A murder committed in last February in the state of Florida continues to rattle the U.S. People took to the streets demanding justice after the court’s acquittal of a policeman that shot and killed a black teenager. Officials are mostly reluctant to address the issue. Experts insist that the tragedy resonated far beyond an individual community and had an impact on the entire psychological state of mind of the country. Seemingly, tragedies to befall the Western societies are not ending.
Innocent victim of a single gunshot
The crime that took place in the city of Sanford, Florida on February the 26th 2012 stirred up the country. This event is utterly thought-provoking for a country, with such advanced democracy as the U.S. One would think that a nation that prides itself with the rule of law would handle the matters in compliance with the principle of justice. Alas…
That night, neighborhood watch patrolman George Zimmerman fatally shot black teenager Trayvon Martin allegedly for suspicious behavior, despite the instruction from the 911 "not to pursue the person''. Patrolman failed to obey the orders that lead to teenager’s death. Amazingly, investigation has yet to release the details of events such as who started the altercation, a need to deploy deadly weapon and the witness accounts. Another point that begs the question is how a 28 year old, well-built patrolman ended up battered by a teenager. Trayvon, dressed in a hooded sweatshirt, was "armed'' with nothing but an ice tea bottle and a bag of candy.
Initially, Zimmerman was not charged due to lack of evidence. He was later arrested once the human rights organizations have raised their voice but released on 150.000 USD bail. However, outrage among the human rights activists and ordinary citizens persisted. Zimmerman’s bond was later revoked for misleading the court on his financial status, and he was placed back into the custody, just to be acquitted by the six women jury on 13 July 2013.
The ruling provoked widespread protests. Regardless of their race, thousands converged on the famous Times Square in New York. They demanded that every U.S. citizen be equal before the law and wanted Zimmerman prosecuted again. Police confronted the peaceful demonstration and arrested 12 people.
President Barack Obama urged for "calm reflection'' but called the incident a "tragedy''. He did say "the jury has spoken, and that is how the system works'' (See: "Obama’dan sükunet çağırışı'' // www.zaman.com.tr, 15 July, 2013). Nevertheless, he expressed solitude by saying "If I had a son he would probably look like Trayvon''. The given course of events had revealed issues of a political nature. Trampling of human rights in America is evident. Not even a President can prevent it. Although thousands in the U.S. are concerned about the violation of the rights of the blacks that are shot on the streets because of their skin color, the police seem adamant. Meanwhile, peaceful protesters are being penalized. The thought-provoking feature is that the process is far from subsiding. Although people continue to demand justice, official circles are reluctant to repeal the verdict.
This issue appears particularly intriguing in light of the West’s hype around the situation with human rights in different parts of the world. Whether appropriate or not, the U.S. and European countries interfere into events in other countries while demonstrating strikingly opposite attitude to developments at home.
In Azerbaijan, for example, those who committed real crimes and imprisoned for their wrongdoings are dubbed "political prisoners'' by the West, citing their professional activity as a pretext. Cases of individuals sentenced for perpetrating acts of violence against the official institutions are viewed as human rights violations and names of the culprits are included in various reports. However, mass violations of human rights of Muslims are left unnoticed. There are thousands of examples.
Let us point out some concrete ones. Hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis were brutally deported form Armenia while thousands more were forcibly expelled from their native homes in Nagorno Karabakh. In Khojali, Armenians committed the massacre of the century. In Myanmar, Muslims are subjected to extreme violence and murdered in their hundreds. In Europe, there are a growing number of murders based on race. It is no secret that Islamophobia is on the rise in Europe. Trayvon Martin became a victim of such an attitude. Policeman shot him without determining whether the teenager was armed. Apology extended to the Trayvon’s parents also carries certain underlying message. Amazingly, policeman admitted to the victim’s parents that he did not know whether the teen carried a weapon. They why did he shot him?
Psychological issues within the Western society
The answer is clear – he was black! Martin’s fault was that he was crossing through a white neighborhood. This is a shameful fact for the West. It is about the double standards practiced by the West on the state level. There are several examples to attest to the accuracy of the statement. Human rights of the people in Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Afghanistan, Myanmar and other Muslim countries are trampled. Egypt’s legitimate President is ousted by the military and indicted, while Washington and Brussels are silently observing. Indifference is shown with respect to police violence against the protesters on "Tahrir'' square and elsewhere.
Similar approach is noticed with regard to Azerbaijan. Some quarters, jealous of Azerbaijan’s notable achievements, just will not give up their "black PR" against the country. They are bending over backwards, to find an ethnic minority problem. This process has started since the early days of Azerbaijan’s independence. In the meantime, Europe has been silent about our fellow citizens, whose rights were violated during Armenia’s aggression. What implications does it convey?
The West faces acute problems in terms of legal and moral-ethical values. Considered to be the most democratic country on earth, in America, people are convicted away from the courts just because of the color of their skin while those who oppose that are violently confronted. It implies that it is not about a group of people – negative transformations are evident in the American public-social mindset. Ordinary citizens and human rights advocates are aware of that and, therefore, demand immediate action. However, Zimmerman enjoys support of a particular social group. His lawyer’s assessment of the verdict was "just, very just''. Certainly, defense attorney is there to defend, but his rejoice implies neglect to the loss of life in exchange for money.
Here are some of the comments made by Trayvon’s family. After the announcement of the verdict, his father compared blacks in America to soldiers, meaning that regardless of the identity, those with black skin can be fired upon. Interestingly, boy’s father pointed out a psychological situation within the society. Similar views were expressed by the National Association for the Advancement of the Colored People (NCAAP) and the "ColorOfChange.org'' Organization. (See: Zimmerman kararı, ABD’de ırkçılık tartışmalarını yeniden alevlendirdi // www.zaman.com.tr, 15 July, 2013).
This signals deepening process of radicalization of the society that some Western analytics are afraid of. As social-economic and moral crisis is deteriorating, some astounding acts of crime emerge. Today, an American or a European can fire upon the family, assault the neighbors, misbehave violently against others and most alarmingly, show intolerance against followers of other religions or people of a different race. One gets an impression that the U.S. and Europe suffer from a psychological defect of searching for clues to their problems elsewhere.
Here is the logic. Those, who have always deemed themselves masters of this world, are accustomed to solving their problems at the expense of others, and to searching for answers beyond their borders. Therefore, "Blacks'', "Muslims'', "Asians'', "Latin Americans'', "Middle Easterners'' and others are blamed for complexities within the society. Otherwise, policeman would not kill a 17 year old simply for "suspecting him of bearing a firearm''. Injustice is infinite. People shouting "no justice means no democracy" on the streets of New York today, may cause greater perturbations in the society tomorrow. Trayvon Martin’s brother had rephrased Caesar’s famous quote by saying "And you too, America?!'' Responding to this question tomorrow may prove to be too little too late.
K.A.