President Obama: “Trayvon Martin Could Have Been Me 35 Years Ago”

Though President Barack Obama issued a short statement immediately followingGeorge Zimmerman‘s acquittal in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, many have wondered how our country’s first African American president REALLY felt about the case. And as it turns out, he’s none too pleased.

In a surprise appearance at a standard White House press conference Friday afternoon, President Obama finally elaborated on his thoughts regarding the Zimmerman verdict, not only speaking on the Florida trial itself, but also America’s issues with race.

But perhaps the most surprising piece of Obama’s poignant speech was when he said outright that Trayvon Martin “could have been me 35 years ago.”

“I think it’s important to recognize that the African-American community is looking at this issue through a set of experiences and a history that doesn’t go away. There are very few African-American men in this country who haven’t had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store. That includes me.

“And there are very few African-American men who haven’t had the experience of walking across the street and hearing the locks click on the doors of cars. That happened to me, at least before I was a senator.
“There are very few African-Americans who haven’t had the experience of getting on an elevator and a woman clutching her purse nervously and holding her breath until she had a chance to get off. That happens often.”

The president added:...