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Issues stemming from racism
Racial issues in the united states
Racial problems in modern society
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A classic case of race. Trayvon Martin, a young black teen, walked down the street one afternoon with a bottle of tea and a pack of skittles, before encountering a man of a different ethnic background- George Zimmerman. That tragic day was the last one Mr. Martin would ever see and it brings about the question, “Is his death justified by law?” Some may argue Zimmerman acted out of self-defense. Still others say a boy lost his life due to acts of racism. Sounds similar to the case mentioned in Twelve Angry Men, does it not? Jurors in that story were ready to send someone to their grave because of their color. In all honesty though, when the judicial system is served correctly, justice will be dished out no matter if an individual is black, white, blue, or yellow. Throughout the Zimmerman trial and the case told in Twelve Angry Men only one verdict could be reached based on evidence. Due to a plethora of personalities, one can conclude that coming to a ruling was not an easy task for either jury. The case in summary sparks room for debate on whether Zimmerman should be punished for his actions; however, many allegations lack raw evidence to support their claims. In “The Facts In The George Zimmerman Trial”, by Jeffrey Toobin, the known facts are laid out as the picture of what actually happened on that night is painted. This was conveyed when Toobin wrote, “On the night of February 26, 2012, Zimmerman was patrolling the Retreat at Twin Lakes, a town-house development in Sanford, Florida, At 7:09 P.M.” (Toobin). Later that night “Zimmerman asks that the police call him upon their arrival so he can provide his location. Zimmerman ends the call at 7:13 P.M. The first police officer arrived on the scene at 7:17 P.M., by which time Tray... ... middle of paper ... ...ble task. Works Cited Alvarez, Lizette. In Zimmerman Case, Self-Defense Was Hard to Topple. The New York Times Company, 14 July 2013. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. Cohen, Andrew. "Law and Justice and George Zimmerman." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 13 July 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. Karimi, Faith, and Cristy Lenz. "'Raise Your Voice, Not Your Hands,' Cops Urge as Zimmerman Verdict Looms." CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. Rose, Reginald. Twelve Angry Men. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print. Toobin, Jeffrey. The Facts In The Zimmerman Trial. Conde Nast, 16 July 2013. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. WILLIAMS, PATRICIA J. "The Monsterization Of Trayvon Martin."Nation 297.7/8 (2013): 17. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. Younge, Gary. "George Zimmerman's Way Is The American Way."Nation 297.14 (2013): 1. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
The documentary 13th, directed by Ava DuVernay, is centered around the argument that slavery did not end with the inclusion of the 13th Amendment in the United States Constitution. To enhance her argument, she includes interviews with well-educated authors, professors, activists, and politicians. She also tells the stories of African Americans who have been wrongfully prosecuted by the police and have not received the justice they deserve, including Trayvon Martin. This essay will analyze the Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman scene in the documentary and how DuVernay effectively uses ethos, pathos, and logos in the film. Duvernay includes the Trayvon Martin case to further her argument that slavery did not disappear with the 13th Amendment; it modernized into the American prison system.
On the night of February 26, 2012 “George Zimmerman who was the coordinator for his Sanford neighborhood watch association is charged with second-degree murder in the death of a young boy. Trayvon Martin, an unarmed high school student from Miami, Florida. (Alvarez) The case began in a small city of Sanford as a routine homicide but soon evolved into a civil rights case, examining racial profiling. On the night of the attack Zimmerman was told not to get out of his car when he was following Trayvon. He described Trayvon as a “guy who looks up to no good, or he’s on drugs or something” Trayvon had his back to Zimmerman the whole time he was on the phone with the Dispatcher, from what the conversation was saying. When the dispatcher asked Zimmerman “is the guy white, black, or Hispanic? “Zimmerman says that he “looks” black, Zimmerman still has yet to see if Trayvon was black, white, or even Hispanic because Trayvon was walking the other direction. Later on in the conversation is when Zimmerman said “now he’s just staring at me”. That would have been the right time to mention the race of Trayvon. As the dispatcher was asking mo...
The case involved a neighborhood watchman, who happened to be on duty when he saw a young black man wearing a sweater jacket called a “hoodie”, walking through the neighborhood. George Zimmerman, the watchman, who was twenty-eight years old at the time, called authorities about a suspicious character walking around in his neighborhood. The authorities told him not to do anything; just continue with his rounds and not worry. Zimmerman, however, decided he would take matters into his own hands. He confronted the young man; they got into a brawl and Zimmerman pulled out a gun and shot and killed Martin. That premise will play a role in this paper as an argument as to why George Zimmerman should have been convicted of committing a crime. Even if the jury could not have reasons to convict him of the second degree murder of Trayvon Martin; they had other choices.
Fields, Gary. "New Washington Gun Rules Shift Constitutional Debate." Wall Street Journal. 17 May. 2010: A. 1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
Individuals’ right to keep and bear arms in self-defense should be further restricted. For example, George Zimmermann – neighborhood watch citizen responsible for the teenager Treyvon Martin’s death
Racial discrimination has been an immense problem in our society for a very long time. The fact that the race of a victim plays a role in his or her sentencing is appalling. Discrimination within our society needs to come to an end. It’s frightening to think that if you are a minority facing a capital punishment case, which you might be found guilty only because of the color of your skin.
The “Stand Your Ground” law was first adopted in the state of florida in 2005. This law did not gain national attention until the shooting death of unarmed teenager, Trayvon Martin, in Sanford, florida, where the shooter, George Zimmerman used the “Stand Your Ground” law as his basis for defending himself against Trayvon Martin to the Sanford Police Department. However, George Zimmerman’s legal defense team did not utilize the law to argue his innocence during his trial. But the damage had been done because soon after other cases in florida began to sprout up with “Stand Your Ground” as the driving force.
Following the shooting of Trayvon Martin, I began to understand the effect that systemic racism could have on the lives of Black people, and how it had already been affecting me.
The New York Times bestseller book titled Reasonable Doubts: The Criminal Justice System and the O.J. Simpson Case examines the O.J. Simpson criminal trial of the mid-1990s. The author, Alan M. Dershowitz, relates the Simpson case to the broad functions and perspectives of the American criminal justice system as a whole. A Harvard law school teacher at the time and one of the most renowned legal minds in the country, Dershowitz served as one of O.J. Simpson’s twelve defense lawyers during the trial. Dershowitz utilizes the Simpson case to illustrate how today’s criminal justice system operates and relates it to the misperceptions of the public. Many outside spectators of the case firmly believed that Simpson committed the crimes for which he was charged for. Therefore, much of the public was simply dumbfounded when Simpson was acquitted. Dershowitz attempts to explain why the jury acquitted Simpson by examining the entire American criminal justice system as a whole.
Civilrights.org. (2002, April 13). Justice on trial. Washington, DC: Leadership Conference on Civil Rights/Leadership Conference on Civil RightsEducation Fund. Retrieved April 12, 2005, from Civilrights.org Web site: http://www.civilrights.org/publications/reports/cj/
Zimmerman was asked by a dispatcher to stop pursuing Treyvon Martin. The “Stand Your Ground”
Rosenberg, Debra. “Michigan’s Day in Court.” Newsweek. 14 Apr, 2003. MSNBC Online. 20 Apr, 2003
This case is about a 16-year-old kid from Miami named Trayvon Martin. On the night of February 26th, Trayvon walked from his father's house in a gated community to a nearby store. When walking back, he was spotted by George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old neighborhood watch volunteer. There have been a number of break-ins in the neighborhood over the last few weeks and Zimmerman thought that a young black man walking in the rain and wearing a hooded sweatshirt looked suspicious. Zimmerman then called 911 to report the person who "might be on drugs."
Race plays a large factor in showing how you are viewed in society. Although there is no longer slavery and separate water fountains, we can still see areas of our daily life clearly affected by race. One of these areas is the criminal justice system and that is because the color of your skin can easily yet unfairly determine if you receive the death penalty. The controversial evidence showing that race is a large contributing factor in death penalty cases shows that there needs to be a change in the system and action taken against these biases. The issue is wide spread throughout the United States and can be proven with statistics. There is a higher probability that a black on white crime will result in a death penalty verdict than black on black or white on black. Race will ultimately define the final ruling of the sentence which is evident in the racial disparities of the death penalty. The amount of blacks on death row can easily be seen considering the majority of the prison population is black or blacks that committed the same crime as a white person but got a harsher sentence. The biases and prejudices that are in our society relating to race come to light when a jury is selected to determine a death sentence. So what is the relationship between race and the death penalty? This paper is set out to prove findings of different race related sentences and why blacks are sentenced to death more for a black on white crime. Looking at the racial divide we once had in early American history and statistics from sources and data regarding the number of blacks on death row/executed, we can expose the issues with this racial dilemma.
Fairchild, H. & Cowan, G (1997). Journal of Social Issues. The O.J. Simpson Trial: Challenges to Science and Society.