By Nicole Christensen and Krista Jacobsen

Trojan Tribune Staff

Photo courtesy of hintv.com

February 26, 2012, marked a day in future history. Trayvon Martin, an African American 17-year-old, was shot by George Zimmerman, an Hispanic 28-year-old, while filling his role as a community watch coordinator in Sanford, Florida. That night, Martin was walking to his father’s girlfriend’s house in a gated community, armed with only an Arizona Tea and Skittles. While following Martin, Zimmerman reported to the Sanford Police Department what he said to be suspicious behavior.

Eventually, there was a confrontation, which resulted in Zimmerman shooting Martin in the chest at close range. When police arrived, Zimmerman told them he shot Martin in self-defense because Martin had attacked him. Zimmerman was bleeding from the nose and had a wound on the back of his head, according to the police. He turned himself in and was taken into custody for second degree murder. West Central senior Melinda Knuth states, “This isn’t a race issue. It’s blown way out of proportion.”

“I don’t know what to think. There is so much to this case,” senior Katie Stahl said. Although there are some things that happened for a fact, there are many controversial  parts to this case. In some of the 911 calls, a voice could be heard yelling “help.” Martin’s mother said she recognized the voice as her son’s, but Zimmerman claims he was the one calling for help. There were a couple eyewitness accounts to the incident, but all of them different from one another. One eyewitness, referred to as a female, said she heard an argument between a younger and an older voice. She watched the fight happen on the grass and said the larger man, who was on top, walked away after the gunshot. Another witness, however, stated that Martin was on top and Zimmerman was yelling for help. The guy, John, said the guy on bottom had on a red sweatshirt and was yelling for help. Mary Cutcher and her roommate, Selma Mora Lamilla, said they heard a young voice whining with no sounds of a fight. Cutcher and Lamilla said they later heard a gunshot and saw Zimmerman on his knees straddling Martin on the ground. Police disputed their account because Cutcher also said after the fatal shooting, the black man was standing over another man, even though Martin was already dead.

Several of Zimmerman’s neighbors have said Zimmerman had bandages on his head and nose the next day, even though police video showed paramedics checked out Zimmerman and he appeared unmarred. The shooting also prompted allegations that Zimmerman shot Martin out of racism. Zimmerman’s father defended his son saying he was raised in a multiracial family, and that his son “would be the last to discriminate for any reason whatsoever.”

Last Friday, the prosecution said Zimmerman should be denied bail entirely or that it should be set at $1 million, but Zimmerman was released on only $150,000. During the trial, Zimmerman stunned the Florida court by apologizing to Martin’s parents. “I am sorry for the loss of your son. I did not know how old he was. I thought he was a little bit younger than I am. I did not know if he was armed or not,” Zimmerman said, addressing Martin’s family directly.

By Madi Monahan

Trojan Tribune Staff

Photo Courtesy of Web Pro-News

It’s not a surprise if you hear that a potential employer has checked out your Facebook page, but they’re actually going further than that. Some businesses are now asking potential and current employees for their Facebook passwords so they can inspect the employees’ profiles.

Catherine Crump, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, disagrees with these practices. “It’s an invasion of privacy for private employers to insist on looking at people’s private Facebook pages as a condition of employment or consideration in an application process. People are entitled to their private lives.”

Facebook isn’t too happy about the audacity of employers, either. Their long-time policies about sharing passwords haven’t changed, and they’re making sure the employers know what they could be getting themselves into. If a company were to ask and receive the login information of a potential employee, and then that person was not hired, claims of discrimination could be held against the company. The case would be messy; while the practice may still be illegal, there is no specific legislation against it.  However, Senator Charles Schumer of New York and Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut are currently working to change that.

The two senators are following the example that Maryland Senator Ronald Young has set. Young has already put in two pieces of legislation to stop an infringement of constitutional rights, and submitted it last year. It has since passed in the Maryland State Senate, and is now in the House. Schumer and Blumenthal are just now “drafting legislation that would fill any gaps in federal law that allow employers to require personal login information from prospective employees to be considered for a job.” Bradley Shear, a social media lawyer, has also mentioned that this controversial new interview question could be a violation of the first, fourth and fifth amendment rights. But, until the legislation is updated, the problem cannot be completely solved.

Shear states, “Until someone says no, you can’t do it, they are going to do it — that’s why the legislation is so important. This legislation is needed on a state and national level. It’s that simple.”

By Donovan Minor

Trojan Tribune Staff

The West Central Annual Pops Concert will take place April 28. The concert band, jazz band, drumline, men’s choir and mixed and concert choirs will perform.

During the dinner, various solos and ensembles will perform some of their favorite pop songs. Walking tacos will be served at 5 and the concert will begin at 7.  “There will be a variety of music and styles that will be family friendly,” said band director Danny Eye.

The most anticipated act is the men’s choir, which has almost doubled in size in the last year. Men’s choir gained popularity with its version of Billy Joel’s “For the Longest Time”. This year the men will sing a collaboration of the two hit songs by The Plain White Tees, “Hey There Delilah” and “1234”. A fun time is guaranteed for all.