In unscheduled and unusually personal
remarks, President Barack Obama tried Friday to explain why African-Americans
were upset about last week's acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting
death of Trayvon Martin while lowering expectations for federal charges in the
case.
"Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago," Obama
told White House reporters in a surprise appearance at the daily briefing.
His remarks, which lasted about 20 minutes, escalated a nationwide
debate on the verdict that has prompted protests, including some that turned
violent.
A Florida jury acquitted Zimmerman last Saturday in Martin's
February 26, 2012, shooting death, inciting anger among many who considered the
incident racially motivated murder.
Obama issued a written statement on Sunday, noting that the jury
had spoken and urging calm and reflection. Despite some calls for him to speak
about the case, the nation's first African-American president had made no
further public comment until Friday.
Speaking without a teleprompter, Obama noted a history of racial
disparity in law as well as more nuanced social prejudice that contribute to
"a lot of pain" in the African-American community over the verdict.
"There are very few African-American men in this country who
have not had the experience of being followed when they are shopping at a
department store. That includes me," the president said.
"There are probably very few African-American men who have
not had the experience of walking across the street and hearing the locks click
on the doors of cars. That happens to me - at least before I was a
senator," he continued.
"There are very few African-Americans who have not had the
experience of getting on an elevator and a woman clutching her purse nervously
and holding her breath until she had the chance to get off. That happens
often," he said.
Saying he didn't intend to exaggerate those experiences, Obama
added that they "inform how the African-American community interprets what
happened one night in Florida."
"The African-American community is also knowledgeable that
there is a history of racial disparities in the application of our criminal
laws, everything from the death penalty to enforcement of our drug laws,"
he said. "And that ends up having an impact in terms of how people
interpret the case."
African-Americans feel the context of the Martin killing is little
known or denied, "and that all contributes, I think, to a sense that if a
white male teen was involved in the same kind of scenario that, from top to
bottom, both the outcome and the aftermath might have been different,"
Obama said.
These cases usually matter for states
At the same time, Obama responded to calls by civil rights groups
for federal hate crimes charges to be filed against Zimmerman by saying the
Florida legal process had reached a verdict.
"Once the jury's spoken, that's how our system works,"
the president said, later adding that while Attorney General Eric Holder was
looking further at the case, those calling for federal charges must "have
some clear expectations here."
In America, law enforcement and the criminal code are "traditionally
done at the state and local levels, not at the federal level," he said.
On Saturday, "Justice for Trayvon" vigils are scheduled
outside federal buildings across the country by Rev. Al Sharpton's National
Action Network.
Sharpton called Obama's remarks Friday "significant and much
needed," saying in a statement that the president "set a tone for
both direct action and needed dialogue."
Martin's parents said they were "deeply honored and
moved" that Obama spoke publicly about their son, saying the president's
comments "give us great strength at this time."
"Trayvon's life was cut short, but we hope that his legacy
will make our communities a better place for generations to come," said
the statement by Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton. "We applaud the president's
call to action to bring communities together to encourage an open and difficult
dialogue."
However, some conservative commentators criticized Obama for what
they called divisiveness by speaking as an African American instead of
representing the entire country. Todd Starnes, a Fox News Radio anchor, tweeted
"race-baiter in chief."
Zimmerman's defense team cited Obama's courage in addressing the
case and its racial context, but said the facts showed their client acted in
self-defense and the jury reached the proper verdict.
"While we acknowledge the racial context of the case, we hope
that the president was not suggesting that this case fits a pattern of racial
disparity, because we strongly contend that it does not," the lawyers said
in a statement.
A White House official said Chief White House correspondent
Jessica Yellin that Obama decided Thursday night to make his public remarks
after watching the reaction to the Zimmerman verdict over the past week.
The official, who spoke on condition of not being identified, said
Obama talked to friends and family members about the verdict, and told his
senior staff he wanted to speak publicly about it. His staff recommended that
he make the remarks in the White House briefing room, as opposed to an
interview.
In his remarks, Obama said demonstrations and other responses to
the Zimmerman verdict must be non-violent or they will dishonor what happened
to Martin and his family.
He outlined possible future steps, calling for the Justice
Department, state governors and city mayors to work with law enforcement
agencies "about training at the state and local levels in order to reduce
the kind of mistrust in the system that sometimes currently exists."
For example, he noted that racial profiling legislation he pushed
as a state senator in Illinois helped police departments think about the issue
and act more professionally, which helped build trust with communities they
serve.
Stand your ground laws
Obama also called for reconsideration of "stand your
ground" self-defense laws in Florida and other states, that he said
"may encourage the kinds of altercations and confrontations and tragedies
that we saw in the Florida case, rather than diffuse potential
altercations."
Sharpton and other civil rights leaders call for abolishing the
"stand your ground" laws.
"If we're sending a message as a society in our communities
that someone who is armed potentially has the right to use those firearms, even
if there's a way for them to exit from a situation, is that really going to be
contributing to the kind of peace and security and order that we'd like to
see?" Obama asked.
To supporters of such laws, Obama said they should consider if the
right to fight back with a gun would have applied to Martin.
"Do we actually think that he would have been justified in
shooting Mr. Zimmerman, who had followed him in a car, because he felt
threatened?" the president said. "And if the answer to that question
is at least ambiguous, then it seems to me that we might want to examine those
kinds of laws."
While rejecting any "grand new federal program," Obama
also called for providing more support for African-American boys and young mans
who disproportionately end up in prison or homicide victims.
No national conversation
However, he rejected calls for him to launch a national
conversation on race, saying "I haven't seen that be particularly
productive when, you know, politicians try to organize conversations."
His comment could have been a slap at his own response to the 2009
arrest of African-American university professor Henry Louis Gates by a white
police officer responding to a report of a possible burglary at his Boston-area
home.
After coming under criticism for saying police acted stupidly,
Obama later invited the Harvard professor and the arresting officer for a beer at the White House.
On Friday, Obama instead endorsed "soul-searching"
discussions in homes, churches and workplaces where people might be more honest
about whether they were "wringing as much bias" out of themselves as
possible.
"As difficult and challenging as this whole episode has been
for a lot of people, I don't want us to lose sight that things are getting
better," the president concluded, making a reference to his daughters'
generation.
"It doesn't mean we're in a post-racial society. It doesn't
mean that racism is eliminated," he said. "But, you know, when I talk
to Malia and Sasha and I listen to their friends and I see them interact,
they're better than we are. They're better than we were on these issues. And
that's true in every community that I've visited all across the country."
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