Trayvon Martin's Parents Speak Out: ‘Still in Shock...Disbelief'

This morning, Trayvon Martin’s parents did a live interview with Matt Lauer on the Today show. Lauer asked for Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton’s reactions to the verdict; Mr. Martin said that they were “still shocked” and “still in disbelief.”

Lauer also asked if they believed race had played a part in the tragedy, and Martin said: “I think that if Trayvon had been white, this wouldn’t have never happened. So, obviously, race played some type of role.”

But the most cringe-worthy part? When Matt Lauer asked the grieving parents about George Zimmerman: “Your family’s faith — you rely on faith in hard times. Does your faith allow you to forgive George Zimmerman?”

Mr. Martin replied:

I think that the forgiveness is like a healing process. Forgiveness takes time. The bible says that you have to forgive and forget, but also the healing process is a long process. the forgiving process is a long process.

Apparently this wasn’t enough; Lauer tried again to see if Martin and Fulton had any sympathy for Zimmerman, asking: “George Zimmerman’s attorneys say he’s facing death threats, he’s in hiding. Some are comparing his situation right now to Casey Anthony, who was cleared of murder charges for his daughter, who’s living in hiding and is an outcast. Do you think that’s what the system intends for someone who is acquitted of charges like these?”

Seriously, though? For crying out loud. The man shot and killed their unarmed child and they’re supposed to be worried he might be an outcast?

Luckily, Ms. Fulton had a perfect response:

We don’t know about that, but what we do know is about the victims. We sit on the victims’ seat. Is this the intent for the justice system to have for victims? 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.

Trayvon Martin's Parents Speak Out: ‘Still in Shock…Disbelief'