Trayvon Martin

On February 26, 2012, 17-year-old Travyon Martin was killed after returning from a local 7-Eleven in Sanford, Florida. Carrying only a bag of Skittles and a can of iced tea, Martin was reported to police for looking “suspicious” by 28-year-old neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman. Zimmerman, a white male with a violent criminal record, armed with a 9-millimeter handgun, pursued the young African-American student — despite being directed not to by the police dispatcher who had taken his call. Weeks after killing the young honor-roll student, Zimmerman is still free, claiming that he killed the boy in self-defense. But neighbors who know the confessed killer report that he has a knack for crime, especially against young Black males. Martin’s tragedy has made national headlines and his family, who believe that the teen’s only crime was “the color of his skin,” continue to fight for his justice.