On February 26th, 2012, a gunshot was heard in Sanford, Florida at about 7 P.M. The result was the death of a seventeen year old African American male, by the name of Trayvon Martin. The person who killed Martin, George Zimmerman, immediately admitted that he killed Mr. Martin, but out of self-defense. This was directed toward Officer Timothy Smith, of the Sanford police department, who took notes of the case, but did not decide to arrest Zimmerman. At that time, the case seemed to be over and it was not mentioned for over a week. However, this all changed when Martin’s parents called national attention to the shooting of their son.When the incident went public, there was an enormous outrage among citizens, and while Trayvon was sympathized, Zimmerman was harshly criticized. A vast amount of people established a petition that stated that the state should put Zimmerman on trial for manslaughter, and the state of Florida approved the decision. Because of the public support, Trayvon Martin’s case has been unfairly prejudiced against George Zimmerman. The idea of Zimmerman being convicted of manslaughter is unjust because of the lack of evidence, the unfair media articles, and the Florida state law at the time of the shooting.
The prosecution in favor of convicting Mr. Zimmerman has to deal with a serious flaw in evidence, because there is not enough information or witnesses to charge the accused offender in this case. In the American Constitution, the 14th Amendment clearly states that every citizen has a right to due process. Due process states that any person that is currently residing in the America has a right to remain innocent until proven guilty. Therefore, Mr. Zimmerman is currently a free man with no legal wrongdoing whatsoever. The evidence that has been stated in order to charge Mr. George Zimmerman is extremely miniscule. There are two phone calls that do not suggest much information. One was a call to the police that Zimmerman made himself. The other was recorded on Trayvon Martin’s phone. Both conversations stated that Zimmerman was following Martin but did not involve any evidence of the actual shooting. It was the process that led up to the shooting, and one cannot conclude a case involving a person’s life with this feeble amount of evidence.
Secondly, the public view of Zimmerman being guilty is largely because of how the media portrayed the case in Martin’s favor. Influential individuals and groups largely supported Trayvon Martin regarding his death. The public thus followed the opinion of the famous celebrity and it largely impacted their point of view about the case. For example, the Miami Heat is considered one of the most popular organizations in the nation. The team’s superstars, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, both openly encouraged the nation to support Trayvon Martin. They wrote quotes such as “ R.I.P Trayvon Martin” and the Heat also took a picture of themselves all wearing hooded sweatshirts. This was because a sweatshirt was the clothing apparel that Martin was wearing at the time of his death. Also, the public hatred toward George Zimmerman is similar to a mob as it is nearly the entire population of America against one individual. This is largely similar to the trial that occurred in the famous novel To Kill A Mockingbird. In the incredible book an African American man is charged with rape without any evidence merely because he was not a caucasian. While this seems outrageous in today’s society, this was how the South operated in the 1930s. If one were to view our actions toward George Zimmerman in a setting that took place eighty years later, he or she would likely say that the case was drastically similar. While people think that discrimination against certain individuals have disappeared, this is completely foolish as a case occurring presently is completely contradicting their belief.
Finally, along with the due process law, the state of Florida possesses a law that allows for individuals to use deadly force when he or she is threatened. This is called the Stand-Your-Ground law. This law is highly controversial right now and may be changed, but at the time of the Trayvon Martin shooting, this was the rule that the Florida Constitution had in place. Immediately after the incident, evidence was shown that George Zimmerman had bruises across his back and arms, suggesting that there was a conflict or even a possible assault against Zimmerman by Martin. Under this thought, Zimmerman is completely innocent as the Stand-Your-Ground law comes into effect. (www.leg.state.fl.us). Because of the Florida State law, along with the American Bill of Rights, George Zimmerman is undoubtedly innocent of any crime.
George Zimmerman has been unfairly criticized by the public because of mass media bloatings that have been tremendously biased toward Zimmerman. Also, although the public apparently thinks that Zimmerman is guilty for assaulting Martin, his actions were completely legal by both state and federal laws. The Stand-Your-Ground law ensures that Zimmerman shooting Martin was actually within the state laws. Plus, the due process right that citizens are guaranteed by the American Constitution makes Mr. George Zimmerman innocent until proven guilty. The lack of evidence guarantees that Mr. Zimmerman has been unfairly treated by both the public and government, and should therefore not be convicted and be given an apology by the government.