What the Travon Martin Case Means to Me

I don't know Trayvon Martin or George Zimmerman. Odds are, neither do you. Trayvon Martin may have been a punk. George Zimmerman was found innocent. Maybe he was. Or maybe his aquittal is a reflection of a warped law or a poor legal team. I don't know. I wasn't there. I think they probably both made mistakes. Neither one of them was perfect that night. That being said, I have some questions.

• Why did Zimmerman get out of his car?
• If he felt threatened when the teenager looked at him or came toward his vehicle, why didn't he drive away? He was already on the phone with 911 and had reported his concern.
• When the 911 operator told him not to pursue the teenager, why did he? What outcome was he expecting?
• If a teenager feels that he's being threatened, doesn't he have the right to try and flee, or as a last recourse, turn and defend  himself? 
• If a teenager is confronted in this type of situation, shouldn't he be able to punch his assailant and do anything possible to defend himself?
• If Trayvon Martin were a white teenager and George Zimmerman were a black adult, would the result have been the same? Would the gunman have been allowed to go free until public outcry demanded a trial? Or would he have been immediately thrown in jail?
• How do I teach my son to act in this situation? Previous to this, I would tell him to walk away. I would also teach him to defend himself if necessary. What do I teach him now? 
• Do I have to worry about how my son dresses, even if it's not anything out of the ordinary? No hoodies? No dark clothing? No hair nets? Nothing too "ghetto"? 
• What if he's a typical teenage boy and behaves like a punk sometimes? Will I have to fear not only that he'll get in trouble, but that  he also might end up dead?

I am the mother of a black son. And today, I am afraid for him.