WASHINGTON — President Obama, making a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room to address the verdict in the Trayvon Martin killing, spoke in personal terms about the experience of being a black man in the United States, trying to put the case in the perspective of African-Americans. They were Mr. Obama’s most extensive comments on race since 2008, and his most extensive as president.
[h=6]Doug Mills/The New York Times[/h]President Obama on Friday made remarks about Trayvon Martin at the White House.
“I think it’s important to recognize that the African-American community is looking at this issue through a set of experiences and a history that -- that doesn’t go away,” Mr. Obama said in the briefing room. “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.”
A jury on Saturday found George Zimmerman, a volunteer community watchman, not guilty of second-degree murder in the killing of Mr. Martin in early 2012. The verdict has elicited marches and protests across the country, although there has been little violence. The killing of Mr. Martin, an unarmed black teenager, ignited a national debate on racial profiling and civil rights.
Mr. Obama also said he and his staff were examining policy options, and he raised questions about the wisdom of laws like Florida’s Stand Your Ground law.
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., in a speech Tuesday at the N.A.A.C.P. convention in Orlando, Fla., condemned Florida’s Stand Your Ground law. “It’s time to question laws that senselessly expand the concept of self-defense and sow dangerous conflict in our neighborhoods,” he said.
[h=6]Doug Mills/The New York Times[/h]President Obama on Friday made remarks about Trayvon Martin at the White House.
“I think it’s important to recognize that the African-American community is looking at this issue through a set of experiences and a history that -- that doesn’t go away,” Mr. Obama said in the briefing room. “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.”
A jury on Saturday found George Zimmerman, a volunteer community watchman, not guilty of second-degree murder in the killing of Mr. Martin in early 2012. The verdict has elicited marches and protests across the country, although there has been little violence. The killing of Mr. Martin, an unarmed black teenager, ignited a national debate on racial profiling and civil rights.
Mr. Obama also said he and his staff were examining policy options, and he raised questions about the wisdom of laws like Florida’s Stand Your Ground law.
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., in a speech Tuesday at the N.A.A.C.P. convention in Orlando, Fla., condemned Florida’s Stand Your Ground law. “It’s time to question laws that senselessly expand the concept of self-defense and sow dangerous conflict in our neighborhoods,” he said.