Injustice in the Justice System

Trayvon Martin was a 17-year-old boy who was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old man, in Florida on February 26, 2012. Trayvon Martin was African-American, George Zimmerman is Hispanic.  So far no arrests have been made.

Trayvon Martin

Trayvon Martin was described by his English teacher as "as an A and B student who majored in cheerfulness." He had no criminal record. George Zimmerman was a self-appointed neighborhood watchman and did not belong to any registered neighborhood watch groups. In 2005, Zimmerman was charged "with resisting arrest with violence and battery on an officer," but the charges were dropped. 

On Febuary 26, Trayvon was walking back from the store to his father's fiance's house in the gated community that Zimmerman lived in, according to ABC.  Zimmerman, who was in his truck, called police to report Trayvon's "suspicious" behavior, which he described as "just walking around looking about." He proceeded to follow Trayvon against the explicit directions of the 911 dispatcher. According to eyewitnesses, the two scuffled and shouts for help were heard before there was a gunshot. The police report states, "Zimmerman, who was armed with a handgun, was found bleeding from the nose and the back of the head, standing over Martin, who was unresponsive after being shot."

Zimmerman has claimed that the shooting was in self-defense. 
Zimmerman is a 250 pound adult. Trayvon was a 150 pound teenage boy. Zimmerman had a semi-automatic 9 millimeter handgun. Trayvon had a can of ice tea and a bag of skittles.


So, was it self defense? Normally, we might trust in the police to investigate this claim. But the investigation has been plagued by missteps. Zimmerman was not tested for drugs or alcohol at the scene, as is standard protocol - but Trayvon was. Most damningly, a key witness reported that police "corrected" her testimony when she reported she heard a teenager shout for help.


The case has brought up a lot of issues of race.  If Trayvon had been a white boy walking down the street in jeans and a hoodie with a can of ice tea, would Zimmerman have found him "suspicious"? If the victim was a white, unarmed teenager shot on his way home would have taken a month for the story to make headlines? If the victim was white and the shooter was black, would the police have arrested him by now (if not immediately)? Does the fact that Zimmerman is Hispanic make a difference?

Another subject of controversy has been Florida's "Stand Your Ground" Law, which allows "citizens to use deadly force without attempting to retreat when threatened outside the home." Many have previously criticized the law for giving people too much leeway in claiming self-defense, and Zimmerman's use of the law as justification for Trayvon's shooting has reignited the debate. The "Stand Your Ground" authors have stated that their law is not the problem, and that Zimmerman should have been arrested under the law because he pursued Trayvon. Others argue that it still presents a problem. Do you think the law is reasonable? Does it apply to this case?