Trayvon Martin
VOL. 1 ISSUE 1
DECEMBER 2012
& The media outlet for the people
Media 50 Years Ago The Media Movement Trayvon Martin Case
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OPINION PAGE: Find out what people think!
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I am
Trayvon Martin
Contents 4
Media Today V.S. Media Yesterday
5 6
Trayvon Martin life Opinion page
8 9
Simple Facts Trayvon Martin &The Media Movement
10 Trayvon Martin Case Credits 11
Photo: (Top Right) www.huffingtonpost.com (Top Left) thegrio.com (Bottom corner) alexandrasalerno.wordpress.comcom
Med ia Toda y V.s. Med ia Yest erda y Technology constantly changes; everyday advancements in technology are being developed. From the way we communicate to the way we receive information has since become much easier to obtain than it was 50 years ago. The world is not as isolated as it once was. Thanks to technology we can communicate with one another from hundreds of thousands of miles always without every even getting out of bed. Technology has even made varies information obtainable with just a simply click of a mouse. Take the News for example, 50 years ago individual all over the world would have to…. These days we obtain the News in countless way and on many devices; whether it’s a television set, a mobile phone, on even an Ipad.
Media today is more social compared to the passive media 50 years ago. Today the world is inviting you to voice your options through social networks such as: Facebook, Twitter, or even MySpace. One huge example of this is reality TV shows like, American Idol; where the views at home are asked to text who they believe should win the competition. At the end of the competition the views votes are tallied up and the contested with the most votes is the winner. This engages audiences to participate and also allows them to feel as if they are a part of the show. People in Today’s world urge to be a part of something; we visit sites like Facebook to let our voices be heard and connect or reconnect with people all over the world and it’s all because of Technology. By: Anika Knight
The media now is much scarier compared to the 60’s -Larry East Orange, NJ
Getting the News Today has become far easier vs. 50 years ago.
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Trayvon Martin: A Life Unlived
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Trayvon Martin was born Trayvon Benjamin Martin on February 5, 1995 to parents Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin. Trayvon was a seventeen year old high school junior who lived with mother, Sybrina and older brother, Jahvaris in Miami Gardens, Florida. Trayvon Martin, ones an ordinary teenager soon became, not only the headline of every news media coverage throughout the country; but a national movement. On February 26, 2012 while returning to his father’s fiancée home after visiting a local convenience store in Sanford, Florida, Trayvon was shot and killed. Trayvon’s murderer was a man named George Zimmerman, a man who quickly became one of the nations’ most hated. Trayvon Martin was a teenager who had his whole life ahead of him. He was a loving son and a devoted football player. It saddens me to know that Trayvon will never have the opportunity to graduate high school, attend
college, get married or even have children of his own. Trayvon Martin’s life as well as future was robbed. His family will never have the changes to watch him grow up or accomplish his dreams. Trayvon Martin is an example of a life taken too soon. Since his death Trayvon’s killer, George Zimmerman has been charged with murder in the second degree. Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to the charge and is currently out on bonds while awaiting trial. The Martin family publicly announced they’re outraged that more charges against Zimmerman had not been filed. Many agree with the family and believe that Zimmerman should also remain behind bars while he awaits trial. Many petitions have been created to support the family’s claim. by: Shaquane Yates
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Opinion Page
The people was asked three Questions: Where did you first hear about Trayvon Martin? I first heard about Trayvon Martin because everybody was talking about how he was killed. -Capri J Rockhill, SC
I first heard about the Trayvon Martin case when I was home one night and there was a discussion going on about the case on CNN. -Anonymous I first heard about Martin from listing to the Rutgers Newark radio station. -Chris A. Newark,NJ
I first heard about trayvon martin on twitter -Anonymous
DoYouKnowWhatHappenedToMe? -Artist Bryant Lebron
What is your opinion on his case? If I see a white man walking down the street looking suspicious can I kill him? ; What happened to Trayvon was unfair. If a black person did what Zimmerman did he would have of gotten life in prison. It was tricky. All the facts were not -Capri J clear, all I could go off of was what Rockhill, SC
I support stand your ground laws, but shooting Trayvon near vital organs was excessive Daniel K. Union City, NJ
I heard and that was that a white male killed a black kid. -Marvin P. Elizabeth, NJ
He ( Trayvon Martin) is the victim of a hate cream but the hype is too one sided. Hundreds of people die the same way (thru police brutality) but their deaths aren’t publicized. Hype should be about the unequal balance of power, not just that he’s black and it was a specifically black hate crime. -Alison F. Sayreville,NJ
-Artist Mellissa Matos
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What do you think about media I think the media in the 1960s in comparison to how it is now are very similar in terms of what is talked about and shown everywhere..most media I believe was and still tries to make white Americans looks like the victims of certain situations, even if it’s obvious that they aren’t, or they’ll completely blow a bad situation out of proportion if it deals with another ethnicity besides white Americans, such as Hispanics and blacks, which gives them the horrible images that most people see even though we’re all just as guilty despite our differences in race/ethnicity. -Anonymous
With constant accessibility to the news via smart and TV. They spend way too much time a nonsense stories and blow things out of proportion. -Anonymous People are murdered everyday for unknown and unknown reasons but we focus on racial and political issues. Anything we can relate to is all anyone cares about. But it’s still better than 50 years ago when the only way there would be national coverage was if there was activists around.. Even thought it was over publicized better to be over publicized than not published at all... -Chris A. Newark,NJ
I feel the case was a brutal act of racism in America, and the delayed reaction was a highlight of how the media tries to cover up the truth of injustice and discrimination in America. I also feel the case touched people throughout the nation even more because of the of the situation a 17 year old took a simple walk to the store to get snacks and lost his life because of a power hungry racial profiling man with a gun. -Briana H. Orange, NJ
Tragic imagination
Artiist: Reginald Francois
Media from the 1960s to now have clearly advanced for the better, but sometimes media today can negatively affect people at times. I believe that the media painted Zimmerman so negatively and possibly fabricated what went on so they could get attention as well as monetary gain. I am not saying that Zimmerman was a saint in that situation, but I believe media painted him way worse than I think he is. Ore A. West Orange, NJ
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Simple Facts Trayvon Maritin was born Feburay 5, 1995 and died on Feburay 26 2012. (making him only 17 when he died)
Tray von M ar tin was ranked 6th wor ldwide as a Twitter trending
Zimmerman is being charged with second degree murder
Zimmerman was born to a white Father and his Peruvian mother
“Stand Your Ground� law was adopted in 2005
Word Bank Trayvon Martin Stand your ground Arizona Facebbok Florida Media News Skittles Twitter Zimmerman
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Trayvon Martin & The Media Movemo vent With today ’s technology me dia is not only for Professionals like News anchors and journalists. Now media includes the amateur st yles of all people around the wor ld shar ing their thoughts about multiple topics. Professionals and amateurs all spoke about Tray von M artin. News about Tray von M ar tin spread around the wor ld fast, mak ing his name bell r inger for ever yone. Tv Net wor ks such as ABC, C W11, CNN, and CBS, were all cover ing the same stor y, Tray von M ar tin, a 17 year old death. M elissa Har r is-Per r y, a Amer ican author, television host and political commentator, was one of the first peo ple to discuss Tray von mar tin case. Perr y clear ly stated her view on the case by stating “Laws like that make moder nday vigilantism that can have these k inds of tragic consequences,” she said. “ Too many young black men are losing their lives to mistaken identit y and over zealous assumptions about their cr iminal intent.” (M elissa Har r is Per r y) M any people shared Per r y ’s thoughts of the tragic end of Tray von M ar tin’s life. However there are those like G eraldo R ivera, a attor ney, jour nalist, author, repor ter, and talk show host, who suggested that Tray von M ar tin was ask ing for trouble by wear ing a hoodie. R ivera showed up on FOX News discussing Tray-
von M ar tin at which he stated “I’ll bet you money, if he didn’t have that hoodie on, that nutt y neighbor hood watch guy wouldn’t have responded in that violent and aggressive way,”(G eraldo R ivera). While professional repor ters took to the news discussing Tray von mar tin, they were not alone, soical net wor k sites flooded with people voicing their opinion. Tray von M ar tin became pop culture showing up on S ocial M edia sites like Facebook , Twitter, You Tube, among other sites. Tray von M ar tin spreading thought out the wor ld also created a movement. S ocial media became a way people ever y where expressed their feelings about Tray von M ar tin. M any social media users began posting status, t weeting and posting videos about their thoughts on the Tray von M ar tin case. According to w w w. t wee.co Tray von M ar tin was ranked 6th wor ldwide as a Twitter trending. From ever yday people to celebr ities, all sharing pic tures of themselves in hoodies as Tray von M ar tin was at the time of his death. People posting how outrage Zimmer man stating “ he looked suppison” was and question how could Tray von M ar tin look suspicious by wear ing a hoodie.
By : M ecca M cDowell
Photo: (Top Left)www.guardian.co.uk (top right) BET
Trayvon Martin Case
Photo: lawyerherald.com
On April 11, 2012 Florida State Attorney Angela Corey held a press Conference to announced George Zimmerman was charged with second degree murder. In Florida the minimum for second degree murder with a firearm is 25 years in state prison. The next day a judge proclamation of probable case Trayvon Martin case; few days later the judge was removed from the request of Zimmerman’s legal team base that the judge husband works with CNN. April 20, 2012 a bail hearing was held with new judge Kenneth Lester JR. where he set Zimmerman bail at 150,000. April 23, 2012 Zimmerman was release with an ankle bracelet to detect his
where about at all time. Zimmerman lawyer, Mark O’mara , decided to have a “Stand Your Ground” hearing, in order to do that it has to be forty five days(April 26,2013) before Trayvon Martin case starts. Zimmerman team requested Martin’s school records and social media post with a girl he had been on the phone with the night of his death. Martin’s parents and their attorney, Benjamin crump, felt that the defense was attacking theirs son’s character. Zimmerman trail date set for June 10, 2013. By: Geoffrey Stweart
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Credits Special thanks to: Writers Anika Knight Mecca McDowell Geoffrey Stewart Shaquane Yates
Artisit Reginald Francois Bryant Lebron Melissa Matos
Sources
Staff, CNN Wire. “Timeline of Events in Trayvon Martin Case - CNN.com.” CNN. Cable News Network, 20 Apr. 2012. Web. 03 Nov. 2012. <http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/20/us/floridazimmerman-timeline/index.html>. Gray, Madison. “Judge Sets Date in Trayvon Martin Murder Trial.” NewsFeed Judge Sets Date in Trayvon Martin Murder Trial Comments. Time.com, 17 Oct. 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. <http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/10/17/judge-sets-date-in-trayvon-martin-murdertrial/>. Rudolf, John. “Trayvon Martin Case Spotlights Florida Town’s History Of ‘Sloppy’ Police Work.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 09 Apr. 2012. Web. 03 Nov. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/09/trayvon-martin-cops-botchedinvestigation_n_1409277.html> Segal, Kim, George Howell, and Vivian Kuo. “Protesters Declare ‘I Am Trayvon Martin,’ but Who Was He? - CNN.com.” CNN. Cable News Network, 30 Mar. 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. <http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/30/us/trayvon-martin-profile/index.html>.
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