...DEATH OF TRAYVON MARTIN Abstract Trayvon Martin was young 17 year old boy minding his own business when he was followed, gun downed and murdered due to racism by a neighborhood watch captain that did not listen to authority and took matters into his own hands causing the death of Trayvon. Although it has not yet to be proven that Trayvon and George did not have any conflict prior to the death of Trayvon there was still no reason to kill this teenager when he was proven to be unarmed, even if Trayvon had a motive and wanted to cause harm or death to Zimmerman there was no weapon with Trayvon at the time of the death. As we all know “stand your ground laws” gives people the ability to use fatal strength without having to deal with the reality of danger. According to the police and statements from Zimmerman he came up with a reasonable excuse to tell the police, even though Zimmerman clearly stated that he pulled the trigger on Trayvon he was not arrested at the time of the crime. As we all know that is stereotyping and being racist just assuming that a young black male just walking back to his father’s house from a corner store to buy a couple things should be classified as unsafe and possibly on drugs? It is time America wakes up to reality of life and see that some unpredictable so called neighborhood watchman that had possession of a firearm took his racist mentality to the extreme causing death of an innocent teenager. THE UNEXPECTED DEATH OF TRAYVON MARTIN It all...
Words: 1056 - Pages: 5
...Engl 122 6/2/16 The Trayvon Martin Case and its Aftermath For years now racism still lives and kills many people. What is Racism or being racist mean? The Dictionary defines racism as being prejudice, having discrimination, or believe in antagonism which is directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own races is superior. In the case of Trayvon Martin, he was racial profiled like many other African Americans. His death lead to many protest and movement from the Africans Americans and other civil activists. Which made a big impact on society and how profiling people just of their race is wrong. The George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin case has made people question their intentions on racism and racial profiling and has gave them a lastly effect on them. Trayvon Benjamin Martin was born on February 5,1995 and is from Miami, Florida. He also has 3 other siblings and 2 divorce parents (Amber 1). Tracy Martin was the father of Trayvon and Sybrina Fulton was the mother although it that they were divorced the parents remain close for their children. In the article its says, “In fact Sybrina would say they better as friends as husband and wife “(Amber 1). Sybrina wants to be divorce but wants to remain close contact as a friend to Tracy. Tracy Martin was a fine with idea of stay as friends for the kids. Tracy was a truck driver and would go and meet his kids during the weekends and often during the week. Trayvon Martin was a smart, out-going, enthusiastic...
Words: 2362 - Pages: 10
...Martin Luther King once said “We are not makers of history. We are made by history," which interprets how the surrounding events played a big role in my grandfather’s life. At the age of 103, T.W. Cooper, my great grandfather witnessed plenty of extravagant events. Some of these events include: The Waco Horror, KKK, Emmett Till case, The Watergate scandal, O.J. Simpson trial, Trayvon Martin Trial. The Waco horror took a great toll on the African American community in 1916. Jesse Washington, a 17-year-old black farmhand railroaded to a conviction in the murder and rape of a white woman in Waco on May 15, 1916. He was snatched from court and mutilated and burned alive outside City Hall before some 15,000 spectators -- half of Waco's population at the time -- and a photographer alerted in advance to shoot picture postcards. Afterward the charred corpse was dragged...
Words: 1112 - Pages: 5
...On February 26, 2012 a young African American male named Trayvon Martin was gunned down. He was shot and killed by a Hispanic American name George Zimmerman. Trayvon was temporarily staying in a gated community where Zimmerman was the neighborhood watch coordinator. Zimmerman contacted the police because he believed in his mine that Trayvon looked suspicious because he walking between houses leisurely in the rain. After speaking with the police they advised Zimmerman that Trayvon had not been involved any reported criminal activity. A few minutes later while still being on the phone with dispatchers, a violent encounter between Zimmerman and Martin happened. He ended up being shot in the chest at close range. After Trayvon had been shot Zimmerman told police that he had been attacked. He had a bloody nose and two vertical lacerations on the back of the head. He was treated by paramedics then was taken to the Sanford Police Department. He was detained and questioned for about five hours and then was released with out being charged. On April 11, 2012 special prosecutors filed a charge of murder in the second degree against Zimmerman. . I think Zimmerman suffered from specific phobia because he was very suspicious of anyone the thought did not belong in the community where live. During the 18 months preceding the February 26 shooting he called the non-emergency police line seven times reporting suspicious looking men in the area. I believe that Zimmerman is...
Words: 677 - Pages: 3
...Connection between Trayvon Martin's Death and Racial Profiling in America Racial profiling is the use of ethnicity or race as the grounds for suspecting that an individual has committed an offense. Rather, it is a discriminatory practice whereby persons, mostly law enforcement, use an individual’s cultural background, religion, or race as the reason to speculate that one has broken the law. Ideally, Trayvon Martin’s death and his killer’s acquittal reflect the extent of racial profiling in America. In spite of the rulings of the judge in the case, the views of the defense of George Zimmerman and other people’s opinion especially the white, race not only matters but also overruns the judgments on social conditions and politics. In the book...
Words: 819 - Pages: 4
...In response to the act of violence done towards Trayvon Martin, President Obama explains, “When Trayvon Martin was first shot I said that this could have been my son. Another way of saying that is Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago… I think it’s important to recognize that the African American community is looking at this issue through a set of experiences and a history that doesn’t go away”. The history of the African American community in the United States that President Obama is mentioning is the concept of the construction of whiteness and how that “whiteness” has been used repeatedly against the Black community. Trayvon Martin is not the first nor the last victim of this history and stand your ground culture which Kelly Douglas explains in her book, Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God. Then the question comes to us when we observe these acts of violence, who or what is responsible for the acts of violence in the world like the murder of Trayvon Martin? Do we blame the murderer, George Zimmerman, who felt that Trayvon Martin was a...
Words: 1914 - Pages: 8
...Ethical Dilemma Paper Trayvon Martin Case Sonji Toussaint-Watson CJA/324 June 24, 2013 Angela Sonsalla Ethical Dilemma-Trayvon Martin The current story in the news that I have chosen to write about is the Trayvon Martin murder. I asked myself now what role did society play in this case? Society has labeled young black men who dress a certain way that is a fashion first and foremost for many of the youths today as being a criminal, or they look suspicious because of the clothing that they wear. Benz (2012) website, the journalist has not done a good job covering this heated, sensitive set of events. We have rushed to paint the story as too simply explained by racism, we have rushed to judgment on whether an arrest should be made, we have given enormous time to the loudest voices and spent precious little time digging for new perspectives or analyzing the laws and community standards in question. Besides editing the 911 tapes, we have been shown year old photographs, the photo of Trayvon Martin smiling; the very young teenager in the Hollister T-shirt is four years old. Trayvon did not look like the same child on the picture within the months before he was murdered. The photo of Geroge Zimmerman, the one of him in an orange jump suit is a mug shot that was taken 7 years ago based on an arrest that was later dropped. What subliminal messages are sent by showing a smiling 15 year old boy who was killed by a menacing man who was once in jail? Is this a truthful representation...
Words: 1270 - Pages: 6
...Baltimore: Prejudice Institute. Some proposals include fining police officers who engage in profiling and withholding state funds from offending police departments. According to the article Trayvon Martin case highlighted as radical profiling by Senate panel, “4.3 million street stops done by the New York Police Department from 2002 to 2011 disproportionately targeted black and Latino residents and that just 12 percent of total stops resulted in an arrest or summons.” This demonstrates the concept of racial profiling being abused, in these stops along with the Trayvon case “stereotypes played a role,” said Anthony Romero. Countless accounts have been made by activists regarding to this sensitive and controversial topic of racial profiling. “There is a real tension between black boys and the police. Not perceived but real. If you walk into any inner city school in the African American community and ask students, Have any of you ever been racially profiled everyone will raise their hands” said U.S Rep. Frederica Wilson. This is a serious issue that is evidently taking place in numerous African American and Hispanic communities. In an article by The Washington Post entitled Black Boys denied the right to be young by Eugene Robinson states the constant outlook of society upon young African American boys. “Our society considers...
Words: 893 - Pages: 4
...catastrophic event occurred. Freddie Gray, an innocent African-American man, was walking down the streets of Baltimore with two of his close friends. Freddie Gray made eye contact with a police officer and the police officer arrested him immediately. It is said that Gray took off with one of his friends, but the police officers soon caught up to them. The other friend chose not to run but he did record the ordeal. This recording of Freddie Gray was the last time anyone would see him conscious ever again. When the police officers caught up to Freddie and his companion, they gave up without a fight and 6 police officers collectively put him in the back of their van. Freddie Gray was put into the back of the van at full health, completely fine and able to function properly. When he was taken from the van however, he was not able to breathe nor talk. He was sent to Shock Trauma where he died a week later. Racially motivated violence has been an issue ever since America gained its independence from the British in 1776. North and South Carolina refused to sign the Declaration until the clause of abolishing slavery was removed. Samuel Adams eventually gave in, making slavery perfectly legal. Flash forward about 100 years where the civil war commences, pitting brother against brother because the...
Words: 1969 - Pages: 8
...Trayvon Martin’s case Why do media always have to be racist in every news? Media tend to pay more attention to the news about African-American got murdered. In Trayvon Martin’s case, he was an African-American teenager who was shot by the neighborhood watch, George Zimmerman. The media described Zimmerman as ‘white Hispanic’ who shot a black boy without suggesting that he might did that to protect himself. So why do media keep calling Zimmerman as a ‘white Hispanic’? It is because they believe that sensationalism can attract more readers. Trayvon Martin was a 17-year-old high school boy who was shot after having an argument with the neighborhood watch, George Zimmerman. After the shot was fired, polices arrived and found Martin shot dead by Zimmerman. Zimmerman was taken to the police station for questioning but was released later due to lack of evidence. Zimmerman claimed that he shot Martin because he was self-defending from a violent young boy. After several weeks of protesters and misleading news, Zimmerman was soon charged with murder. The trial began on June 10, 2013 and on July 13 the jury released him. Two years later, the department of justice declared that there...
Words: 578 - Pages: 3
...shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida by a man named George Zimmerman. However, after pleading innocence, he was released. His reasoning behind the shooting was that it was done for self-defense. This caused for an outrage amongst the African-American community all over the nation and caused for the creation of the Black Lives Matter, or BLM movement for short. Now, the intentions of the BLM movement are to resist dehumanization and fight against violence and systematic racism toward black people. They fight to secure the rights that black people are denied in society which a person of another color normally has. According to their official site, the BLM movement, “…centers those that have been marginalized within Black liberation movements.” They do so mainly by protesting, and at other times, joining other civil rights groups. For instance, recently, BLM joined forces with the minimum...
Words: 495 - Pages: 2
...Trayvon Martin was only 17 years old, when he was gunned down and shot to death by George Zimmerman. Mr. Zimmerman at the time was the neighborhood watch on patrol for anything suspicious. He noticed a young African American male, now known as Trayvon Martin. He described Trayvon as a ‘thug’ walking alone with a hoodie over his head. Mr. Zimmerman then made a call to 911 dispatcher. He was concerned about an unknown male walking in a neighborhood he did not belong to. Despite being told several times to not follow the teen, Mr. Zimmerman ignored those warnings and continued to follow after the teen. At some point Trayvon and Mr. Zimmerman became physical with one another. At some point through the struggle, a gun was drawn shooting Trayvon Martin to death....
Words: 656 - Pages: 3
...Emmitt Till, age 14, brutally beaten and murdered. Martin Luther King Jr, age 39, assassinated. Rodney King, age 47, drowned and drug overdose. Malcolm X, age 40, assassinated. Trayvon Martin, age 17, shot once and killed. Freddie Gray Jr., age 25, spinal cord injury when in police custody. Oscar Grant, age 19, shot in the back and killed. Black lives matter doesn’t mean all other lives don’t matter, it just means African Americans have been degraded for many years and Black Lives Matter is a way to recognize these hardships they face. Today, “we are still grappling with the consequences of settler colonialism, racial capitalism and patriarchy” (Shor). The Black Lives Matter Movement is more than just police brutality. Alicia Garza, one of...
Words: 1303 - Pages: 6
...1960s affected American institutions and the urban environment. Although cities remain segregated by race, African-Americans and other population of different colors are increasingly. Perhaps the most troubling ones arise when Black people act out social roles that others do not expect or accept. These acts draw “color lines” that represent a fundamental fault line in present day American culture, especially for Black people who experience upward mobility. When such events take place, the effects can be fatal, as was the case for George Zimmerman. The killing of 17-year-old African-American Trayvon Martin. The event has touched off a fierce debate over race, violence, and equal treatment under the law. On February 26, CNN stated that Trayvon was visiting a house with his father in a gated townhouse community in Sanford, Florida (outside Orlando). Trayvon left the house and walked to the local 7-Eleven. On his way back, George Zimmerman, a white 28-year-old neighborhood watch captain, called the police because the boy looked “real suspicious,” according to a 911 call released late Friday. Even though the operator told Zimmerman not to pursue Trayvon, he did anyway, getting out of his car and confronting the boy. And according to the New York Times' Charles Blow, "Trayvon had a bag of Skittles and a can of iced tea. Zimmerman had a 9 millimeter handgun. The two allegedly engaged in a physical altercation. There was yelling, and then a gunshot. When police arrived, Trayvon was face down...
Words: 969 - Pages: 4
...1. For this media analysis assignment, I have chosen to analyze the Trayvon Martin case. I decided to write about this case because the incident only occurred two years ago, which means the problem still exists today. I feel this case is important to call attention to because it highlights the violation of political and civil rights of the people and it emphasizes the larger issues that the United States are facing. This news story did not only circulate in the United States. It reached different parts of the world with the news going viral through the internet, social media, television channels, and international newspaper headlines. Trayvon Martin, a 17-year old African American teenager, was walking back home from a relative’s place when he was fatally shot by George Zimmerman. Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch coordinator, was suspicious of the teen, so he followed Martin and disregarded the police’s orders of not going after him. Although Martin was not armed, Zimmerman claimed that the shot was fired as a result of self-defense. Many people, both nationally and globally, were caught up with following Trayvon Martin’s story. At the same time, protests were growing rapidly across the nation. This case helped raise questions about the media coverage and how media can be misleading, biased, and effective. Also, the case aided in the examination of the state’s self-defense laws and magnified the issue of racism. I am going to stress how messages of the media are framed and try...
Words: 1875 - Pages: 8
