Obama says 'Trayvon Martin could have been me, 35 years ago'
- 11 years ago
ROUGH CUT - NO REPORTER NARRATION
STORY: President Barack Obama said on Friday that the death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager shot dead in Florida last year, has raised questions about why young African-Americans experience racial profiling.
"You know, when Trayvon Martin was first shot, I said that this could have been my son. Another way of saying that is Trayvon Martin could have been me, 35 years ago," Obama told reporters at the White House, in his first public remarks after the acquittal by a Florida court of Martin's shooter, George Zimmerman.
A jury of six anonymous women on Saturday found Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter, ending a Florida state prosecution of a case that has captivated and polarized the U.S. public on issues of race, gun and self-defense laws.
The verdict has prompted protests and demonstrations around the country. A member of the jury that found Zimmerman not guilty has called for changes to F
STORY: President Barack Obama said on Friday that the death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager shot dead in Florida last year, has raised questions about why young African-Americans experience racial profiling.
"You know, when Trayvon Martin was first shot, I said that this could have been my son. Another way of saying that is Trayvon Martin could have been me, 35 years ago," Obama told reporters at the White House, in his first public remarks after the acquittal by a Florida court of Martin's shooter, George Zimmerman.
A jury of six anonymous women on Saturday found Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter, ending a Florida state prosecution of a case that has captivated and polarized the U.S. public on issues of race, gun and self-defense laws.
The verdict has prompted protests and demonstrations around the country. A member of the jury that found Zimmerman not guilty has called for changes to F