Carson Calls on Local Communities to Engage Young People in Aftermath of Trayvon Martin Case

Carson Calls on Local Communities to Engage Young People in Aftermath of Trayvon Martin Case

INDIANAPOLIS – Congressman André Carson joined prominent civil rights and community opinion leaders late last night for a national "No Justice No Sleep" conference call regarding the verdict in the State of Florida vs. George Zimmerman and how communities can move forward in the aftermath of the case.

As peaceful protests and rallies commenced throughout the nation, more than two thousand people called in for the discussion to hear from Congressman Carson, in addition to Angela Rye of IMPACT Strategies, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson of Georgetown University, Joy-Ann Reid of MSNBC and the Grio, author Goldie Taylor, Roland Martin, Attorney Benjamin Crump and members of the faith community.

On the call, Congressman Carson shared his thoughts on the verdict, the need to evaluate Stand Your Ground laws like the one in Florida and how we can better engage young people in political activism and advocacy, especially regarding issues of violence and education.

"Like millions of other Americans, I'm frustrated that a vigilante decided a young boy looked suspicious, even though he was not breaking the law. I'm frustrated that laws exist which embolden people like George Zimmerman to negligently take the law into their own hands. But most of all, I'm disappointed that a young boy – who could have been any one of our sons – was killed because he went out for a soda and some candy," Congressman Carson said.

Carson also discussed the need to bring our young people into the discussions about their own futures, calling for the creation of Youth Leadership Councils throughout the country that would provide a forum for honest debate about issues of community violence, education and the need to "extinguish the remnants of oppression and profiling that still exist in this country."

Congressman Carson went on to say, "Ultimately, we need to be building the next generation of leaders – people who will be Trayvon's voice."

The Department of Justice is now reviewing the case to assess whether federal civil rights charges will be brought against George Zimmerman. Congressman Carson intends to remain active in deliberations and discussions about the aftermath of this case.