Interfaith Council Calls for Transparency and Justice in Trayvon Martin Case
The Interfaith Council of Central Florida (whose members include representatives from the Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh faith traditions) calls upon officials at every level to move quickly and transparently in seeking justice in the case of Trayvon Martin. We call upon all citizens to continue, in a decidedly determined yet respectful and peaceful manner, to demand that government decision makers not rest until justice has been served and until trust has been restored. We urge our governor and legislators to expeditiously revisit the law that allowed this terrible tragedy to occur.
Nothing we can do individually or as a community will bring back Trayvon. Nothing we can do will remove the residual pain his parents and family must deal with for the rest of their lives. But as people of conscience, we call for appropriate action from this point forward by government authorities and concerned citizens to rebuild faith in our governmental officials and processes and to restore goodwill and mutual respect within our community.
The tragedy and travesty of this young man’s death highlight the pitfalls inherent in “profiling” of any kind. As religious leaders we repudiate laws, procedures and attitudes that condone such actions and that too often lead to highly negative outcomes.
Our hope and prayer is that through our collective actions and responses Trayvon’s family and our community will find at least some solace–as President Lincoln hoped would be the case after the carnage at Gettysburg–in knowing that the “dead shall not have died in vain.”
Released by the Interfaith Council of Central Florida on March 28, 2012.