Introduction
This paper will look at the killings in the united states that have been linked to racial differences. The article will provide detailed information on the events of the cases of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown in Ferguson, and Eric Garner. The paper will also explore the people’s reactions to these killings, and finally the reforms that the government intends to implement to prevent further killings.
Occurrences of the events what happened with Trayvon Martin
Trayvon Martin was killed in February 2012 in a shooting (Greg 2012). Zimmerman is believed to have killed the 17-year old teenager. Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch, and he is reported to have called the police (911) after seeing what he described as a suspicious person. The description the Zimmerman gave to the police has been termed as racial profiling. Zimmerman also judged that the suspected person looked like he intended to cause harm. He also described the teenager as a drug user or something of the sort. He further continued to explain that the teenager was just walking around aimlessly, and it was raining (Greg 2012). He is suspected to have killed the teen since he continued following him even after the police ordered him not to. When his killing occurred, he was walking back to his father’s fiancé’s home after buying a snack from a shop. He encountered Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch at this time when he was walking back to his Sanford home (Greg 2012).
The neighbors reported having heard a commotion from the outside that sounded like noise and arguing, and that are, when one of the neighbors called 911. The voice recording of someone calling for help was not clear enough to identify whether it was Martin’s face. The witnesses said that they heard a clear gunshot which indicated that Martin was shot. The gunshot wound was the only serious injury that Martin suffered. The witness also said that after the gunshot, he spotted a larger man standing over Martin. The police said that Zimmerman had blood on his nose and the back of his head. Zimmerman told the cops that Martin had attacked him and, as a result, he shot at him in defense (Greg 2012).
The case became complimented since there was neither Martin’s DNA evidence on the firearm nor Zimmerman’s DNA on the teenager (CNN Library 2014). This lack of any DNA evidence indicated that there was no prolonged struggle between the two. Zimmerman also did not accept an offer to be taken to the hospital after he complained of injuries. Martin was not arrested that night and police said that they did not have any evidence to make an arrest. It was after Tracy Martin the teenager’s father reported his son missing that he identified him as the killed person from the pictures taken at the crime scene. Zimmerman was later arrested in March 13 since it was clear that his actions could have been avoided (CNN Library 2014). He also insisted on following the teenager even after the police stopped him. In addition, he could have introduced himself to Martin and, they could have held a peaceful dialog. Furthermore, he could have stayed in his truck and waited for the police to arrive. The killing was seen to be based on racial profiling since Zimmerman saw the teenager as a criminal since he was Black-American and Zimmerman was white Hispanic (CNN Library 2014).
Occurrences of the events what happened with Michael Brown in Ferguson,
Michael Brown was shot dead by a police officer in Ferguson after what the officer had said was as a result of a struggle between him and Michael (Michael, Matt and Julie 2014). It took three minutes after the confrontation between the officer and Michael then the officer killed the teenager. An autopsy conducted on the body of Michael indicated that he was shot six times. He had two shots in the head and four shots in his right arm. Michael was killed by one bullet that went through his skull. According to the forensic pathologist, the teenager supposedly had his hands up during the shooting. This interpretation of the position of the boy during the shooting contradicts the report by the officer that he had a struggle with him. The forensic pathologists’ analysis suggested that the teen was shot when his hands were up and probably there was no struggle between him and the officer (Michael, Matt and Julie 2014).
The other fact surrounding Michael’s shooting was there was no gunshot powder on his skin indicating that he was shot six meters or more away. Although the distance between Michael and the officer who was Mr. Darren Wilson remains unknown, it is clear that the officer fired when he was meters away. However, the presence of a product that is discharged from the barrel of a gun was found on Michael’s hand. The product was the only indication that he attempted to reach for the officer’s firearm (Michael , Matt and Julie 2014).
Statements from a witness who was walking with Michael when the police stopped him said that the confrontation occurred when the officer was still seated in his car. The police officer fired from the window of his car, and that is when the two teenagers escaped down the street. Dorian Johnson, the other teenager, said that his friend was shot in the back, and then he turned to face the officer with his hands in the air. The witness said that the police fired at Michael several times, and he fell on the ground. Another eyewitness said that Michael had a small struggle with the officer at his car, but there was no evidence that he reached for the officer’s weapon. An eyewitness said that she saw an officer fire in his car, and then came out of the car and continued firing even after the teenagers freed (Michael, Matt and Julie 2014).
However, other witnesses among them blacks have said that Michael Brown actually struggled with the officer and tried reaching for his firearm. However, most of these witnesses have remained anonymous for the fear of attack. Most of the testimonies that were given by the witnesses supported the officer’s account. One of the witnesses said that Michael Brown even punched the officer and pushed him into the car before reaching for his firearm (Michael, Matt and Julie 2014). The officer then pushed the teenager away and so he was able to retain his weapon. It was after this struggle that the gun went off in the car. The witness continues to recount that the youth rushed off even after being asked to freeze by the police officer. The teenager sped off and taunted the police officer, and this is when the officer got out of the car and continued firing. According to CNN news reports, the accounts of the witnesses matched the account of the police officer, and this resulted in the officer not being charged with murder (Michael, Matt and Julie 2014). After examining the evidence tabled before the St Louis grand jury, the officer was set free. However, investigations are still being conducted in order to identify whether there was any violation of civil rights.
Occurrences of the events what happened with Eric Garner
Eric Garner was killed after a police officer received information that he was selling loose cigarettes (NBC 4 New York 2014). According to the officer, Eric was resisting arrest, and that is when the police officer used a chock hold on him. The police officer, Daniel Pantaleo is seen on a cell phone video to have placed Eric on a chockhold even after the police were stopped from using the chock hold. According to a medical examiner, the death of Eric was homicide since he died from choking. The compressions on the chest of Eric resulted in his death. In addition to this, the officer used the chock hold on Eric, and he was suffering from obesity, high blood pressure, and asthma. These conditions are contributing factors to the death. The use of the chock hold was prohibited by the New York Police department and in 1993, but this did not make them illegal. There were arguments that it is not right to criminalize the act (use of chock hold) only because the medical examiner reported that they were the cause of the death. According to reports, Pantaleo has been sued twice for violating civil rights of people he had arrested. Even though the officer may not have broken the law by putting Eric in a chock hold, lawsuits have been filed against him for violating Eric’s civil rights (NBC 4 New York 2014). One of the cases was rejected even after evidence that the police officer should be prosecuted. One of the lawsuits is still pending. The case of Eric was dismissed on claims that the police did not violate the law (NBC 4 New York 2014).
When Eric was arrested on July 17, 2014, he complained of difficulties in breathing while he was in police custody (NBC 4 New York 2014). However, the police officer did not do anything to rescue the situation since he had put Eric in a chock hold. Eric Garner died of a cardiac arrest. The EMS workers refused to perform PCR on him, and he was pronounced dead on arrival at Richmond University Medical Center where he was taken. The argument that ensues after the death of Eric was that the confrontation between him and the officer was based on racial differences. The authorities denied the reports that the encounter was based on racial differences and termed them political. The killing of Eric Garner resulted in protests in August. The protests were fueled by the reckless killings by the police (NBC 4 New York 2014).
These cases have been on the increase in New York. The other killings included the shooting of Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin. Another autopsy conducted on Eric’s body by a re-known forensics agreed that it was the choking that killed Eric and not his health conditions. The forensics said that specifically the compressions on his neck are what caused his death. Tension was rising in New York as people waited for the jury’s ruling on the case of Eric Garner (NBC 4 New York 2014). At the time the jury was making a decision, there were many protests in Ferguson following the ruling by a jury not to file charges on the officer who was responsible for killing Michael Brown. In December 3, the jury declined to indict Pantaleo for causing Garner’s death. The reason that the jury gave for not pressing charges on the officer was that there was no cause that indicated a crime was committed. Protest happened in the city of New York on December fourth but the police arrested the protesters in a bid to avoid violence in the city (NBC 4 New York 2014).
How these cases have affected minorities in the United States and how they have taken the verdict of the Trayvon Martin case
The minority groups in the United States have viewed these events as racism. The killing of blacks has been on the increase, and to make matter worse, the police officers involved are not charged. The cases are an indication that people in the United States are not treated with equality. For example, in the case of Trayvon Martin, the neighborhood watch profiled the teenager from his Black-American race, thus viewing him as a dangerous person (CNN Library 2014). The neighborhood watch did not try to confront the teen peacefully, and this is what resulted in the struggle between the two. In addition, many people have pointed to the independence issues whereby the blacks have never been given total freedom. It is clear that from all the cases, the victims are blacks whose killings are executed by whites. This fact is a sign of the inequality between the whites and the blacks (CNN Library 2014).
Zimmerman was found not guilty of the murder of Trayvon Martin, but his wife pleaded guilty of perjury. The decision of no indictment of the officers claimed to have killed Michael Brown, and Eric Garner resulted to protest in which was seen to be the violation of human rights by the police. People carried out protests that raised the issues of the shooting by the police. In these cases, it is clear that the victims were not armed, and therefore shooting could not be guaranteed. The event of Martin was also ruled without looking into the fact that Zimmerman violated the police order not to follow the teenager. There are so many gaps in these cases that the public would like clarified. The police officers who have been seen to violate people’s civil rights have also not been prosecuted despite the provision of enough evidence. The indictment of the officers has generated fear in the public that the hostility by the police will continue if nothing is done (CNN Library 2014).
Comparison of these events to when Martin Luther King and many others were fighting for equal rights and how the events are similar
The events in these cases are similar to the activism rights of Martin Luther king who advocated equal rights of all people in the United States (Ling 2003). According to Martin Luther king, profiling a person by race means making judgments about individuals based on their looks that is, the skin color and background. As seen in the case of Martin and Zimmerman, Zimmerman judged the suspicion of the teen through his physical attributes. These cases show a similarity in the unfair treatment of the black people. Martin Luther king held protest against the unequal rights of the black and whites. These are the same protests that are resulting as a consequence of the killings. The struggle of Martin Luther king still continues in the United States (Ling 2003). Martin Luther king used peaceful protests to air the concerns about the inequality based on race in the United States. He also insisted on avoiding violence during the protests. The oppressors of the Black-Americans and other non-whites used force and brutality as seen in the police brutality today. The people in the United States are also standing up against the violation of civil rights by police officers and other people (whites) just like Martin Luther king did. The cases and the actions of Martin Luther king have a common ground in fighting racism (Ling 2003).
What the president and government are doing to ease the minds of the public and how they are trying to peace build with the public.
The president has come up and condemned these killings (Kashmira 2014).The president has also called upon the whole country to do a soul searching in order to be able to fight against racism and other evils in the American society. President Obama said that the change can be seen with time but people need to be patient. The president has also made the efforts of discussing the events with the civil rights activists following the protests in Ferguson Missouri. President Obama also elaborates to the public that the issue of racism is deeply rooted in the society and the American history (Kashmira 2014). Therefore, racism can only be addressed step by step. President Obama has also noted that there has been a tremendous success in the fight against and other social evils in the United States. He points out that the current situation cannot be compared to the situation that was there fifty years ago. He urged the young people to be persistence and vigilance in the fight against racism and bias. He said that is through persistence that people will manage to rule out racism in the United States (Kashmira 2014).
In addition, giving up will only make the situation worse. The government is also conducting more investigations into the killings in order to ensure that the victims get justice. As a result of these murders, president Obama has issues a directory that more police officers should wear body cameras. President Obama that $263 million will be spent on the cameras for a period of three years (Kashmira 2014). In addition, the government will invest more in training and other resources to bring about reforms in the police department. According to president Obama, if the police were wearing cameras, the events such as the killing of Michael Brown would not have occurred. In addition, the racially charged protests would not have occurred. The government is also meeting with the civil rights groups and the cabinet and other law enforcement officials in a bid to launch deeper investigations into the issue (Kashmira 2014).
The reforms in the police department will help change the way that the police handle some issues. Training will help prevent police officers from doing some of the avoidable acts such as shooting at unarmed citizen. The reforms will also assist the police and other security agencies not to employ racial differences when handling differences with the population. The changes that will be implemented by the government will lead to increased trust between the civilians and the police. The mistrust of the police and the civilians as also been highlighted as a role players in events such as shootings. The use of the body cameras will help bridge the mistrust between the public and the law enforcement officers (Kashmira 2014).
Conclusion
In order to achieve the fight against racism, there must be cooperation between the people and the government. In addition to this, increasing the trust between the public and the police can help in reducing the killings that can be avoided. The reforms in the police department are a good approach in softening the public at the same time ensuring that action is taken to prevent such events in the future.
Bibliography
CNN Library. “Trayvon Martin Shooting Fast Facts”. 2014. Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/05/us/trayvon-Martin-shooting-fast-facts/
Greg Botelho, “What happened the night Trayvon Martin died”. 2012. Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/18/justice/florida-teen-shooting-details/
Kashmira Gander. “Ferguson: President Barack Obama calls for £75m to fund body cameras for police officers”. 2014. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/ferguson-president-barack-obama-calls-for-75m-to-fund-body-cameras-for-police-officers-9896884.html
Ling, Peter J. "Martin Luther King's Style of Leadership." BBC History. 1 April 2003.
Michael S. Schmidt, Matt Apuzzo and Julie Bosman. “Police Officer in Ferguson Is Said to Recount a Struggle”. 2014. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/18/us/ferguson-case-officer-is-said-to-cite-struggle.html?_r=0
NBC 4 New York. “Timeline: Eric Garner Death” 2014. Retrieved from http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Timeline-Eric-Garner-Chokehold-Death-Arrest-NYPD-Grand-Jury-No-Indictment-284657081.html
