President Obama’s remarks on Trayvon Martin (full transcript)

The Washington Post ^ | 7/19/2013 | Washington Post Staff

[sheikdetailfeather]

President Obama spoke about the killing of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin and ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws on Friday at the White House.

REPORTERS: Whoa!

Q: Hello.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: That’s so -- that’s so disappointing, man. Jay, is this kind of -- the kind of respect that you get? (Laughter.)

Q: Wake up!

Q: What brings you out here, Mr. --

PRESIDENT OBAMA: You know, on -- on -- on television it usually looks like you’re addressing a full room.

Q: (Laughs.) It’s just a mirage.

Q: There’s generally not --

PRESIDENT OBAMA: All right.

(Cross talk.)

Q: (Inaudible) -- got the Detroit story.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: I got you. All right. Sorry about that. Do you think anybody else is showing up? Good.

Well, I -- I wanted to come out here first of all to tell you that Jay is prepared for all your questions and is -- is very much looking forward to the session.

[sheikdetailfeather]

Here is the transcript from today.

[sheikdetailfeather]

Ping

[jonsie]

He did this to take the heat off of the IRS scandal and Detroit going bankrupt.

[sheikdetailfeather]

“On the other hand, 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?

And for those who resist that idea that we should think about something like these “stand your ground” laws, I just ask people to consider if Trayvon Martin was of age and armed, could he have stood his ground on that sidewalk? And 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?”

[Sender]

"We understand that some of the violence that takes place in poor black neighborhoods around the country is born out of a very violent past in this country, and that the poverty and dysfunction that we see in those communities can be traced to a very difficult history."

(it's all the fault of white slave owners)

"On the other hand, 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?"

(it's all the fault of white gun owners)

[SE Mom]

I’m still in shock. Listening to the massively dense Chris Wallace simply does not get it. Appallingly he thinks O was smart.

[Uncle Chip]

I send my thoughts and prayers, as well as Michelle’s, to the family of Trayvon Martin, and to remark on the incredible grace and dignity with which they’ve dealt with the entire situation.

And what thoughts and prayers are you sending to the Zimmerman family other than threats of another DOJ investigation???

[Le Chien Rouge]

“The African_American Community is going through an experience that never goes away”

Well, Mr President, check out all the YouTube video’s depicting African-American flash mobs that scare the hell out of white folks,read about beat whitey night in Iowa,ask about the knock-out game in St Louis, and even more importantly how about acknowledging the ridiculously high black-on-white crime stats.

Maybe after reading these items you may understand what non-blacks experience everyday and shows NO signs of dissipating!

[darkwing104]

Its all a distraction, Obama is hiding the failures; Obamacare, Benghazi, IRS, NSA, Meddling in Egypt, Detroit, and list of other goof ups.

The low information Media just echo his words without any concerns of the facts...This is Idiocracy in action.

[sheikdetailfeather]

Referencing SYG laws: “And if the answer to that question is at least ambiguous, it seems to me that we might want to examine those kinds of laws.”

[mylife]

This guy is so full of ****!

Oh Noes! Somebody gave me a look over!

Trayvon would be alive had he not assaulted Zimmerman.
Just STFU you poor oppressed sack of ****.

How did you get to be top dawg by being so oppressed?

[BigBobber]

It’s a reasonable response given the base he is trying to appeal to. Certainly more to the center than his race-baiting cohorts in the media and capitol hill. However, he needs to take them to task for their incitement to violence and misrepresentation of the facts in this case.

He should be warning gansta-wannabe black youth about the destructive path they are on. Their deaths should weigh heavily on his conscience. He and his fellow Rats make a daily sacrifice of their young live in pursuit of political points. They would rather run on the problem than try to solve it.

[mylife]

Kinda hard to get away when some ***hole is on top of you giving you whoop ass.

Whoop Ahhhssss.

[Uncle Chip]

There are very few African-American men in this country who haven’t had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store. That includes me.

When was the last time you then turned around and delivered a beatdown on one of your followers.

[timestax]

Obobo must have fallen and hit his head. Or why would he be talking such goofy nonsense ??

[mylife]

AND...
He is going after your right to self preservation.

[freshlook]

I’m new what does ping mean? Anyway, have we ever had a president try to

divide based on class and race so much in this country?

[mylife]

He believes his own nonsensical BS.

Any fool that give up his rights to this gibberish is a FOOL.

[txhurl]

Then that one chick said there were no deaths as a result -’so far’- did they too get blacked out on those brothers in Florida murdered by blacks for their Free Zimmerman bumper sticker last Sunday!@??

[Uncle Chip]

There are very few African-Americans who haven’t had the experience of getting on an elevator and a woman clutching her purse nervously and holding her breath until she had a chance to get off. That happens often.

So then if she then gets out of the elevator should you deliver a beatdown???