Trayvon Martin was a typical teen. The 17-year-old grew up in Florida, dividing time between his parents, who had divorced when he was 4. He liked music and skating with his friends. When he was a little kid, he wanted to grow up and play football, but by high school the quiet teen found he was good at math and science and decided on becoming an aviator (although he continued to volunteer at the concession stand at the park for the city’s youth football league).
Trayvon Martin was killed by a wannabe cop on February 26, 2012 for wearing a hoodie. He and his dad were visiting his dad’s fiancé (a house he’d been to several times before) when he walked to a nearby store for some candy and a drink. Returning home, the neighborhood watch coordinator called 9-1-1 to report him. Hhe had a history of making such calls against Black men since at least 2011, and began following Trayvon in his SUV. Trayvon, noticing the car, took a path behind the houses to ditch him. Ignoring the 9-1-1 operator’s instructions to stay in his vehicle, the driver followed Trayvon and shot the unarmed boy in the chest. He would be acquitted of all charges citing Florida’s Stand Your Ground law and would later auction off the murder weapon for $138,900 as “an American Firearm icon.” The Florida police would be caught using Trayvon-shaped cutouts for target practice.
Black lives matter.
