Yes, Trayvon Martin was murdered.

Yes, it is a terrible, terrible tragedy.

Yes, I am deeply saddened for his family and friends.

No, I’m not ready to join the movement that this was racial profiling.

This is just my opinion and apparently we all have one in the case of Trayvon’s untimely demise. At 17 years old, the “child” should not have died. Period. But, unfortunately, he did. And you’d probably be surprised to know that roughly, on average, 14 other young people were killed that same day. We’re not hearing much about them in the news though, are we?

According to Teen Violence Statistics Website here are the surprising numbers:

• An average of 15 young people are killed each day in the U.S., and over 80 percent of those are killed with guns.
• In 2004, violence statistics report 750,000 young people were treated in hospitals for violence-related injuries.
• One third of high school students reported being involved in a fight at school in 2004, and 17 percent reported bringing a weapon to school in the month preceding the 2004 survey.
• 1 in 12 teens in high school are injured or threatened with a weapon each year.
• 30 percent of junior and senior high school students are involved in bullying each year as the victim, bully, or both.
• According to a violence statistics report by the U.S. Secret Service, in the previous decade, the odds of a high school student being injured or threatened with a weapon were about 1 in 14, and the odds of a teen being in a physical fight were 1 in 7.

This is remarkably sad, in and of itself, but what makes it worse is when we sensationalize a tragedy based on information that may not be true. Everyone is ready to burn the alleged shooter at the stake, but for the wrong reason.

Yes, Trayvon was murdered.

Yes, it is a terrible, terrible tragedy.

Yes, I am deeply saddened for his family and friends.

But enough with trying to make this into a racially motivated hate crime.

Here’s what we know…somewhere around 7 pm, February 26, 2012, Trayvon was walking back to his father’s girlfriend’s house after going to a convenience store for iced tea and skittles. It had started to rain and Trayvon pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head to protect his head and cell phone ear piece. He was on his phone, talking with his girlfriend during the stroll. George Zimmerman, the local Community Watch Coordinator, saw Trayvon and decided he was a suspicious character, possibly a threat, and began following him. Zimmerman called 911. According to many different reports, the 911 operator told him to stay in his vehicle.

Here’s what we don’t know…why did George Zimmerman decide to approach Trayvon? Why was there an argument? Was there a fight? Why was Trayvon shot?

The first news reports about this tragedy claimed George Zimmerman was “white”.  Just about every single report says, “African-American male, Trayvon Martin”.  And now that the Nation knows Zimmerman is not a Caucasian, the news is still trying to keep the painted picture about racism, by referring to him as “mixed ethnic descent”.  Zimmerman’s father is white, his mother Hispanic, but his voter registration card claims the Hispanic portion, not the Caucasian. His photo reflects the Hispanic portion, not the Caucasian.

It’s odd how the racial battle has been the highlight of this tragedy.  I believe if George Zimmerman were strictly a Caucasian man, there would already have been more deaths as a result of this one. But he’s not.

And it’s not about race.

News reports and prosecutors have planted the bug on racial profiling.  And boy did we fall for it.  With all the news reports out there, have you seen the one about NBC apologizing  for how they “inserted racism into the Trayvon Martin 911 call”?  No, I hadn’t either until yesterday.

Funny how that hasn’t been the hottest news report pertaining to this case.

Yes, Trayvon was murdered.

Yes, it is a terrible, terrible tragedy.

Yes, I am deeply saddened for his family and friends.

But recognize the hoodie did play a role in his death.

Trayvon was a young, black male with a hood over his head.  It was raining, and I’m not sure any teenage boy would ever carry an umbrella, so yes, the hoodie is appropriate attire and should not be responsible for Trayvon being referred to as suspicious.

But let’s face facts here people.  The hoodie has been used repeatedly, by Caucasians and African Americans alike, as a part of the criminal’s uniform. And if I saw a person walking around in my neighborhood, in the rain, looking at houses, talking into his phone, without a set urgency to get out of the rain, wearing a hoodie…yeah, I’d worry too.

Would I approach him? NO!  But I’m not a community watch representative and apparently Zimmerman has been involved with this organization for quite some time. Although this neighborhood is gated, apparently they’ve had some trouble in the past.

Clearly recognize that I am not saying Trayvon should have been murdered for wearing a hoodie, but what the “Million Hoodie March” and the celebrity tweets are saying is that he was killed for his clothing choice.  STOP IT. Young men, black and white and everywhere in between, are responsible for making that particular outfit look suspicious.

Here is a report on the community program:

The February 2012 homeowner’s association newsletter requested that crime victims “call our captain, George Zimmerman” after calling the police. “He [Zimmerman] once caught a thief and an arrest was made,” said Cynthia Wibker, secretary of the homeowners association.

Police had been called to The Retreat at Twin Lakes 402 times from January 1, 2011, to February 26, 2012. Crimes committed at The Retreat in the year prior to Martin’s death included eight burglaries, nine thefts and one shooting. The City of Sanford posted a “George Zimmerman 911 Call History” listing 46 event reports naming George Zimmerman as the caller between 2004 and the night of the shooting.

Zimmerman was licensed to carry a firearm. Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee stated that neighborhood watch volunteers are not encouraged to carry a gun but have a Constitutional right to do so. Lee further stated, “Mr. Zimmerman was not acting outside the legal boundaries of Florida Statute by carrying his weapon when this incident occurred.”

So, why would this man call 911 so many times between 2004 and 2012 without incident, yet murder Trayvon?

Did Trayvon, although known for being a terrific kid, attack Zimmerman? Probably not, but keep in mind some people aren’t as innocent as they lead others to believe.  How many times have we heard “but he was just the nicest guy. Quiet and reserved, never caused any trouble” about a person charged with multiple murders?

Was Zimmerman power happy with his gun and community watch title?  Probably.  I think this crime is more about Zimmerman feeling his Wheaties and trying to be a badass than it ever was about race.  I believe he got carried away, had a loaded gun ready, and wanted to be Chuck Norris or Clint Eastwood for a day. I also believe with the crime reports from that neighborhood; he was on the path to cleaning up and had the “no one is going to commit a crime in MY neighborhood and get away with it” attitude. It was a recipe for disaster.

I’m sure we’ll find out in the upcoming years with the trial fully televised and all statements regurgitated repeatedly in our newspapers and magazines. I’ll be surprised with all the coverage to date if we can find twelve impartial jurors.  It’s OJ all over again.

Yes, Trayvon was murdered.

Yes, it is a terrible, terrible tragedy.

Yes, I am deeply saddened for his family and friends.

But enough with turning this into something it’s not.

What do you think?  Was Trayvon just in the wrong place at wrong time? Or have we perpetuated the look of young black male in a hoodie as the poster boy for criminal activity?