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Chicago Artist Mike Will The Great Pens Trayvon Martin Letter



Despite George Zimmerman’s July 13 acquittal in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, topics of race and stereotyping continue to fill discussions everywhere from barbershops to Capital Hill.

Chicago Artist Mike Will The Great is not any different as he closely followed the case and expressed his viewpoints via his social media accounts.

The circumstances leading up to Martin’s death and Zimmerman’s acquittal prompted the “Black and Red” rapper to pen a letter in memory of the 17-year-old slain, college bound teen.

In “Trayvon Martin: More Questions Than Answers,” Mike Will questions systematic racism and calls for the country to not let Martin’s death be in vain:

February 26, 2012 I was walking home from the store after purchasing some snacks, I was wearing a pair of Jordan 20′s, Khaki pants and a grey hooded sweater pulled over my head. I’ve seen Justin Bieber where this plenty of times and no one felt threatened, So why on this nightmare of a night did I, a 17 year old boy get approached by a 28 year old man for looking suspicious???

The only thing different from me and Bieber is the skin color, is that why you followed me Mr. Zimmerman? I call you Mr. Because my parents (MOTHER and FATHER) raised me to be a respectful young man and even though you took my life I’ll still give you the respect you deserve as my elder. You get out of your truck and ask me what am I doing? What I said isn’t important. The fact that it’s late, I’m a 17 year old minor and being followed by a 28 year old guy who had a hundred plus pounds over me and appears to be fishing for trouble, terrifies me. I say had because I’m no longer living my story is being told in the past tense. Nevertheless, we get into an altercation and I protect myself, but why’d he let me fight him knowing he had a gun?

If you were so concerned with the break-ins why didn’t you tell me you were neighborhood watch, and was concerned with crime in the area? Why didn’t you warm me you were armed, why didn’t you say, “excuse me young man, My name is George Zimmerman and I’m the self appointed neighborhood watch just making sure you’re ok, it’s late and you appear to be lost.” Don’t you think showing a little compassion for the situation would make me more receptive to being approached by a stranger? Why not ask if I need a phone to call my parents or if I need a ride home?

Back to the altercation, the only thing that is for certain is we did get into a fight. You said I grabbed for your gun but none of my finger prints are on it. You said I was beating your head against the ground but if I’m on top of you as you said I was why is that none of my blood got on you or the gun after you shot me? As I lay there dying, no one calls the ambulance and everyone pulls out their camera phone to take pictures of me. The worst part of me dying is I couldn’t tell my parents, my brother and my friends, I love them. No one around held my hand to console me and say it’ll be ok. With my last breath I saw my killer and the cops who protected him. The took his statement and to my misfortune they couldn’t take mine.

When the police took Mr. Zimmerman’s statement he said he was neighborhood watch and that he thought I looked suspicious, we got into a physical altercation, he feared for his life and defended himself. The cops didn’t test him for drugs or alcohol they just took his statement and let him go. As I lay there lifeless, they take me to the mortuary and drug test me! The audacity of them to drug test victim and not murderer. Time passes, my mom puts out a missing person report and even thought I had a cell phone on me where they could’ve called back the last person I talked to and had them notify my parents. They kept me in the freezer for 3 days is there something they were trying to hide is there something that another autopsy would have showed?

Fast forward time my case goes to trial and 6 jurors of his peers found him not guilty on any charges. Many ask, what f I was white and he was black? or what if the child was rich and the shooter was poor? It’s so many things that could have factored into me receiving justice. Such as What if my prosecutor was better prepared? or What if my trail was allowed to be viewed from the time of his call to the police where they told him not to follow me.

No ifs, or maybes can bring me back but maybe it can make changes for the future. Maybe it can be some alterations to the “Stand Your Ground Law” maybe we can have a “Trayvon’s Law” where as if you see something suspicious you’re only allowed to call the police and give a description of the situation and let the professionals decide if there a legitimate threat or not. Also maybe we can get a change in the racial profiling by police with “The Stop and Frisk” of young African American males between the age of 16-28, maybe this is the reason why you Mr. George Zimmerman felt comfortable saying things like “these people always get away” over the dispatch call. Also this maybe is why you saw me as a suspect because you’ve been unconsciously taught to think that young black males are up to no good.

Anyway, at the end of the day I’m am laid to rest and now my parents have restless nights. I don’t wish for you to get murderer! I don’t wish for you to have restless nights! I wish for you to go to sleep and wake up the next morning with love in your heart and equality on your mind. Dear Mr Zimmerman although you murdered me I forgive you. I know many may say who am to forgive you?

I am a child, a brother, a young teenager, a friend, a football player, and most importantly another young life cut short way to early because of ignorant thinking, I AM TRAYVON MARTIN!

Mike Will The Great (MWTG)
Twitter.com/TheRealMikeWill
Youtube.comMikeWillTheGreatTV

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