Today marks the two-year anniversary of the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. On Feb. 26, 2012, the high schooler was gunned down by George Zimmerman who was at the time a volunteer neighborhood watch captain.
Zimmerman says he shot Martin out of fear for his life but the actual incidents that led to tragedy are still sketchy to some. Zimmerman claims Martin was the aggressor, banging the aspiring lawyer’s head against a sidewalk until he —having no choice –pulled his gun and killed the teen.
Unfortunately, Martin isn’t around to tell his side of the story. Regardless of whether or not the public believes in Zimmerman’s guilt or innocence, a jury acquitted the now 30-year-old of second-degree murder last July. The court outcome incited backlash on all sides of the fence. Zimmerman supporters took issue with how he was allegedly misportrayed in the media, and Martin supporters felt similarly about the high school student’s public persona.
For the most part, the uproar over Martin’s shooting has basically calmed to a whisper, with the exception of today being the shooting anniversary, in addition to the feverish work done by Martin’s parents and the Trayvon Martin Foundation. There’s no way to accurately pinpoint why the teen isn’t as big a topic as he used to be (it could be because he’s not the only one to die because of gun-toting individual, or perhaps the country, and the world, has moved on) but we can point out a handful of protest points that haven’t exactly changed since Martin’s life was cut short.
View five examples in the gallery below.
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Photos: Tumblr/Facebook/Twitter/YouTube
The Stand Your Ground Law Is Still In Tact
Florida’s controversial law was scrutinized after Martin’s death, but nothing really changed. Last February a 19-person “task force” found no reason to adjust the law and even though amendments were brought to the table in November 2013 legislators voted against a full repeal.
Zimmerman & The Spotlight
Even if he tried, George Zimmerman probably couldn’t slide completely under the radar. Since last summer’s acquittal, Zimmerman has had more than one incident involving the law, and signed up for a celebrity boxing match that (thankfully) never took off.
No Justice? No Problem.
You really couldn’t keep protestors off the streets (or the freeways) after Zimmerman was found not guilty. Marches took place all over the globe, with some calling on the “No justice, no peace!” line to get their point across. Martin’s family spoke out against any retaliatory violence brought on by the verdict, and while “No peace” doesn’t always mean physical disruption, after July 2013, the angry chants and foot traffic died down. Did people just go back to their regular lives?
Florida Never Really Got Boycotted
Remember when celebrities came out in droves telling us all to boycott Florida? That didn’t exactly happen, in 2013 tourism was actually up. More than 94 million people visited Florida, making for a 3.5 percent increase from the prior year.
No Verdict From The Justice Department
In July 2013 Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the U.S. Justice Department was looking into potential civil rights charges against Zimmerman. By November of that year, the department had yet to make a final decision.
**BONUS**
Neighborhood Watch
There was a change in one of the policies that came up in wake of Martin’s death. The city of Sanford, where Martin was shot, adjusted its neighborhood watch policy after Zimmerman’s story shed a likely unwanted spotlight on the volunteer program. Sanford Neighborhood Watch volunteers are no longer allowed to carry guns, or pursue potential suspects (as Zimmerman did when he called 911 to report Martin, then got out of his car despite the operator’s insistence that he remain inside the vehicle.)
