What’s next for justice for Trayvon?
The NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights groups, is advocating for further legal action to be taken to honor Trayvon Martin. In order for federal civil rights charges to be pressed against George Zimmerman, it has to be proven that Martin’s death was a hate crime.
Attorney General Eric Holder explains this may be a tall order:
“For a federal hate crime we have to prove the highest standard in the law…something that was reckless, that was negligent does not meet that standard. We have to show that there was specific intent to do the crime with requisite state of mind.”
NAACP president Ben Jealous insists that it isn’t impossible. He has pressed the Justice Department to continue the federal investigation it began immediately following Martin’s death in 2012.
“They will make a choice about whether or not they will pursue criminal civil rights charges. We are calling on them to do just that…when you look at (Zimmerman’s) comments, when you look at his comments about young black men in that neighborhood, about how they felt specially targeted by him, there is reason to be concerned that race was a factor in why he targeted young Trayvon.”
Robert Zimmerman Jr. feels confident an investigation of his brother would be pointless.
“They’ve [FBI] investigated, I think, about three dozen of his closest friends and acquaintances. And there is not any inkling of racism. In fact, there’s evidence to show the opposite.”
Though the president himself has yet to weigh in on further charges, politicians on all sides have added their voices to the discussion. Texas Gov. Rick Perry stated:
“The fact is we have the best judicial system in the world and we respect it…it’s my opinion that a very thoughtful case was made by each side, the jurors made the decision, and we will live with that.”
For now, we will have to wait and see how the federal government chooses to move forward. Let’s make sure the Martin family knows we are still thinking of them. Show your support by signing this petition.
Source: CNN
