Black Youth React to the Murder of Trayvon Martin

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From TheGrio:

“I kinda feel threatened too. Like what if this happens to me?,” said Kenneth Herrera, a 17-year-old student at the Bronx Academy of Letters in New York. Kenneth explained how Trayvon’s death struck him as “pure racism.”

“You can’t make a law that changes how people think and that’s the hard thing,” he said. Kenneth says that the difference between Florida and New York laws gives him some comfort, but policies like the controversial NYPD technique, “stop and frisk,” keep him on edge.

Last year, according to Kenneth, he and his friends walked a few blocks from school to a nearby pizza shop. He described the restaurant as a popular hangout for his fellow classmates. He said everything was fine until a police car rolled up and the officers inside demanded the boys leave. When he asked why, he said they got out and began patting he and his friends down.

“One of the cops put me in handcuffs and said ‘say something again and we’ll take you to the precinct.’ I think police officers exploit their power and feel like they can stop whoever they want.”

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  • Beauzeaux

    “You can’t make a law that changes how people think”
     
    That’s true but then I really don’t care what people think. I care what they do. Trayvon Martin was murdered. His killer must be punished.  I don’t care what a teacher or landlord thinks about Black people. But they CANNOT act on their prejudices. If they do, the law must be enforced immediately and firmly.
    In Cuba before 1959, the society had a strict hierarchy. Light on top, dark on the bottom. (Ever notice that the Cubans fleeing from Castro were ALL very light skinned?) The Cubans passed some strict anti-discrimination laws and came down hard on anyone discriminating by skin color. Cuba has lots of other problems but the old-style racism has pretty much disappeared. All because: we don’t care what you think but you WILL behave like decent human beings.

  • Hammer meet nail.  This young man is wise beyond his years…one of the ‘perks’ of being black in America.