Racism won in the Trayvon Martin shooting case, declared Van Jones, President Obama’s former “green jobs” adviser.
“The verdict: Racism won. #TrayvonMartin,” Jones tweeted.
The former White House staffer made the comments even as it was reported that an extensive FBI investigation found no evidence indicating George Zimmerman racially profiled Martin.
The FBI reportedly interviewed some three dozen people in the case, including the lead detective, Chris Serino, who told agents he believed Martin was tracked by Zimmerman because of his clothing and the circumstances, but not his race.
Jones tempered his rhetoric somewhat in a segment on CNN's Crossfire Sunday in which he discussed the racial implications of the case.
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“The problem is now that’s been done,” he said. “And I am left and a lot of people are left, as an African-American parent, what are the consequences of this verdict, now, for us, the people who care about black kids?
“Do I now have to dress my kid in a tuxedo so that he can go buy Skittles?” he added. “If my child is confronted by a stranger with a gun, am I now expected to tell my child – not if a police officer confronts you, but a stranger with a gun – comply, lie down, spread-eagle, do what you’re told?
"We are now left in a situation in which there are racial implications here," Jones said. "And I think most people see this as a case of racial profiling gone awry. And what are we now supposed to do as African-American parents and Americans who care about black kids? I don’t think that white parents are expected to tell their kids to wear a tuxedo to buy Skittles and lie spread-eagle for strangers with guns. And that’s why there’s a racial dimension."