Arrest Trayvon Martin's killer
Deadly Force
Justice for Trayvon Martin
People always ask me why I fight racial profiling by law enforcement and why I am against any Tom, Dick, and Harry carrying a gun around. Simply put, it is dangerous and leads to confrontations that are deadly. Look at the case of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida. Neighborhood Watch Captain, George Zimmerman shot Martin while the child was walking home from 7-11. Martin was 17. Zimmerman, 28, claimed self-defense. However, a closer look at the case and the 911 tapes paint a different picture.
Martin was staying with his father’s girlfriend while serving a school suspension for excessive tardiness. During half time of the NBA All-Star game he walked to the store in the rain to buy a can of tea and some skittles for his little brother. Zimmerman was patrolling his neighborhood, when he spotted Martin and called police to report a suspicious subject. The 911 dispatcher asks Zimmerman if he is following Martin and instructs him not too. According to Zimmerman, Martin started running. What happens next is under dispute, but 140lb. Trayvon Martin was shot once in the chest and 200lb George Zimmerman was standing over his body. Martin died at the scene some 70 yards from his family’s home, and Zimmerman has yet to be arrested because he claimed self-defense.
Trayvon Martin had never been arrested, yet Zimmerman sized him up as dangerous in a matter of seconds. Trayvon Martin is said to have brought joy to his teacher’s and classmates, yet he is in his grave because George Zimmerman executed him. Zimmerman was carrying a 9 mm pistol and the question should be why? Martin had a bag of skittles and a tea and the question should be why did he pose a threat to Zimmerman?
It’s simple, the wannabe lawman, Zimmerman, profiled Martin and his ability to carry a concealed weapon ended in Martin’s death. Now, Martin’s family is asking for justice but a recent Florida law allows you to ‘stand your ground’ and claim self-defense and that’s what Zimmerman did. Although all of the facts—Zimmerman followed Martin, the teen was scared and started to run, and the fact that Zimmerman pursued him and confronted him—belie that claim. On the tapes you can hear someone scream for help and then one act of finality—the gun shot. Zimmerman says he was the one screaming, but neighbors say it was Trayvon.
Black men are profiled all the time especially when they visit areas that ‘they don’t belong in.’ Yet the game has changed because states like Florida and Arizona make it easy to carry a concealed weapon and that puts deadly force in the hands of those who may be more likely to use it.
Trayvon Martin died because he is black. The question is, what if the tables were turned and Zimmerman was lying in the grass dead, could Martin then claim self-defense. You don’t have to answer that. Give us justice for Trayvon Martin.