Trayvon Case

The Trayvon Martin Case

From all the discussions in class about racism and the different examples we have learned from, an article that really stood out to me was regarding the Trayvon Martin Case. I chose this specific article because it really outlines the aspect of racism in our country. Although America is based on the anthem “land of the free, and home of the brave”, some ethnic groups are not as “free” as others. This article really stood out to me because it showed the other non-biased view of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman’s case. It is apparently alleged that Zimmerman, a self-acclaimed neighborhood watchman, who carried a weapon, saw Trayvon, followed him in his car and asked him what he was doing. Trayvon answered with “why are you following me”, and a fight ensued. As they were fighting an unarmed Trayvon yelled “Help, Help, Help” as Zimmerman cocked his gun and shot Trayvon in an apparent struggle. What really stood out to me in this article is how Trayvon was pleading for Zimmerman, a 28 year old Florida resident to stop beating him up. Another thing that stood out to me was that Trayvon was only 17 years old. I wondered to myself why a 28 year old followed and beat up a 17-year-old boy. Some say Zimmerman a Hispanic was racist against African Americans leading to the question did Zimmerman purposely shoot and kill Trayvon because he was black? This article relates to class because it talks about the racism side of the crime. It underlines the point that some people would speculate that Zimmerman killed him because Zimmerman was a racist and Zimmerman didn’t like black kids wandering around in his neighborhood. It also brings up the question of guns and gun control. Why does a 28 year old “neighborhood watchman” need a gun to protect a gated community? Isn’t that the security’s job at the gate? The main issue however is the racist side of things. Some say if Trayvon was white, he would still be alive today. I think this is accurate, from reading this article I would say that Zimmerman in fact was a racist and he may of shot Trayvon because he was black and made a biased opinion that because he was black he was a threat to his neighborhood, also known as racial profiling. I believe that Trayvon Martin was a victim of racial profiling the day he was murdered by George Zimmerman. The issues in this article refer to race. Trayvon, as I stated before is a black 17 year old male. In the overall scheme of things, black males around that age commit more crime than white males that age, but that doesn’t mean Trayvon can be looked at as a criminal before he’s even committed a crime. George Zimmerman racially profiled Trayvon Martin the day he was killed. I believe that because of Trayvon’s race, he was killed. Since he was black, I believe he was identified as a threat and eliminated. Many cops and other officials who have been commenting on this topic have made me feel under the impression that it didn’t matter that Trayvon was not armed, but more of the fact of what was he doing in a gated community where many white people live? Trayvon was most definitely labeled and killed because he was racially profiled. In my opinion, I believe this crime is pretty clear. I believe that George Zimmerman is guilty of killing an innocent 17 year old boy. I also believe that George Zimmerman is a racist and he should have his gun liscense revoked. I hope George Zimmerman goes to jail for a long time. And I especially don’t believe that he should get off this crime because he was defending himself. By looking at the statements people have made about George Zimmerman following him with his gun makes me feel that he planned on killing him. He knew there were no witnesses besides him and Trayvon and he could claim it was self-defense. Reading this article made me extremely upset because Trayvon was still so young and George Zimmerman took his life at such a young age. I don’t think that a 17 year old boy who was unarmed could take over a man who was 28 years old with a gun. To me, this sounds odd. From everything I’ve learned in class, I have learned that everyone racially profiles and even though some people claim they don’t, everyone does because it is part of our human nature. I have learned a lot from class and this article helped me understand that some people are extremely racist and would even kill and lie to cover it up. I believe that George Zimmerman is a guilty man and that Trayvon died for no reason. Trayvon also had no weapons on him in whom he couldn’t defend himself while Zimmerman was armed with a gun and a mindset believing Trayvon was a threat to himself and the community.