Middle aged white man in a Facebook post says ‘I Am Not Trayvon Martin’
Reported by Britt L
A small town music teacher’s personal preference to “not” be Trayvon Martin has spread across the viral hemisphere. Bob Seay, a music teacher at an unknown high school in Colorado, has become an internet sensation after his sentimental yet firm opinion was posted Via Facebook.
Seay is one of many who are upset about the verdict, but don’t personally identify with Martin. Trayvon Martin was shot Feb. 26, 2012 in Sanford, Fla., by George Zimmerman. Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges July 2013 on behalf of the “Stand Your Ground” law in Florida.
Trayvon’s death has started a nationwide movement, where citizens rally up and where hoodies, commemorating Trayvon’s life. The “I am Trayvon Martin’; line was adopted during the movement.
Seay posted his remarks last Sunday morning, and since then it has been shared more than 50,000 times on Facebook, liked by more than 116,000 and featured on the well respected Huffington Post and USA Today.
Seay’s statement reads:
I am not Trayvon Martin.
I keep seeing people say, “I am Trayvon Martin.” I understand the sentiment. If that is you, then I respect that.
I am not Trayvon Martin. I am a middle-aged, middle class, overweight white guy. I am also a teacher, and in 20 years of teaching, I have seen plenty of Trayvon Martins. More accurately, I have seen plenty of young men who fit the caricatured image that is being portrayed of this kid in the media, Left and Right. Fox News and MSNBC. I’m guessing that neither portrayal — saint or thug — is accurate. People are more complex than that.
None of the Trayvon Martins that I know deserve to die. They may arouse suspicion, but your paranoia is not their crime. If they do commit a crime, they deserve to have a trial. Trayvon Martin’s jury consisted of one person. That is not how we are supposed to do things in America. Unfortunately, that is our reality.
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