Trayvon Martin Shooting

Statement

Last Friday I was a guest on Politics Nation with Rev. Al Sharpton to speak about the killing of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida. I am deeply disturbed by the incident, not only because of the loss of life, but because the justice system still treats African-American males, whether victim or suspect, very differently. We may never know exactly what happened that day because the Sanford Police missed the opportunity to collect forensic evidence, but based on the 911 tapes and what has been reported in the media, I believe Trayvon's killing may constitute a hate crime under federal law. You can watch my conversation with Rev. Sharpton by clicking here.

I have joined my friend Representative John Conyers and several of my other colleagues on the House Judiciary Committee in asking Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate the shooting of Trayvon Martin and determine if the shooter committed a hate crime. On one of the 911 tapes he can be heard using a racial epithet, and his neighbors describe him as being "focused on young, black males."

On Tuesday, I joined John Conyers and several of my Democratic colleagues at a forum on racial profiling and hate crimes, where I met Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, the parents of Trayvon Martin. I told them that I grieved with them and offered my condolences on the loss of their son. I was very impressed with the graciousness of the Martin family who, even as they grieve for their son's death, must struggle to get justice for Trayvon. Trayvon Martin's death is a human tragedy and it appears to be a case of racial profiling. As the news has been slowly coming out about the detective who wanted to prosecute the shooter, as well as the video of the shooter being transported to and then arriving at the police station with no visible signs of injury, it's becoming clearer and clearer that a timely arrest was warranted.

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