奧巴馬就黑人少年被殺案發聲：馬丁可能是35年前的我
President Barack Obama has said that "Trayvon Martin could have been me, 35 years ago", in his first comments on the case since last week's verdict.
The unarmed black 17-year-old was shot and killed in Florida in February 2012.
George Zimmerman, 29, said he opened fire on the teenager in self-defence and was acquitted of murder by a Florida court last week.
In an unexpected press call, Mr Obama said very few black men in the US had not experienced racial profiling.
Mr Obama said the pain that African-Americans felt around the case came from the fact that they viewed it through "a set of experiences and a history that doesn't go away".
He said African Americans were also keenly aware of racial disparities in the application of criminal laws.
"That all contributes to a sense that if a white male teen was involved in the same kind of scenario, both the outcome and the aftermath might have been different," Mr Obama said.
He shared his experiences of being racially profiled in the past, such as being followed while out shopping.
"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.
"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 has a chance to get off," he said.
'Soul-searching'
Mr Obama also hailed the "incredible grace and dignity" of Trayvon Martin's parents - Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton - in the way they reacted to the verdict.
Calling for "soul-searching" from Americans on issues of race, he also sounded a hopeful note, saying that race relations were improving with each generation.
Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton later issued a statement saying they were "deeply honoured and moved" by President Obama's comments.
"President Obama sees himself in Trayvon and identifies with him. This is a beautiful tribute to our boy," they said.
"We seek a future when a child can walk down the street and not worry that others see him as dangerous because of the colour of his skin or the clothes on his back."
Saturday's not guilty verdict for George Zimmerman from the all-female jury of six prompted nationwide protests, with further demonstrations planned for this weekend.
Mr Obama called for the protests to remain peaceful, saying any violence "dishonours what happened to Trayvon Martin".
He said that although criminal matters and law enforcement were traditionally dealt with on a state and not a federal level, it would be useful to examine some state and local laws to see if they encourage confrontation in certain situations.
On Wednesday, US Attorney General Eric Holder cited the case as he urged a nationwide review of "stand your ground" laws, such as those in place in Florida, which permit the use of deadly force if a person feels seriously threatened.
The issue was never raised during the trial, though the judge included a provision about the law in her instructions to the jury, allowing it to be considered as a legitimate defence.綜合外國媒體7月20日報道，在美國白人協警喬治•齊默爾曼射殺黑人青年特雷翁•馬丁一案的判決出爐近一週後，美國總統奧巴馬19日終於首度露面公開談論此事，他以自己的黑人身份作比，稱“馬丁可能就是35年前的我”。
***奧巴馬主動發聲
當天，奧巴馬出人意料地出現在白宮新聞發佈室，第一次就馬丁案的審判結果主動直面媒體。整個講話長達近20分鐘，被視爲奧巴馬擔任美國總統以來最大膽、最廣泛的言論。
“當特雷翁•馬丁被槍殺時，我曾說過，這件事可能發生在我的兒子身上。換個說法就是，特雷翁•馬丁也可能就是35年前的我。”現年52歲的奧巴馬說，“你可以想想爲什麼，至少非洲裔美國人社羣對此事的發生感到極大的痛楚。我認爲重要的是，要意識到他們是通過親身經歷來看待此事，而這些並未成爲過去。”
馬丁是佛羅里達州桑福德市一名17歲的少年。2012年2月26日，他在回家途中被白人協警齊默爾曼視爲“形跡可疑者”進而跟蹤，兩人隨後發生扭打，齊默爾曼開槍將馬丁打死。上週，佛羅里達州法庭裁定，齊默爾曼二級謀殺罪名不成立。
上述裁定在華盛頓、紐約、邁阿密、波士頓、舊金山和洛杉磯等美國多個城市引發抗議示威活動。當地時間20日，在100個美國城市的聯邦大樓外還將舉行新一輪的抗議示威。
***回憶過往現身說法
進入正題後不久，奧巴馬提起了自己過去遭受的不公正待遇，“在這個國家，很少有非洲裔美國男子沒有過在商場購物被跟蹤的經歷，我也一樣；在這個國家，很少有非洲裔美國男子沒有過在大街上行走時聽到旁人忙不迭地鎖上汽車門的經歷，在我身上也曾經發生過這樣的事，至少在我當選參議員之前是這樣；在這個國家，很少有非洲裔美國男子沒有過在乘坐電梯時看見一個婦女緊捂着錢包並且屏住呼吸直到她走出電梯爲止的經歷，類似的情況經常發生。”
奧巴馬說自己並不想誇大其詞，但這一系列的過往經歷勢必對非洲裔美國人社羣如何解讀馬丁案產生影響。他還表示非洲裔美國人社羣“強烈地感覺到”美國執法部門在施用法律時存在 “種族差異”。
“如果是一個白人少年捲入相同的案件，我想無論是結果還是後續處理都有可能完全不同。”奧巴馬稱，他能理解人們上街遊行、抗議，但反對訴諸暴力。
***提出四點建議
在19日的講話中，奧巴馬提出四點建議。他認爲，首先，有關部門應當考量美國的警察培訓機制，“減少機制中有時存在的不信任感”，根除執行警務過程中存在的種族偏見。
其次，奧巴馬呼籲重新審視諸如佛羅里達州“不退讓法”之類的自衛法律。據悉，齊默爾曼被判二級謀殺罪名不成立的部分依據就是“不退讓法”，該法規定若公民受到他人侵害，而公權又不能給予其應有的保護時，那麼公民就有權使用致命武力來保護自己。對此，奧巴馬要求大家反思，倘若馬丁當時攜帶有武器，在被齊默爾曼跟蹤後感到威脅，也拔槍射殺後者，是不是也會被認爲踐行了“不退讓法”？“如果答案有絲毫含糊，那麼在我看來就應該重新審視此類自衛法律，”奧巴馬說。
奧巴馬提出的第三點建議是，探索新方式令年輕一代的非洲裔美國人真正感覺到他們是美國社會的一份子，“有許多孩子需要幫助，他們接收了太多負面信息”。
最後，奧巴馬肯定了一代又一代美國人民在改善種族關係方面取得了巨大的進步，但他指出“這並不意味着美國是一個超越種族的社會，也不意味着種族主義已被徹底消除”。由此，他希望美國人民能夠誠實地自我審視，問問自己是不是真的沒有偏見，“這是（馬丁被殺）悲劇發生後應當採取的適宜之舉”。
***公開表態引發爭議
奧巴馬發表公開講話後，一些支持者認爲他的表態具有里程碑意義。馬丁的父母發表聲明稱對奧巴馬的言論“深感榮幸和感動”，“奧巴馬總統從特雷翁身上看到了自己、產生認同感，這是對我們逝去兒子的美麗致敬”。
然而，也有一些共和黨人批評奧巴馬將馬丁案政治化。一些保守派人士在聽完講話後批評奧巴馬在搞分裂，指責他以一個非洲裔美國人的身份發聲，而不是代表整個國家講話。
此前，已有美國觀察家發出警告，在馬丁案上奧巴馬的表態很可能陷入政治引導和社會對立情緒的雙重風險。
