New Black Panther Party (NBPP), a black political group unrelated to the Black Panther Party which was popular in the 1960s through 1980s, has offered a reward of $10,000 for the capture of George Zimmerman.
Zimmerman is the neighborhood watch volunteer who shot seventeen year old Trayvon Martin. Since the story of Martin’s unprovoked killing by Zimmerman became headline news, protesters around the United States have made more than clear their mutual desire to bring Zimmerman to justice.
The NBPP published a wanted poster on their website which featured George Zimmerman with the title:
“WANTED!!! For the murder of Trayvon Martin… ALIVE, not dead or harmed.”
Mikhail Muhammad, leader of the New Black Panther Party, said that the group was currently in the process of collecting donations in order to reach a goal of $1 million come the following week. Muhammad reported that black athletes and entertainers were amongst the donators thus far. He was quoted by the Orlando Sentinel saying:
“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. We don’t hate anyone, we hate injustice.”
Demonstrators protesting their outrage at the perceived injustice could be found marching in cities across the United States. Over one-thousand protesters in Washington, some of whom were wearing black hoodies and carrying bags of Skittles like Trayvon Martin, congregated in the center of the United States capital at Freedom Plaza.
George Zimmerman has yet to be arrested due to his self-defense claim and the fact that Florida’s Stand Your Ground law allows for Florida residents to utilize lethal force when their life is at risk. The neighborhood watch volunteer had been issued a permit to carry a firearm.
According to the lawyer representing Zimmerman, Craig Sonner, his white Hispanic client is not a racist. Sonner was quoted by CNN saying in regards to his client:
“I asked [George Zimmerman] him, ‘Are you a racist? Do you have anything against black people?’ and he said ‘No.’ I don’t see anything that indicates to me that he’s a racist.”
Dick Gregory, a comedian who has become a Civil Rights movement icon, suspects that the details of Trayvon Martin’s death have yet to be divulged. Gregory was quoted saying:
“Don’t waste your time with anger until you get the whole truth… Stop being emotional and start demanding answers.”
Even US President Barack Obama has involved himself in the Travyon Martin tragedy with his calls for a nationwide “soul searching” and his claim that his own son, were he to have one, would look like Martin.
What are your thoughts on the New Black Panther Party’s $10,000 reward for the capture of Trayvon Martin’s killer, George Zimmerman?
New Black Panther Party George Zimmerman Reward Video: