The Department Of Justice will continue to investigate the Trayvon Martin case, despite George Zimmerman’s not guilty verdict in Florida last night.
Today, President Obama issued a statement on the Trayvon Martin case outcome, and the DOJ’s Zimmerman verdict statement followed soon thereafter — indicating that an “open investigation” into the case, its trajectory, the trial, and the initial investigation are ongoing stemming from last year’s large public outcry.
In the statement, the DOJ says civil rights issues are at play after the Zimmerman verdict, beginning:
“As the Department first acknowledged last year, we have an open investigation into the death of Trayvon Martin. The Department of Justice’s Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation continue to evaluate the evidence generated during the federal investigation, as well as the evidence and testimony from the state trial.”
The DOJ’s Trayvon Martin ruling statement continues:
“Experienced federal prosecutors will determine whether the evidence reveals a prosecutable violation of any of the limited federal criminal civil rights statutes within our jurisdiction, and whether federal prosecution is appropriate in accordance with the Department’s policy governing successive federal prosecution following a state trial.”
The DOJ’s Trayvon Martin statement seems to indicate that nothing new is happening within the Justice Dept. after the Zimmerman not guilty verdict, and that the actions the agency is taking have been underway all along.
As the statement is received and circulated, protests are underway in several American cities, in response to the controversial decision:
Great Pic! @soit_goes : #JusticeForTrayvon march in Chicago… chanting “No justice, no peace, no racist police” pic.twitter.com/YGHJ4E7WR0
— YourAnonLive (@YourAnonLive) July 14, 2013
“The people united, will never be divided!” #JusticeForTrayvon protestors @ courthouse #Sacramento @OccupyWallStNYC pic.twitter.com/TR136BmCpo
— Marin Austin (@marinaustin) July 14, 2013
Some rallies are being organized near DOJ satellites:
RT! #JusticeForTrayvon Rally Today 6pm at #Phoenix DOJ Check the link for details! @OccupyWallStNYC https://t.co/xpb39j059M
— OccupyPhoenix (@occupyphoenix) July 14, 2013
Politico reports:
Leading @POLITICO this evening: Obama and the Justice Department wade further into the George Zimmerman case http://t.co/XMsg2lfTh2
— POLITICO (@politico) July 14, 2013
Do you think the DOJ’s involvement in the Trayvon Martin case is warranted?