Social Media as a Rallying Tool - Creates Crisis for Police

            In recent days, the news of Trayvon Martin’s death has resurfaced a multitude of times on every news station, in every newspaper, and on a number of social media sites. Didn’t expect the last medium to be a strong player in the story? Neither did I.

            The first time I heard about Martin’s death was on the Today Show earlier this week. Like many others, I found the incident to be shocking, sad, and unnecessary. Martin’s life was far too short and was taken away by someone who did not have the right to do so. It was a tragedy in the world of his family and friends and touched the hearts of many around the world.

            What I didn’t know up until recently was the role social media played in the case. Essentially, social media got the ball rolling on the news coverage about Trayvon Martin. Messages began surfacing about Martin’s death on Twitter and other social media sites. Radio host Michael Baisden tweeted to his 65,000 followers just a day later: “Unarmed 17-year-old boy shot by neighborhood watch captain in Sanford, FL outside of Orlando”. The tweet included a link to a story about the incident. Baisden also posted the message on his Facebook wall, where he has 585,000 fans.

            The pick-up in social media is fast and cannot be denied when there is passion behind the message. Outraged citizens took to social media as a form of expression – expressing their anger, disappointment, and confusion regarding the lack of justice being served. The story has been mentioned on Twitter almost 600,000 times, according to PeopleBrowsr. A Facebook page has been created in support of Martin’s family and rallying for justice to be served. The page has more than 78,000 likes.

            With the vast amount of support on social media from citizens across the United States, Sanford Police Department is challenged to provide justice for the heinous crime. The voice of the people is strong and loud, it cannot be ignored. Only time will tell if the police department will eventually charge George Zimmerman for the killing of Trayvon Martin. It is a crisis they must face immediately, for fear of loss of trust and reputation.

            What do you think will happen?