President Obama weighs in on Trayvon Martin’s killing

President Obama was only trying to reach out to the people and show compassion. He couldn't comment more on the incident, because it is still under investigation. Why can't people ever take what President Obama says at face value? I swear, if President Obama walked on water people would criticize him for not swimming!

To be fair to Obama here, I highly doubt that he wrote it. In fact, it was probably written by a white person for him to say, like most of his words are. I take what Obama said to mean that Martin was an unassuming, ordinary, innocuous teenager. It just so works out that both Obama and Martin are black. (He wouldn't have one word to say about it if Martin was white. We all know that. Just like he'll console Fluke but not a right wing woman who has bore the brunt of sexism. Or like he'll say the "police acted stupidly" for an innocent black man but for no one else. So I do agree that he's making it racial. I just doubt he wrote that.) Most of what I've heard about this story comes from watching Geraldo. And I do tend to agree with Geraldo when he says to parents, "DO NOT let your child go out of the house wearing a hoody!" Spending a lot of time in DC and Maryland growing up, I've personally seen dozens of young black and innocent teenagers stopped by the police. I've seen innocent black teens arrested. But as I grew older, I started to put 2 and 2 together. When the cops get a description "Number 1 male (black) with a black hoody, tan boots and blue jeans," that's about 200 different dudes out on the street. It's not PC to say--and in fact may be racist to say, depending on the context--that black people "look alike." But if so many people, regardless of race, are dressed exactly the same, you're going to expect some mix-ups. How could you not? It's a choice. It's a style. Kids want to look "gangsta." They want to play the part of the hoody and baggy jeans. But, as Geraldo states and I happen to agree, that evokes imagery of criminality. So while it may be a well-mannered A-student with a job out there on the streets, the perception if he's wearing a hoody and Tims and baggy jeans is that he's a wannabe thug. And if this wannabe thug is walking around a neighborhood where homes are being broken into, well, someone might mistake you for the burglar. Play the part, be the part. Or to quote Thompson: Buy the ticket, take the ride. I'm in no way defending Zimmerman. He was told NOT to follow the suspect. He instigated the confrontation and then shot without provocation. I feel he deserves to be in prison. Life. But if what Geraldo said was true and Martin was another kid trying to play the role of tough street thug, then I would hope President Obama could use this as one of those "teaching moments" he loves to preach about instead of being divisive in saying that his son would look like that. Who here thinks Obama's daughters are going to step out in corn rows with halter tops and press-on fake nails in stripper shoes wearing too much makeup and sweatpants that say "Booty" on the a$$? That's how most of the chicks who want to look "street" carry themselves as well. You're not an individual when you dress up like the common crowd. If you wear a dog collar, black fingernail polish, black clothing, black eyeliner and dye your hair black, people are gonna assume you're goth. Fair? Of course! Now, the goths don't deserve to get beat up or anything! Bless their little emo hearts. But I think Obama is way off base in what he's saying. Again, though, I'm basing this on assuming that Geraldo's reporting is accurate. I don't know too much about the case.

It's better I don't comment about this discussion since I, along with everyone else, don't know all the facts. I do have an opinion but think it's better I don't voice it here. However I would like to say, may Trayvon rest in peace and bless his family.

Okay as much as I would like to criticize President Obama on this, I can't. He has finally learned from some of his previous mistakes when stepping into the public arena on a subject that is very touchy. He was very careful not to make comments about public officials. He was very careful not to make a big huge controversy or refocus the attention back on himself. So what if it was a bit personal? As a parent of teenagers, he does have a personal connection with the victim and the victim's family. In this situation, it is okay for him to personalize that. Personally, I am fine with it. Yes, I know some people on here are going to be shocked.

Since the day this man was elected into the white house everything he says and does is under the microscope. I understood exactly what he is saying. When you look at the boys pic beside obamas pic they DO LOOK ALOT ALIKE. When you think about it i dont even know that race was really an important part of that caes. A armed person claims to have been defending himself against a unarmed person. Not to mention the fact that he was the one following the person he says he was defending himself against. If he felt in any way threathened why was he following him??? He was almost twice the size of the kid too. IT WAS JUST PLAIN MURDER. NO EXCUSES. MURDER.

Why do people like you just misinterpret statements to try to fit to your own imaginations or just to spread things that are not true? I saw Mr. Obama commenting about the issue and his statement was just a way of saying that if the teenager who was killed was his son, he would have felt the same thing that the family/parents of the teenagers are feeling. It has nothing to do with other minority races that you are mentioning. The case is still under investigation so you do not expect him to go around bashing or condemning the person who did it.

I admit I thought it was insenstive, but I guess the parents did not.

In my opinion, Obama is attempting to show his sympathy in a rather unorthodox fashion and for the record that young man is much better looking than a son of his would ever be. Connecting himself to this situation in such a personal manner is very unbecoming to his position as President, but unbecoming behavior seems to be the norm for him. I find it extremely unusual that his so called advisers cannot make him understand how he is ruining his image, but then it is a well known fact that one is only as good as the information given so I have to assume that he has surrounded himself with ........ well I will allow you to fill in the blank as you see fit. I also have to wonder if he even considered the effect that statement may have had on his daughters, such things have been known to cause developmental issues, but of course I keep forgetting he and his family are perfect.

Hi whiteheather, I didn't read anything into the president's remarks but I'm sure that we all see things differently. I feel certain that President Obama, along with all good Americans, is not racist. Certainly this was a senseless murder and this is what we must focus on, not the president's words. Not just the US, I think the whole world is outraged by this. We must make sure that this sort of thing is never allowed to happen again. Blessings

I think it is the same sort of ill-advised comment that the President is wont to make whenever he seeks to curry favor with one group or another by inserting himself into a situation where he doesn't belong. By saying Trayvon looked like what he imagined his son would look like (if he had one), the president sought to portray himself as sympathetic and also in unity with a major part of his base of support. Obama should know better by now, though. Remember his rush to judgment on the case of his friend Professor Gates and Officer Crowley? He should be more careful, we don't know all the facts in this case. I do think it may be appropriate for him to say something on the situation, especially if asked, but he should confine it to expressing concern, interest, and a firm belief that law enforcement in the relevant district will investigate it fully. The main reason for the president to comment on this situation SHOULD HAVE BEEN to pour oil on troubled waters and to improve race relations instead of choosing sides. These are the moments he ought to think as a president first, and everything else he may be second. This is when his lack of presidential gravitas is obvious.

Obama is clearly using this incident as a political tool. He's also showing what a racist he really is. The worst thing is that it will work with black voters. They will turn a blind eye to all of the things Obama has done wrong during his term in office. As others have said,we would have never heard about this shooting if the young man had been white. Other than Martin getting killed,we don't know many facts. There was a struggle because Zimmerman had a bloody nose and a cut on the back of his head. Without more to go on,why is everyone wanting to have Zimmerman arrested? Unless he confesses to shooting Martin for no reason,there is no case.

I was shocked as well. I think the strength shown by the US since has been extraordinary. All the pics of people, both adults and children, wearing hoodies. Obama's remark is one many could have made. He could have been anyone's child. And, if you look at the picture of the young man he does have a resemblance to the president. He must have noticed this too.

This is a president that feels the need to pull the race card to suit his needs. In one way it was good that he made a statement, but notice that he STILL has made no statement about the soldiers killed recently...look at who he associates with...people have to put the pieces together, it's all right there...I hope that justice is done in this case...

Question from uninformed outsider; is Obama really black? As far as I know, he was born and raised in white community, and didn't have much contact with his father. In fact, some prominent black leaders call him "Oreo" (black outside, white inside). Now, I understand that he uses his mixed heritage in his political advance, but does it really matters what ethnicity he belongs to? First of all, he's politician, and they are not black or white, they following and protect interests of those who puts them in the office (and that's not voters on elections).

SHows how dumb and stuiid he really is and where his favoritisum is

Is Obama guilty of interfering in a criminal investigation?