Free Essay: Trayvon Martin. George Zimmerman Case

The US has made significant improvements and evolution following the case of Trayvon Martin. The legal system in the country fails to offer justice for all individuals truly. The justice system is seen to have failed mainly due to the incidences of racial profiling. For instance, Trayvon Martin was a 17-year-old African American who was shot by a white male known as George Zimmerman. Zimmerman was a Hispanic male aged 28 years and a neighborhood watchman. Trayvon did not receive justice since there were numerous failures in the trial of George Zimmerman. The trail did not show anything that would be termed as objective truth regarding the events that took place before the killing occurred.

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George Zimmerman did not deny the shooting of Trayvon Martin, although he argued that the decisions were based on self-defense. The jury hearing his case rendered a verdict that he was not guilty in the death of the teenager (Spartnburg Community College). The jury was presented with three choices to make, including finding Zimmerman guilt if a lesser manslaughter charge, establishing his guilty of second-degree murder, or establishing that he was not guilty.

The arguments here do not dispute the verdict retendered by the jury since it was served depending on the presented evidence and the Florida governing laws. Typically, trails involving crime take place in a law setting and not based on justice. Therefore, citizens comprising the jury are allowed to objectively utilize the specific and explicit laws during an alleged crime against a defendant. The justice system in the US and Florida values citizen’s rights over the power of government. As a result, prosecutors involved in criminal trails are compelled to provide proof of a crime and guilt of a defendant, which should happen outside of any reasonable doubt (Bell). It is common that prosecutors potentially hold off the prosecution of an individual in the absence of probable cause standard to ensure they prevent government power abuses against its citizens. It can thus be deduced that citizens will agree with the standards. The results provided by the justice system may not fulfill the justice principle, although it typically meets the law principles.

The trial in Zimmerman's case lacks the justice aspect as there is a lack of sufficient objective evidence concerning the exact occurrences during the deadly confrontation that happened in Sanford, Fla. The notion stoked by the defense team on George Zimmerman’s favor provoked the perception that justice was not served (Yancy et al.). They argued in the hours following the verdict that the defendant was not to be blamed. The shooting aftermath saw racisms tides unfold angst Zimmerman, but it is difficult to tell that he would never be charged if he were black.

Racial discrimination has been a heated debate and a concern among the African Americans where the young men have experienced numerous suffering. The environment represents an anti-black world where black persons face sufferings such as killings, especially from the white population. The defense team of Mr. Zimmerman failed to explicitly call on stand your ground while rendering the defense; doing so would have potentially undermined the defense attorney’s argument that Mr. Martin pinned the defendant to the ground and tried to reach the weapon when the deadly shot occurred. If Zimmerman was the deceased as a result of the incident, a stern regarding standing your ground would likely propose that Trayvon Martin would not have been pronounced guilty of any crime. Therefore, the law makes the justice notion in the system appear irrelevant.

The defense attorney in favor of Mr. Zimmerman state that the defendant did not have a historical record of racism practices and that he applied epithets and profanity rather than racial statements to describe Trayvon Martin to the 911 operator (Spartnburg Community College). However, it can be noted that something must have compelled Zimmerman to make his decisions since there was a lack of evidence that Mr. Martin appeared or behaved troublesomely. It remains a concern why he could not wait for the arrival of police officers. The argument that Martin was a black teenager and that if he was a white teen, it is likely that Zimmerman would not have made the quick deductions. It is seen in American society that a black youth is perceived as suspicious. The defense team in favor of Zimmerman can be said to have furthered the perception that a black youth remains dangerous and always armed even when holding suspicious.

The case may also be seen to include race factors based on public perception. A neighborhood watch killed the black youth while the investigation from police is perceived as shoddy. On the other hand, the prosecutors put on a bumbling case, and the jury comprising of all white members renders a verdict that Zimmerman was free. The case process events depict a situation where justice is not likely to be offered, especially when it involves a race issue (Yancy et al.).

The actions of Zimmerman to apprehend Martin raised concerns and perception that the verdict given by the jury that he was not guilty. It was clear that Martin was unarmed, and the confrontation involved a neighborhood watchman who was armed. Therefore, the concerns over the motive of jumping into conclusions and shoot Martin involve some of the reasons why justice was not served in the ruling. The decision to shoot Martin is perceived as among the continued injustices targeted on black Americans in the legal systems of the US. It is from the feeling that a less detailed investigation led to a lack of proper verdict in favor of the deceased. The increased cries for the Department of Justice in the country to conduct a thorough investigation of the issue showed the extent of injustices in the verdict outcome (Yancy et al.). A trial is usually conducted on the basis of the law, but it must be acknowledged that the law only contributed to increased chances to exercise injustice on others.

The seventeen-year-old could also be argued that justice was not in his favor even after he was confronted by an older vigilante and dies on the incident. Martin should not have died if Zimmerman had decided to listen and wat the 911 dispatcher when he had called to report the presence of a suspicious individual. Zimmerman would have stayed in his car and give the police an opportunity to implement their role. If it happened in such a manner, Martin would be alive (Yancy et al.). Therefore, I believe George Zimmerman should bear moral culpability as a result of Martin’s death.

Conclusion

The verdict given by the jury should not provide a space of comfort or security. It only leaves one with security based on the laws applied. In contrast, it should seem trouble for many people. The injustice that happened on the killing of Martin did not come from a perception that the jury was offered a weak case. Generally, the country and state of Florida authored the injustice. The death of Martin's policy depicted how the American policy placed black Americans outside law confines. The verdict to declare Zimmerman only represented the many cases that would happen in the country. The killing is a representation of American injustice.

Works Cited:

Bell, Jeannine. "Criminal Law." American Governance, edited by Stephen Schechter, et al., vol. 1, Macmillan Reference USA, 2016, pp. 418-423. Gale In Context: U.S. History, https://link-gale com.ezproxy.sccsc.edu/apps/doc/CX3629100168/UHIC?u=spartechcl&sid=UHIC&xid=fdc07ce1. Accessed 13 Sept. 2020.

Spartnburg Community College. "George Zimmerman Found Not Guilty of Murder of Trayvon Martin, July 13, 2013." Historic U.S. Events, Gale, 2015. Gale In Context: U.S. History, https://link-galecom.ezproxy.sccsc.edu/apps/doc/BT2359039949/UHIC?u=spartechcl&sid=UHIC&id=52efd12. Accessed 12 Sept. 2020.

Spartnburg Community College. "Trayvon Martin." Contemporary Black Biography, vol. 105, Gale, 2013. Gale In Context: U.S. History. https://link-gale com.ezproxy.sccsc.edu/apps/doc/K1606005816/UHIC?u=spartechcl&sid=UHIC&xid=4fa0e618. Accessed 13 Sept. 2020.

Yancy, George, et al. "Interpretative profiles on Charles Johnson's reflections on Trayvon Martin: a dialogue between George Yancy, E. Ethelbert Miller, and Charles Johnson." The Western Journal of Black Studies, vol. 38, no. 1, 2014, p. 1+. Gale In Context: U.S. History, https://link-gale .com.ezproxy.sccsc.edu/apps/doc/A384542799/UHIC?u=spartechcl&sid=UHIC&xid=cc8f2485. Accessed 11 Sept. 2020.