When news broke regarding the death of Trayvon Martin, a teenager from Florida, the public was horrified. A neighborhood watch volunteer shot Martin on a rainy night, claiming he attacked because he felt he was in danger and had to defend him self. According to an article published in The New York Times yesterday, a grand jury is set to hear evidence pertinent to the case next month, in addition to an investigation being conducted by the Justice Department. This time last week, a petition boasting 500,000 signatures called for the volunteer in question, George Zimmerman, to be prosecuted for his crime.
The incident has drawn significant criticism to the “Stand Your Ground” law, which is especially vague with regard to self-defense. Approved in 2005, the law states that an individual is not required to retreat when in danger, and in many situations if one were to claim they acted in self-defense, they can be exempt from arrest. With such a public outcry surrounding the Martin case, a review of this law is definitely in order. While being permitted to defend your self in a threatening situation is necessary, holding no accountability for potentially destructive actions will only promote abuse of the law.
Another issue raised by the unfortunate incident is how the police handled the case. Zimmerman allegedly relayed information to police officers saying that he suspected Martin was “on drugs” and he was “just walking around, looking about.” When he emerged from his car toward Martin, an 911 operator warned Zimmerman against following the teenager. In addition to such an ambiguous law regarding self-defense, lenient gun laws in Florida have also contributed to a rise in such incidents.
Unfortunately, an innocent teenager lost his life because an overzealous neighborhood watch volunteer stereotyped him. Furthermore, an article published by the BBC yesterday detailed that police forces didn’t press charges against Zimmerman possibly because he wanted to become an officer himself. Such a blatant bias toward the man who killed an innocent boy will only hinder the judicial process, as well as tarnish the police force’s reputation for keeping its jurisdiction safe. This situation should serve as a warning that attention must be paid to existing laws and police force conduct; perhaps after such a review careless incidents like these won’t continue to frequent news headlines.
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