Trayvon Martin vs George Zimmerman

Trayvon Benjamin Martin was a 17 year old African American from Miami Gardens, Florida. He was badly shot by George Zimmerman; a neighborhood watch volunteer in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman called 911 to report that there was “suspicious person” walking through the neighborhood. He was told to not do anything, but he did anyway. As he approached Martin, he attacked him and shot him straight to the heart. According to CNN, “Zimmerman acknowledges that he shot Martin, claiming it was in self-defense.” (“Trayvon Martin Shooting Fast Facts”). When the case was taken to court George Zimmerman was found not guilty even after he

On February 26, 2012, an African-American teen, Trayvon Martin, was fatally shot by a neighborhood watchmen, George Zimmerman. Zimmerman assumed that Martin looked suspicious then he called the police after being told not to pursue Martin he continues to and the situation ended in a tragedy. The case gained national attention and stirred up many protests around the U.S. All the facts proved that Zimmerman was guilty of wrongfully killing Martin and Martin was not an actual threat just a black man wearing a hoody. After a year, George Zimmerman was acquitted of the murder of Trayvon Martin. Once again, the justice system failed African American people. This case proved although there was a Black man in the highest position in the U.S., the justice system was still broken. Across the states riots broke out and protest and the president had to address the issue. President Obama gave an unscheduled speech addressing the issue. The president

On the night of his death, February 26, 2012, Trayvon Martin was in Sanford, Florida on a visit to his father's fiancee and her son at The Retreat at Twin Lakes. As Zimmerman noticed him he called the police non-emergency number to report a suspicious person in community, describing Martin as a very suspicious guy reporting that he had his hand in waistband and was walking around looking at homes. Also, Zimmerman is quoted saying that “he is just walking around looking about in the rain”, and “This guy looks like he is up to no good or he is on drugs or something”(Wikipedia). Although the way he described him led to think of what view Zimmerman had of innocent, unarmed Trayvon who seemed like any other teenager walking about on the way

Martin, while staying with his father and stepmother, walked to the local 7-11 for snacks, famously depicted in social media as Skittles and Arizona Ice Tea. On his journey back, Zimmerman spotted Martin, whose hoodie was up; Zimmerman then called the police to consult law enforcement officers on how to approach the “suspicious” character. The Sanford Police advised against confrontation, but Zimmerman took matters into his own hands, and proceeded to pursue Martin, fire his weapon, and kill the seventeen-year-old (“Trayvon Martin”). Martin was declared dead when the police arrived at the scene, where Zimmerman stood with the act as self-defense (“The Trayvon Martin Case”). This case was very controversial in that Martin was fired upon without any real threat towards Zimmerman, leading to accusations of racial profiling of black youths. To make matters worse, Zimmerman was found not guilty, due to lack of sufficient evidence, and acquitted of the second-degree murder charges (“Trayvon Martin”). This caused major unrest throughout the nation, sparking outrage and protests among many African Americans and equal rights advocates, alike. Critics of Zimmerman not only call foul on

Just for wearing a hoodie, carrying an Arizona Tea and for being black he was shot and killed. In the book “Deadly Injustice: Travyon Martin, Race, and the Criminal Justice System“ the authors go on to discuss what happened that night and in the trial that preceded. It also helped me deliberate with how certain deaths are portrayed online. This being one of the biggest cases to hit the news and was brought to almost everyone in the United States attention, even the President at the time made a statement about what had happened to this young man. Social media spreaded this article like a wildfire and soon everyone knew what had happened that night in Florida. One of the main reasons why it was difficult to convict Zimmerman of this crime was because of the “Stand your ground” law After this the tension between black males and police officers rose to an even higher extent. African Americans often feel as if they are treated by police unfairly and with situations like this happening it help supported how they felt. Additionally with cases like in Ferguson and what happened in Lousivelle when four innocent teens were accused of robbing a woman with a weapon where they were later found not guilty of the

This paper will be covering the controversial case of the shooting of Trayvon Martin at the hands of George Zimmerman. This was a polarizing trial for it pitted gun rights activists against gun-control activists and people who were generally against the new gun rhetoric that is in Florida. George Zimmerman was the neighborhood watch for the gated community and would always do his job diligently. However, one night he witnessed someone in a grey hoodie walking on the sidewalk wearing a hoodie. Zimmerman thought this person was suspicious and continued to follow him. After Zimmerman called in that he was following this individual, he was told not to leave his vehicle. Instead, he followed the person into who knows where and the rest of the story is up for debate. The defense team stated that Trayvon had jumped out of the bushes and begun to attack Zimmerman violently to the point where he felt that his life was in danger. The prosecution believed that Zimmerman had initiated a fight with Trayvon and he was at the mercy of Zimmerman at gunpoint for a significant amount of time.

The issue that is the subject of my debate paper is the George Zimmerman trial. George Zimmerman, 28 years old at the time, shot and killed 17 year old Trayvon Martin on February 26, 2012 in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman was the neighborhood watch patrolman and Martin was visiting his father who lived in the gated community where the shooting occurred. Zimmerman called the non-emergency number to report a suspicious male walking in the neighborhood. He was told by the non-emergency dispatcher the police were on the way and to not follow the individual. The police arrived on the

George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, fatally shot Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, resulting in a national uproar on racial profiling and civil rights. Zimmerman was found not guilty of second-degree murder. He was also acquitted of manslaughter, a lesser charge. After a few weeks of testimony, the jury excluded the prosecution’s contention that Mr. Zimmerman had intentionally pursued Mr. Martin because he assumed the teenager was a felonious person and instigated the fight that led to his death. In reality, Zimmerman targeted Trayvon Martin simply because of his appearance. “The bullet that passed between them silenced a child but ignited a nation,” (Blow 1). Some people declare this just another way of silencing or putting down the others that aren’t meeting their standards or

Treyvon Martin was a 17-year old Black American from Miami Garden FL, where he resided with his mother. In February 2012 Treyvon was visiting his father in Sanford FL when he was fatally shot in self-defense by 28-year old George Zimmerman. The evening on February 26, 2012 Martin went to a nearby convenient store in and purchased a bag of candy and a drink. While walking back from the store through the neighborhood of The Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sandford, A member of the community watch saw him and called the Sanford police stating Martin looked suspicious. Zimmerman, ignoring the plea of the 911 dispatcher to remain in his SUV got out anyway and approached Martin, resulting in an altercation where Martin was fatally shot. Reports from the officer at the scene say that Zimmerman sustained injuries of the nose and the back of his head. Zimmerman claiming self-defense was not charged for the murder at the time. Many outpours from American Citizens called for justice. After a petition created by Martins parent’s calling for justice of their teenage son surpassing 1.3 million signatures charges still were not filed on Zimmerman. Finally, April 11, 2012 Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder. On July 13, 2013 Zimmerman was found not guilty of the fatal shooting of the Florida teen. This is one of many heart-breaking examples of the civil injustice that Black Americans all over the country are a victim to. Thus, creating a desperate plea for a change.

Everyone has heard of the story about the case of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman. If there are a few who have not, Trayvon Martin was a young seventeen year old boy. At the time he was not doing well in school. It was his third suspension during the school year and Trayvon’s He was shot by a neighborhood watch man, named George Zimmerman. Zimmerman claimed to feel threatened by the young teen, so he felt the necessity to shoot Trayvon Martin as a self-defense. After many months of court trials Zimmerman was finally able to walk the streets freely.

Trayvon Martin was a 17-year-old boy that lived in Florida. He lived with his mother and often visited his father. While he had undergone some troubles, he overall was not a terrible kid. Although he was notably young and minded his own business, others did not. On February 26, 2012, the young boy’s life was taken away from him. The man who killed him was George Michael Zimmerman. He served as a neighborhood watch captain around the area where his old man lived. CNN stated that all he had was skittles and tea in his hand. Now tell me does that seem threatening to you? According to Zimmerman, he was claiming “self-defense” and that Trayvon was “a suspicious person.” Florida law states that one is granted the “stand your ground” law and that is what Zimmerman claimed to do in an act of defense. Zimmerman was arrested, but he was not charged or convicted of Martin’s murder even though people know that Zimmerman killed him for absolutely no actual cause.

leading up to the death of Trayvon Martin and questions if George Zimmerman was indeed guilty of second degree manslaughter. His lawyer, Mark O 'Mara, believes that the reason why this case had gone to court was due to Martin being black and Zimmerman being white. This leads us to question the reason why Martin was shot in the first place. According to O 'Mara, “George Zimmerman was never guilty of anything except firing the gun in self-defense.” Serving on the local neighborhood watch, Zimmerman felt it was his responsibility to protect his neighborhood from crime. The night of the incident, he called in the suspicion to the local authorities who did not authorize him to persue Martin. The events following his disreguard to this request are of debate, but the cuts found on Zimmerman 's head are proof that there was a struggle between the two; according to testimony Zimmerman claims that he was attacked by Martin who then bashed his head into the sidewalk. The lethal wound received by Martin was also considered in the verdict due to it being at an angle only capable if Martin had been leaning over Zimmerman. Although many speculate that that racial profiling was a key component of this investigation, the jury sided with Mr. Zimmerman and after being on trial for 16 months, he was released from custody following the hearing.

So what happened that night we all are guessing but the country wants the government to step in and file civil rights charges on Zimmerman saying that he was following Martin because he was a black guy.

“On July 31, 2016, Zimmerman called the Seminole County Sheriff's Department to report that he had been punched in the face at Gators Riverside Grille in Sanford.[56]Zimmerman told investigators that he had been identified, and then assaulted by another patron at the restaurant who accused him of bragging about killing Trayvon Martin.[57]On November 9, 2016, Zimmerman was removed from a bar after yelling at a waitress. A deputy on the scene said Zimmerman used a racial slur before he left. Zimmerman stated he intended to sue the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.” (“George Zimmerman." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 20

In February 2012, Millions around the Country finally stud up to bring the death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin to light. Martin was a 17 year old African American male in Seminole County, Florida who was gunned down by Neighborhood watchmen by the name of George Zimmerman. Martin was returning from the store on foot when Zimmerman spotted what looked like a criminal. Zimmerman notified authorities and was advised not pursue Martin. Zimmerman disregarded the police dispatcher’s orders and continued to follow Martin. He then confronted Martin and fatally shot him in the chest. When police arrived on the scene they questioned Zimmerman and decided to let him go free without properly looking into the events that took place. According to Zimmerman, Martin “fit the profile” of some of the vandals that had vandalized their neighborhood a few week ago. He fit the profile because he had on a hoodie and something strange in his hand (which turned out to be a pack of skittles and an Arizona Ice tea).