I thought Pres. Obama did an excellent job of explaining what causes such a divergent set of views on the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin incident and in particular the lens through which African-Americans are apt to see it. He acknowledges the reality of the increased rate of criminal behavior among African-American teens and the fact of African-American on African-American violence while setting the actual shooting and trial in its cultural context as seen through the eyes of those on the receiving end of racial discrimination of all forms. I encourage you to read the whole transcript.
Transcript: Obamas Remarks on Trayvon Martin Case, Race in America
Transcript: Obamas Remarks on Trayvon Martin Case, Race in America
I think its important to recognize that the African- American community is looking at this issue through a set of experiences and a history that[...]There are very few African-American men in this country who havent 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 havent had the experience of walking across the street and hearing the locks click on the doors of cars. That happens to me, at least before I was a senator. There are very few African-Americans who havent 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. That happens often.
And you know, I dont want to exaggerate this, but those sets of experiences inform how the African-American community interprets what happened one night in Florida. And its inescapable for people to bring those experiences to bear.
The African-American community is also knowledgeable that there is a history of racial disparities in the application of our criminal laws, everything from the death penalty to enforcement of our drug laws. And that ends up having an impact in terms of how people interpret the case.