The increasingly notorious shooting of 17-year-old African-American Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26 has set off a national outcry for justice. Martin was walking home from a convenience store in Sanford, Fla. when he was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a local neighborhood watch volunteer.
Although Zimmerman, a white Hispanic, told police he shot Martin in self-defense, audio tapes of the 911 calls recently released by the police department reveal that Zimmerman actually followed and confronted Martin.
Wendy Dorival, the police department’s volunteer coordinator, said in an interview that using a gun in the neighborhood watch role is out of the question.
“Members of a neighborhood watch are not supposed to confront anyone. We get paid to get into harm’s way. You don’t do that. You just call them from the safety of your home or your vehicle,” she said.
Despite this, Zimmerman has not been arrested and no files have been charged against him. He justifies himself with Florida’s law, Stand Your Ground, which states that citizens have the right to protect themselves using deadly force, rather than retreat, if they believe they are in imminent danger of being killed or badly injured.
However, critics point to the fact that Zimmerman followed and confronted Martin, despite being told to remain in his vehicle by the police operator. As a result, hundreds marched through the streets of New York City last Wednesday night in memory of Martin and to protest the absence of a proper investigation, in what organizers called the “Million Hoodie March.”
The protest came the same week the Department of Justice announced it had opened an inquiry into the shooting and the state attorney in Seminole County said a grand jury would be convened for the case.
During a House floor speech, Florida Representative Frederica Wilson, said, “Today, I applaud the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the FBI, and the Federal Department of Justice for their intervention. I encourage the citizens of Florida and the citizens from around the world to continue to fight for justice for Trayvon Martin. Justice must be served. No more racial profiling.”
However, at the rally at Union Square where the march began, Martin’s parents spoke to the crowd and said, “Our son is your son… It’s not about a black-and-white thing; it’s just about a right-and-wrong thing.”
They are absolutely correct. In essence, Trayvon Martin is a cross-cultural issue, if not a human one, and every American, regardless of skin color, should be concerned with the lack of justice in the case.
Neighborhood watch volunteers are still considered ordinary citizens, not glorified vigilantes. And they are most certainly not allowed to take the law into their own hands then hide behind the shroud of self-defense.
On March 23, President Obama answered questions regarding the Trayvon Martin case saying, “You know, if I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon. I think [Martin’s parents] are right to expect that all of us as Americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves, and we are going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened.”
With those remarks, came a greater call for a thorough investigation of the case. A special prosecutor, Angela Corey, is investigating the case and a grand jury is scheduled to begin deliberations on April 10.
Rallies were held across the country over the weekend to protest the failure of police to conduct a proper investigation or make an arrest. Protestors, some dressed in the now symbolic hooded sweatshirts, gathered for events on Saturday in cities such as Chicago, Columbia, South Carolina, and Washington, D.C. with other rallies scheduled for Monday in cities like Denver and Sanford, Florida.
About Felipe Diaz
of course not! cops get away with murdering innocent kids “with reasonable suspicion” alllllll the time! smdh
no, he is black. There will not be for that very reason.
Will the half-Hispanic alleged culprit receive justice, too???
nope. with his daddy being a ex judge he will continue to do as he pleases & be let go. because there will never be “enough evidance” to pursue justice
it taking so long for mr zimmerman to be arrested. now Trayvon’s character is being examined. he did not attack that man.
His murderer will probably only get a slap on the wrist.
There must be justice no matter what, I don’t think he attack that man at all.
I hope so..because it’s been a month and nothing has happened! This animal would probably get off, so disgusting!
Nope! Self righteous people will find a way to justify the crime one way or another. GZ’s day will come- maybe not to him directly but to someone close to him.
I hope so..
Its no longer about Trayvon. It’s been politicized, and part of the narrative of the left. Which is why you don’t see reecent pics of his gold teeth, large tats, or mention of his 6’2″ frame. Not to generalize, but to illustrate the media manipulation.
I doubt it, sad but true! If he did fight back that’s because he was afraid of this stranger following him. Zimmerman should of listened to the dispatcher and not follow Martin but he did. Maybe if he listened Martin would be alive today. Just sad, really sad.
I don’t think Zimmerman will receive Any State punishment but I do think he can be indicted on Federal Charges.
Right. I’m pissed that people are saying, “Oh he’s been suspended.” So, being suspended from school for a non-violent offense, means you deserve to die? You lose the value of your life?
Also, Trayvon was followed by a man carrying a gun and with a vehicle. He was shot, and fell face down. That’s fact.
The issue is being frustrated…No one is saying “Zimmerman needs 20 years in jail now!” People are saying he must be arrested, and tried by the legal system and facts should be found by a jury of his peers. There are issues of FACT. Jury determines that, NOT the POLICE.
A grand jury will look at all of the evidence, something which apparently no one here has done, and determine whether or not Zimmerman broke the law. If they find he did, he will be arrested and tried. if not, then a grand jury of his peers will have found he acted within the confines of the law and he will remain free. Its just that simple. Everything else is noise.
@ Respeto, what federal charges?
This GZ is claiming he was attacked by this young unarmed kid, yet HE was the one who was following him even after 911 op said not to…….a neighborhood watch is just that a watch….he’s no cop and his obsession with law enforcement should just confirm he’s a wannabe……he needs arrested and charged
Why do people keep saying that cops are always killing innocent kids? A cop didn’t kill this poor kid.
point blank,this was an overzealous nut job playing chuck norris whose ignorance and self glorrified hero was at his peek, Trayvon was an unfortunate child who came face to face with HATE. Brown Black Yellow White ….its Unexceptable. even IF true Trayvon “beat” him,its justifiable,he was being followed,Zimmerman had the gun,was told to stay in car by police,….if i had no other choice and was being pursued ,i would fight also,This Zimmerman guy,knows the law,he went looking for trouble,expected a reaction and allowed him self to get “beat” {remember hes a grown man on nieghborhood watch,so he obviously feels he can protect himself and others} all so he can say “IT WAS SELF DEFENSE” PUNK. He made a couple of mistakes,he used racial slurs,ignored when police told him “are you following him…..we dont need you to do that” and DID…
What else is new everybody knows it specially the POLICE ; I use to think this was a free country but now I live a comunice country where is the freedom when our cildren can be killed cause of the color of there skin like animal hide your kids if there skin is dark cause if they go to buy candy they WILL be shot on sight no mater. what even if they get away kama is goin to get them cause I believe in god and he will be faceing the lord and he won’t get away with it in haven.
I believe if they take the race card out & charge him for murder regardless of “self denfense” cause he killed a teenager, they can get charge him. Then after that charge the state of florida (police) for not protecting & serving the community. It states it on the police vehicles.
@ Valentine, if it’s that easy then please tell us when the grand jury will get the case sir? It is up to the special prosecutor to decide if this should go to a grand jury and she has not indicated that it will as of yet. It’s so easy for you to call everything else noise just like the noise you spread regarding Cuba however if it was your child that was killed and the killer was let go without a slap to the wrist you would be the first one yelling off the top of your lungs. I’m afraid it is not that simple, if it was Jorge Zimmerman would be in jail right now
I feel like i live in the twilight zone now a days i do not udnerstand why the cost of life to some means nothing. If it was the other way around and that was a little white boy and he was a black man then he would of been arrested right away. That kid was not a threat he did not attack Zimmerman even the dispatcher told him to pursue Trayvon. He addmitted to it!!! funny thing is where are you scratches or bruises Mr. Zimmerman? Self defense my ass. Now they want to slander Trayvon for allegedly possessing marijuana…So if we are going to slander people let’s go ahead and start looking into how our last elected president was cocaine addict and the list goes on. Nothing their police dept will ever say and use as thier defense will EVER justify the death of this innocent teen. It is like Emitt Till all over again.
Removing the race card here, we have an issue in this case which is making it very difficult to prosecute Zimmerman. It’s the “Stand Your Ground’ law. Which states that a person is justified in using force against another when and to the extent that the person reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to defend him/herself or another against the other’s imminent use of unlawful force. Ok, that’s fine and dandy but I have a question, How is it that Zimmerman can hide behind this law but NOONE is using this law for Trayvon Martin? He had someone who followed him for several minutes that he didn’t know who then attacked HIM. Did HE not feel like his life was in danger? Was he not allowed to defend himself from an attack? How does this law apply to one but not the other?
Great point Amanda. Luckily, the federal govt can still prosecute Zimmerman. They are not impeded by that ridiculous law because they’re a separate prosecutorial agency.