TRAYVON MARTIN

Trayvon Martin

Trayvon Martin

On February 26, George Zimmerman, a white and Hispanic neighbourhood watch volunteer, killed a black teenager 17-year-old Trayvon Martin who was without any weapon. Sanford police did not charge Zimmerman, accepting his claims of self-defense and saying he was protected under Florida's "Stand Your Ground Law," which allowed people to use deadly force in public places without first trying to retreat if they believed that they or others were in grave danger. The decision not to charge Zimmerman sparked a national uproar against both "Stand Your Ground" laws and perceived racial bias in the justice system. (Smolowe 2012, 60-64)

The fatal shooting of an African-American teenager by a volunteer neighborhood watch coordinator in a gated suburban community in Florida has ignited a racially charged debate over the police department's handling of the case. The episode also puts a national spotlight on Florida's controversial Stand Your Ground law, which allows a civilian to use potentially lethal force in self-defense in public places without first trying to retreat to safety.

The incident had occurred when Zimmerman was patrolling a gated community in Sanford Florida, and spotted Martin, who was walking to his father's fiance house after visiting a nearby convenience store. After Zimmerman called 911 and reported he saw a young black man in a hooded sweatshirt who looked like he was "up to no good," the 911 dispatcher said police would come to investigate and instructed Zimmerman to not follow Martin. Zimmerman followed him anyway, and later claimed that he shot Martin in self-defense afterMartin attacked him. Martin's family later insisted that no such attack took place, and said that the screams for help that neighbors heard was Martin pleading for his life. A supervision video of Zimmerman at the police station on the night of the shooting later showed he had no visible injuries or blood on his clothing, further casting doubt on Zimmerman's claim he had been brutally attacked. (Amber 2012, 102-107)

After the shooting, protestors held demonstrations urging police to more thoroughly investigate the incident and calling for Zimmerman's arrest. Many of the demonstrators wore hooded sweatshirts to show solidarity with Martin's family and in response to widely criticized remarks by television personality Geraldo Rivera, who had suggested that the hooded sweatshirt Martin was wearing when he was killed was partly responsible for his death because it made him look threatening. President Obama also commented on the shooting in personal terms, saying, "If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon." An online petition calling for Zimmerman's arrest reached more than 1.5 million signatures by March 23.(Cloud 2012, 36-39)

On March 19, the U.S. Justice Department announced it had opened a civil rights investigation into Martin's death to see if the Sanford police had failed to properly investigate the incident. If the Justice Department's investigation found that racial bias had played a part in Martin's death, Zimmerman could face hate crimes charges in federal court.On April 11, Florida special prosecutor Angela Corey announced that Zimmerman would face second-degree murder charges for Martin's death. Zimmerman could still face federal charges pending the results of the ...