Contact: Ermias Alemayehu, BOND Action, 213-804-1872
LOS ANGELES, March 27, 2012 /Standard Newswire/ -- While black leaders across the nation are expressing outrage over the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, President Barack Obama also weighed in on the case, calling it a tragedy, urging cooperation among law enforcement and declaring that "some soul searching" was needed throughout the country. Obama also said, "If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon." Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, Founder and President of BOND Action, proclaimed that the president was "acting stupidly" with his remarks.
"President Obama is acting stupidly by making remarks prematurely without knowing all the facts," said Rev. Peterson. "Obama's comments support what the race hustling black leaders have claimed, which is that Trayvon Martin was gunned down because of his race, but new evidence contradicts this theory. And by saying that Americans need to do 'some soul searching' Barack Obama is implying that we're a nation of racists. This president still makes wrongheaded remarks about race and police, even after his embarrassing 2009 incident where he falsely claimed that the 'Cambridge police acted stupidly' over the arrest of his friend, Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr.," Rev. Peterson said.
According to the Orlando Sentinel and The Miami Herald, Trayvon Martin appears to have been the aggressor and allegedly attacked George Zimmerman, breaking his nose and battering his head. Martin had also been suspended several times, most recently after being found with an empty marijuana baggie. Miami schools have a zero-tolerance policy for drug possession.
Rev. Peterson said, "This president is once again reinforcing the lie that law enforcement and most whites are racists." He added, "Considering his history with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr. and racist professor Derrick Bell, it's no surprise that Obama sees everything through the prism of race. Americans needs a president who will unite us all based on truth, rather than dividing us with lies."
For interview requests call Ermias Alemayehu at (213) 804-1872. For speaking requests call (323) 556-2623. BOND Action is a 501 (c) (4) cultural action organization, which exists to educate, motivate and rally Americans to greater involvement in the moral and political issues that threaten our great country. www.bondaction.org