Today the bonds of credulity will be tested. The line between journalism and slander will be clear. The difference between speculation and fact shall be known, and all shall know what occurred that night through a story only sung by the preponderance of evidence. What happened? Was it justice? Was he a racist? Was he innocent? Was Zimmerman’s action to kill Trayvon Martin justified? Many call it a modern day lynching. The simple story of an innocent cherubic African American boy on his way back home from the gas station being brutally murdered in cold blood for none other than being black.
The fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin took place at night on February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida. Trayvon Martin was a junior in high school, and was temporarily staying the gated community (which was a multicultural community) that George Zimmerman a 28 year-old mixed race White/ Hispanic was the watch coordinator for. According to Zimmerman 's subsequent testimony, Zimmerman shot Martin, who was unarmed, during an altercation between the two. The police arrived shortly after the altercation came to a stop due to a call previously made by Zimmerman. After the police took Zimmerman into custody, he was treated for bodily injury to the head, face, and upper body which he sustained during the fight with Trayvon Martin. He was then questions for approximately 4-5 hours and with no real substantial evidence that disproves Zimmerman’s claim to have been acting in self-defense and due to the
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
February 26,2012 on a rainy day Trayvon Martin was returning to his father's girlfriend's house in Sanford, Florida, after he went to the local 7-Eleven. He brought a bag of Skittles and a can of Arizona iced tea for his little brother. As he walked home, the unarmed 17-year-old was on the cell phone with his female friend. Trayvon was spotted by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch, who was patrolling the gated community, at the Retreat at Twin Lakes, in his vehicle. Zimmerman called 911 to report what he described as Martin a “suspicious person”, telling the operator he looked like he was "up to no good, on drugs or something". Zimmerman was warned by the operator not to follow the teenager. But he did, getting out of his vehicle and taking
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
The shooting of Trayvon Martin is one of the most controversial incidents of the decade. Trayvon Martin was a young African American teen fallen victim to the evil of racial discrimination. One evening while walking home Trayvon was shot by a hispanic man named George Zimmerman. Zimmerman was on neighborhood patrol on a rainy day in Florida, and he noticed a black male walking through the neighborhood. He immediately jumped to conclusions and called the police who told him to leave the man walking alone because there was no need to follow him anyway, but Zimmerman did not listen. He confronted the young black male and after a little altercation Zimmerman shot the boy in an act of “self defense”. Zimmerman killed someone because of a profile created based on the color of someone's skin. Now besides the fact that a young boy was killed due to racial profiling, what’s even worse is the
George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch leader, was driving to Target to run a errand on the night of February 26, 2012 when he observed a suspicious person, leisurely walking in the rain, looking at all the houses, wearing a grey hoodie as he would tell dispatch in his 911 call made at 7:09 p.m. Moments later an altercation occurred between Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin, which left Trayvon dead from a single gunshot wound to his chest and Zimmerman with a bloody nose and a cut to the back of his head. Zimmerman asserted that the shooting was done in self-defense because he thought Trayvon was reaching for his ( Zimmerman’s ) concealed gun and he feared for his life. Eye witness accounts of the event backed his claim that Trayvon was hitting him, but Rachel Jeantel, who had been on the phone with Trayvon,
I and a community of others are outraged that Zimmernan was initially interviewed and let go with no charges filed more than six weeks after the shooting, Zimmerman still had not been charged with a crime, igniting a national outcry over what many considered to be state-sanctioned vigilantism. For many African-Americans the case had even deeper implications: Trayvon Martin, who had no criminal record, had been doing nothing more suspicious than walking. Many saw his death as another tragic example of racial profiling, the latest in a seemingly endless succession of unarmed Black men shot for appearing suspicious: Robbie Tolan, who survived being shot in his Bellaire, Texas, driveway in 2009 by a cop who thought he was trying to steal his own car; Amadou Diallo, shot and killed in 1999 in the Bronx when police mistook his wallet for a gun; Sean Bell, killed in 2008 on his wedding day in Queens, New York, by cops who thought he had a gun; Oscar Grant III, fatally shot by an Oakland transit cop on New Year's Day in 2009 while restrained and on the ground; and now Trayvon, with only a pack of Skittles and a can of iced tea in his possession, shot dead on a Florida street.(Amber, 2012)
On February 26,2012, a 17 year old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed. He was killed at 7:16 PM at the Twin Lakes, in Sanford Florida, while Trayvon Martin was returning from a local store, where he bought an Arizona ice tea, and skittles. A 28 year old hispanic man name George Zimmerman spotted Trayvon Martin, who he thought acted suspiciously. Moments later, there were an altercation between the two individuals, which resulted in Trayon being shot. The most important question is, why was Trayvon Martin killed? This is an unjustified murder. This murder is unjustified because, Trayvon Martin was ttrying to defend himself, Zimmerman was watching the neighbor hood and spotted Trayvon, who he thought arousing suspicion, and Zimmerman thought he had to shoot Trayvon. Zimmerman was false for shooting him.
The incident involving George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin was one that caught the interest of many Americans. Trayvon Martin, a young 17-year-old African American boy, was shot and killed during a dispute between him and George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old Hispanic man. Zimmerman was the neighborhood watch coordinator for the community and he called the police after Martin was acting very suspicious by looking into people’s windows. Zimmerman claimed he acted out of self defense and he also had head injuries. This case is such a big deal because many people believe that Zimmerman only shot him because he was an African American. One aspect in society that is a prominent issue is racism or racial profiling. This case shows the controversy over racial profiling in America. This also ties into the theoretical perspective of critical race theory. Critical race theory involves inequality related to racism. The George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin case accurately represents the issue of racial profiling in society today.
Trayvon Martin was in the wrong place at the wrong time. On the night of February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida, United States, George Zimmerman fatally shot Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old African American high school student. Walking back from a 7-Eleven to the Sanford, Florida townhouse of his father's fiancée on a dark and rainy February evening in 2012. He was carrying a bag of Skittles and an Arizona watermelon juice cooler as he headed along a sidewalk in the Retreat at Twin Lakes townhouse community in Sanford. George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old mixed-race Hispanic man and a neighborhood watch captain in Sanford, Florida, calls 911 to report "a suspicious person" in the neighborhood. He was instructed not to get out of his SUV or approach
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.
Trayvon Martin was a victim of wilding. George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin, a 17 years old African American boy. Zimmerman is a neighborhood watch volunteer who spotted Martin and follow the allegedly suspicious person. Martin was unarmed during the altercation between the two of them. Zimmerman claimed self-defense and shot Martin. Martin was portrayed as a threat to society. Martin was walking back to his father home in the rain from the convenience store. He was carrying a bag of skittles and a drink. Martin was an innocent boy who was killed by Zimmerman. Zimmerman is an ultimate wilder. “He personified those twenty-first century gun toting Americans, viewing themselves as vigilantes protecting the public and themselves” (p.
The only problem, the media was producing the wrong conclusion for the audience watching which turned George Zimmerman into a hated man nationally. However, testimony and evidence has proved that Zimmerman was defending himself against an angry Martin. On March 22, 2012 a nationwide coverage of a Florida rally featuring Rev. Al Sharpton, was used to build racial tension in order to force Zimmerman to be arrested. When the phone call between the dispatcher and Zimmerman was released to the public, Zimmerman mentioned Martin being black which caused the nation to think it was a racial prejudice that caused the events to occur. Ultimately, this case proves that the media reports very biased and can control what viewers believe. On August 9, 2014 Michael Brown, an 18 year old black man was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a 28 year old white Ferguson, Missouri police officer. Before the altercation Brown robbed a convenient store where he stole several packages of cigarillos and shoved the store clerk to the ground. The police were called and nearby Officer Darren Wilson caught up with Brown when an altercation between the two began for the control of Wilson’s gun. During the altercation the gun was fired and Brown ran, with Wilson in hot pursuit behind him. When Brown stopped running he turned and faced Wilson and started moving closer to Wilson. Wilson then pulled the trigger and shot Brown multiple times before killing
Trayvon Martin lost his life on Sunday February 26, 2012 due to a gunshot to his chest shot by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida while walking back home from buying an Arizona and skittles from 7-11 at 6:34 pm. George Zimmerman spotted Trayvon walking through his neighborhood and found him suspicious and decided to call the Sanford police at 7:09PM. When he called the police he told them he found him suspicious, “I’ve never seen him in the neighborhood. I know all the residents. It was raining out and he was leisurely walking, taking his time, looking at all the houses.” (Linder, 2014). Police were immediately sent to his location but suddenly Zimmerman stated that Tyron had begun to run away and Zimmerman began to go after him. The dispatcher told him not to go after him and instead to meet the officers, “The dispatcher suggested that Zimmerman meet the arriving officers near the mailboxes.” (Linder, 2014) and he agreed to. Zimmerman later stated that when he was walking back to his car Tyron came at him asking what his problem was and he replied back saying he had no problem and Tyron then punched him in the nose after stating he had a problem now. The punch was what knocked him to the grass and Trayvon continued to punch him while Zimmerman kept screaming for help, “I started screaming for help. I couldn’t see. I couldn’t breathe.” (Linder, 2014). Tyron had been talking on the phone with a friend, Rachel Jeantel,