By: Cheryl Smith
February 5, 1995 – February 26, 2012
People moving out,
People moving in,
Why, because of the color of their skin,
Run, run, run, but you just can’t hide.
An eye for an eye,
Tooth for a tooth,
Vote for me and I’ll set you free,
Rap on, brother, rap on.
Well, the only person talking about loving thy brother is the preacher,
And it seems nobody’s interested in learning, but the teacher,
Segregation, demonstration, integration, determination, aggravation, humiliation,
Obligation to our nation.
Ball of confusion,
That’s what the world is today, hey.
The sale of pills is at an all time high,
Young folks walk with their heads in the sky,
The cities aflame in the summertime,
And oh the beat goes on.
Evolution, revolution, gun control, sound of soul-shooting rockets to the moon,
Kids growing up too soon,
Politicians say, “More taxes will solve everything,”
And the band played on.
So, round and around and around we go,
Where the world’s headed, nobody knows
Oh, Great Googamooga,
Can’t you hear me talking to you,
Just a ball of confusion,
That’s what the world is today, hey.
Fear in the air, tension everywhere,
Unemployment rising fast,
The Beatles new record’s a gas,
And the only safe place to live,
Is on an Indian reservation,
And the band played on.
Eve of destruction, tax deduction,
City inspectors, bill collectors, mod clothes in demand,
Population out of hand, suicide, too many bills,
Hippies moving to the hills,
People all over the world are shouting, “End the war!”
And the band played on.
Sound familiar?
George Zimmerman was 28-years-old when he murdered 17-year-old Trayvon Benjamin Martin on February 26, 2012 in Sanford, Florida.
Although acquitted of second-degree murder, Zimmerman remains high on lists of people who got away with murder. It doesn’t ease the pain when you consider what he has done with his life since that horrible tragedy.
To think that over the past decade, he has filed numerous lawsuits, auctioned the gun used in the shooting, and accepted a speaking engagement where he would provide a “step-by-step narrative” of the murder; well, you just have to breathe a heavy sigh and keep on moving!
Then you must also consider the many brushes with the law, the road rage incidents, assault and stalking charges, domestic violence incidents and more.
You can’t think he’s the kind of person you want in your neighborhood, could you?
In what would have been Trayvon’s anticipated graduation day from college, Florida Memorial University, one of his top choices, along with Florida A&M University, where his brother was a student, presented Trayvon’s family with a posthumous degree in aeronautical science in 2017.
Years later, I remember talking on radio programs about the events leading up to Trayvon’s death. I listened to countless tapes and yes, I shared many tears because Trayvon’s screams were horrific.
I recalled conversations I had with Emmett Till’s mother, Mamie Till Mobley, during her visit to Dallas and appearances on my talk show, on now-defunct KKDA-AM.
She talked about “The Talk” she had with her son before he traveled from Chicago to Money, Mississippi to visit her relatives.
She said he had to realize that you couldn’t do some of the things you did in Mississippi up north.
Sadly, years later and even today, “The Talk” is still being had, but it went from featuring Trayvon Martin, to George Floyd.
Who knew that these tragic murders with the perpetrators continuing to enjoy their freedom, would continue to occur?
Surely justice would become a reality, but not real I guess.
Real justice is the crimes never occurring, that the Emmetts, Trayvons, Sandras, Santos, Shanquellas, Muhlaysias, and let’s call the roll, would enjoy fulfilling lives.
Whatever the case, and whoever is involved, it would be great if we could put an end to the violence.
Real justice would have been Trayvon celebrating his 30th birthday— on this past Wednesday— a college graduate, pilot, married, and maybe even a father.
Who knows?
Sadly, we will never know. This is the case with so many. Lives are snuffed out daily because of ignorance, stupidity, racism, and all the other isms.
When I look at pictures of the young Emmett and the young Trayvon, I see two beautiful young boys who never had a chance to experience life as men.
Then I think about all the countless numbers who have gone on to disappear, never to be seen or heard of, the countless unmarked graves — yes, it is depressing.
Equally depressing is knowing that there were 88 million child sexual abuse material (CSAM) files reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children tip line in 2022.
When you consider violence against children, you must acknowledge that this is another pandemic. When almost 20 young Black children can be kidnapped and murdered in Atlanta, before anyone realizes a serial murderer is at work — it’s really a shame!
We can not continue to demonize our children. We must pour more resources into education, mental health, extracurricular/recreational activities, STEAM, character building, life skills, financial literacy, civics, and yes, socialization skills.
We also must provide the same for parents, actually every person.
Society appears to be declining and instead of blaming, we must find solutions.
It’s like the Temptations sang back in the day, actually 55 years ago: We’re living in a ball of confusion!
Some say programs are too expensive.
Well, we’re paying an extremely high cost for the alternative!
