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Trayvon Martin’s Parents Speak Out After Zimmerman Verdict

HeadlineJul 19, 2013

Trayvon Martin’s parents have spoken out for the first time since George Zimmerman was acquitted in the fatal shooting of their son. In a series of network television interviews Thursday, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin responded to the verdict. This is Martin on NBC’s Today Show.

Tracy Martin: “Still shocked, still in disbelief. We felt in our hearts that we were going to get a conviction. We thought that the killer of our unarmed child was going to be convicted of the crime that he committed.”

Trayvon Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, also spoke out on NBC’s Today Show about the wider implications of Zimmerman’s acquittal and the message it sends to youth.

Sybrina Fulton: “I mean, it’s sending a terrible message to other little black and brown boys that you can’t walk fast, you can’t walk slow. So what do they do? I mean, how do you get home without people knowing or either assuming that you’re doing something wrong? Trayvon wasn’t doing anything wrong.”

“Justice for Trayvon” actions are set to take place in more than 100 cities this weekend. On Saturday, Sybrina Fulton will join a vigil outside the New York City Police Department headquarters while Tracy Martin attends a similar vigil in Miami, Florida.

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