Obama commented on the Trayvon Martin case today in the Rose Garden:
"I think about my own kids. and you know, I think every parent in america should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this. and that everybody pulls together, federal, state and local, to figure out exactly how this tragedy happened. so I'm glad that not only is the justice department looking into it, I understand now that the governor of the state of Florida has formed a task force to investigate what is taking place…My main message is to the parents of Trayvon Martin. You know, if I had a son, he would look like Trayvon. and, you know, I think they are right to expect that all of us as americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves and that we're going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened."
Watch, AFTER THE JUMP…
Petition to prosecute Trayvon's killer, George Zimmerman, here.
In related news, activist and writer Zach Stafford writes, in the HuffPost, about everyone's civil rights movement, how they relate to the Trayvon Martin case, and why LGBT people should be involved:
Trayvon Martin's story is a tragedy, but we need to look at this instance and see it as a battle on a few levels. On one level it is a battle for justice for the Martin family, who rightly deserve it, and on another level it's also a battle for all folks who face violence when being in public — even gay folks. Although I can never say that "I Am Trayvon Martin!" (even though I do understand that protesting tactic), what I can say is that I have been in the "wrong" place and policed by folks who live in that place far too many times just for looking "suspicious" (translation: not white, not heterosexual, or not what is thought to be an upstanding member of that place). And I believe many of the gay folks in the world could say they have to been thought of as suspicious — suspicious for being gay…
…In a previous blog post I wrote, "It's time for us to stop saying that the gay rights movement is the new civil rights movement, because my civil rights movement hasn't stopped: as a person of color, for me it's still going." I would like to point to the Travyon Martin case as an example of my civil rights movement not stopping, in terms of my race. Many people responded to this statement by saying that the civil rights movement is the gay rights movement, that we all should be working together toward equality. So with that I challenge you to show that this proclamation is true; that we are all in this together for equality; that you, as a gay man, lesbian woman, or transgender person, can see the movement for racial equality and sexual equality as a fight we are all apart of; and that you can start showing that by helping seek justice for Trayvon Martin, who was killed just a few weeks ago for being outside, for being in public and looking "suspicious."
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