Review On Trayvon Martin Ruling

It was February 26, 2012 when 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman. For more than a year, emotions have run high among those fighting for Martin’s justice and those defending Zimmerman’s actions. Recently during the summer of 2013, Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges and walked away a free man.

While Zimmerman was on watch in the neighborhood where Martin was shot, he reported a “suspicious” male walking through the neighborhood. Recordings of the event show that Zimmerman was told by his superiors to stay in his vehicle and not persue the male. Ignoring his commands, Zimmerman followed the male who was Martin and moments later Martin had been shot.

After Martins death, the story of the shooting went viral through out social media and the news. Racial profiling quickly rose as a reason for Treyvon’s death, due to the fact that he only had candy and a fruit drink which posed no threat to Zimmerman his shooter.

Junior Jose Gamino believes that “stereotyping led to the shooting” of Martin. He adds that “If Martin were not African-American, outcomes would have been different.” Some evidence seen as supporting racial profiling as a motive to the shooting is the fact that Martin was wearing a hooded sweatshirt. This led to many supporters around the nation wearing “hoodies,” as a silent statement seeking justice for Trayvon.

As weeks went by, Zimmerman was a free man and six weeks later he was charged and arrested for the death of Martin. Following his arrest, Zimmerman pleaded not guilty, and demanded that he shot Martin in self-defense. Zimmerman also said that he was “attacked” by Martin.

More than a year later, Zimmerman went on trial for the shooting and death of Treyvon Martin. While on trial, Zimmerman faced three possible verdicts. The 1st degree verdict was not an option for various reasons, which left the 2nd degree, manslaughter, and not guilt verdicts on the table. According to CNN news, Zimmerman’s trial officially began on Saturday July 13, 2013.

The six women that included one minority would eventually find Zimmerman not guilty and acquit him of the charges against him. Junior Jeffery Trask was “outraged” by this verdict, and says it was “totally predictable, especially after the self-defense claim” by Zimmerman.