State of Florida v. George Zimmerman
Abstract
Our group chose to do the highly debatable case regarding George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin. Based on the various parts from group members, it would seem we have both sides of the case so there will be discussion from either point of view. Our paper is not going to sway the reader in either direction, but simply state the facts for each side and give an overview of the case from our perspective.
Introduction
Within the last year, our country has seen one of the most high-profile murder cases unfold. This case is none other than the State of Florida v. George Zimmerman, for the charges of second-degree murder of Trayvon Martin. It took the State roughly two weeks to file an affidavit
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So what happened that night we all are guessing but the country wants the government to step in and file civil rights charges on Zimmerman saying that he was following Martin because he was a black guy. So should the government file civil right charges against Zimmerman saying that he racially profiled Martin and killed him because of his race? Many people are talking about this topic. But will this be hard to do since he just got off on all charges in a recent court hearing. “If the Federal Government prosecutes Zimmerman for violating Trayvon Martin's civil rights, they'd have to prove that Zimmerman killed Martin primarily because of his race, a high hurdle considering even State prosecutors conceded race was not a factor in the case” (McLaughlin, 2013). So it was proven in court already that the state thought it was not a killing due to race so if the government wants to pursue this charge then they will have to try and prove it over again and that could be very hard since it was already determined it was not. But with the pressure on the government from recent protest from recent groups and some political figures. One of the biggest groups has started the lead and getting the ball rolling just shortly after the verdict was read “The NAACP also promoted a petition urging
E- George Zimmerman had previous experiences with watching the neighborhood in the prior months when he saw some other crimes that had taken place, a few that were noted by Zimmerman, they were burglaries of homes being broken into by African-American males. However, the suspects of those crimes were not caught because they were either scared off by police or they had already gotten away prior to authorities getting to the scene.
The only problem, the media was producing the wrong conclusion for the audience watching which turned George Zimmerman into a hated man nationally. However, testimony and evidence has proved that Zimmerman was defending himself against an angry Martin. On March 22, 2012 a nationwide coverage of a Florida rally featuring Rev. Al Sharpton, was used to build racial tension in order to force Zimmerman to be arrested. When the phone call between the dispatcher and Zimmerman was released to the public, Zimmerman mentioned Martin being black which caused the nation to think it was a racial prejudice that caused the events to occur. Ultimately, this case proves that the media reports very biased and can control what viewers believe. On August 9, 2014 Michael Brown, an 18 year old black man was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a 28 year old white Ferguson, Missouri police officer. Before the altercation Brown robbed a convenient store where he stole several packages of cigarillos and shoved the store clerk to the ground. The police were called and nearby Officer Darren Wilson caught up with Brown when an altercation between the two began for the control of Wilson’s gun. During the altercation the gun was fired and Brown ran, with Wilson in hot pursuit behind him. When Brown stopped running he turned and faced Wilson and started moving closer to Wilson. Wilson then pulled the trigger and shot Brown multiple times before killing
Trayvon Martin lost his life on Sunday February 26, 2012 due to a gunshot to his chest shot by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida while walking back home from buying an Arizona and skittles from 7-11 at 6:34 pm. George Zimmerman spotted Trayvon walking through his neighborhood and found him suspicious and decided to call the Sanford police at 7:09PM. When he called the police he told them he found him suspicious, “I’ve never seen him in the neighborhood. I know all the residents. It was raining out and he was leisurely walking, taking his time, looking at all the houses.” (Linder, 2014). Police were immediately sent to his location but suddenly Zimmerman stated that Tyron had begun to run away and Zimmerman began to go after him. The dispatcher told him not to go after him and instead to meet the officers, “The dispatcher suggested that Zimmerman meet the arriving officers near the mailboxes.” (Linder, 2014) and he agreed to. Zimmerman later stated that when he was walking back to his car Tyron came at him asking what his problem was and he replied back saying he had no problem and Tyron then punched him in the nose after stating he had a problem now. The punch was what knocked him to the grass and Trayvon continued to punch him while Zimmerman kept screaming for help, “I started screaming for help. I couldn’t see. I couldn’t breathe.” (Linder, 2014). Tyron had been talking on the phone with a friend, Rachel Jeantel,
On February 26,2012, a 17 year old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed. He was killed at 7:16 PM at the Twin Lakes, in Sanford Florida, while Trayvon Martin was returning from a local store, where he bought an Arizona ice tea, and skittles. A 28 year old hispanic man name George Zimmerman spotted Trayvon Martin, who he thought acted suspiciously. Moments later, there were an altercation between the two individuals, which resulted in Trayon being shot. The most important question is, why was Trayvon Martin killed? This is an unjustified murder. This murder is unjustified because, Trayvon Martin was ttrying to defend himself, Zimmerman was watching the neighbor hood and spotted Trayvon, who he thought arousing suspicion, and Zimmerman thought he had to shoot Trayvon. Zimmerman was false for shooting him.
George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch leader, was driving to Target to run a errand on the night of February 26, 2012 when he observed a suspicious person, leisurely walking in the rain, looking at all the houses, wearing a grey hoodie as he would tell dispatch in his 911 call made at 7:09 p.m. Moments later an altercation occurred between Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin, which left Trayvon dead from a single gunshot wound to his chest and Zimmerman with a bloody nose and a cut to the back of his head. Zimmerman asserted that the shooting was done in self-defense because he thought Trayvon was reaching for his ( Zimmerman’s ) concealed gun and he feared for his life. Eye witness accounts of the event backed his claim that Trayvon was hitting him, but Rachel Jeantel, who had been on the phone with Trayvon,
As the case grew people were retaliating more that it wasn't a fair ruling protesting that consideration to be taken into account and an investigation. The people wanted Justice for Trayvon and the ruling to be a fair one in order to be assured that in this case and the future if any case similar occurs, fair judgment will be used in the situations unlike the verdict in this case. The department before this shooting was accused of protecting relatives of police officers involved in violent incidents with African-Americans. Within the community in Sanford Florida after the Martin case this made the distrust increase even more between police and Sanford’s black community.
Everyone has heard of the story about the case of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman. If there are a few who have not, Trayvon Martin was a young seventeen year old boy. At the time he was not doing well in school. It was his third suspension during the school year and Trayvon’s He was shot by a neighborhood watch man, named George Zimmerman. Zimmerman claimed to feel threatened by the young teen, so he felt the necessity to shoot Trayvon Martin as a self-defense. After many months of court trials Zimmerman was finally able to walk the streets freely.
During the 1960 Civil Rights Movement, demonstrators were brutalized and killed, sometimes at the hands of law officers, whereas many slayings remain unsolved. “In some cases where local authorities failed to go after the attackers, or all-white juries refused to convict, the federal government moved in with civil rights charges.” Fifty-Two (52) years later in 2012 a murder of young unarmed African American teen Trayvon Martin by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman from Sanford, Florida, was found not guilty of second-degree murder and acquitted of manslaughter. The verdict sparked a heartfelt online message regarding the decision, which stated “essentially a love note to black people” which ended with “Black people. I love you.
Trayvon Benjamin Martin was a 17 year old African American from Miami Gardens, Florida. He was badly shot by George Zimmerman; a neighborhood watch volunteer in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman called 911 to report that there was “suspicious person” walking through the neighborhood. He was told to not do anything, but he did anyway. As he approached Martin, he attacked him and shot him straight to the heart. According to CNN, “Zimmerman acknowledges that he shot Martin, claiming it was in self-defense.” (“Trayvon Martin Shooting Fast Facts”). When the case was taken to court George Zimmerman was found not guilty even after he
On February 26, 2012, an African-American teen, Trayvon Martin, was fatally shot by a neighborhood watchmen, George Zimmerman. Zimmerman assumed that Martin looked suspicious then he called the police after being told not to pursue Martin he continues to and the situation ended in a tragedy. The case gained national attention and stirred up many protests around the U.S. All the facts proved that Zimmerman was guilty of wrongfully killing Martin and Martin was not an actual threat just a black man wearing a hoody. After a year, George Zimmerman was acquitted of the murder of Trayvon Martin. Once again, the justice system failed African American people. This case proved although there was a Black man in the highest position in the U.S., the justice system was still broken. Across the states riots broke out and protest and the president had to address the issue. President Obama gave an unscheduled speech addressing the issue. The president
Ever been blamed for homicide or been known as a bigot? Well George Zimmerman has, in the Trayvon Martin case. Many individuals do trust that George Zimmerman is a supremacist and a killer. Feelings and actualities are major factors in this case. Clearly George Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin, however despite everything he has pleaded not guilty.
I remember the day that George Zimmerman was found not guilty in the murder of Trayvon Martin. I also remember watching every day of the trial on television. During the trial there was more attention focused on Trayvon’s friend and her improper use of English, the meaning of his Facebook pictures and how they portrayed him as a thug, and other issues that took the focus off of the crime. Trayvon’s friend, who was on the phone with him during the time of his murder lacked credibility during her testimony, and it was obvious that the legal defense team did not properly prepare her to speak in front of a judge and jury. These things angered me as I watched like so many Americans, but when the verdict was read and George Zimmerman was found not
Just for wearing a hoodie, carrying an Arizona Tea and for being black he was shot and killed. In the book “Deadly Injustice: Travyon Martin, Race, and the Criminal Justice System“ the authors go on to discuss what happened that night and in the trial that preceded. It also helped me deliberate with how certain deaths are portrayed online. This being one of the biggest cases to hit the news and was brought to almost everyone in the United States attention, even the President at the time made a statement about what had happened to this young man. Social media spreaded this article like a wildfire and soon everyone knew what had happened that night in Florida. One of the main reasons why it was difficult to convict Zimmerman of this crime was because of the “Stand your ground” law After this the tension between black males and police officers rose to an even higher extent. African Americans often feel as if they are treated by police unfairly and with situations like this happening it help supported how they felt. Additionally with cases like in Ferguson and what happened in Lousivelle when four innocent teens were accused of robbing a woman with a weapon where they were later found not guilty of the
On February 26, at 7:11 pm it was a rainy night in Sanford, Florida when a neighborhood watchman, 28-year-old mixed Hispanic George Zimmerman, calls 911 to report a suspicious person. “This guy looks like he’s up to no good, or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about” (Genius). That suspicious person was 17-year-old African American Trayvon Martin returning home after stopping by a local convenience store to purchase, the now infamous, Arizona Ice tea and Skittles. When the 911 dispatcher asked Zimmerman if he was following Martin he replied “yeah.” The dispatcher in return said, “Okay, we don’t need you to do that” (Chicago Tribune). That call would last four minutes.
Imagine. It’s a dark February night in Miami. You step out to your local convenience store to grab a couple of snacks. On your way home, you realize someone is following you. After you confront the person, a scuffle breaks out, and it results in your parents having to bury you at a cemetery. This was the unfortunate story of Florida teen Trayvon Martin. Martin was killed walking home from the local convenience store only armed with a bag of skittles and an iced tea. After being followed George Zimmerman, a local neighbourhood watch volunteer, Martin decided to confront Zimmerman. The end result leaving Trayvon Martin dead and George Zimmerman a free man. The story of Trayvon Martin proves the point that racism will is still alive and