Name: Ju-An Lee

Class: 9H
Date: March 20, 14
Trayvon Martin: Whos to blame?

Last year, on the fateful day of July 13
th
; justice, humanity and ones beloved nation
failed a 17-year old boy. Trayvon Martins case is by no means, new or unknown. On
February 26
th
, Martin was shot to death by 28-year old, George Zimmerman, during a
struggle that never should have happened. There is no doubt that Trayvon Martins trial and
death was unfairly conducted because of racial injustice.

Those who opposed that the death and trial was about racial injustice argue that the
tragic death of Trayvon Martin should be blamed on his behavior. They believe that his
behavior is what led him to his death. According to Miami-Dade country school, Martins
high school, he was known for disciplinary issues that landed him in suspension three times.
School reports show that he was suspended for tardiness, possession of drug paraphernalia
and vandalism. Martins behavior throughout high school was an indication that this was
bound to happen. As a result, they argue that this would have happened either way because
he was already associated with events that could lead him to trouble with the law at an early
age.

Despite all of this, it is clear that the information that the opposing side argued with is
not valid, because Martins behavior has little to no relation to the event that happened on
February 26, 2012. The real reason why Martins trial and death was unjust was because of
an issue that we as a community stay away from, racial injustice.

The assumption that Martin was suspicious, based solely on his racial background
was one of the main contributing factors that led to the tragic death of Trayvon Martin. On
the fateful night where a neighborhood watch volunteer decided to take the law into his
hands, Zimmerman dialed 911 saying that there was a (expletive) punk who looks like
hes up to no good. Zimmerman was instructed by a 911 dispatcher not to follow Martin,
which Zimmerman agreed to.

However, minutes later Zimmerman pursued then confronted and then later on
murdered the unarmed 17 years old. Zimmerman profiled Martin, thinking that all African-
Americans were guilty until proven innocent and dangerous. Additionally, by profiling
Martin, Zimmerman was stereotyping Martin into what society believes how an African-
American talks, acts and should look like. Zimmerman deemed Martin dangerous saying that
These [expletive] always get away. Furthermore, Police Establishment warned the African-
American community not to riot, again assuming that African-Americans were aggressive.
Immediately stereotyping African-Americans without thinking was what led Martin to his
death eventually leading to marches all over the country and protests against Zimmermans
not guilty status. If Zimmerman followed the orders an innocent teenager wouldnt have
died, leaving behind his parents and the nation heartbroken.

Martins trial was judged unfairly because he was African-American. According to
CNN, the six women juries who were all white besides one Latina found Zimmerman not
guilty. Although, the jurors made calculated decisions, spending more than 16 hours overall
for the trial, the trial itself along with several other factors made the verdict very
questionable. Having five white and one Latina jury was unjust because Zimmerman, who is
Name: Ju-An Lee
Class: 9H
Date: March 20, 14
half white and half Hispanic, had an advantage. Even though laws were made so that
everyone of any race has equal rights, society has still not changed.

Although the police look for is evidence this time the police led a very investigation.
The police did not question or take Zimmerman into custody after he told them he killed
Martin. They also did not check whether or not he took alcohol or drugs. When there was a
national outcry for Martins death, police and FBI finally conducted a proper investigation
for forensic evidence and took Zimmerman into custody. This shows the difference of how
different authority figures treat each case depending on the victims race. The outcome of the
trial would have changed drastically if both sides were white or if Zimmerman had darker
skin. If Zimmerman had darker skin this case would never have made it to court while if both
were white then the trial would have proceeded more carefully. Martins trial shows the
distinction of how the difference in race affects the case. The fact that a trial can change
based on your race shows discrimination and the unsolved issues regarding race in todays
society.

Clearly the death and trial of Trayvon Martin was unjustly executed due to racial
injustice. We can help prevent this by changing the way we think, not stereotyping people
based on their race and changing our attitude. Furthermore, we can help by trying to change
the unjust laws like the stand your ground law, which turned the guilty to not guilty. Together
people of any race dont need to be afraid of walking late at night and getting killed, an unfair
trial and live a life full of fear and anger.

MLA Citation

Foreman, Tom. "Analysis: The race factor in George Zimmerman's trial." CNN. Cable News
Network, 15 July 2013. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
<http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/14/justice/zimmerman-race-factor/>.

"Trayvon Martin shooting: All-woman jury selected for George Zimmerman trial ." NY Daily
News. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2014. <http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/all-
woman-jury-selected-trayvon-martin-slay-trial-article-1.1378193>.

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