- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Flipboard
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Tumblr
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
President Obama addressed the George Zimmerman verdict in a Friday press briefing at the White House.
“Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago,” he said. Looking for positive lessons to draw from the shooting death of Martin, Obama said the nation needs to do some “soul-searching,” search for ways to bolster African-American boys and examine state and local laws to see whether they encourage confrontations like the tragedy in Florida.
“Where do we take this?” Obama wondered aloud in an impromptu appearance in the White House briefing room. “How do we learn some lessons from this and move in a positive direction?”
STORY: George Zimmerman Trial: Four Jurors Distance Themselves From Juror B37
The president said it’s time “for all of us to some soul-searching,” but he also said it’s generally not productive when politicians try to orchestrate a conversation.
On the positive side, he said race relations in the U.S. actually are getting better. Looking at his daughters and their interactions with friends, the president said: “They’re better than we are. They’re better than we were.”
The president declined to wade into the detail of legal questions about the Florida case, saying, “Once the jury’s spoken, that’s how our system works.”
But he said state and local laws, including Florida’s “stand your ground” statute, need a close look.
Obama said it would be useful “to examine some state and local laws to see if they are designed in such a way that they may encourage the kinds of confrontation” that led to Martin’s death. He questioned whether a law that sends the message that someone who is armed “has the right to use those firearms even if there is a way for them to exit from a situation” really promotes the peace and security that people want.
And he raised the question of whether Martin himself, if he had been armed, “could he have stood his ground on that sidewalk” and shot neighborhood watch volunteer Zimmerman if he felt threatened when being followed.
Obama’s appearance marked his first extended comments on the Martin case since Zimmerman was acquitted last weekend of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in Martin’s death last year. Jurors found that Zimmerman was acting in self-defense when he shot the unarmed black teenager. Zimmerman identifies himself as Hispanic.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has said the Justice Department has an open investigation into the case. The department is looking into whether Zimmerman violated Martin’s civil rights.
STORY: TV Ratings: Cable Viewership Swells Past 10 Million With George Zimmerman Verdict
Obama said that as people process the Zimmerman verdict, it’s important to put the angry reaction of many African-Americans into context. Protests and demonstrations, he said, are understandable, adding that “some of that stuff is just going to have to work its way through — as long as it remains nonviolent.”
“It’s important to recognize that the African-American community is looking at this issue through a set of experiences and a history that doesn’t go away,” he said.
He said that distrust shadows African-American men, that they sometimes are closely followed when they shop at department stores, that they can draw nervous stares on elevators and hear car locks clicking when they walk down the street — experiences that he personally felt before becoming a well-known figure.
“It’s inescapable for people to bring those experiences to bear,” he said.
Related Stories
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day