The Jay-Z produced series Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story trailer has dropped. It begins with the audio recording of Trayvon Martin’s father reporting him missing. Next, the audio of George Zimmerman, the neighbourhood watch volunteer who shot the unarmed 17-year-old, where we hear his police report moments before he stalks and shoots the boy. Finally, there’s a frantic 911 call from a neighbour who hears screaming outside. Together, it’s an absolutely haunting narrative.
The upcoming series, split into six episodes, chronicles the shooting of Trayvon on February 26 2012. Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter, but was aquitted in 2013 due to Florida’s stand your ground law. His death and the unjust trial and result sparked mass protest across the U.S and the wider world, from which came the prominent Black Lives Matter movement.
“Trayvon became the face of our community, we had to go to war from him,” says one activist.
The docuseries looks further into the institutional racism and prejudice ingrained into the justice and social systems that have seen Martin, Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, Sandra Bland, and so many other people of colour die by police brutality. Across its episodes, the doc includes personal footage from the Martins and interviews with those close to him, including his parents Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, as well as on-the-ground reporting from protests and the movement.
“It took my soon being shot down to make me stand up,” says Trayvon’s mother.
This is Jay-Z’s second foray into documentary-making, zoning in on narratives that expose the broken American justice system. In 2017, he executive produced Time: The Kalief Browder Story which examined the wrongful arrest and imprisonment of a 16-year-old boy, who eventually died by suicide upon release.
Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story debuts on the Paramount Network July 30.