The Demonization of Trayvon Martin

CORDERO SLASH | STAFF WRITER

This week marked the one month anniversary of the the now famed Trayvon Martin shooting and nothing seems to be abating as far as the national coverage and continued outrage is concerned. There have been huge rallies all over the country including those in Raleigh, Miami, Atlanta, LA, and in Sanford FL where the shooting actually took place. President Obama has even weighed in on the situation to the outrage of two out of the four Republican candidates saying: “if I had a son he would look like Trayvon”, which many were thoroughly moved by.

With the national awareness of this case and its implications for the Black community the massive rallies and big name people involved in the debate are not surprising, but what is interesting is the insensitive and audacious attempts by Zimmerman, his lawyer and the Sanford police department at making an all-American 17 year old victim out to be just another common street thug. Another interesting point about these attempts to assassinate Martin’s character is that at least one of the points they are using against him is irrelevant when it comes to trying to defend Zimmerman’s actions on the night of Martin’s murder.

Trayvon Martin was on suspension from school on the night that he was killed by Zimmerman because an official found traces of marijuana in a plastic baggie located in Martin’s book bag. He has also been suspended on two other occasions, one for missing school or being late and the other for allegedly writing obscene language on a school locker.

Though this is not something that would have any implications on why Martin was murdered or why he potentially “attacked” Zimmerman it was nevertheless leaked in an attempt to hurt Martin’s reputation. Furthermore, this type of information is supposed to be highly classified. This point makes the Martin family lawyers think that the information was leaked by the officers at the Sanford police department in order to give justification for why they did not do their job, and released Zimmerman at his word that his murder of Trayvon was in self defense. In any case, even if Martin had experimented with marijuana does it give merit for the Sanford police unjustifiably performing a drug test on him after his murder without giving his killer a second thought in terms of potential drug or alcohol use?

The statement given by Zimmerman to the Sanford police also raises relevant questions about the competence of the Sanford police department and about the truth behind the events that occurred the night of Trayvon’s murder. It is reported that Zimmerman told the Sanford police department that young Martin confronted and attacked him as he was returning to his vehicle that night. After words were exchanged Zimmerman states that Martin punched him, broke his nose and afterwards started to bang his head on the neighborhood sidewalk. It seems unlikely that Martin would have been able to do so based on the fact that he has no history of violence, no criminal record as well as no reason to approach Zimmerman and instigate this type of act.

It is not surprise at all that a statement like this was given by the killer because it gives him some justification in the shooting of Martin through the Florida stand your ground law, but what I am astonished by is the lack of evidence to argue Zimmerman’s point. Where are the photographs that show Zimmerman’s broken nose or bloodied, grass-stained clothes? Where are the actual garments he wore that night or the hospital records confirming his story?

These blatant attempts at demonizing Martin may make the case for why Zimmerman would have chosen to murder him in his opinion, but in many others it seems he is falsely accusing Martin in order to cover up the killing of an innocent boy who performed no other criminal act than walking while black; and will not be inclined to think otherwise until the incriminating evidence is presented in its entirety. The hearing for this murder is scheduled for April 10th.