We Are All Trayvon!
The Whole Damn System is Guilty!

June 9, 2013 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us

On the night of February 26, 2012, George Zimmerman called 911 and reported seeing a “real suspicious guy” who “looks like he’s up to no good.” And Zimmerman told the 911 operator, “These assholes, they always get away.” The 911 operator told Zimmerman to stay put. And then Zimmerman got out of his car, stalked, and murdered Trayvon Martin.

A young Black man in a hoodie with a bag of Skittles was fair game for a racist vigilante, and the killer got a pat on the back from a system that couldn’t find anything to charge him with.

Until... people stood up.

February 26, 2013, Union Square, NYC. The one-year anniversary of the murder Trayvon Martin.
Photo: AP

As the story of what happened to Trayvon Martin made it into the light of day, his death struck a deep nerve among millions—among those who saw themselves, or their children, in this picture. And others as well.

The depth to which the murder of Trayvon Martin resonated among people corresponded to profound injustices in this society. It evoked the hundreds of years of slavery, lynching, police murder, and mass incarceration. People, in their thousands and thousands, who otherwise might not see a way, or a point, to fighting the powers-that-be—took a stand. In doing so, they forced the hand of a system that was ready to let Trayvon’s killer walk. And as people began to fight the power, new questions came to the fore. Why do Black and Latino youth have targets on their backs from the day they are born? And how does that relate to other injustices and outrages?

Behind the murder of Trayvon Martin lies a SYSTEM—a system that in effect “deputizes” people like Zimmerman to act as judge and executioner of young Black people like Trayvon Martin, just like it has done throughout the ages in different forms.

That system has no future for the Trayvon Martins of the world, except for jail, the army, or an early death in the streets.

There is a movement for revolution that is determined to bring an end to this system. The leader of that movement for revolution is Bob Avakian, and he recently made this statement:

THIS MOVEMENT FOR REVOLUTION MUST NOW BECOME A REAL FORCE, POWERFULLY IMPACTING AND INFLUENCING ALL OF SOCIETY... bringing forward growing numbers of those this system has cast out and cast down, who must be and can be the driving force of the fight to put an end not only to their own oppression, but all oppression, all over the world... drawing in many others, from all walks of life, who are inspired to join this same cause... preparing minds and organizing forces, Fighting the Power, and Transforming the People, for REVOLUTION—NOTHING LESS.

In that light, there are very high stakes in the trial of Trayvon Martin’s killer. Will this system that rampages around the world, bringing slavery, suffering, and death, have its way—imposing its verdict that the life of a young Black man is worth nothing?

Or will there be a different verdict—in the court, which represents justice for Trayvon—and in society, over whether this system and those it controls can have an open season on our youth.

Let’s not forget why there even is a trial here. Each step of the way, people have stepped forward to fight for justice for Trayvon Martin. His family refused to accept that no charges would be brought against his killer. People from the inner-city projects, as well as many others from many different sections of society, spoke out and protested. Prosecutors who for five weeks saw nothing wrong with the murder of Trayvon Martin decided they better bring charges—not because any new evidence appeared, but because they, and those higher up in the ruling class, felt the only way to suppress the struggle was to make some show of prosecuting George Zimmerman.

But between then and now, the system has continued to grind on. Their airwaves and Internet are filled with racist rants—including from Zimmerman’s family. Their news media spreads totally irrelevant accusations about Trayvon that have nothing to do with this case. All of it trying to divert the spotlight from the fact that Zimmerman stalked and killed Trayvon for being a young Black man in a hoodie.

Any chance for justice in this case will require a major struggle this summer. And the stakes are great. There is much at stake for a system that dehumanizes and oppresses the Trayvons of the world. And there is much at stake for all who refuse to accept this, and especially for those who are coming to see the need for a revolution that will change ALL OF THIS.

If the system has its way, Zimmerman will walk out of the courtroom a free man. But not only can the people not let that happen—but more, this is a time to advance the struggle against all the racist murders of our youth by vigilantes and the police, and the mass incarceration of 2.4 million people, mainly Black and Latino. We cannot let this slow genocide continue.

New waves of people of all nationalities must step forward to protest. All those who took to the streets, outraged by the murder of Trayvon Martin and how the system let Zimmerman walk free... All those who recognized this was NOT an isolated incident, but just the latest in a long chain of such acts... All those who long for a different world must step out.

All those who care about humanity, who stand against injustice, who are concerned about the future of the youth.

The Stop Mass Incarceration Network has called for a National Hoodie Day on June 10, the opening day of the trial of George Zimmerman, Hit the Streets on June 10, 2013, and they are calling on people to protest (and walk out) at schools nationwide, rally in communities, wear stickers wherever they are, post the slogan and put up signs declaring: WE ARE ALL TRAYVON! THE WHOLE DAMN SYSTEM IS GUILTY!

“The Revolution We Need...The Leadership We Have, A Message, And A Call, From The Revolutionary Communist Party, USA” says: “The days when this system can just keep on doing what it does to people, here and all over the world...when people are not inspired and organized to stand up against these outrages and to build up the strength to put an end to this madness...those days must be GONE. And they CAN be.”

In that spirit, the opening day of the trial needs to be just the beginning of a mass determined struggle around the country. As the eyes of millions are watching the trial of George Zimmerman, we need to let the powers-that-be know loud and clear that the people are not going to be silent, are not going to stand by, and are not going to tolerate the racist murders of our youth and the thousands of other injustices committed in this society.

Revolution newspaper/revcom.us can and must play an important part in this struggle—spreading it, helping to organize people, and giving crucial guidance and analysis through all the twists and turns of developments. People should be checking revcom.us regularly to get the real deal on what is happening with this struggle—and how we need to be going forward in the struggle.

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