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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Saturday marks 10 years since death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. The killing of the Florida teen at the hands of a stranger still reverberates, especially with his father, Tracy Martin.
Martin still spends hours at the Miramar park where his son Trayvon grew up playing football. He still coaches kids there.
The place still brings back vivid memories of the son whom he described as a flower waiting to blossom.
Ten years after his son’s death, Tracy Martin believes that his son would have grown up to be an aviation mechanic. He had taken quite an interest in aviation.
Trayvon never got that chance. At age 17, he was shot and killed after being confronted by self-proclaimed neighborhood watchman, George Zimmerman, who spotted the teen walking back to his father’s townhouse, after a quick trip for candy and a drink at a nearby convenience store.
Trayvon became a symbol of young Black men being racially profiled, and when Zimmerman was later acquitted of murder, Martin became seen as a martyr who spawned the birth of the Black Lives Matter movement.
CBS4’s Jim Berry asked Tracy Martin his response to those who say that ALL lives matter.
“That’s true, all lives do matter,” he said. “But all lives don’t have to go through what we go through.”
Martin says his son’s death was not in vain, because it created greater awareness about stereotyping, and imbalances in the criminal justice system.
“We did not get justice for Trayvon, but we have seen it occur for George Floyd, and Ahmaud Arbery.”
Tracy Martin acknowledges that he still carries personal grief. Ten years after his son’s passing, there’s no room in his heart to forgive his son’s killer.
“If forgiveness is the key to healing, then I will just have to remain a broken man. He took something from me and my family that cannot be replaced. You’re not just talking about a kid’s life, you’re talking about lineage, possible grandchildren.”
Martin believes that some progress toward social justice has been made in the ten years since he lost his son. He hopes that people of all backgrounds take up the cause.
He believes more young people now have a greater sense of self awareness, and self-worth.