Trayvon Martin, Research Paper Example

The shooting of Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old boy of African American by George Zimmerman, a 28 year old neighborhood watch coordinator of Hispanic bi-racial origin is by no means an ordinary death. The media coverage that has been accorded the case has elicited the issue of racial relationships in the American society. On the night of the shooting, Trayvon was visiting his father’s fiancée when he was shot by Zimmerman in the chest from close range.

The American society has a bitter racial history spanning many centuries where the blacks have always been discriminated by the white majority (Marger, 2011). Starting from the slave trade to slavery in plantations, people of African origin have always been disadvantaged in the American society despite the banning of racial bias in the 1960s.

Although there has been a commendable improvement in racial relationships in America to the point where a black President has been elected to the White House, Africans have been at the receiving end in many attacks that are related to racial bias. According to US Human Rights Network, a sizeable population of the American community still nurse discrimination against other races. Discrimination against Muslims, Latinos and especially African Americans is still ripe in every sphere of American life (Marger, 2011).

Some of the most recent cases that indicate that there are rising cases of racial profiling in the US are the shooting of Anthony Hill in Newberry County, South Carolina. He had a gun shot wound in the head and was tied and dragged some miles by a white person in June 2011. In Beaumont, a young woman was beaten and hooked to the back of a truck and also dragged. James Byrd Jr, was murdered in 1998, in Jasper Texas by being chained to the back of truck and facing the same fate like that of the woman. These cases and the most recent of Trayvon seem to be attached to the presence of a black man in the White House and his eminent re-election.

This case of Trayvon has deep implications for law enforcement in America. Over the years, law enforcement agencies have been accused of being racially biased when responding and handling cases that have racial implication or attacks that seem to be motivated by racial bias (Johnson, 2012). The events after the shooting of Martin shows the magnitude of racial bias that still exist in America, which the police should take seriously. Hundreds of protesters demonstrated in New York City in a protest dubbed “Million Hoodie March” to agitate for justice in the Trayvon case.

Conservative media houses have tried to portray martin negative. The most extreme is the offer of $10,000 by an affiliate group of the Black Panthers for the capture of Zimmerman alive. President Obama has also publicly demanded that Americans should accord the case the seriousness it deserved. 2.2 million People have signed the petition started by Trayvon’s mother called the change.org, while a poll by Pew Research shows that, 30% of the Americans claim that the story is the hottest at the moment and are following it closely (Gutman, 2012).

Sanford police have received criticism for not taking the step of arresting Zimmerman because of racial bias. Other allegations were that Zimmerman is receiving protection by the police (Johnson, 2012). The vote of no confidence by the Sanford City Commission on police Chief Bill Lee led to his resignation. In an affidavit by the special prosecutor which shows the likely cause, it shows that Zimmerman referred to “punks” and not “coons”, which according to the Associated press is A racially charged term which contributed to the police reneging on arresting Zimmerman at first (Stutzman, 2012).

Other aspects of law enforcement have been revealed by this case and requires urgent attention to prevent occurrence of such cases in the future. One of the legislations that need amendment is the “stand your grounds” laws by the state of Florida. This law allows an individual to use deadly force before retreating when there is sufficient proof that there is a likelihood of death or grievous body injury. In other states, this law only applies to homesteads, but in the case of Florida, it covers automobiles and public zones (Stutzman, 2012). Zimmerman has defended himself by alleging that Trayvon attacked him, and in the cause of self defense he shot him. Sponsors of the law argue that it does not give an individual the right to make a confrontation, which Zimmerman did when he made a call to 911 saying that he was following a suspicious character. Such laws which are controversial should be amended to avoid being used as a cover up for racial attacks.

Another aspect of legislation is the gun holding laws. Florida is one of the states that have limited regulation of gun ownership. This breeds a viable ground for abuse of such privileges. The laws governing gun holding should be amended to remove the possibility of abuse by individuals like George Zimmerman. Most of the racial attacks have a relationship to the use of guns, which in most cases are in the wrong hands.

References

Gutman, M. “Trayvon Martin case timeline of events”. ABC News. Retrieved March 31, 2012.

Johnson, M. A (March 28, 2012). “Witness’ mom says police told her Trayvon Martin shooting wasn’t self-defense”. msnbc.com. Retrieved April 2, 2012.

Marger, N. (2011). Race and Ethnic Relations: American and Global Perspectives. New York. Cengage Learning

Stutzman, R. “Trayvon Martin case: facts vs. rumors”. orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved 19 April 2012.