NYC’s Congressional Delegation Calls for Federal Investigation Into Trayvon Martin Killing

At a press conference on Monday outside of City Hall, members of New York City’s congressional delegation called for a federal investigation into the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin for possible civil rights violations by George Zimmerman, Politicker reports.

Representatives, including Jerry Nadler, Gregory Meeks, Nydia Velázquez, José Serrano and Hakeem Jeffries, lamente the verdict of the trial, which found Zimmerman not guilty on murder charges 

In speech after speech, each insisted that Trayvon Martin was killed because he was black 

“Trayvon Martin did not have a gun,” said Jeffries. “All Trayvon Martin had was a package of Skittles and, as a result of him going to the store to get some Skittles, it set in motion a chain of events that resulted in him being shot dead in cold blood. That should not happen in America. And what’s why there needs to be some accountability.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that while he understands the outrage over the verdict in the George Zimmerman case, he respected the legal process.

But Nadler disagreed: He said Trayvon Martin would be alive today if George Zimmerman were not deeply prejudiced and did not perceive a young black kid walking through the neighborhood as a threat.

“We have civil rights law precisely for the purpose of dealing with situations where the states have shown themselves incapable of meting out justice,” he said.

Velazquez added that July 13 will be remembered as a shameful day for the country’s legal system: “Our nation needs to have a large conversation about the role of race, seriously,” she said.