AFL-CIO Unions React to Acquittal Verdict in the Death of Trayvon Martin
While working families, civil rights groups and people from all over gathered in cities across the United States yesterday to protest the acquittal of George Zimmerman who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, AFL-CIO affiliate unions, constituency groups and allies also expressed their shock over the verdict.
AFSCME President Lee Saunders said in the fight for justice, it's time to stand our ground:
“AFSCME is calling for the Justice Department to immediately conduct an investigation into the civil rights violations committed against Trayvon Martin. We know that it will take federal intervention and a massive grassroots movement but justice and positive change is still possible.
“In the fight for justice, it is time to stand our ground. As we have throughout our history, AFSCME will work with faith leaders, community groups and civil and human rights activists to create a more just society for all.”
AFT President Randi Weingarten said in a statement :
“While we believe in the rule of law and the jury has spoken, the implications of the acquittal are profound. It is very disappointing that a racially profiled, unarmed African-American young man wearing a hoodie can be shot dead and there be no consequences for the perpetrator. This case reminds us that the path to racial justice is still a long one, and that our legal and moral systems do not always mesh. The proceedings in the Sanford, Fla., courtroom may well have dealt with the criminal aspects of the case, as defined by Florida law, but we will continue to deal with the moral ones. As the AFT pledged in a resolution passed at our 2012 convention, we remain steadfast in our commitment to fight for laws, policies and practices that will prohibit racial profiling at the federal, state and local levels.
“The disposition of this case is the antithesis of what we teach our children in school—that the law protects innocent victims and that no one has the right to take the law into his or her own hands. Everyone’s child matters. We pray for the strength of Trayvon’s parents and loved ones in this difficult time.”
The Rev. Terry Melvin, president of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists ( CBTU ), said in a statement:
"CBTU officers, chapters and members are stunned, repulsed and heartbroken by the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s killer. How does this unarmed 17-year-old child end up dead and nobody gets punished? In fact, the gunman, George Zimmerman, got his weapon back after a six-woman jury found him not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter in a Florida courtroom over the weekend.
The verdict, whether intentional or not, sends an ominous message to the black community—that is, white fear still trumps the value of black life in America today—whether you wear a suit or a hoodie; whether you live in a struggling neighborhood or a gated-community; whether you are minding your own business or being stalked by a stranger armed with a gun and hostility toward folks who fit a negative racial profile. This is reality, not a reality show.
CBTU holds firmly to the belief that George Zimmerman deserves punishment for his actions that culminated in Trayvon Martin’s death. And we will stay on the battlefield until justice is done, not only for Trayvon and his family but also for all families of color who refuse to surrender their liberty to the destructive force of racial profiling.
The truth is, America, we still have plenty of work to do. The truth is that racial profiling, this despicable and dangerous instinct, still thrives among us, in the George Zimmermans of the world, in people obsessed by fear and the use of lethal force.
Our hearts and prayers go out to Trayvon Martin’s family. Their poise, their strong, silent dignity, and their strength over the past 17 months has been inspirational and extraordinary. But the criminal justice system failed them, terribly.
They had to listen to their son being stripped of his innocence and blamed for his murder. They had to wipe away tears as horrific photos of their dead son were shown to the jury, while Zimmerman’s lawyers made the preposterous argument that Trayvon used the sidewalk as a weapon to attack their client, raising the question, “Who was on trial—Zimmerman or Trayvon?”
Last year Trayvon’s parents—Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton—spoke in St. Louis at CBTU’s annual convention, where they received an emotional hero’s welcome. As an active union member, Ms. Fulton thanked CBTU and other labor groups for supporting their efforts to get justice for her son. We said then and we reaffirm today that the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists will stand with the Martin family in their pursuit of justice as long as it takes and wherever it goes."
CBTU is also calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct an investigation and is encouraging its members to participate in community solidarity actions for Martin. CBTU is also urging state and federal legislators to establish and enforce measures that prohibit racial profiling in the workplace and the court system.
Finally, CBTU calls for a mass mobilization to restore the civil rights of ex-felons, because African Americans, especially young males, are disproportionately represented in felony convictions and, thus, more likely to be excluded from jury service. For example, a study in 2011 by Darren Wheelock found that exclusion of ex-felons from jury selection in Georgia “dramatically reduces the pool of eligible African Americans by nearly one-third (33%).”
Generational Alliance , a collaboration of 22 national youth organizations building community and collective power for the emerging majority of young people of color, women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) folks and low-income communities, signed on to this letter from 100 black youth, which appeared in Huffington Post :
This moment reminds us that we can't look to others to see our value but we have to recognize our own value. In spite of what was said in court, what verdict has been reached, or how hopeless we feel, Trayvon did NOT die in vain. A mother should never have to bury her son. However, his death will serve as the catalyst of a new movement where the struggle for justice will prevail.
Instead of a moment of silence, we raise our voices together. As Audre Lorde said, "our silence will NOT PROTECT US." We are young leaders standing on the shoulders of our ancestors, carrying the historical trauma embedded in a legal system that will NOT PROTECT US. We are the legacy of Black resilience that compels us to fight for our lives.
The National Council on Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) said :
As people of color, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are deeply concerned with the message that this verdict sends -- that the lives of people of color are less valued. Our own community’s history in the United States includes violence and targeting, such as the murder of Vincent Chin in 1982, the post September 11th backlash murders of Balbir Singh Sodhi and Waqar Hassan, the killing of 19-year-old Fong Lee by a Minneapolis police officer, and most recently, the tragic shootings at the Oak Creek gurudwara in Wisconsin on Aug. 5, 2012.
