WASHINGTON — In a packed forum on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, the parents of Trayvon Martin found support among members of Congress who turned the death of their 17-year-old’s son into a rallying cry against racial profiling.
Martin’s parents spoke briefly before a Democrats-only congressional panel.
“Trayvon was our son, but Trayvon is your son,” Sybrina Fulton, Martin’s mother, said. “A lot of people can relate to our situation and it breaks their heart like it breaks our heart.”
Martin’s father, Tracy Martin, thanked “everyone who is holding the legacy of Trayvon.”
During the two-hour forum, the lawmakers and witnesses openly criticized the police investigation of the shooting and the failure of police to arrest the admitted shooter, George Zimmerman. Zimmerman, 28, has said he acted in self-defense.
The hearing came as the Florida special prosecutor investigating the shooting said she is bringing in independent voice analysis experts to enhance 911 tapes, the Washington Post reported. Angela Corey said the experts will examine a racial epithet Zimmerman might have muttered while talking to a dispatcher minutes before shooting Trayvon, and the screams in the background of calls that residents made to police during the incident.
