This Could’ve Been You
Imagine leaving your house and never returning back. Imagine being assaulted and killed by neighborhood watch, in an unfamiliar area to you. Is that how the gated communities keep down the crime? Killing young innocent teenagers, does that set the tone for any future crimes? When it’s raining outside, do you wear a hood on your head too if be available? Imagine being profiled as a burglar or on drugs because of this hood you had on in the rain. When you look in the mirror every morning, do you think to yourself, I hope I don’t die today? Trayvon Martin was a 17 year old boy that left his father’s house on June 26, 2012 and never had the opportunity to return back home. Trayvon Martin was killed on the way home by a stalking neighborhood watch, to him was an unidentified man.
Trayvon Martin was shot in the heart by neighborhood watch George Zimmerman. This shooting occurred after Zimmerman ran down an unarmed Trayvon Martin and instigated an altercation, while never identifying himself as neighborhood watch. In the autopsy of Trayvon Martin there shows an ample amount of bodily harm that occurred before the finishing shooting. A trial of a 6 woman jury ruled on July 13, 2013 that George Zimmerman was not guilty of the killing of Trayvon Martin based on the “Stand Your Ground” law. Below is a picture of Trayvon Martin dead on the crime scene the night of June 26, 2012.
I believe George Zimmerman should have been found guilty of the killing of Trayvon Martin. I believe this because the operator on the 911 call told Zimmerman to not pursue Trayvon. If George Zimmerman was the head of neighborhood watch, he should have had a more strategic approach to handling that situation, where there would have not resulted in a death. I believe that if Zimmerman had not profiled Martin from the beginning, the 17 year old boy would be alive today. These are the reasons I believe George Zimmerman should have been found guilty of the killing of Trayvon Martin. I believe Zimmerman was let off too easy and there was no justice served letting a killer walk among us as a free man.
There was a 911 call placed around 7:00pm to the Sanford Police Department from a concerned citizen of a gated community. “He we’ve had some break-ins in my neighborhood and there’s a suspicious guy walking around my complex. He appears to be on drugs. He’s a black man. He has his hands in his waistband, with a hood on his head. These assholes, they always get away.” This was the beginning of a fatal night for Trayvon Martin. It was raining this night which explains why he would have a hood on his head. He told the officers that he appeared to be on drugs, yet failed to explain how. During the 911 call, the operator asked Zimmerman was he following the suspect (Martin) and Zimmerman replied yes I’m getting in my truck now. The operator then told Zimmerman that following Martin was unnecessary and instructed him to stop.
A neighbor called 911 while this dispute took place and stated that she heard 2 gun shots and heard someone screaming help. This audio was leaked and you can actually hear a moan in the back tours screaming for help. In a situation dealing with the police, they have the best insight and safety plan in dangerous situations due to the fact this is their job. I believe when Zimmerman pursed Marin after being instructed to stop, fault lies solely in that particular situation. In an interview with Fox News, Zimmerman acknowledges the phone call with the 911 operator and states he “wouldn’t do anything differently.” He also goes on in the interview to say, “I believe this was something in Gods Will.” Trayvon Martin’s Father stated in an interview following Zimmerman’s with Fox News, “We must believe in a different God, my god is not justifying nor condoning killing a 17 year old child.”
Zimmerman claimed Martin “appeared to be on drugs” while speaking with the 911 operator. When a person appears to be on drugs, their physical appearance is normal, unless they are strung out. To the left there is a picture of Trayvon Martin. In this photo, I believe Martin appears to be a healthy hearty boy. There is no physical evidence in Martin’s appearance that would give anyone the conclusion that he’s on drugs. This is not including the fact that it was dark and raining on this night where Zimmerman could barely see him.
When Zimmerman stated Martin appeared to be on drugs, I do not believe this was an accurate statement. This was defiantly not a reason not a reason to open fire on a child. In the autopsy report for Trayvon Martin, there was evidence was of Marijuana in his system. I assume this made Zimmerman’s assumption sought out to be true. After this dispute Zimmerman refused to the medical attention that had arrived to the crime scene. This makes the public think, if he was so brutally harmed, why did he deny the medical attention?
A lot of things took place on the night of June 26, 2012 in the dispute between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin. No one knows exactly what happened on this night besides the two individuals involved. I believe since Trayvon Martin is now dead and is unable to tell his story; he needed people to fight for his justice. After a trial ruled by 6 women on the jury stand, George Zimmerman was acquitted of his charges of the killing of Trayvon Martin. I believe Zimmerman should have been guilty for the killing of Trayvon Martin. I believe the fact that Zimmerman was found not guilty makes it appear okay to the public to open fire on people when in an altercation. Trayvon Martin’s family fought hard for his justice, although it was not served, it made people aware of the things taking place in our world.
Works Cited
“Why Was Treyvon in That Gated Community?” Topix. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Aug. 2013. . GUTMAN, MATT, and SENI TIENABESO. “Trayvon Martin Neighborhood Watch Shooting: 911 Tapes Send Mom Crying From Room.” ABC News. ABC News Network, 16 Mar. 2012. Web. 06 Aug. 2013. . “Treyvon Martin’s Parents Shocked by Verdict in George Zimmerman Trial.” WFTS. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Aug. 2013. .
