Trayvon Martin

Martin, a black teenager, was returning from the convenience store when neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman saw him. Zimmerman called the Sanford Police Department’s nonemergency line and reported a string of burglaries in the area, as well as the sighting of “a pretty weird person” who was “going about, looking around.” When asked about Martin, Zimmerman said, “up to no good, or he’s on drugs or whatever.” Despite being told by the dispatcher that he was not needed to pursue Martin, Zimmerman got out of his car and followed the suspect. He explained that he had been trying to confirm his position by studying a street sign more closely. Martin and Zimmerman got into a heated argument, and then Zimmerman shot Martin many times from close range. In the police station, Zimmerman said he fired in self-defense after being attacked by unarmed Martin. In light of the lack of evidence disproving Zimmerman’s account and the legal justification for his use of lethal force in self-defense, the police decided to let him go. When weeks passed with no charges being filed against Zimmerman, the incident became more newsworthy. On March 12, the chief of the Sanford Police Department stated that there was insufficient evidence to press criminal charges against Zimmerman. The next day, however, the Sanford police investigator who had been assigned to the investigation suggested that Zimmerman be charged with manslaughter on the grounds that the violent incident might have been averted. Many people felt it was unfair that Zimmerman was not brought to justice for murder, and protests were held in towns around the United States to demand his arrest and punishment. A special prosecutor appointed by Florida Governor Rick Scott in April 2012 filed second-degree murder charges against George Zimmerman.

The trial of George Zimmerman, which started in June 2013 (more than a year later) was the subject of extensive media coverage. Martin’s killing, the prosecution contended, was the consequence of Zimmerman’s racial profiling and attempt to circumvent the legal system. The defense said that the facts proved Zimmerman’s version of events, that he shot Martin because he thought his life was in danger due to Martin’s assault. Nonetheless, the incident’s fundamental details remained unclear. For instance, there was a recorded call to 911, but witnesses couldn’t agree on whose voice was heard yelling for aid. In addition to the more serious allegation of second-degree murder, the judge also granted the jury the option of convicting Zimmerman of manslaughter. The jury had to conclude that Zimmerman was not acting in self-defense when he shot and killed Trayvon Martin in order to find him guilty of second-degree murder or manslaughter. Central to the discussion of the shooting was the question of self-defense, which was tied to the “stand-your-ground” legislation in Florida that allows the use of lethal force to defend oneself against a perceived danger. Instructions to the jury included mention to the legislation, but Zimmerman’s attorneys did not argue that their client was entitled to any protections under the law since he did not have the opportunity to retreat. After deliberating for almost 16 hours, the jury declared Zimmerman not guilty on July 13, 2013. After Martin’s killing, discussions about racial profiling and other forms of institutionalized racism in the United States gained momentum. When asked about the incident in March 2012, Obama, the first Black president of the United States, said, “if I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon.” Obama later drew parallels between Martin and his younger self, saying that racial profiling is something that most Black Americans, including himself, had to deal with. After the Zimmerman verdict, protests continued across the country, giving rise to the now-famous Black Lives Matter social movement. This group advocates for the equal treatment of African Americans in all areas of American life.