George Zimmerman’s acquittal in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on Saturday reverberated across the country, eliciting a lot of mixed reactions. Protests were held in several cities around the country, with many calling on the federal government to step in. The Justice Department has promised to review the case, but it’s unclear what the next step is. The National Urban League’s Marc Morial, The Advancement Project’s Judith Browne Dianis, msnbc’s Toure and msnbc.com’s Trymaine Lee will give their reactions and discuss what comes next.
The Martin family, still reeling from their loss, was broken-hearted after the trial. Daryl Parks, one of the family’s attorneys will discuss how the family is doing and whether or not they plan on filing a civil suit.
Several politicians, including President Obama, have reacted to the trial. We’ll discuss the politics surrounding the case and how the outcome may affect key issues such as gun control.
Would the trial’s outcome have changed if there were blacks on the jury? According to some reports, African-Americans are heavily under-represented at the jury box in many southern courtrooms. We’ll discuss how this impacts our justice system and what it says about the status of race relations in our country today. And a hunger strike by inmates in a California prison has called attention to our nation’s penal system. Victoria Law, a former armed robber turned prisoner advocate and the Center for Constitutional Rights’ Jules Lobel offer their perspective on the issue.
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