Free Republic

It wasn’t supposed to take Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin five years to write a book about the death of their son, Trayvon Martin. But their grief has made finding the words unbearable until now. Martin’s parents collaborated to write “Rest In Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin,” published Tuesday by Spiegel & Grau. The book recounts the journey of two grieving parents, thrust into the spotlight by tragedy and on some days, still as close to their loss as the day he died. “The calendar says five years, but it seems like just a few months,” Sybrina Fulton...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)Two years and a day after their son’s death, the parents of Trayvon Martin visited the White House on Thursday and were in the audience as President Obama announced a new initiative designed to keep young minority men on the right path. The president mentioned Trayvon’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, during his speech, drawing applause from a crowd gathered in the East Room of the White House. The man who shot and killed Trayvon, George Zimmerman, was found not guilty of murder in a Florida trial last year. The prosecution contended that Mr. Zimmerman singled out Trayvon because...

Trayvon Martin’s father led the FAMU football team onto the field before the Rattlers’ season opener Sunday at the Citrus Bowl, embracing his role as honorary captain this season. .. “It feels good just to be a part of that, man. I had a son that used to go to FAMU and Trayvon wanted to go to FAMU,” Martin said immediately after taking the field.

Last year, our son Trayvon Martin was stalked, chased down and killed by George Zimmerman, and Zimmerman faced no punishment whatsoever. That's in large part because Florida is one of at least 21 states with some form of 'Stand Your Ground' law, which enables people like George Zimmerman to claim self-defense. We're calling on 21 governors whose states have some form of 'Stand Your Ground' laws to review those laws and amend them so that people who instigate conflicts -- people like George Zimmerman -- won't be able to use these laws to get away with murder. 'Stand Your Ground'...

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Trayvon Martin's parents are scheduled to hold a news conference in Miami Beach.

Through their nakedly deceptive public speaking tours, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, parents of Trayvon Martin, are all but ensuring that a high percentage of American black males will continue to end up in the cradle-to-prison pipeline. By glorifying their son's lifestyle, they push young wayward blacks away from the truth and into further trouble. If ever there was a case to be made that some black parents bear responsibility for their kids' criminal behavior, Martin's and Fulton's debut on the national stage proves it. I understand that blaming racism is much more lucrative than admitting you failed to provide...

Men acting as security for the Trayvon Martin rally in Miami, Florida today accosted Miami Herald reporter David Smiley and confiscated his notebook.The incident took place as Martin's father Tracy was leaving the rally and entered a vehicle. The security accused the reporter of writing down the license plate of the vehicle.Smiley reported the incident on Twitter along with photographs:Tracy Martin gets into black aescalare as Wilson speaks, surrounded by bodyguards. Crowd chants "Stay Strong." pic.twitter.com/24ZEjmOKTfCurry's people, after snatching my notes and accusing me of writing down Martin's tag # ... Stay classy pic.twitter.com/lchrUfltwlFellow Herald report Marc Caputo described the...

"We are deeply honored and moved that President Obama took the time to speak publicly and at length about our son, Trayvon. The President’s comments give us great strength at this time. We are thankful for President Obama’s and Michelle’s prayers, and we ask for your prayers as well as we continue to move forward. We know that the death of our son Trayvon, the trial and the not guilty verdict have been deeply painful and difficult for many people. We know our family has become a conduit for people to talk about race in America and to try and...

*On Monday (7/8) the defense attorneys in the George Zimmerman trial brought forth testimony from a parade of witnesses who vouched that the screams for help on the 911 tapes were those of Zimmerman and not Trayvon Martin. Legal analysts called it a victory for the defense, claiming the testimony of Trayvon’s father Tracy Martin was weak and contradictory. However, the father did raise one simple question that seems to be largely overlooked – why did Zimmerman leave his car in the first place to go after his son? It would seem the prosecution’s best strategy would have been to...

The parents of Trayvon Martin, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, listen to Sanford, Fla. police officer Chris Serino testify on the 20th day of the George Zimmerman murder trial in Seminole circuit court, July 8, 2013 in Sanford.Taking the stand Monday, the father of slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin denied telling police officers that he didn't believe it was his son's voice heard screaming for help on a 911 call that is critical to the murder case against George Zimmerman. Earlier Monday, investigators Chris Serino and Doris Singleton testified that in their meeting with Tracy Martin two days after his...

If the apple supposedly doesn’t fall far from the tree, Trayvon Martin’s father Tracy has been pruning his tree of his past to make sure his son’s image isn’t tarnished by it. Photos have emerged of Tracy Martin after his son’s death in which there is a tattoo on the side of his neck with an undefinable word; a later photo shows that tattoo was erased, replaced by a tattoo with two hands clasped in prayer. Other photos show Martin alternatively posing with a group that brandished the Crips gang finger signs or stood with a different group in front...

(Reuters) - The family of black teenager Trayvon Martin, who was shot to death last year by a neighborhood watch captain, has settled a wrongful death claim against the homeowners association of the Florida gated community where he was killed, a Florida newspaper reported on Friday. Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the Martin family, filed paperwork outlining the settlement, which is thought to be more than $1 million, at a courthouse in Sanford, Florida, according to the Orlando Sentinel newspaper. Crump did not return calls for comment.

Trayvon Martin's parents have settled a wrongful death claim, reportedly for more than $1 million, against the Florida homeowners association where their son was killed. [snip] Under the terms of the settlement, Trayvon's parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, agreed to drop their wrongful death claim as well as claims for pain and suffering, loss of earnings and expenses. [little more at link]

The mother of slain teenager Trayvon Martin will be able to take about eight months of paid leave from her county job, thanks to the generosity of county employees. Sybrina Fulton, who has worked at the Miami-Dade County housing authority for 23 years, collected $40,825 worth of donated vacation time, county records show. The paid time off is in addition to the nearly $100,000 the family raised on wepay.com and at rallies, which will be used to launch a criminal justice advocacy foundation in Trayvon’s name....SNIP “They are using the money to continue the legacy of their son,” said Michael...

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The parents of slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin arrived in Birmingham today, spoke briefly this afternoon in front of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in downtown Birmingham and walked with a group of about 50 people to the King statue in Kelly Ingram Park. "We are going through a lot but it's good to know we have a lot of people standing with us," said Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton. Martin's father, Tracy Martin, thanked the City of Birmingham for making his son an honorary citizen in a vote by the City Council. "Most of all I'd like...

(Note: Spacing added at line breaks for easier reading.) WASHINGTON (NNPA) – On the night of Feb. 26, Tracy Martin and his girlfriend had gone out to dinner in Sanford, Fla., leaving his 17-year-old son, Trayvon, behind at the townhouse with plans to watch the NBA All-Star game scheduled to be televised at 7 p.m. from Orlando’s Amway Center. Trayvon decided to walk to a nearby 7-Eleven convenience store to pick up a bag of Skittles candy and a can of Arizona iced tea before settling in to watch East v. West all-stars. On his way back to the gated...