President Obama Comments on Trayvon Martin Case
Posted: March 23, 2012 Filed under: Crime, racism | Tags: Dartmouth College, Jim Yong Kim, racial profiling, Trayvon Martin, World Bank 36 Comments
Towards the end of a news availability in which he announced his pick of Jim Yong Kim, President of Dartmouth College, as president of the World Bank, President Obama responded to a question about the killing of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida more than three weeks ago.
“My main message is to the parents of Trayvon Martin: If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon,” Obama said. “I think they are right to expect that all of us as Americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves, and we’re going to get to the bottom of what happened.” [….]
“Obviously, this is a tragedy. I can only imagine what these parents are going through. And when I think about this boy, I think about my own kids.” [….]
“I think every parent in America should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this and that everybody pulls together – federal, state, and local – to figure out exactly how this tragedy happened.”
According to CBS News Obama also said:
“All of us have to do some soul-searching to figure out how does something like this happen,” he continued, “and that means that we examine the laws and the context for what happened as well as the specifics of the incident.”
The president often appears perturbed when he gets off-topic questions at ceremonial events, but on Friday, he seemed eager to address the case, which has quickly developed into an urgent cause in the African-American community. He cautioned that his comments would be limited because the Justice Department was investigating. But he talked at length about his personal feelings about the case….
Mr. Obama sidestepped some of the most sensitive and politically-charged specifics about the case — whether Mr. Zimmerman should be arrested; whether the “Stand your Ground” law goes too far in protecting people who shoot others; whether the police chief in the Florida town should be fired.
“I’m the head of the executive branch, and the attorney general reports to me,” Mr. Obama said. “So I’ve got to be careful about my statements to make sure that we’re not impairing any investigation that’s taking place right now.”
I’m very glad that Obama chose to weigh in on the controversy, and I hope this means he will encourage Attorney General Holder to press forward with a serious investigation, as well as the arrest and further questioning of George Zimmerman.
peej
Carissa
ecocatwoman
mablue2
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
TPM has video of Obama’s comments. I’m also glad for what he said, it was very appropriate.
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/03/obama-trayvon-martin-shooting-a-tragedy.php?ref=fpa
Thanks. There was video on a couple of my links. I didn’t look for it on youtube.
I am no Obama fan but think the President handled the question with compassion and grace. And I have to say I’m impressed with the World Bank choice. Larry Summers, eat your heart out!! Even Jeffrey Sachs who had thrown his name in for consideration, immediately withdrew, stating the choice of Kim was an outstanding selection–a man with development background rather than a financial shark.
Two A+s in row! My dubious heart has been stroked [at least for the moment]. :0)
I know. I’m trying to give him the benefit of the doubt these days. Sometimes he comes through and sometimes his choices are so awful–like the pipeline and the spying facility. If only we had some really good choices in leaders. Unfortunately, right now he’s the least horrible of a horrible bunch.
Spying, well just yuck. But the pipeline from the storage facilities in OK to the Gulf refineries shouldn’t even really be controversial. While the northern portion of the pipeline is something I am definitely against, the one they are going to build now will take care of a real transportation bottleneck and is running through areas which already contain various pipelines.
Since no tar sands oil will flow through it, I don’t see it as any different from what is already in place. It’s just one more of them.
Did you see santorum was out in a business suit in David Duke land firing a hand gun at a shooting range and some woman shouted pretend it’s Obama and Romney’s use yall again?
They probably have targets with Obama’s picture on them. I’ve heard they’re pretty common.
Here’s a link to the Santorum shooting/pretend it’s Obama story.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/03/as-santorum-fires-gun-woman-shouts-pretend-its-obama/
Fucking Geraldo “moron” Rivera …
People don’t kill people; hoodies kill people.
what a doofus he is 🙄
Well, that’s a really stupid comment from Geraldo. It’s no different than saying a young girl was raped because of ‘suggestive,’ revealing clothing. It puts the responsibility of the violence on a vulnerable, unarmed victim.
A gun killed Trayvon Martin, a gun wielded by a cop wannabe who had no business chasing a kid down the street with a loaded 9mm.
Jeeze!
Wow, this guy’s caucus is gonna really love him now …
Richard Hanna, GOP Congressman, Tells Women To Give Their Money To Democrats
And Kay Bailey Hutchinson went after Rick Perry for his moronic decision to turn his back on women’s health care, losing Federal funding.
There’s a candidate running for the senate in Arizonia, GW’s former Surgeon General [Richard Carmona] running as a Democrat because of the crazy positions the GOP has taken on women’s health and immigration. I listened to him last night. He said there was no way he could to would support those radical, counter-intuitive positions.
Very strange year.
I heard him to and he was really very good. It would be great if Arizona went blue for one state wide office! That would shake things up a little in the New Confederacy they’re building out there.
Kay Bailey Hutchinson voted for the Blunt bill that would have banned birth control. She has just realized that hating women is a losing issue.
I heard Carmona last night on Rachel. He sounded good, but why was he working for Dubya in the first place?
BB, He was a political independent and accepted the appointment as Surgeon General. That was always pretty common to go across the aisle, but no longer.
I know. I didn’t mean to sound cynical. It’s just that it’s hard not to be cynical about politicians these days. He did sound really intelligent and reasonable to me last night.
I just can’t help but read Soraya Chemaly 10 Reasons The Rest of The World Thinks the US is Nuts……..best article I’ve seen, and a must read. Everyday I re-read what she has said, and of late thinking of Trayvon’s case, how alot of people just don’t care.
Here’s the link.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soraya-chemaly/womens-reproductive-rights_b_1345214.html
wow. powerful read.
Obama should be forced to read this and then given a test on the points made.
The war on women is about denying women human rights and denying that women are human beings.
This is the best and most powerful summary about the misogyny coming from the GOP aimed at women’s human rights.
What took 0bama so damned long to find the time and/or words to make a comment about the murder of Trayvon Martin??? I guess his speech writer had to run the speech past a focus group first.
And then there is “Fucking Geraldo “moron” Rivera … “ response. A fashion statement?? related to the murder of a teen by a racist pig??
Both Romney and Santorum commented on the Trayvon Martin case.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/romney-santorum-comment-on-trayvon-martin
Santorum is right it does appear pretty clear what we’re seeing in the case but I’m not sure we would agree on what that problem was.
When he was 9 years old, Trayvon Martin saved his father’s life in a fire.
Paul Krugman’s excellent editorial …
Paranoia Strikes Deeper
Classic Pierce …
😆 😆
Charles Pierce: Trayvon Martin and the End of Excuses
http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/trayvon-martin-news-7552519
I’ll let this speak for me.
Wow, Pierce really nailed it! And, I’d never heard Barney Frank’s comment before. I wonder why Pierce is never on any of the Talking Head shows. Maybe he just says NO.
He is on NPR a lot.
BB, I know he’s on Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me, but I’ve never seen him on panel on Maddow, CNN, MHP or any of the other shows. I’d even be happy to see him on Bill Moyers’ new show.
He is also on “Only A Game” every week. I’ve heard Pierce on other NPR shows, but he’s primarily seen as a humorist and sportswriter. If his blog gets any more popular, he’ll probably get invited on MSNBC.
He says Martin was shot in the head. He wasn’t as far as I know.
I read about what Jesse Jackson said, and I totally agree. The fact that Zimmerman hasn’t been arrested is stunning and shameful and embarrassing to Americans before the rest of the world. Meanwhile, Zimmerman could have very well left the country. His mother is from Peru, and likely has family and friends there. Why aren’t his whereabouts known?
I’ve heard he was shot center mass in all the reports. Who knows as screwed up as the investigation was though?
I’m pretty sure he was shot through the chest. I wish we could just get all the facts and stop fooling around. There is already probably cause to arrest Zimmerman, and its very troubling to me that the police don’t know where he is–at least that’s what Bill Lee said.