Civil Rights leader Al Sharpton is on his way to Sanford, Florida today to hopefully right a wrong. Sharpton plans to meet with the NAACP and influential pastors in Sanford on Wednesday to demand justice for 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
Trayvon was shot to death last month by 28-year-old self-appointed Neighborhood Watch “captain” George Zimmerman, who claims he was acting in self-defense.
Just moments before pulling the trigger, Zimmerman was on the phone with 911 dispatch, reporting he spotted a suspicious black man in his majority white subdivision. The 911 dispatcher told Zimmerman not to approach the man. But Zimmerman ignored that order and got out of his car. A fight ensued, and Trayvon was shot dead.
Sharpton plans to speak for Trayvon, who can’t speak for himself. The Sanford police department spoke for Zimmerman when they let him walk — without any charges — for killing an unarmed teenager.
According to the Sanford police, Zimmerman had the right to defend himself with deadly force against the unarmed Trayvon, who is black. But Trayvon didn’t have that same right when he was approached by a white man who probably hurled racial slurs at him.
Sharpton released a statement saying, “The fact that a young unarmed man could be killed by a neighborhood watch captain while his family was blatantly misled by local police as to the background of the shooter is disturbing.”
In his statement, Sharpton also claims Zimmerman used racial language during the 911 call. Sharpton and Ttrayvon’s parents are demanding the release of that 911 call.
Speaking of phone calls, President Obama still hasn’t called Trayvon’s family yet. But the president did place a phone call to pro-abortion activist Sandra Fluke, days after radio host Rush Limbaugh called her a “slut” live on the air.
Saying his call wasn’t politically motivated, Mr. Obama explained it like this: “The reason I called Ms. [Sandra] Fluke is because of [my daughters]… I want them to be able to speak their mind in a civil and thoughtful way.”
Mr. Obama probably doesn’t care that Trayvon’s parents have been speaking their minds in a civil and thoughtful way. Maybe if Mr. Obama had a son, he would acknowledge the Martins’ pain and anguish the same way he acknowledged Sandra Fluke’s. That’s the least he could do.
