President Obama at a White House ceremony on July 15.
Image AP

President Obama spoke to the press on Friday about the George Zimmerman murder trial. The Sanford, Florida resident shot and killed Trayvon Martin in February 2012. The jury found Zimmerman not guilty on July 13 and since then nationwide protests and even violence have broken out.

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Many people across the US feel George Zimmerman should have been sent to jail for killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. The country has been split in half with some bellowing out about profiling and racism in America, while others say Zimmerman acted in self-defense.

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President Obama made a speech addressing the murder trial and the verdict. He referenced the comment he made when Martin was first killed, saying Trayvon Martin could have been his son. The president said another way of saying that was, Trayvon Martin could have been him 35-years-ago. It seemed as though the President was trying to get the point about why the African American community in America is upset across.

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"There are very few African American men in this country, who haven't had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in the department store that includes me."

Obama explained some of the experiences he had with racism, as previously stated Obama said he had been followed while shopping. In another instance the President said before he became a Senator he remembers hearing people in cars lock their doors as he waked by.

"There are very few African Americas 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," the president said. "That happens often."

"I don't want to exaggerate this," Obama said. "Those sets of experiences inform how the African American community interprets what happened one night in Florida."

Before he finished his speech Obama spoke about the criminal justice system and how the African American community knows there is a disproportionate number of those from that community on both sides of the law. Meaning perpetrators and victims.

The President addressed the issue of what we as a nation could do to avoid another Trayvon Martin case. He said his staff was working on ideas, but reviewing controversial laws is a good way to start.

Obama then proposed a hypothetical question regarding Florida's "Stand Your Ground Law." He asked if Trayvon Martin had been of age and carrying a gun, would the American people believe him to be justified if Martin was the one that shot and killed George Zimmerman?

"If the answer to that question is at least ambiguous," Obama said. "Then it seems to me we might want to examine those kinds of laws.

The President spoke in a low and solemn tone. He did not answer any questions following the press briefing. But he did express his belief that had Trayvon Martin been a white teen the outcome might have been different.

The President closed out his speech by asking America not to lose sight of the fact things are getting better. He said we do not live in a society where racism has disappeared but "each generation seems to be making progress in changing attitudes."

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