Posted on 05/27/2012 12:13:11 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Fighting back tears, the parents of slain Florida teenager Trayvon Martin stood beside the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. and relatives of Chicago area murder victims on Saturday to stress the need to end “senseless gun violence.”
“We are the voice of Trayvon Martin,” Martin’s mother Sybrina Fulton said.
“He’s not here to speak for himself so we as his parents have decided instead of sitting back and not doing anything, this is what we have decided to do, to help our community and to help other parents.”
As she spoke about her son, Fulton also detailed her family’s Justice for Trayvon Foundation, which helps teens identify signs of racial profiling. She also called on Congress to amend Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, which allows a person in fear of bodily harm to use force, even deadly force, in the face of a perceived threat.
The unarmed hoodie-clad Martin was allegedly killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in Sanford, Fla. on Feb. 26, sparking nationwide protest and cries of injustice against African Americans.
Zimmerman, who is awaiting trial on a second-degree murder charge, has claimed self-defense and said he only fired because Trayvon Martin attacked him.
On Saturday, Tracy Martin recalled the day he learned his son was gunned down.
By law, the Florida-based county’s morgue couldn’t let the elder Martin see the body. Instead, he was forced to identify his son by gruesome crime scene photos.
“As any of you know as parents, or family members of slain victims, to look at a crime scene photo, it’s very disturbing,” Tracy Martin said at the Rainbow PUSH headquarters, 930 East 50th Street.
“...That was certainly very disturbing to just see that picture of my son on the ground dead. That will be ingrained in my memory for the rest of my life.”
Jackson said it’s time to “stop the killing,” pointing out that nearly 30,000 people in the country die from gun violence each year.
He also addressed recent reports that showed Trayvon Martin had trace amounts of marijuana in his system, saying it had nothing to do with his death.
“It’s the fact that he was profiled and pursued,” Jackson said. “...It’s just a clear cut case of what happened.”
The civil rights leader Saturday was also joined by relatives of other murder victims, including the family of Darnell Donerson and Jason Hudson, the mother and brother of Academy Award winning actress Jennifer Hudson who were killed by the star’s estranged brother-in-law in 2008.
Jackson also stood with the loved ones of Rekia Boyd, a woman who was allegedly shot to death by an off-duty Chicago Police officer in March, and Stephon Watts, an autistic 15-year-old boy who was allegedly killed by police in his south suburban home after the boy’s father called for help in February.
Tracy Martin turned to Watts’ father on Saturday to offer advice in dealing with the loss: “From father to father, I feel your pain. I know that,” Martin said. “...Continue to have faith and just lean on your better half. And if you have doubt, lean on God.”
While Trayvon was at the 7-11 he had a lot of trouble coming up with the money needed to buy the watermelon fruit juice cocktail and Skittles. He had to dig down and use some change. Yet, the cops found $40.00 on him after he was shot. Did he sell something to somebody after he left the 7-11? Watch the video. There’s a point where he appears to look back at what is apparently the front door. Is someone waiting for him outside. Also, after his purchase, he turns to walk out the door then suddenly turns around, walks back into the store, picks something up off the floor, then pretends like he was just going back to look to at some more juices. Did the person outside tell him he dropped something?What did he pick up?
I think it was Jesse who is profiling and pursuing Zimmerman and all crackers. If Jesse, Al, Hussein, etc. had left it alone, the little pothead's reputation wouldn't have been out like dirty laundry for the world to see. Amazing how the parents seem more concerned with their son after his death than when he was skipping school, fighting and getting high.
Let’s play, “Who wants to be a Race whore!”
I’m curious what Sybrina Fulton willsay after George Zimmerman isn’t convicted. After he was arrested I heard her say on FOX news she had faith in the “jiu jitsu” system.
I’m curious what Sybrina Fulton willsay after George Zimmerman isn’t convicted. After he was arrested I heard her say on FOX news she had faith in the “jiu jitsu” system.
I noticed him pick something off the floor but ignored it. I also noticed that the clerk was watching him and did not object to his taking whatever he picked up.
1: No young man becomes a burglar and drug user after exceptionally good parenting.
2: This is a great gig for Mom and Dad. Can you imagine how they are being treated at every event they attend? Who is paying their expenses to fly all across the country? Jane Fonda used to get $25,000 to attend anti-war rallies. Are these parents being paid to attend these events?
3: The theater of them attending the trial will be extraordinary.
Too bad they didn’t spend more time trying to end their son’s violence. We wouldn’t be suffering this dog and pony show.
It warms my heart thet they’re out telling others not to raise their chilldren to be thugs!
(It’a a much better world if you just read the headlines and fill in the rest yourself)...
Yes, thug children will break your hearts parents.
Yes -- especially disturbing were all those bruises on Trayvon's knuckles from bashing the head of somebody doing something as unthinkable as watching him.
Just wait until Obama ramps up his campaign with more race baiting....I can just see barry hauling the parents on stage or pointing them out in an audience and using them to call Republicans racists.
Yes that’s right, I didn’t pay much attention after he said he lost him. But what also stood out to me was when Zimmerman said Traydmark was walking towards him. Am I mistaken or did he sound a bit nervous while saying that? To me it sounded like he was about to go into a panic but maybe I putting too much into it. Either way, my impression was no way in hell was this the kind of guy who would be confronting crooks.
Wow!
Wow!
I think their 15 MINUTES of fame expired a couple of HOURS ago.
They never had it so good. They get travel, all expenses paid by Jesse’s idiots, good meals,treated well, and all they have to do is shed a few crocodile tears for a kid they had turned loose on the world.
Methinks Trayvon’s death is turning into quite the jackpot for Mommy and Daddy.
If only he’d had a stable home life and stayed out of drugs, he might be alive today and none of us would have ever heard of any of these people.
I bet when the parents wake up in the middle of the night and think about Trayvon their sense of failure, guilt and remorse is almost unbearable.
He was in their care and they failed him.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.