“The killing of Trayvon Martin has once again laid bare the reality that, too often in our nation’s history, police actions have been motivated by racial bias and that crimes with an undeniable racial motive have too often been overlooked or swept under the rug,” Dennis Parker of the ACLU told a House forum hosted by Democrats.
On February 26, self-appointed neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman allegedly pursued and shot Martin in Sanford, Florida. When police arrived on the scene, Zimmerman claimed that he shot and killed the African American teenager out of self-defense, which allowed him to benefit from Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law. Zimmerman was not arrested.
