Tenn. Pastor Disagrees With Zimmerman Verdict; Tells Church to Boycott Florida
A Nashville pastor urged his congregation Sunday to "Boycott Florida" in reaction to a not-guilty verdict by a jury in the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin murder trial. Enoch Fuzz, pastor of Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church took to Facebook and the pulpit yesterday to urge his members to boycott the entire state of Florida, in solidarity for justice.
"Boycott Florida! I'm saying to my members, I say to them, 'Don't go to Florida, and don't spend your money there,'" he told a local NBC news affiliate in Nashville, Tenn.
Fuzz received the most reaction on Facebook where he updated his status, for candidly voicing his opinion against Martin's killer. "A child was murdered. The kid had skittles and a soft drink. No free hands. You killed a baby. Zimmerman and his kind are freaking cowards," wrote Fuzz.
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His plea was part of the numerous outcries for justice in the black community regarding the February 2012 incident, in which Zimmerman shot an unarmed 17-year-old Martin. The teenager was walking home at night when Zimmerman, a then 28-year-old neighborhood watch captain, called authorities to report him as a suspicious person. He was instructed not to get out of his SUV or approach Martin but instead disregarded instructions and moments later Martin was shot dead, which Zimmerman claimed he did in self-defense.
The jury agreed, after being swayed by testimony that Martin attacked Zimmerman.
The case attracted national attention after civil rights activists claimed the shooting was racially motivated. Fuzz said his congregation unanimously disagrees with the not guilty verdict, and that his own solution to the case has been taken well among his all-black congregation. "Boycott Florida!!!!!!!!! Don't by as much as gas in Florida, go somewhere else and vacation!!!!! Hit them where it hurts that pocket!!!!!," commented Ruthie Cowan on Fuzz' status update.
Fuzz' status also brought on opposing views that questioned the reason behind the boycott. "... [B]oycotts end up harming the working poor more than the ones that are usually the target of the boycott," commented Michael Waggoner. According to Fuzz' response, "the working poor are being harmed every day in a culture of injustice."
When Waggoner responded back, he asked why would Fuzz would want to add to the injustice "by keeping what little cash flow there is from reaching them?," Fuzz replied, "better solution than the coming civil war."
Although Fuzz admits having his congregation boycott Florida will not have a large scale impact, he told the NBC affiliate his church will seek justice through an additional route. "One thing these people here will do pray for Zimmerman and his family, they're going to doubly pray for Trayvon's family and pray that the world becomes a better place," said Fuzz.
