[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3708]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    SENSELESS DEATHS BECAUSE OF RACE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Wilson) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WILSON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am tired of burying young black 
boys. I am tired of watching them suffer at the hands of those who fear 
them and despise them. I'm tired of comforting mothers, fathers, 
grandparents, sisters, and brothers after such unnecessary, heinous 
crimes of violence.
  In Florida, almost 3 years ago, as I served in the Florida Senate, a 
young black boy, Martin Lee Anderson, was beaten to death at a Florida 
boot camp. It was all captured on a State of Florida Corrections video 
and shown all over the world. Martin Lee Anderson was beaten and 
tortured until his lifeless body couldn't take any more, and then 
Martin Lee Anderson was dead at the hands of several boot camp guards--
a young boy who wanted to be somebody, a young boy who was trying to 
turn his life around.
  After they beat him to death on international TV as the world 
watched, over and over again, not one guard was sent to prison. Not one 
was even reprimanded. In fact, after we closed down every boot camp in 
Florida, many of the accused received promotions.

                              {time}  1030

  Well, guess what? In Florida, we have another Martin, Trayvon Martin. 
Trayvon Martin was shot to death by a renegade wannabe policeman 
neighborhood watchman.
  Trayvon Martin lived in Miami, Florida, in District 17, my 
congressional district.
  Trayvon, a 140-pound young black boy, 17 years old, was just trying 
to live and reach 18. In spite of that, the accused killer, George 
Zimmerman, has not been charged and is using the term of self-defense.
  The 911 audiotapes tell it all. They tell the story of the last 
moments of Trayvon Martin's life, just as the videotapes told so 
visibly the story of Martin Lee Anderson's last moments. Trayvon was 
running for his life. He was screaming for help, fighting for his life, 
and then he was murdered, shot dead.
  Today I applaud the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the FBI, 
and the Federal Department of Justice for their intervention. I 
encourage the citizens of Florida and the citizens from around the 
world to continue to fight for justice for Trayvon Martin. Justice must 
be served. No more racial profiling. I'm tired of fighting when the 
evidence is so clear, so transparent.
  Twenty years ago while serving as a school board member, I founded 
the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project. It is a million-dollar 
nationally recognized and honored foundation that specifically 
addresses the trials and tribulations of young black boys and sends 
them to college. It impacts almost 20,000 young men throughout Florida.
  In spite of that, we still have to march and demonstrate and write 
letters and protest and fight and have prayer vigils and sue and sit in 
just to be heard. No more. No more, Florida. No more, America. No more 
hiding your criminal racial profiling by using self-defense to get away 
with murder.
  Stand up for Trayvon Martin. Stand up for justice. Stand up for our 
children. I'm tired, tired, tired of burying young black boys.

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