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We Are All Trayvon Martin
The Whole Damn System is Guilty!
The Whole Damn System is Guilty!
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—A veteran in his 60s who has lived in Florida his whole life
“It could have been anybody. A lot of kids walk from stores. I think this is very much a stereotype. Like he [Zimmerman] said on the tape, ‘oh yeah, this guy’s definitely up to no good.’ How? Why? What made you say that? Nothing, all right! This shit happen all the time. Yeah, all the time in the neighborhood, when the police just stop us. They slam us for no reason and shit. Say we got weed and shit. That shit’s fucked up. How they going slam us for? They some sorry fucks.”—A youth from Miami
“This [the murder of Trayvon and the police coverup] could be like what they were doing to people in Germany, for all we know.”—A young man taking a course in world history in high school
and had studied Nazi persecution of Jews
“Young people like Trayvon can’t keep getting killed for no reason. I’m ready to look at anything to try to figure this out and come up with some answers.”and had studied Nazi persecution of Jews
—A young woman from Florida A&M who organized
and participated in protests on her campus
“Yeah, I did the walkout. I led the walkout. I had my big poster. What did it feel like? It felt like a sense of clarity. But at the same time I wasn’t getting no sense of justice. We went on a long ass walk. And it’s gonna happen again. Cuz I’m fixing to walk until my feet bleed.”and participated in protests on her campus
—A youth from Miami
The murder of Trayvon Martin stings. It is an outrage on top of countless outrages. And it is right, and inspiring, that in Sanford, Florida—and all over—people are determined that this is not gonna go down. This time some of the anger of those for whom this system has no future, and the reality behind that anger, are cutting through the wash, the coverup, the lies. This time people are breaking through the fear that the murder of so many Black youth by police (or wannabe police) is supposed to instill and enforce. The hoodie has become a badge of honor.
How is it that in this day and age, the murder of Trayvon Martin is not an isolated incident but yet another in a long line of killing Black people, especially youth? It is because these crimes are encouraged, carried out, and justified by a system. But this time, many people are saying we cannot let this go on any more—not just this one incident, terrible as it is, but the whole damn thing. And that is so important, and so inspiring.
At the same time—this is a moment to seize—a moment to build a movement to really and finally put an end to all the horrors that come from this system.
Listen to the voices on this page. Think about the reality. If the powers-that-be can get away with this, what won’t they get away with? The days of half-stepping and tired played-out illusions that someone somewhere in the power structure is going to change anything real—those days need to be gone.
Make APRIL 10 (the day charges might be brought against the murderer of Trayvon Martin) a DAY OF OUTRAGE! Seize the time, wherever and whenever there is a chance, to act with daring and creativity. And have all that feed into a movement that will not stop until the whole system that is responsible for the deaths of so many, here and around the world, is no more.
Within that, the revolution must be out there, connecting with people’s outrage and helping people find ways to make a powerful political statement that this is not gonna go down. Get out to the neighborhoods where people are seething with anger… locked down in the housing projects, ghettos and barrios. Play Bob Avakian’s talk, Revolution: Why It’s Necessary, Why It’s Possible, What It’s All About and his spoken word piece, “All Played Out.” Get bundles of Revolution newspaper into the hands of everyone who really wants change. And help the people find creative ways to make a political statement so powerful that nobody can ignore it.
