...February 6th, 2012, Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman while on his way home. This event sparked national outrage, as many believed Martin, a black teenager, was a victim of racial profiling. Months later, Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder, and thus began the case State of Florida v. George Zimmerman. This case made national headlines, and many were unhappy with its ruling. Ultimately, this case is incredibly significant due to what occurred, the laws involved, the evidence presented, the final verdict, and the case’s lasting impact. The circumstances of the crime are what made this crime and this case such a national headline. The victim, Trayvon Martin, was walking home after purchasing snacks from the local 7-Eleven when George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, saw him and became...
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...State of Florida v. George Zimmerman Abstract Our group chose to do the highly debatable case regarding George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin. Based on the various parts from group members, it would seem we have both sides of the case so there will be discussion from either point of view. Our paper is not going to sway the reader in either direction, but simply state the facts for each side and give an overview of the case from our perspective. Introduction Within the last year, our country has seen one of the most high-profile murder cases unfold. This case is none other than the State of Florida v. George Zimmerman, for the charges of second-degree murder of Trayvon Martin. It took the State roughly two weeks to file an affidavit that stated Zimmerman profiled and confronted Trayvon Martin then shot and killed him when Martin was doing nothing wrong (Colby, Hamacher, & Emmanuel, 2012). This case became a highly political case as well as a racially invoked case. There are always two sides to every case and with that being said, this case could be pulled very far in either direction based on any given individual’s beliefs. George Zimmerman entered a not guilty plea with “stand your ground” as his defense for the charges filed against him. This case did go to trial where 10 jurors, 6 main and 4 alternatives; all female. Background Information George Zimmerman was involved with his local neighborhood watch program. He frequently walked with his dog while doing his...
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...6, 2013 The Trayvon Martin case was primarily on the shooting of the teen. Martin unarmed was shot by Zimmerman who was also known for being well trained in martial arts and much larger than the teen appearing to Zimmerman to be involved with drugs. However, there was no proof of the drug relation, only a statement from Zimmerman. (Williams, 2013) His parent stated that was not something Trayvon was involved in and could not believe he would have the dugs on him or dealt with such a thing. (Kaufman, & Lindner, 2013) The trial was in the state of Florida where they allow a jury of as low as half in major criminal cases. (Williams, 2013) Martin being and African-American and Zimmerman a Hispanic man. The point of racial profiling. Impacts of public order. The trial was based upon the actions of a 28-year-old 200 pound, white man following 17 years old 158 pound, the black teenagers. Not to mention the fact the teen was stereotyped as a thug. As Zimmerman was a political figure. In 2006, a similar case was presented convicting John White for manslaughter; he did, however, own many weapons. (Williams, 2013) After an argument started Zimmerman went to reach a cell phone to call 911 and Martin took action as the appearance of Zimmerman was reaching for a gun. Zimmerman was punched in the nose, face, and head. Hitting his head into the concrete several times. Trayvon was killed from the shooting. His wound was in the back of his head. Zimmerman states the action he...
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...Heather Fontaine The topic that I have chosen for the subject of my debate paper is the trial of George Zimmerman. On February 26, 2012 a man that was unknown at the time was about to be the center of controversy when he shot and killed a 17 year old boy named Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida. The man in question George Zimmerman was a patrolman for the local neighborhood watch in his area. Trayvon Martin was visiting his father who lived in a gated community one of which is where the shooting occurred. That morning Zimmerman had noticed a male lingering in the neighborhood, he then called the non-emergency line to report this. While on the phone with the police the dispatcher informed Mr. Zimmerman not to follow the individual and that police were on their way. When the police arrived moments later they did not find a male lingering in the neighborhood what they had found was Trayvon Martin on the ground lifeless he had been shot in the chest. As the police walked the crime scene, the items that were found were a cell phone, ear buds, iced tea and a bag of skittles, no gun. The only person that was holding a gun was Mr. Zimmerman, this was to be the only gun found at the scene. This sparked outrage within the town, state and country. Mr. Zimmerman was charged with murder and arrested, he had non-life threatening injuries to his head which were treated. Mr. Zimmerman was questioned for many hours, after being questioned the police department released him due to...
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...In the case of of George Zimmerman nobody's exactly sure what to say occurred. Some argue that it was self defense. Some argue he was simply using his stand your ground right. Regardless of what people think there is still lots of controversy surrounding it all. Through this essay I will analyze how the actions of George Zimmerman compare to the actions of Hester in The Scarlet Letter by explaining exactly what happened on the night of February 26, 2012, the events of the trial that led to Zimmerman being free, and Zimmerman’s life after the trial. On the night of February 26, 2012 Trayvon Martin went into a 7-Eleven to buy some candy and a drink. He had the hood of his sweatshirt on when he entered the store. He paid the cashier and walked out with...
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...The jury is made up of 6 people, all of which are female. Eventually George Zimmerman is found to be non-guilty of second-degree murder and of manslaughter. He’s acquitted of all charges and is free to go on his merry way. After some time, one of the jurors does an interview detailing the process of finding George non-guilty. She said that in the heart of all the jurors, it was obvious that he should be found guilty. However, by the law of Florida, there was no way that they could convict him. It’s the sad truth, sometimes guilty people walk free because of a loophole in the...
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...young African American male named Trayvon Martin was gunned down. He was shot and killed by a Hispanic American name George Zimmerman. Trayvon was temporarily staying in a gated community where Zimmerman was the neighborhood watch coordinator. Zimmerman contacted the police because he believed in his mine that Trayvon looked suspicious because he walking between houses leisurely in the rain. After speaking with the police they advised Zimmerman that Trayvon had not been involved any reported criminal activity. A few minutes later while still being on the phone with dispatchers, a violent encounter between Zimmerman and Martin happened. He ended up being shot in the chest at close range. After Trayvon had been shot Zimmerman told police that he had been attacked. He had a bloody nose and two vertical lacerations on the back of the head. He was treated by paramedics then was taken to the Sanford Police Department. He was detained and questioned for about five hours and then was released with out being charged. On April 11, 2012 special prosecutors filed a charge of murder in the second degree against Zimmerman. . I think Zimmerman suffered from specific phobia because he was very suspicious of anyone the thought did not belong in the community where live. During the 18 months preceding the February 26 shooting he called the non-emergency police line seven times reporting suspicious looking men in the area. I believe that Zimmerman is a racist. As I follow this...
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...Trayvon Martin’s case Why do media always have to be racist in every news? Media tend to pay more attention to the news about African-American got murdered. In Trayvon Martin’s case, he was an African-American teenager who was shot by the neighborhood watch, George Zimmerman. The media described Zimmerman as ‘white Hispanic’ who shot a black boy without suggesting that he might did that to protect himself. So why do media keep calling Zimmerman as a ‘white Hispanic’? It is because they believe that sensationalism can attract more readers. Trayvon Martin was a 17-year-old high school boy who was shot after having an argument with the neighborhood watch, George Zimmerman. After the shot was fired, polices arrived and found Martin shot dead by Zimmerman. Zimmerman was taken to the police station for questioning but was released later due to lack of evidence. Zimmerman claimed that he shot Martin because he was self-defending from a violent young boy. After several weeks of protesters and misleading news, Zimmerman was soon charged with murder. The trial began on June 10, 2013 and on July 13 the jury released him. Two years later, the department of justice declared that there...
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...Trayvon Martin was only 17 years old, when he was gunned down and shot to death by George Zimmerman. Mr. Zimmerman at the time was the neighborhood watch on patrol for anything suspicious. He noticed a young African American male, now known as Trayvon Martin. He described Trayvon as a ‘thug’ walking alone with a hoodie over his head. Mr. Zimmerman then made a call to 911 dispatcher. He was concerned about an unknown male walking in a neighborhood he did not belong to. Despite being told several times to not follow the teen, Mr. Zimmerman ignored those warnings and continued to follow after the teen. At some point Trayvon and Mr. Zimmerman became physical with one another. At some point through the struggle, a gun was drawn shooting Trayvon Martin to death....
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...TRIALS AND VERDICTS Laura Caudle Introduction to Criminal Justice Professor Karina May 24, 2014 Trials and Verdicts The supreme court of Philippines blocked a move by the defendant to try and pay bail as well as to enter a plea bargain in which he could then buy his freedom and go free without getting a full sentence for his crimes. The defendant in this case was a senior general who had been charged with several graft cases and he is former military comptroller Major General Carlos Garcia. The Supreme Court was the best jurisdiction to take over this case because it has the highest authority to handle cases ion the entire nation of Philippines. As such, it has the ability to preside over cases involving highly influential people and large amounts of money, in which courts with lower authority could be easily corrupt. Moreover, judges in lower courts may be intimidated, or their authority undermined. In this case, the defendant faced charges against the government and as such, the government wanted stricter punishment for theMajor General Carlos Garcia so that he could serve as an example to the rest of the nation for involving in such atrocious crime. According to the Court, the Major General was accused with squandering money from the government during his term in office as the top finance official. During this time, the accused is said to have stolen an a sum of money not less than three hundred million pesos, which is equivalent to $6.99 million, and which...
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...old you are, what you do etc. crime is so prevalent in our society today due to our economy’s constant decline. The media has influenced my fear of crime to the extent where I fear being kidnapped (a lot of this keeps happening in Jamaica). In the society, justice is based on what race, class and where you live, play’s a role in whether or not you will receive justice. The media portrayed the case involving Trayvon Martin for months with the perpetrator George Zimmerman getting off. To me this is a case of injustice based on what the news media portrayed, because trayvon martin was black and wearing a hoody, he was stereotyped as a burglary. I expected that the accused would get off as he is a white man and trayvon is black, and he feared for his life (sarcasm). I perceive that the all the races besides white people are considered dangerous, much has been made of the racial issues of the Zimmerman murder trial. And while many Zimmerman supporters claim that race has nothing to do with it; many of them spew hatred and bigotry in their tirades. we see some people protest against Zimmerman, we see protestors who acknowledge the lack of equity for young men of color in the justice system that come in a variety of races and ethnicities and we see people who are so set on being racist they close their eyes to what’s right there in front of them. I believe that racism has never left us; it's only been largely quiet for many years....
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...supposed to report facts and remain bias so the public is receiving factual information and not information formed by opinions. While reporters do report facts and information they are given, they also report interviews of witnesses, who will give their personal opinion, which is hearsay. The case of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman, in Florida, has been taking over the media. From the time of the crime, all through the jury selection and the trial, every aspect of our media has been taken over by this case. Zimmerman was accused of murdering Trayvon Martin, a teenager, during a patrol of a neighborhood watch. While the media outlets were providing the facts they were given, they were not reporting all of the facts. Not all were accurate, and a lot of the information that was being reported was based on what other people thought, or the opinions of others. During the trial, new information was given while some information that had been reported at an earlier date was left out. The media reporters are reporting what they are given, but at the same time on shows such as CNN, there are several people, normally other journalists, that are giving their own personal opinions on the case. These shows are aired live, on national television; this gives the public factual information but also the opinions of these reporters, which can cause problems in allowing someone to base information strictly on facts. What people must do is take the information they are given and do their...
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...thought of racial or other form of inequality, not to be mixed up with discrimination, which is the action, or practice, of inequality based on prejudice.However that doesn't justify the victimization of innocent individuals who have ended up dead or in jail due to this stereotypical view. Therefore there is a need to constantly educate people about how detrimental these stereotypes are to the community is very important. this paper intend to discuss the current crisis in Ferguson which stemmed from the killing of Michael Brown and explore the elements of racial profiling and discrimination surrounding the event. In recent times there have been high levels of gun violence but the death of Michael Brown is one of the few exceptional cases. The killing of Michael Brown sparked up wide outrage within the black community in Ferguson due to the failure of the grand jury for the indictment of Darren Wilson the police...
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...important in the United States. It will explain and give understanding of the importance of the Double Jeopardy Amendment and how it is used in the system of Law. Also it will discuss case in which involved the Fifth Amendment and how it was used to protect the citizens of several cases and how the people were protected with the Fifth Amendment rule inside the system of law. Double jeopardy is a procedural defense that forbids a defendant from being tried again on the same charges following a legitimate acquittal or conviction. In most countries with the common law rule most criminals are allowed to enter a plea of not guilty or autrefois acquit, which is a French law meaning a person has been found not guilty of the same charge in a previous trial with the same evidence and cannot be retried for the same crime regardless of what new evidence that has surfaced. Double Jeopardy is a procedural defense that protects a person from being tried again for the same crime. Double Jeopardy is the oldest legal concept of western civilizations. Double jeopardy is the prosecution of a person for an offense for which he or she has already been prosecuted. The double jeopardy clause, which is in the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution, was designed to protect an individual from being subject to trials and possible convictions more than once for an alleged offense. The idea was not to give the State too much over the individual, this way no individual will be subject to embarrassment...
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...Voting Rights Act. Yet today, 31 percent of all black men in Alabama and Florida are permanently disenfranchised as a result of felony convictions. Nationally, 1.4 million black men have lost the right to vote under these laws. Congress also passed the Immigration and Nationality Act, which sought to eliminate the vestiges of racial discrimination in the nation's immigration laws. Yet today, Hispanic and Asian Americans are routinely and sometimes explicitly singled out for immigration enforcement. In 1968 Congress passed the Fair Housing Act. Yet today, the current housing for approximately 2 million Americans – two-thirds of them African American or Hispanic – is a prison or jail cell. (http://www.civilrights.org/publications/justice-on-trial/) B. Rather than reducing unfair racial disparities in federal sentencing, the evidence shows that the guidelines made the problem worse. Just before Thanksgiving, the Sentencing Commission released a report assessing whether the federal sentencing system has achieved the goals of the 1984 reforms. It confirmed what...
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