Trayvon Martin’s birthday is today. And that means that the media have declared a day of mourning for the young man killed at the age of 17, who would have turned 21 today.
Here’s what they won’t tell you.
Martin was born on February 5, 1995, in Florida to parents Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, who divorced when Martin was four years old. He attended public schools in Florida, including the Dr. Michael M. Krop High School in Miami Gardens. He was suspended three times during his junior year, for tardiness, possession of drug paraphernalia and vandalism.
His twitter account, @NO_LIMIT_NIGGA, featured woman-hating retweets like these:
“RT@x_highlyfavored:f– a bitch. any bitch. who you want? take yo pick, but you have gone have to take yo time.”
“RT @Mitchell_Garcia: I’ll slap a girl if she said suck my toes wtf, she must be giving some great dome for some s– like that u u u.”
“RT @fukunurhoexxx: #youthetype of b– that give up your p–y for free and think its cool #p–yaintfree #fb.”
“RT @x_highlyfavored: ‘@Slim_Nigga: I wanna experience a white girl just one time.’”
And one of his own: “BEND IT OVA HOE!!–>_|–|0”
In October 2011, a video surveillance camera caught Martin writing graffiti on a door, prompting MDSPD Office Darryl Dunn to search Martin’s backpack, looking for the marker. Dunn found 12 pieces of women’s jewelry and a man’s watch, matching a description of items stolen during the recent burglary of a house roughly half a mile from the school.
Out of high school while serving that third suspension — a suspension derived from the discovery of Martin’s small plastic bag containing marijuana residue, as well as a marijuana pipe, at the end of February 2012 — Martin visited his father and his father’s fiancée, Brandy Green, at Green’s home at The Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, Florida. Residents of the community had established a neighborhood watch roughly six months before, thanks to a repeated history of burglaries; George Zimmerman was named the program coordinator. In July 2005, Zimmerman had been arrested and accused of resisting an officer, prompting him to enter an alcohol education program.
On February 26, 2012, Zimmerman reported there was a young man peering into windows of homes in the community, who appeared to be on drugs (THC was later found in Martin’s system during the autopsy). The police dispatcher instructed Zimmerman not to follow Martin. Zimmerman later stated he obeyed the dispatcher, that Martin confronted him and punched him in the face. Witness testimony and physical evidence showed that Martin had straddled Zimmerman and pounded his head into the pavement. Zimmerman shot Martin in the chest. An officer arrived, discovering Martin dead and Zimmerman on the ground, bleeding from multiple wounds to the head and face.
On March 19, the Justice Department and the FBI announced their investigation into Martin’s death. On March 23, Barack Obama asserted, “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon,” adding that the death of Martin required national “soul-searching.” On March 24, members from the New Black Panther Party (NBPP) offer a $10,000 reward for the “capture” of George Zimmerman. On March 26, protests were held across the country regarding Martin’s death. On April 3, NBC News apologized for editing tape to make Zimmerman appear racist. On May 15, a medical report was released showing Zimmerman was diagnosed with a fractured nose, two black eyes and two lacerations on the back of his head, despite media reports that Zimmerman had not been injured.
For a complete rundown of the aftermath of Martin’s death and the resultant attempt by the media and race-hustlers to foment the belief that the cause of Martin’s death was racism, see here.
Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder on April 11, 2012. The defense could have used Florida’s “stand your ground” law, but refused to do so, instead arguing Zimmerman shot Martin in self-defense. An all-female jury acquitted him on July 13, 2013, triggering protests around the nation. The Department of Justice could find no evidence of a race-based killing by Zimmerman.