Imagine… You’re walking home in the rain. It’s dark outside. You’re minding your own business. Someone follows you in their car. They get out of their car. Approach you. What would you do? It all comes down to fight or flight. In the case of Trayvon Martin, he chose to fight and defend himself and now he’s dead. The one fact remains, Zimmerman was the aggressor who accosted Martin after being told not to by police dispatchers. That should have been the foundation of the argument. If Zimmerman did not follow Martin, then there would be no case, they would have never shared the same space, there would never have been a murder.

But after more than 16 hours of deliberations, a jury found George Zimmerman “not guilty” of second-degree murder and of manslaughter. As sad as this news is, I am not surprised. What’s even sadder is that I spoke to several friends and family members about this case and, they too, were not shocked by the verdict.  As African-Americans, we have become numb to injustices in the land of the “free.”

Continually, we hope that our voice is heard and that we would receive justice, but we are repeatedly let down by the system. Right now, an innocent CHILD is dead and we all know who killed him. The judicial system has failed us…again. And we are not surprised. Like 2Pac said in Keep Ya Head Up, “We ain’t meant to survive, cause it’s a setup.”

This is the same system that put Michael Vick in jail for almost 2 years for his role in dogfighting. Thus, I’m forced to believe that a dog’s life is more valuable than a Black male’s life. And I am not surprised.

Right now, Marissa Alexander of Jacksonville, Fla., faces 20 years in prison for firing warning shots at her allegedly abusive husband. Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin and was set free. And we are not surprised.

Over the weekend, MSNBC Host Melissa Harris-Perry admitted that she felt “relief” after seeing her ultrasound which showed that she was having a daughter instead of a son. I am not surprised.

Some people claim race wasn’t an issue in this case, but change the faces and races and I’m sure the outcome would be different. As I stated before, despite race, this is still a right or wrong issue. Zimmerman was in the wrong and should be charged as such. Instead, he’s a free man…and still has his gun. Mark O’Mara, a member of Zimmerman’s defence team said, “George Zimmerman needs to be armed now more than ever.” Go figure.

There was a public outcry to get this case some attention and now there’s a public outcry over the verdict. As I scroll through my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feed, I notice my peers are heartbroken and shocked. Friends cried. Friends protested. But what do we do now? Continue to fight? Or shake our head in disappointment and move on?  People are attached to Martin’s case because of the national media attention it’s receiving, but our innocent, young, Black men are harassed and murdered daily by law enforcement throughout this country.  It’s deeper than changing profile pictures to all black, wearing hoodies and protesting. What can we do to prevent this from happening again? How can we change laws?

Right now, a Black boy…brother….son…is dead and his murderer is alive and not convicted of a single crime. I was watching the news and a young, Black man said, “Sometimes I think I’m next.” It’s sad to hear a child say those words but given the circumstance of the Zimmerman case, I’m not surprised…are you?

“Do we expect the system made for the elect to possibly judge correct? Properly serve and protect?….It’s the Mystery… of Iniquity” -Lauryn Hill

Do you agree with the verdict?

Keep in touch with me on Twitter: @AshleyCaprice, Facebook: IAmAshleyCaprice