'Trayvon Martin could have been me': US President Obama addresses Zimmerman verdict . . .

"Trayvon boleh terjadi pada saya." Presiden Amerika Syarikat, Barack Obama telah membuat satu ucapan-ucapan yang paling banyak kepada bangsa sejak beliau dipilih sebagai presiden kulit hitam pertama negara pada tahun 2008.

Menangani keputusan kontroversi dalam Trayvon Martin perbicaraan pembunuhan, di mana George Zimmerman telah dibebaskan atas semua tuduhan membunuh remaja kulit hitam yang tidak bersenjata, Obama membuka perspektif Afrika-Amerika pada nada yang sangat peribadi:

"Terdapat sangat sedikit lelaki Afrika-Amerika di negara ini yang tidak mempunyai pengalaman yang diikuti apabila mereka membeli-belah di kedai-kedai. Ini termasuk saya. Dan terdapat sedikit lelaki Afrika-Amerika yang tidak mempunyai pengalaman berjalan di seberang jalan dan mendengar kunci klik pada pintu kereta. Itulah yang berlaku kepada saya, sekurang-kurangnya sebelum saya senator.

Tidak banyak Afrika-Amerika yang tidak mempunyai pengalaman naik lif dan seorang wanita yang memegang dompet beliau cemas dan menahan nafas sehingga dia mempunyai peluang untuk mendapatkannya balik. "Obama juga menggesa Florida undang-undang 'stand your ground' mempertahankan diri, yang sebahagian besarnya dipetik sebagai sebab Zimmermann dibebaskan, untuk diperiksa.

Ekoran daripada itu Zimmerman 'tidak bersalah' keputusan, protes dan perarakan merebak di seluruh negara, mencetuskan perdebatan kebangsaan mengenai profil kaum dan hak-hak sivil.

"Trayvon could have been me". US President Barack Obama has made one of the most extensive speeches on race since he was elected as the country's first black president in 2008.

Addressing the controversial verdict in the Trayvon Martin murder trial, where George Zimmerman was acquitted on all charges of killing the unarmed black teenager, Obama opened up on the African-American perspective on a very personal tone:

"There are very few African-American men in this country who haven't had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store. That includes me. And there are very few African-American men who haven't had the experience of walking across the street and hearing the locks click on the doors of cars. That happened to me, at least before I was a senator.

There are very few African-Americans who haven't had the experience of getting on an elevator and a woman clutching her purse nervously and holding her breath until she had a chance to get off." Obama also called for Florida's 'stand your ground' self-defence laws, largely cited as the reason Zimmermann was acquitted, to be examined.

In the wake of Zimmerman's 'not guilty' verdict, protests and marches spread across the country, sparking a national debate on racial profiling and civil rights.

‘Trayvon Martin could have been me’: 

US President Obama addresses Zimmerman verdict