On what would have been Florida teenager Trayvon Martin’s 22nd birthday, Teen Vogue magazine celebrated his birthday by misleading its young readers on what really happened on that terrible day in 2012, making it seem as though Martin was merely an innocent victim of “racism.”
Trayvon Martin was the teenager shot by a Hispanic man named George Zimmerman in February of 2012. Zimmerman, a member of the neighborhood watch, was suspicious of the 17-year-old African-American boy and began following him while talking to police on the phone.
At some point, Martin turned and confronted Zimmerman and began physically assaulting the Hispanic man. Zimmerman drew his firearm and shot his attacker, killing him. Upon arriving at the scene, police found that Zimmerman had received multiple injuries from the attack.
But here is how Teen Vogue described the incident in its February 5 piece:
Almost five years ago, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by a “neighborhood watch” member as he walked home from a convenience store where he had purchased a juice drink and a package of Skittles. George Zimmerman, the man who shot Trayvon, believed him to be “possibly dangerous” because of his race and the fact that he was wearing a hoodie.
The magazine, aimed at teenagers, omitted the fact that Zimmerman was being beaten up by the younger, larger, and stronger attacker.
In addition, there is no evidence that Zimmerman racially profiled Trayvon Martin or believed he was “possibly dangerous” based only on his race.
Ultimately, Zimmerman was acquitted of murder based on his claims of acting in self-defense and in accordance with Florida’s “stand your ground” laws.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.”