[View the story " #TrayvonMartin's death raises questions about race in the US" on Storify ] #TrayvonMartin's death raises questions about race in the US Man who shot unarmed black teen has not been charged. Storified by The Stream · Tue, Mar 27 2012 12:29:01
On February 26, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed inSanford, in the US state of Florida.
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Theshooter, George Zimmerman, is a 28-year-old white Hispanic man who appointedhimself as the neighborhood watch captain. When police arrived, Zimmermanwas found armed with a handgun standing over an unarmed Martin, who was pronounceddead at the scene. Zimmerman claims he acted in self-defence and has not been arrestedto date.
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People have organised rallies, marches, protests, and vigils across the country to commemorate Martin and call for Zimmerman to be arrested.
Trayvon Martin Rally in DC - 2lnam23
Trayvon Martin Rally in DClnam23
Zimmerman is protected under the US state of Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law, which allows someone to use deadly force if they are acting in self-defence. Currently, 24 US states have a "Stand Your Ground" law in place. Many have called for these laws to be repealed, arguing the laws encourage more homicides and can be misused.
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This graph shows that justified homicides have spiked, especially from 2007 to 2009, after Florida implemented the "Stand Your Ground" law in 2005.
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US President Barack Obama called Martin's death a tragedy and asked for federal, state, and local efforts to fully investigate what occurred. His comments made headlines and sparked online discussions after he said, "If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon."
Obama Speaks Out On Trayvon Martinthinkprogress6
Talk show host Geraldo Rivera created a firestorm of controversy after saying on US network "FOX News" that Martin's outfit was partially to blame for his death. Martin was wearing a hoodie, also known as a hooded sweatshirt, on the night he was murdered. Rivera urged parents of black and Latino boys not to let their sons go out in public wearing hoodies because they would be viewed suspiciously.
Geraldo Rivera Blames Trayvon Martin (Or His Parents) For Wearing Hoodieaworldexposure
Rivera followed up his comments on television with tweets defending his stance. He has received lots of criticism for his comments.
His hoodie killed Trayvon Martin as surely as George Zimmerman.Geraldo Rivera
Justice will come to Zimmerman the Fla shooter-but I'm trying to save lives like Trayvon's-Parents Alert: hoodies can get your kid killedGeraldo Rivera
Its not blaming the victim Its common sense-look like a gangsta&some armed schmuck will take you at your wordGeraldo Rivera
President Obama says if he had a son he would look like Trayvon- He could add, and he would never let his son walk around DC in a hoodie.Geraldo Rivera
In the avalanche of criticism how interesting that most minority moms back me because they want their sons to live long and prosperGeraldo Rivera
Critics of my hoodie comments think they're mad at me but they're really mad at the undeniably unfair reality of young male black/brown lifeGeraldo Rivera
It hurts to be assailed-but anger doesn't change reality-a minority kid in a hoodie in a hood not his own is a 911 call waiting to happen-Geraldo Rivera
After Rivera's comment about Martin's hoodie, the word "hoodie" became a trending topic on Twitter.
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Some have noted that Martin's death was overlooked until weeks after his death. Although he was killed on February 26, people began talking about his killing on social media until mid-March.
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Many celebrities have tweeted about Martin, which may have led to an increased spike in conversation online about his case.
Former talk show host and media proprietor Oprah Winfrey tweeted:
Tragedy and SHAME that Zimmerman hasn't been arrested .Oprah Winfrey
Music artist and entrepreneur Sean "P. Diddy" Combs paid tribute to Martin by donning a hoodie.
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It's not safe for a black male to walk in the streets of America. Photo of my 20yr old son. We worry #justice4Trayvon http://twitter.com/MiaFarrow/status/182296470278512640/photo/1mia farrow
The American professional basketball team the Miami Heat also paid tribute to Martin by wearing hoodies. Miami Heat's LeBron James is one of several athletes who has tweeted in honor of Martin.
#WeAreTrayvonMartin #Hoodies #Stereotyped #WeWantJustice http://t.co/tH6baAVoLeBron James
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Proud of my teammates today. Join us for justice, sign the petition http://t.co/rYnTvTmL #TrayvonMartinLeBron James
Filmmaker Michael Moore tweeted:
What does IAmTrayvon mean? It says to a racist system, "When u harm ANYONE, u harm ALL of us. And we will respond as if u did this to us."Michael Moore
Film director and producer Spike Lee tweeted:
We'll All Go To Bed Tonight But When The Parents Of Trayvon Wake Up Tomorrow Morning Their Son Will Not Be There.Justice of Law For TrayvonSpike Lee
This video shows a visibly upset African-American female student who may have been affected by Trayvon Martin's death. She is seen yelling and screaming during an evolution lecture at Florida Atlantic University. She asks why "evolution kills black people," refers to Martin repeatedly,and threatens several of her classmates. [Warning: video contains graphic language.]
Black Girl Freaks out after professor doesn't answer "Why does evolution kill black people?"instantviral
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2011 study conducted by sociologists from Harvard and Tufts Universities found that white people believe anti-white bias has surpassed anti-black bias in recent years. According to the study, white people believe that discrimination against them has increased from an average of 1.8 in the 1950s to 4.7 in the 2000s (on a scale of 1 to 10). Both races believe discrimination against blacks has steadily decreased over the past 50 years.
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