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¶ … TRAYVON MARTIN'S MURDER
Trayvon Martin
Reflecting Upon Trayvon Martin's Murder
Reflecting Upon Trayvon Martin's Murder
George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin on February 26, 2012. He shot Martin in Sanford, Florida. Trayvon was 17, African-American, and male at the time of his death. When George Zimmerman shot Trayvon, Trayvon was not armed. George Zimmerman was 28 years old at the time. Zimmerman was a member of his neighborhood watch and his neighborhood was a gated community. Gated communities are typically for people who are very wealthy and the majority of the population in these communities is Caucasian. Zimmerman is Latino. Zimmerman was visiting his fiancee, a resident of the gated community. He saw Martin walking in the area outside the community and he called the Sanford Police Department. Instead of waiting for the police response, Zimmerman confronted Martin and a conflict ensued. The result of the conflict was the fatal shooting of Martin. Zimmerman claimed that Martin accosted him so he shot the adolescent in self-defense.
Initially, Zimmerman was not charged because of Florida's Stand Your Ground Law. The Stand Your Ground Law states, simply, that a person is within their rights to use force, including deadly force, when under attack during a criminal activity so as to...
When the deadly force is used because of a real threat, a person has the legal right to use deadly or fatal force and not retreat. If the circumstances and evidence prove that this person was under attack rightfully, then the person will not be subject to criminal or civil charges. Upon further investigation, investigators and police found that Zimmerman did not disclose numerous relevant details and was later formally charged.
Zimmerman later admitted that he believed Martin to be suspicious because Martin was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, also known as a "hoodie." Zimmerman perceived Martin as a threat because he was a young African-American male in a wealthy neighborhood. Nothing else about Martin was evident at the time when Zimmerman reported his presence to the Sanford Police. Zimmerman's fiancee is Caucasian. Zimmerman, though Latino, does not have a Latino last name and some members of the community and press argue that Zimmerman could be mistaken for Caucasian as well; this is called "passing," a term developed during Reconstruction to describe African-Americans (primarily) who because of their skin tone and feature were often mistaken for whites, and took advantage of the misperception.
Zimmerman's actions reflect stereotypes of blacks in America. He was visiting his presumably financially secure fiancee…
References:
Alverez, L. (2012) A Florida Law Gets Scrutiny After a Teenager's Killing. The New York Times, Available from http://www.townshipschools.com/userfiles/1122/Classes/66216/NYTimes%20-%20Trayvon%20Martin%20Murder%20in%20Floridia.pdf. 2012 June 21.
Robles, F. (2012) Sanford detective: Trayvon Martin never used deadly force. The Miami Herald, Available from http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/06/26/2869077/sanford-detective-trayvon-martin.html. 2012 June 24.
Skittles, Death Brings Both Profit Risk" http://www.nytimes./2012/03/29//skittles-sales-trayvon-martin-shooting.html PLEASE CUT AND PASTE THIS LINK AND READ CAREFULLY TOP TO BOTTOM ************************************************************************************************ PLEASE READ CAREFULLY FROM START TO END THEN START YOUR WRITING You Chief Strategist a leading community relations consulting firm. For Skittles, Death Brings Both Profit and Risk Skittles is one of the most profitable candy brands in the world, with a globe wide presence and popularity. Throughout the past recent
Treyvon Martin Media has shifted from just being source of information and news to the general masses. It has gone to have an effect on the social, cultural, and psychological aspects on lives of people with them even realizing it. (Perse, 2000) There is a certain degree of stereotyping done by the media in the shows they put and the different proportions of races that they show. (Perse, 2000) The major
1 Times and Trayvon The police unit that responded to the Trayvon Martin killing did not do a thorough inspection. They did not even know that Zimmerman’s car was there until his wife attempted to move it. They did not thoroughly canvas the neighborhood and knock and doors—otherwise they would have probably learned that Trayvon was a guest there at his father’s girlfriend’s place. The unit did not even have a
Of even more significance is that twelve states go ahead to extend litigation costs and attorney fees "to a shooter who prevails in a civil lawsuit, creating a strong disincentive for a shooting victim to pursue justice in the civil system" (Mayors against Illegal Guns 6) The Reach of Stand Your Ground Law Although the Stand Your Ground Law is largely and extensively linked to Martin's case, a 2012 investigation by
Bloodlines and Race George Zimmerman allegedly killed Trayvon Martin, an African-American teenager, in self-defense. The case has gotten national attention partly because of the issue of racial profiling. Many people believe that Zimmerman is biased against African-Americans and that he held a stereotypical view of Trayvon: a black teenager, face half-hidden under a hoodie, does not belong in a white neighborhood and is looking for trouble. Another dimension to the case
Speech on Guns Why Everyone Should Support Gun Rights In the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting -- a tragedy, in which George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain gunned down the unarmed, 17-year-old student -- the country has put gun rights and gun ownership on trial. Questions are being asked, such as: should we allow people to carry a concealed firearm? Should we pass gun control that limits the number of firearms one