Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Justice for Trayvon?

Trayvon Martin was a 17 year old boy who was visiting his father and his stepmother's house in Sanford, Florida. He was watching the NBA all star game and he decided to go to the convenience store for some candy. On that night, February 26, he was shot to death by the neighborhood watch captain. George Zimmerman was the shooter, a 28 year old man who claims he shot the boy in self defense. Zimmerman was a white man who thought Trayvon(who was black) was suspicious and he called 911. The police chief Bill Lee, said that the 911 dispatcher advised Zimmerman not to approach the boy. The police arrived, and Trayvon was dead.He was shot in the chest. The only items they found on him were a bag of skittles, some cash and an ice tea. This case is controversial because Zimmerman has not been charged with anything. This tragedy occurred on February 26. The Martin family is devastated and they want the 911 calls to be released. The police will not release the calls until the investigation is complete. Many believe that Trayvon was targeted as being "suspicious" because he was a young black man in a gated community. There are a lot of unanswered questions. What was Trayvon doing that made Zimmerman call 911 on him? What did Trayvon do for Zimmerman to shoot him? Why hasn't Zimmerman been charged yet with anything? I don't know if this is a racial profiling case but I know that I have been targeted many times in my neighborhood for absolutely no reason. I have had one of my neighbors tell me and my group of friends to "go back to where you came from" when I lived in the same neighborhood as he did. This man was also a police officer and he threatened to call the cops on us for being too loud. This story is very sad because it reminds me of what I have been through living in a white neighborhood. I hope a full investigation happens and hopefully they can get to the bottom of this. It is a shame that a 17 year old boy is now dead for apparently no reason at all. http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/12/justice/florida-teen-shot/?hpt=hp_t2