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Subscribe to RSSPresident Obama addresses the Trayvon Martin case from a White House Rose Garden event.
President Barack Obama said Friday that "every aspect" of the death of Trayvon Martin, the black teenager shot in Florida last month, must be investigated.
"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."
The president was speaking Friday at the end of a news conference outside of the White House announcing his nomination of Dartmouth president Jim Yong Kim for president of the World Bank.
Asked by NBC's Mike Viqueira to comment on the Martin case, which has prompted national outrage after the shooter evaded arrest for claiming he shot the unarmed teen out of self-defense, Obama said, "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."He added, "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."
Storify: Politicians' reaction to the Trayvon Martin case
Martin's family thanked the president in an email statement.
"We'd like to thank the President and the millions of people from around the world who have shown their support for Trayvon by participating in hoodie marches, rallies or through social media. We are all working together to not only get justice for Trayvon, but also to ensure that this kindof senseless tragedy doesn't happen to another child."
In Miami, students from more than a dozen schools staged a walkout to protest the lack of an arrest in the shooting of a black Florida teen. NBC's Ron Allen reports.
Martin, 17, was shot and killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman on Feb. 26 in Sanford, Fla.
"All of us have to do some soul-searching to do figure out how something like this happens," Obama told reporters.
Vote on Facebook: Appropriate for president to weigh in?
Meanwhile, on Friday, students at several South Florida high schools staged walkouts Friday morning in a protest against the lack of an arrest in the shooting.
Young, black, and in a hoodie: Recipe for disaster?
Hundreds of students from Miami Central, Miami Edison, Miami Norland and American Senior High poured out into the streets just after 9 a.m., reported NBCMiami.com.
Students at Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School, which Martin was attending when he was killed, will be making a banner in his honor that will be signed by students, said NBCMiami.com.
Republicans join call for Trayvon Martin inquiry
Zimmerman, the 28-year-old man who fatally shot Martin, has not been arrested, but is the subject of a civil rights investigation by the Justice Department and FBI. A grand jury will be convened on April 10 to determine whether to charge him.
NBC's legal correspondent Savannah Guthrie and managing editor of TheGrio.com, Joy-Ann Reid, offer their take on the Trayvon Martin case.
On Thursday, the police chief in the Martin case temporarily stepped down, saying he had become a distraction to the investigation.
Martin's parents said that wasn't enough, and that Zimmerman should be taken into custody.
"We want an arrest, we want a conviction and we want him sentenced for the murder of my son," Martin's father, Tracy, said to large crowd of supporters in downtown Sanford on Thursday.
NBCMiami.com contributed to this report.
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We all know that if the races where switched in this case Obama would not even be giving this a thought.
which is the epitomy of racism. Obama is a loser and is a shame of his half of the black race. To use the murder of a child as a campaign stunt....well its just shows nothing is beneath him.
I'm white, I think Zman is guilty but the race card was played first by the mom before she even knew about the 911 tapes or words....and it was used by countless blacks as well before they knew....its always about the card.
The likes of Al Shapton and Jesse Jackson are now in the same company as loser Obama. Did not know he could stoop that low.
Very true...he didn't have a press conference after the Casey Anthony issue in Florida. Wonder why? Isn't the death of every child bad? Guess it only matters if the child was black...and well...would have looked like Obama if it were his son. That was a blatant political move on Obama's part. If he's not going to talk and represent all Americans then he should stfu.
Why all the negative comments because the President made a statement about a serious matter. If he had not made a comment, then he would have been accused of being insensitive.
A young man is dead and another is accused of overstepping his boundaries by confronting him when he was specifically asked to let the police handle the problem. Had he followed the directions he was given then we would be talking and focusing on something else.
because he is a racist. what a great example.
when have you seen our great prez show any concern for a white that died senselessly. and there you have it folks.
Must have missed his press conference after the Casey Anthony verdict in Florida. Guess he was okay with that murder and verdict. Or was it because he couldn't cash in votes for a press conference...and couldn't use race to garner more votes. He's pathetic.
Obama is as racist as just about every other black that i've seen posting on here. And all of you will fall for his "oh i care so much" crap..its a re-election stunt...just like signing to the deaf. IF anyone should be ashamped, a man as high up as a Prez uses a child murder as a political stunt. Unbelieveable.
And now he is right up there with the losers like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. If black people are not outraged by the crystal clear use of this death as a campaign stunt then you shouldn't be outraged at the death.
Shameful...what a loser!
Thank GOD Hussein Zero didn't have a son, one Incompetent Failure from his bloodline is More Than Enough! GOD is Sooooo Good!
Hey BO...here's a little sound advise from your fed up citizenry...STFU about all the social issues that you somehow think we need to know how you feel about.
If we want your advise and condescension, we'll let you know. For the time being (until the February 2013 when you leave office) concentrate on issues that you were elected to lead for, and haven't yet...you know the economy, foreign policy, security of our country, etc...not those local and state issues that you not only prejudice by shooting off your mouth, but are consistently wrong on. Carry on.
To Gary24 NE Ohio, This is what it mean. It should not have happen to this child or any child.
Everything the HMIC touches turns to sht (the browning of America) If the shooter can prove he has any muslim blood in him it will be end of story exactly like the shooter on the Army base in Texas!
Obama just kicked the white racist vote to the curb - oh, wait a moment - maybe he did that when he decided to be born with a dark complexion.
and thats a good thing. White people elected obama not blacks...so we can only hope that dumbo ears just sealed his fate.
And of course, if you disagree with this POS`s marxist/socialist agenda, then you`re a racist.....idiot.
Imagine you have a kid you have loved and nurtured for 17 years. He goes out to the convenience store and is killed 20 yards from the home you are visiting. White or black this is an outrage. The facts need to come out but unless there is some compelling fact we don't know about yet this man needs to be tried for murder.
I agree.
Everyone cries racism, but our Prez opens his mouth and removes all doubt.
Not once have I seen him get on TV about a white death....but then..this is a blessing in disguise. White people elected him and this should wake them up...obviously he wasn't smart enough to know that...as I can assure you it isn't because he cares about this kid...its a campaign stunt.
Here we go again, odumba just cannot manage to keep his idiot mouth shut. The media already has this guy tried and convicted in print, all the left-wing loons are on board, and now comes the messiah to be the engineer on the train to loony-land.
odumba is already an embarrassment to Americans and America, now the POS is going to compound all that by running his mouth again, just like he did about the Cambridge police. Some morons just aren`t capable of learning.
Am I the only one that feels like this is a publicity stunt
in order to secure the votes of African Americans….
it is a stunt and African Americans will fall for it. But then again...I'd bet last time African Americans voted for him simply because he was black...so it won't surprise me when they fall for it again. Heck...they think Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson actually give a crap...they are losers and so is Obama.
Southms -
please leave our country.
Obama needs to stay out of the issue. He should have simplly said, I won't have any comment until the matter is investigated. His comments were strictly political to garner support from the black community. Regardless of Zimmerman's motivations or what actually happened, the media has pretty much insured that Zimmerman will be the scapegoat. He may be a pig, but the media getting everyone fired up is not helping.
O/Boy our worthless president, is now trying to get TV exposure. What a chump. If we can only make it to November.
Why was the kid in that neighborhood? If his dad's girlfriend lived there, why didn't he say so?
What a racist this obama filth is. Not only is he racist he is a race baiter on par with the scum ilk like Al Sharpton. obama the great divider..
This is low, even for S-head obama.
Dax,
On a less dramatic and much less horrific incident - don't forget about the white cop and the black professor that ended in a beer "make nice" meeting. I can't imagine the president of any country getting involved in an incident SOOOOOOOO minor other then to gain favor.
Arrest Zimmerman now!!! This was not self defense, this is a moron hell bent on playing cops. If this was my son nothing would stop me from getting this SOB!
Obama is black. We get it. LETS MOVE ON!
Mr. Obama let your justice department handle it. Keep out! I just read another article about the safety of our borders. It seems the Organ Pipe National Monument has armed escorts for visitors to about 1/3rd of this national monument. The other 2/3rds is off limits completely and you enter at your own risk. Our national park (330,689-acres) of which 220,459 acres a US citizen cannot enter for fear of being shot by drug runners and human smugglers. Now that is important to the country! I truly believe that the incident in Florida will take care of itself without presidential meddling.
just why does a neighborhood watch person carry a gun? he should be carrying a cell phone --alert the police if necessary and continue to watch. he was judge, jury and executioner---not in the job description. no indication of the boy breaking the law--no one yelling thief-stop that man. no reason to shoot-no reason what so ever. this is murder. not man slaughter---murder.
I don't know. Why does creepbama get involved in this particular case?
Has anyone EVER seen Obama comment about a white slaying, and asking for justice and investigations at all levels? Ever? Didn't think so. Must be time for a beer summit again I guess.
Didn't see the President or the Black Caucus calling for justice in any of the high profile cases of shootings by Black males of White males/females over the past three years. Some really high profile cases and nothing but silence. I guess you have to be a Black victum to be outraged - pretty much like his Department of Justice operates. The Divider in Chief is doing his part with his fellow race baiters like Al Sharpton.
Well here we go again. If the comments are not in favor of obama then the community decides to collapse them.
And YOU people claim that FOX is so one-sided. Hypocrisy at it's best.
Obama should be able to make simple personal opinions without the whole world coming down on top of him. Such a non-issue, we have bigger problems right now.
The police aren't the problem. The problem is bad people. If you think all mice will eat cheese then all mice are cheese eaters. Who thinks different after you see so much cheese eaten by mice. Same holds true for other ways of life in probability.
The hispanic guy may have actually been defending himself. Or his burrito.
By the way black on white murder is 18 times greater than white on black. Just
a factoid.
But of course it's a field day when someone kills a black person. On
average 8 white people a day die from a black person. Imagine that. So
sick of the race card. Act like good people and people will treat you
good. It's that simple.
I grew up around neighborhoods where my mother owned 14 houses. At 38th
and Sherman Dr in Indianapolis. They were nice neighborhoods in the 70s
until black people moved in. Then people didn't take care of homes. And
now it's a violent place to live. Imagine that one. But of course that
must be a white persons fault too because people won't take care of stuff
and be nice.
I was a white around it all. Imagine all the bs I had to deal with. And
white people aren't half as racist and starting fights as black people
are. Even black people are afraid of black people. Imagine that one, I
got out and moved to my brothers in Florida when I was 14 to get away
from it. I probably wouldn't be alive today if I hadn't of. That's a
fact.
If I had a con-man, scammer, and hard-core socialist for a president he would look like Obama.