Trayvon Martin, Hoodies, Self-Defense, and the Failure of Our Justice System Through the Media
Everyone at this point has probably heard the story about Trayvon Martin being shot to death by George Zimmerman. If you haven’t….well you should check the news more often. Since everyone knows the story so far, I will only focus on certain aspects that have been given to us via mainstream media networks.
Lets start with Trayvon Martin. For a while all that was told was the he was 17, African-American, wearing a hoodie, and walking back to his house carrying an iced tea and a bag of skittles during the intermission of the NBA All Star game. Then last week we are told that he also had been on his cell phone with his girlfriend who has remained anonymous….for now. Where her account is Trayvon knew he was being followed and she said he should run but he said he wasn’t going to. Now revealing all this is very important and RELEVANT to the case. Now again a couple days ago it was released that Trayvon had been suspended from school that day for having an empty bag of marijuana in his back pack, and as I just discovered, a year ago he was caught spray painting a wall at his school. All right so he was your average teen. Going through the rebel stage of life, how many of you tried marijuana in high school? Guarantee its more than 80% tried it at least once. Now realize this, for the case being investigated, those facts are IRRELEVANT! The media saw it fit to dig this up, and now Craig Sonner (George Zimmerman’s lawyer) says that since he was obviously not a perfect child, he was looking suspicious. Regardless of what Trayvon did before that night that does not affect or should be used or revealed to the public. Regardless of what he did, it is not a part of the investigation, yet it is. Why is that? Because the media is giving the trial before any arrests have been made.
The hoodie that made him look suspicious? George Zimmerman, who had been arrested twice previously (one for assault on a police officer, the other for domestic abuse) and by taking plea deals was able to carry a gun. Since when are hoodies grounds for being suspicious? Its night, even in florida it can get a bit chilly at night. So a hoodie is what makes him suspicious? Now that is what the media has said and what George Zimmerman has claimed. Did it have anything to do with the fact he was black, and in a gated community predominantly white? The media has avoided saying that DIRECTLY, but its obviously what most people think. For some reason even in this day and age, blacks are still regarded as more suspicious, more likely to do drugs, more likely to etc. Include any stereotype to that. So the claim that it was the hoodie that made him suspicious to me is bull and how someone dresses isn’t grounds to follow them or call the police on them. No lets say what everyone is thinking, its because Trayvon was black in a gated community.
Self-Defense, lets really look at this situation. George Zimmerman was on the phone with a police dispatcher saying he was following Trayvon and then was told NOT to continue following him. So not only does Zimmerman continue to follow him, he approaches Trayvon, where, remember Trayvon was already on edge about the man following him. So to be approached suddenly, and realize he has a gun on him, I would probably start throwing punches as well. According to the police report and supposed injuries that Zimmerman accrued during their supposed fight.
So if anyone in the world can explain to me how initiating contact, while armed, outwieghing the other person by 40 pounds, obviously bigger, and been told by police not to follow the suspicious person. Then the person YOU FOLLOWED is suddenly dead. HOW IS IT SELF DEFENSE FOR YOU?????
Not only that but surveillance video released today show that Zimmerman had NO injuries as he claimed when he was brought in for questioning before being released later that night.
Now the failure of the investigation, is obviously for the Sanford, Florida Police Department. Yet that is not where our justice system has failed. It has failed courtesy of the media. The media by releasing irrelevant facts about Trayvon. The suspension was not relevant at all to the investigation. Yet they had to bring it up.
“Well how is George Zimmermans criminal record relevant then? ” A valid question.
But someone who has a violent history on record, that becomes relevant. When they got released from two assault cases and now possibly a homicide case. It plays a factor into his own possibly way of acting. Hence why they keep those records.
Now I understand the media needs to be where the news is, and this is the hot topic at the moment. But by doing this they are taking away George Zimmermans right to a fair trial. As no matter where he goes for a trial, as I am confident it will. And if it doesn’t. I can almost guarantee some type of vigilante justice on him either way. I understand reporting developments in where the investigation goes. But not to release everything as they find it. It allows us to pre-judge and takes away his right to a fair trial. Where now, I am sure when he goes to trial he will be convicted as guilty to premeditated murder. The media took away his trial, he has already had his trial, and been judged by the public. All it takes is a real court for it. Which will be coming soon is my guess.
My own personal opinion, please keep in mind that this is just MY opinion. George Zimmerman was looking for a fight that night. From the recorded call to the police station where he is told not to follow, and states “These assholes always get away”. To me he judged Trayvon as suspicious because he was black, after being told not to follow him, he decided to take the law in his own hands. He became the judge, the jury, and the executioner. He went looking for the fight and therefore his self defense claim is garbage. I believe if he is not convicted by the court system, he will face retribution in another form of vigilante justice taken out on him by outraged people. It is a tragedy Trayvon Martins life ended how it did at so young. But George Zimmerman is responsible for it, and he made the plan to do so I believe from the moment he was told not to follow. He knew he had the gun, size, and chose to initiate the whole process. That is why I feel he should face prison time. His lawyer has been jet setting to talk shows, and walked out on Laurence O’Donnell, instead of getting a defense set for his own client. To me that is wrong either way where he should be with his client. Not on the today show! Clearly George Zimmerman will face justice, whether through the courts, or through batman-esque vigilantism. His days as a free man are numbered. And he brought it on himself.
