Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis: Why Do We Care About One and Not the Other?

[Judi Lynn]

Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis: Why Do We Care About One and Not the Other?
Cristina Maza
in Politics
20 hours ago



Recently, the world watched with bated breath as George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old Floridian, was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges that were brought against him for the death of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old African American student from Sanford, Florida. The acquittal caused widespread public outrage across America, and led to the organization of numerous protests calling for an end to racism and white supremacy. Meanwhile, the very similar case of Jordan Davis, another 17-year-old African American Floridian who was shot dead only 9 months after Martin, has received far less attention from both the media and the general public. While many blame the media for this disparity, the reasons for it may not be as clear-cut as some believe.

While both murders are equally tragic, both mainstream journalists and social media users have dedicated more time and energy to covering Martin’s case because of the way it showcases America’s fear of young black men. The Martin case, slightly more than the Davis case, creates the possibility for a national dialogue on perceptions of race.

The differences between the two cases are subtle, but nonetheless important. On November 23rd 2012, Jordan Davis was shot and killed while sitting in a parked car with three friends listening to music. His killer, 45-year-old Michael Dunn of Brevard County, has been described as an "avid collector of guns" who received his first shotgun as a gift from his grandparents while still in the third grade. Dunn had just left his son's wedding, during which he consumed several glasses of Jack Daniels, when he decided to confront the teenagers about the volume of their music. The exchange ended in a confrontation which ended Dunn fired several rounds from the shotgun he kept in his car, killing Jordan Davis, who was sitting in the backseat. Dunn now claims that he believed the teenagers were armed, and had thus felt threatened. There is, however, no evidence that the teenagers had any weapon at all. In other words, Jordan Davis's murder is the sad story of a trigger-happy individual who, after having a few too many cocktails, took the life of an innocent teenager.

Trayvon Martin's murder was perpetrated somewhat differently. On February 26 2012, George Zimmerman, a volunteer of the neighborhood watch, observed Martin walking around one of Florida's many gated communities. The appearance of Martin, who was young, black, and wearing a hood, caused Zimmerman to call the police, claiming that there was a "real suspicious guy who looks like he is up to no good." What happened next is unclear. What we do know is that after Zimmerman hung up the phone, a violent encounter took place that ended when Zimmerman fatally shot the unarmed Martin only 70 yards from the backdoor of the house where he was staying.

More:
http://www.policymic.com/articles/55797/trayvon-martin-jordan-davis-why-do-we-care-about-one-and-not-the-other

[center]



Michael Dunn



[/center]

[Pelican]

1. One got a shit ton of media coverage...

... one didn't.

Martin's case splits people right down the middle. Not so much for Dunn...

[Hoyt]

3. True. There should be no doubt Dunn is your typical racist gun lover. Of course, there shouldn't

have been any doubt about Zimmerman. Hopefully Dunn's jury won't be stacked with B37s and the gutless.

They both should have extensive media coverage because of bigotry and lax gun laws.

[Scootaloo]

2. What an asinine question

Nobody "cares less" about Jordan Davis. And in all honesty, if Davis had become iconic, the question would be "why don't they care about Trayvon?" The question is inherently antagonistic, designed to accuse anyone talking about either young man - or any of the numerous other victims - of some sort of hypocrisy, thus diverting the discussion away from the victimization of these young black men.

Fuck that.

Trayvon became iconic because his murder happened earlier. The real tragedy is that if a roll call had to be held whenever we discussed these murders, all the time would be taken up by the names... Which I'll grant would certainly have its own impact! But this idea that speaking of one diminishes the other is, as the VP would say, "malarkey."

[JustAnotherGen]

4. Stereotypes

The stereotype of the young, drug-filled, dangerous black man is endemic in America, and leads to policies like stop-and frisk and causes 1 in 3 black men to end up in prison. The United States is a country in which black men are feared, and in which it is considered justifiable to shoot someone because of that fear. As these two cases have proven, this combination can lead to the death of innocent young people. Not only does America need to get its gun laws under control, but it needs to address the all pervasive feelings of mistrust and the racism that plagues its culture

And this is going to split people down the middle: Those who perceive a "pack" of young black men as a threat in and of itself and feel threatened by their loud music . . . And those who call them out on their ignorance.

[customerserviceguy]

5. Was Dunn arrested or charged right after the shooting?

If so, there's a major difference right there.

[Ruby the Liberal]

6. The next day, I believe

After he fled town and slithered back under his rock.

[exboyfil]

7. Bingo

The No Human Involved attitude of the Sanford police department and district attorney at the time was the biggest problem. It was a prima facie manslaughter case that should have been investigated to the highest standards of police investigation. That would include immediately pulling cell phone records (so Martin's friend could have been interviewed immediately), all of the physical evidence collected (such as a blood test for Zimmerman, bagging Martin's hands and eventual autopsy of hands, extensive photos of Zimmerman at the scene), Zimmerman treated as a suspect through all the questioning (he had just shot an unarmed minor and he was treated as witness and not a suspect), once the tape of the call had been made known to the investigators that showed he had animus towards Martin (f***ing punk, these a******les always get away with it, etc, and that Zimmerman stated that Martin was running away from him and he was breathing hard in apparent pursuit of Martin.

[IdaBriggs]

9. ^=== This.

The immediate confusion between victim and perpetrator was and is the problem.

[Squinch]

8. Jesus, the comments after that article are chilling.