(Long Island, NY) The following is a Statement from Assemlyman Camara and Senator Adriano Espaillat on Calling for Civil Rights Charges Against George Zimmerman:
“As the cold blooded and unjustified killing of young Trayvon Martin shocked the nation last year, it left parents in our communities wondering if their own sons could fall victim to such hatred and racism. While Trayvon’s death was mourned in neighborhoods across New York, the news that his killer will face no criminal penalties for this unambiguously heinous crime has, in many ways, inflicted even worse damage on our social fabric.
The spontaneous anger that emerged on city streets this weekend illustrates that Americans from all walks of life are unable to accept this verdict. This growing rift will continue to worsen, and bring pain to our already disillusioned constituents unless the federal government intervenes.
While Florida’s courts have failed Trayvon, the Department of Justice can still bring closure to this egregious chapter in our history by initiating civil rights charges against George Zimmerman. Doing so will validate our belief that government is still a force for social justice and an agent of positive change. And it will prove that in era where the protections of the Voting Rights Act have been eroded, and state legislatures seem more intent on removing safeguards against racial inequality than expanding them, we are still capable of taking brave stands in the face of racism and intolerance.”
Senator Adriano Espaillat is Chair of the Senate Latino Conference and represents parts of Marble Hill, Washington Heights, Hamilton Heights, West Harlem, and the Upper West Side in Manhattan and the Bronx.
Assemblyman Karim Camara is Chair of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus, and represents Crown Heights and East Flatbush neighborhoods in Brooklyn.
