NYC congressional delegation calls for civil rights charges against George Zimmerman

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Several members of New York City’s congressional delegation on Monday condemned the acquittal of the man charged with killing Trayvon Martin and urged the Justice Department to intervene.

Reps. Charles Rangel, Hakeem Jeffries, Jerrold Nadler and others bemoaned the Florida jury’s failure to convict George Zimmerman in the shooting death of the unarmed Martin, a verdict that has led to widespread protests across the country.

“Trayvon Martin did not have a gun,” said Jeffries. “All Trayvon Martin had was a package of Skittles and, as a result of him going to the store to get some Skittles, it set in motion a chain of events that resulted in him being shot dead in cold blood.”

The Justice Department has indicated it will investigate whether federal civil rights charges are warranted. President Obama will not involve himself in the probe, according to the White House.

The New York lawmakers, who were joined by Reps. Nydia Velasquez and Gregory Meeks, stood in the sweltering sun outside a Manhattan federal courthouse and expressed hope the case will be brought before a grand jury.

“It is clear that Trayvon Martin would be alive today if George Zimmerman were not deeply prejudiced and did not perceive a young black kid walking through the neighbourhood as a threat,” said Nadler, a member of the House Judiciary Committee. “The civil rights laws were passed by the federal Congress. We have civil rights law precisely for the purpose of dealing with situations where the states have shown themselves incapable of meting out justice.”

Jeffries recalled other racially-charged cases, such as the 1991 assault of Rodney King in Los Angeles, when the federal government interjected itself after a criminal trial.

Zimmerman, a member of a neighbourhood watch program, says he acted in self-defence. He was acquitted of all charges Saturday night, leading to a day of angry demonstrations.

Thousands of people, many wearing hoodies in honour of the 17-year-old Martin, marched through Times Square on Sunday night and more protests were planned for the coming days.