Daquon TaylorProffessor KumarEnglish 1015/15/18 Essay So on the concept of racism, it’s pretty apparent that times change, eras come and go, while others remain the same. Hate crime specifically, has always been in discussion when considering the races of black or white.
Dead or alive, the actions and events between people always has a cause or underlying motive. In particular, I’m discussing the Trevon Martin incident, the news coverage on the topic, and what really happened in my eyes. On February 26, during halftime of the NBA All-Star game, the 17-year-old high school junior went to a nearby store in the Orlando suburb where he was visiting his father and stepmother in order to buy some candy for his younger brother. He came back home to his family as a dead corpse. The facts state who the killer was, so that’s not the question.
But rather, why George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old college student who had appointed himself captain of the neighborhood watch for the Retreat at Twin Lakes gated community, proceeded to shoot Martin with a 9mm handgun. Zimmerman spotted Martin and followed him in his car before placing a 911 call to report a “suspicious” person in the area. “This guy looks like he’s up to no good, or he’s on drugs or something,” is what Zimmerman told the emergency operator. He also stated that “He’s just staring, looking at all the houses.” Now what happened in approximately twenty minutes between the time this call took place and when Zimmerman fired the shot that killed Martin is disputed, although recordings of the 911 call provide chilling hints.
One thing that’s for sure is that this caused a lot of controversy, especially since Zimmerman claimed he shot the young man in self-defense, and was enough for the police to let him go.
