Trayvon Martin Conflict Theory

Racial disparities is an ongoing issue in our world today that seems as if it will never be resolved. The murder of many African-Americans, like Trayvon Martin, has created a worldwide problem against people of color. At the time, Trayvon Martin was seventeen when he was murdered in cold blood after George Zimmerman assumed he was suspicious. George Zimmerman is a white-hispanic male who was a volunteer watchman for his neighborhood, which already had a lot of issues going on with crime. In 2012, Martin was visiting his father’s fiancé in Sanford, Florida, where he left her home to go to a local 7-Eleven to buy a drink and a bag of skittles. After being followed around the neighborhood, because he looked ‘suspicious’ for wearing a black hoodie,
The conflict theory states that , “tensions and conflicts arise when resources, status, and power are unevenly distributed between groups in society and that these conflicts become the engine for social change” (Crossman, 2017). One of the main points within this theory is that certain social groups have unequal powers. In this case Trayvon had unequal powers because for starters, this man shot him just because he was a black boy wearing a hoodie. Had Trayvon been a white or latino male, George Zimmerman would have not looked at him as being “suspicious”. What is meant by this theory is that power is key and whoever possess it, meaning who ever holds the most power is in charge. In the killing of Trayvon Martin, the conflict theory best applies to this crime because power was the number one thing that led Zimmerman into being a free man. In Florida there is a law that is known as the “stand your ground law”, and this law is what dropped the charges for Zimmerman. The stand your ground law was first passed in 2005 in Florida, and it allows armed individuals who believe they are in imminent danger to use deadly force (Crossman, 2017). George Zimmerman did have a trial, but from the moment he pulled the trigger, he was not questioned nor arrested for shooting an unarmed black teenage boy. Power plays a huge part, especially with this particular theory. As the captain neighborhood watchman, his duty was to be aware of any
People of color do not feel safe when law enforcement is around, they feel as if they’re constantly being targeted. The perpetrator George Zimmerman, had the law enforcement on his side. Nationwide hundreds of people went against Zimmerman and the fact that he is a free man who gets to walk away with murder. The injustice and uncertainty that a family goes through after a loss of an innocent loved one is unfair, and should not be held accounted for. The victim now lost a life and leaves behind his family, with unanswered questions. After the death of Trayvon Martin, the million hoodie march occurred in Manhattan NY, in memory of the young unarmed teen. People stereotype individuals that look, dress and come from a certain ethnicity. Martin’s clothing at the time led Zimmerman into having suspicious thoughts because of the hoodie he was wearing and because the color of his skin. Millions of people marched in hoodies in the streets of Manhattan, to put an end into racial profiling. Racial profiling occurs because usually, people look for suspects who are dressed a particular way that might categorize them into crimimals. The ending result of this march was to find justice for Trayvon Martin (Staff, 2013). An innocent life was ended because of the color of his skin and wardrobe. Regardless of what society might do to find justice for an