monstrous but sickening. This infamous not guilty verdict personally hit home with black people from every walk of life in America. It prompted President Obama to say:
When Trayvon Martin was first shot I said that this could have been my son. Another way of saying that is Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago. And when you think about why, in the African-American community at least, there's a lot of pain around what happened here, I think it's important to recognize that the African-American community is looking at this issue through a set of experiences and a history that doesn't go away.
While the promoters of this event may have thought of it as nothing more than an opportunity to make a quick buck, its level of disrespect is repulsive. Shame on them and anyone else who would support this.