Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago is deeply saddened and concerned by the verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman, who stalked, shot, and killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year old African American teen. On Saturday, July 13, 2013, a jury acquitted George Zimmerman of any wrongdoing. Our hearts go out to the family and community of Trayvon Martin who have suffered through this unspeakable tragedy, and we support the call by the NAACP for a federal investigation into whether civil rights or other federal laws were violated in this case.
As Asian Americans, we are painfully aware of the way race and racism has systemically disenfranchised our communities and rendered community members as targets for violence. We have seen it locally in the case of Du Doan, a Vietnamese American fisherman murdered in 2007, and historically in the case of Vincent Chin in Detroit, which galvanized a national Asian American civil rights movement. The death of Trayvon Martin highlights what we already know to be true: there is an enormous amount of work yet to be done to address and eliminate racial injustice, both on an interpersonal and institutional level . As Chicagoans, we believe this is an important moment to reflect on the escalation of guns and violence, and how we can be responsible, supportive community members to each other. Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago stands in solidarity with all communities calling for justice for Trayvon Martin and continuing in the struggle for racial justice.
*This statement does not reflect the position of all Advancing Justice affiliates.