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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Guns, Race and Trayvon Martin

    It's taken almost a month for the shooting death of 17-year-old, African American Trayvon Martin to become a national issue. After Florida prosecutors declined to prosecute Neighborhood Watch volunteer George Zimmerman, the story began to go viral on the Internet.

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    By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    It's taken almost a month for the shooting death of 17-year-old, African American Trayvon Martin to become a national issue. After Florida prosecutors declined to prosecute Neighborhood Watch volunteer George Zimmerman, the story began to go viral on the Internet. It made the mainstream media — producing a demonstration this week in New York City and a rally last night in Sanford, Florida. Today President Obama weighed in, stressing that "all of us as Americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves, and we are going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened." We hear about America's expanding gun culture, "stand your ground" laws and the "rules" that black parents teach their sons about how to deal with authorities.

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Guns and Race: What's behind the Killing of Trayvon Martin?
    1. 0:00Obama Picks Surprise Nominee Jim Yong Kim for World Bank
    2. 7:16Guns, Race and Trayvon MartinYou’re reading this
    3. 43:48At the NCAA Tournament, It's March Madness' Sweet 16
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Caitlin Shamberg

      KCRW

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Frances Anderton

      architecture critic and author

    • KCRW placeholder

      Christian Bordal

      Managing Producer, Greater LA

    • KCRW placeholder

      Arelis Hernandez

      The Washington Post

    • KCRW placeholder

      Patrik Jonsson

      Christian Science Monitor

    • KCRW placeholder

      Mary Curtis

      freelance journalist

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Guns and Race: What's behind the Killing of Trayvon Martin?
    1. 0:00Obama Picks Surprise Nominee Jim Yong Kim for World Bank
    2. 7:16Guns, Race and Trayvon MartinYou’re reading this
    3. 43:48At the NCAA Tournament, It's March Madness' Sweet 16
    Back to To the Point