ISAACEUGENE

Trayvon Benjamin Martin (February 5, 1995 – February 26, 2012) was a 17-year-old African-American from Miami Gardens, Florida, who was fatally shot in Sanford, Florida, by George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old Hispanic American. Martin had accompanied his father to visit his father's fiancée at her townhouse at The Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford. On the evening of February 26, Martin was walking back to the fiancée's house from a nearby convenience store. Zimmerman, a member of the community watch, saw Martin and reported him to the Sanford Police as suspicious. Several minutes later, an altercation happened and Zimmerman fatally shot Martin in the chest. Trayvon was unarmed. But what if he had a gun and had defended himself from being murdered by Zimmerman? Would the gun-lobby have fought for his right to self-defense as ardently as they argued on Zimmerman's behalf?

Rap song by Skinny OG featuring God Stanley, questions what the narrative would have been, if Trayvon Martin had been armed and able to defend himself from Zimmerman, instead of being brutally gunned down by Zimmerman who was stalking the unarmed teenage boy in the middle of the night. Would the media have applauded Trayvon for using the "Stand Your Ground" laws if he had shot and killed Zimmerman in self-defense, the same way that some right-wing media applauded Zimmerman? Or would Trayvon have been vilified for protecting himself, even more than he was already vilified despite his martyrdom?