When a Shooting Creates Policy

February 26 marked the 5^th anniversary of the shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman.  It left its mark on American society; a chronic irritation still uncured.  Some think that perceptions about African-American men deepened on that rainy evening as citizens began to see them as deadly assailants, even unarmed,  and worthy of the use of deadly force.

Afterwards, that same cavalier and justified attitude about such use infiltrated communities and police departments across the country.  From that point on, it seemed that young men and women of color had targets on them saying, shoot to kill, regardless!  I ask you; do you think the killing of young Martin made such shootings easier for some officers and private citizens?  And then, did subsequent police shootings empower further civilian armed attacks against young black men?  I think they possibly did.