Show #022 March 23, 2012 "The Trayvon Martin Case" William Allen, Zandra K. Hall, David E. Reddick & Jelisa Raquel
(L-R) William Allen, Zandra K. Hall, David E. Reddick & Jelisa Raquel
To what was the first breaking news coverage show of Late Nite With Ed Moore since the untimely death of Whitney Houston, Ed and a panel of guests which included William Allen of the American civil rights organization, The National Action Network, former WLJS broadcaster Zandra K. Hall, Government Relations Consultant for Late Nite With Ed Moore III, David E. Reddick, and Late Nite With Ed Moore III guest-regular, Jelisa Raquel, came together to discuss the February 26th shooting of 17 year-old Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. Martin was an 11th grade, African-American teenager from Miami who was shot and killed while visiting his father inside The Retreat At Twin Lakes, a gated community located within the Orlando suburb of Sanford, Florida. His killer was a man of mixed race named George Zimmerman, the neighborhood's watch captain. Zimmerman claimed his reason for shooting the unarmed teenager was because he was attacked by Martin. After Sanford police arrived to the scene, Zimmerman was not arrested because law enforcement officials say there was no evidence to contradict Zimmerman's claim of self defense. As a result, protecting him under Florida's "Stand Your Ground Law," a law that allows deadly force to be used if a person's life is potentially put at risk. Over the course of several weeks, the case built up national attention sparking outrage across the country in beliefs that Zimmerman's story was fictitious and that he racially profiled Martin because he was African-American. The public and many areas of the media also possessed strong beliefs that the lack of effort to gather evidence on the part of the Sanford Police Department was because Martin was an African-American victim. The show prompted heavy discussion in regards to discrimination, socioeconomics, stereotypes, law enforcement accountability and the vagueness in state's self defense laws. During the course of the show, Ed revealed to the panel and the listening audience that along with his strong African-American roots, he is also of Caucasian and Native American descent. After several weeks of nationwide protests for Zimmerman's arrest, the case was eventually handed over to the Florida State Prosecutor's Office. On Wednesday, April 11, Angela Corey, the Florida State Prosecutor, charged Zimmerman with second degree murder in the death of Trayvon Martin. Awaiting trial, he is currently out on a $1 million bond.
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