In an emotional speech this morning to the annual conference of the National Urban League in Philadelphia, Trayvon Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, called for holding George Zimmerman “accountable” for the shooting death of her son, although he was acquitted by a jury.
“My message to you is: Please use my story. Please use my tragedy. Please use my broken heart to say to yourself, we cannot let this happen to anybody else’s child,” she said.
She called for the repeal of state “stand your ground” laws, even though Florida’s law was not used as a defense in the case against Zimmerman.
“No college for Trayvon, no grandkids coming from Trayvon,” Fulton said, “all because of a law — a law that has prevented the person who shot and killed my son to be held accountable and to pay for this awful crime. ”
The six-member, all-female jury concluded that the state did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman did not act in self-defense.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder spoke at the Philadelphia conference yesterday.
