Postings from Sanford: The Trial of Trayvon's Killer, The People's Demand for Justice
Storm Brewing in Sanford
Sunday, June 9, 2013 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
From a member of the Revolution reporting team:
As Tropical Storm Andrea moved through Florida, a crew of revolutionaries rolled into a new storm, Sanford, Florida. White supremacy and the oppression of Black people have battered the people of Sanford for years: from slavery to Jim Crow, to the New Jim Crow of mass incarceration. One year ago, lightning struck in the form of George Zimmerman's 9mm bullet. Seventeen-year-old, Trayvon Martin lay dead. Zimmerman walked out the back door of the Sanford police station, alive and free. Growls of thunderous outrage rolled throughout the country as news of Trayvon's murder came to light. Thousands of people rolled into Sanford and into streets around the country chanting WE ARE ALL TRAYVON! This storm was far too big to ignore. In an effort to calm the storm, the police arrested and charged George Zimmerman with the murder of Trayvon. The people felt victorious.
In the wake of Zimmerman's arrest, the BAsics Bus Tour came through Sanford. Revolutionaries on board connected with many people in Sanford. The bus tour raised many people's eyes to revolution and pushed people to consider the possibility of a different world and led them to question the system that breeds people like George Zimmerman and demonizes youth like Trayvon Martin. Many people bought copies of BAsics, from the talks and writings of Bob Avakian and Revolution newspaper.
Groups gathered to watch the Revolution DVD. People learned about the movement for revolution and shared their stories of life in Sanford. People told stories of life under Jim Crow, like when an "unknown" white racist burned down the city school in an attempt to block integration and how when the school was finally "integrated," whites went to school in the morning and Blacks in the afternoon... the same facility, but still just as segregated. Elders told the story of the last attempted Klan march into neighboring Goldsboro and laughed proudly about the Klan fleeing as they came upon a group of Black residents standing armed at the entrance of the neighborhood.
Now the revolution has returned to Sanford. On the eve of George Zimmerman's trial, we are stepping out and into the streets, attempting to learn from the people and raise people's sights to the fact that an outpouring of visible resistance is needed once again to convict George Zimmerman. We are bringing out Bob Avakian's work and BA Speaks: REVOLUTION— NOTHING LESS! We are struggling with people over why this system cannot deliver justice and why it will take a revolution to get beyond the reoccurring horrors and denials of justice heaped on the people daily, in Sanford and all around the world.
On the day that we arrived, we talked with two men outside a barbershop here in Sanford. One of the men described the situation here—the police harassment and the years of dehumanization faced by Black people. He talked about the police stopping and harassing his white boss for driving him home from work. "I'm Black and he's white. He's in a Black neighborhood, so they assume he's buying drugs, but even when they know he's not, they fucked with him." These are the types of stories you hear around here. There is so much still simmering under the surface.
Today, a new storm is brewing. We are planning to raise the banner with BA's "No More Generations" quote in front of the courthouse, officially announcing to the world: WE ARE ALL TRAYVON! THE WHOLE DAMN SYSTEM IS GUILTY! We are calling on the people of Sanford to come out Monday at 9 am in front of the courthouse to once again demand justice and lift the sights of people around the world who catch hell every day and are eagerly looking to Sanford for hope. At noon, we will be raising our hoods with others around the nation for National Hoodie Day. This is the beginning of what will be a long fight and people don't always recognize their role in history, especially when they're presently living it. We are here to make history with the people of Sanford. We are here to win this struggle. Nothing is settled. What you do now matters.
If you like this article, subscribe, donate to and sustain Revolution newspaper.