Trayvon Martin’s parents Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin joined PoliticsNation with Rev. Al Sharpton Thursday, weighing in about an interview George Zimmerman gave in 2012 in which he said that he wouldn’t have done anything differently on the night he shot Martin and that it was “all God’s plan.”
“I look at that and say, ‘What God is he serving?’” Sybrina Fulton said on PoliticsNation. “Because the God that I serve would not have that type of plan. And for him to apologize to us and then in another segment or another show say he has no regrets, I think that’s disgusting.”
Tracy Martin also weighed in on the comments. “It’s a total disrespect for human life to say that you would–if you had a chance you wouldn’t do anything differently,” Martin said, “That right there shows the mentality of someone who is very unstable, because, I mean it’s just no regard for human life there.”
After the verdict was reached, Zimmerman’s brother, Robert Zimmerman Jr., told CNN in an interview that his brother was “saddened” by the shooting–which Zimmerman says he did in self-defense after Martin attacked him–but still did not have regret.
“Regret is a very strong word,” he said. “‘Regret’ implies that your actions, you have culpability in what you did for what happened. And I think that’s what you’re asking, is does he share or accept the blame.”
“I think that George, outside of the word ‘blame,’ feels and has felt–and I’ve expressed this before–very bad,” he added.
“So he does have emotion about the fact that he had to take a life in self-defense,” he said later in the interview. “But that is incompatible with finding culpability with what he did.”
Zimmerman was acquitted of second degree murder and manslaughter charges. The prosecution did not accuse him of racially profiling Martin and the defense said that race played no part in the incident.
Martin and Fulton also spoke about how they believe their son’s life was “made a mockery of” during the trial and that the dead 17 year old was put on trial.
“It just seemed to me as though Trayvon was on trial,” Fulton said. “And this trial was not about Trayvon; this trial was about George Zimmerman and what he did that night.”
“But it just constantly seemed to me like they were trying to just bring things up that Trayvon had done. I mean, who hasn’t done things as a 17 year old?” she added. “So I think they put more responsibility on the child, Trayvon, and not the adult, George Zimmerman.”
The family, looking to the future, wants to help others in their son’s honor, hoping to pass a “Trayvon Martin amendment” that would make it illegal to, in Fulton’s words,”follow, chase someone, pick a fight with them, shoot and kill them, and then say you were standing your ground.”
Their advocacy for that legislation will begin in earnest this weekend, as rallies and vigils are set to take place in across the country on Saturday. Fulton said she wants those events to stay non-violent. “For the rallies that’s going on, for the marches, that are going on–for the most part they’re peaceful, and we want them to remain peaceful,” she said. “We want them to have a voice, and we want their voices to be heard, because people are listening and numbers count, and that’s what’s important.” “We’re trying to appeal for change,” she added later. “We’re trying to get as many people connected to this movement.” “There are people that want positive change. There are people that want the injustice to stop,” she added. “There are people of all colors who say something is wrong with the system if an adult male can get away with murder and–Trayvon was a teenager. At the end of the day he was a teenager that was minding his own business with a drink and some candy.” Both parents say they still feel their son’s presence around them today. “It’s little things that happen around us which gives us confirmation that not only God is there,” Fulton said. “But our angel is watching us, too.” Note: This interview will re-air in its entirety at 9 p.m. ET Friday on msnbc. Editor’s note: George Zimmerman has sued NBC Universal for defamation. The company strongly denies the allegation.
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