"On February 26, 2012, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a self-proclaimed neighborhood watch leader, as he returned from a nearby store where he had bought some snacks. Zimmerman, who says he shot Martin in self-defense, was arraigned on second-degree murder charges on April 12 in Sanford, Florida, after weeks of protest, leaks and speculation.

Because Martin was a young, unarmed black male, many people believe he was the tragic victim of racial profiling by an over-zealous Zimmerman.

Racial profiling is a scourge for all minority communities, and this tragedy calls to mind the fatal altercation between a Seattle police officer and a Native woodcarver John T. Williams in 2010. In both cases, the victim was confronted and killed by a man with a gun who thought he was protecting his community."

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Vincent Schilling: Trayvon Martin Case Another Example of Black and Native Communities Sharing Unfortunate Effects of Racial Profiling (Indian Country Today 4/12)