Thoughts on Trayvon Martin

This post has nothing to do with Trayvon Martin, actually. I don't have anything new to contribute to the dialogue about the George Zimmerman trial. It was a crime, and it's a shame. I tend to respect juries, who must reach a conclusion based on the facts presented and the laws in place. I am not familiar enough with the trial to weigh in on the prosecution's failures. I wish that young man were not dead. Read David Simon's blog for the full treatment. (Thanks BD)

Trayvon Martin's death was similar to the death of Oscar Grant. It was therefore predictable that the Zimmerman verdict would open wounds in Oakland about racist profiling and unarmed Black men being killed. In fact, there are many communities across America where families have faced similar torment, and not been vindicated in the courts. It is widespread enough a problem to warrant a social justice movement of its own. What kind, though? A civil rights movement for youth, or a continuation of the march for justice for African Americans? An anti-gun movement? Or better yet, a new style of social justice movement that is complex and novel and seeks solutions to multi-variate problems like racism, gun violence, racial profiling and access to the rights of society for young people.

I think there are many people of good faith who all want this kind of movement. A lot of people in Oakland have marched and protested with a hope for that dialogue with the Oakland police and city leadership, as have people in dozens of other cities and towns.

But in Oakland, something weird happens. The marches and protests wind down, probably with a prayer or a well-known speaker. Parents and classmates and civic-minded folks hop back on BART or bus, or in their cars, and head home. And a group of people don masks and create havoc in downtown Oakland. No one knows if they are members of the peaceful protests who were waiting for confusion of the crowd, or who were angry that the protests did not have the immediate effect of reforming our broken police department or bringing Oscar Grant back to life or convicting George Zimmerman.  They might be a totally separate group; the people who mutated Occupy Wall Street into an crypto-anarchist attack on Oakland. Whoever they are, they then start smashing windows and destroying property and injuring bystanders.

For the past few days, I have been trying to make sense of the attacks in Oakland. I am not de facto offended by the destruction of property. I see value in some graffiti. I understand impulsive reactions based on anger and frustration. But it's clear that that is not what is happening in Oakland. Last night, two full days after the Zimmerman verdict, a rioter put a hammer into the head of a waiter at a local restaurant. That's not impulsive anger. That's terrorism. The destruction and attacks on Oakland are not part of the justice-for-Trayvon-and-Oscar movement. Can you imagine where the Civil Rights Movement or the Marriage Equality Movement would be today if every peaceful protest ended with a hammer in some working man's head? Holy crap. Talk about regressive.

And the Oakland police, for reasons I cannot do not know or understand, does little to stop this mayhem.

So what is to be done when one lives in a city where non-lethal acts of terror are being committed in the name of a social justice movement? Where the hands of the police seem tied?

Shall we arm ourselves and form neighborhood watch groups, like George Zimmerman? Sickening. And time-consuming.

Many folks are suggesting that Oaklanders come out in droves to the restaurants that were hit over the past three nights. I think that's a step in the right direction. There's safety in numbers, and lets our friends who own these small businesses and non-profits know that they have our support. There are a limited number of tables at Flora and Dogwood but I agree it's worth trying. Another way to support Oakland is to support Youth Radio, a non-profit that trains kids to record radio and other media stories. It's a great organization meant to give Oakland youth a platform for expressing themselves. I just donated. Anyone have any other ideas? These don't seem meaningful enough, but they seem better than smashing up a small business. . .