president bush signed it with little fanfare. looking back, we see it sparked a national movement. by laying the ground work for the corporation for national community service and americorp and seniorcorp, it gave tens of millions of americans meaningful opportunity to serve. today, thanks to those programs and others like them, and thanks to the passion of leaders like president bush and citizens who found the same passion over the years, volunteerism has gone from something some people do some of the time to something lots of people do as a regular part of their lives. since 1989, the number of americans who volunteer has grown by more than 25 million. service is up across age groups and regions. it's now a graduation requirement in many high schools and colleges. it's embedded in the culture of businesses, large and small. speaking for my family, volunteering has brought joy and meaning to michelle and me and

our daughters over the years. i know that's the case for many of your families too. this national tradition may seem perfectly ordinary to many americans, especially those who have grown up during this period, but in fact, it reflects tremendous progress. today we can say that our country is a better and a stronger force for good in the world because more and more we are people that serve. for that, we have to thank president bush and his better half barbara, who is just as committed as her husband to service and has dedicated her life to it as well. [ applause ] the presidents who followed president bush have had the good sense to continue this work and

not just because one of them calls him dad. even after leaving office, president clinton and both president bushes have come together to help people affected by natural disasters here at home and around the world. a reminder that service is not a democratic or a republican value but it's a core part of being an american. at the white house today we're proud to carry forward that legacy. i created the office of social innovation and civic participation to find new ways to use innovation to strengthen service. we expanded the office of faith-based and neighborhood partnerships, originally created by president george w. bush, which works closely with religious and community organizations across the country to help americans in need. and today i want to announce a new task force with the representatives from cabinet agencies and other departments across the government to take a fresh look at how we can better support national service. in particular, on some of our most important national priorities. improving schools, recovering

from disasters, mentoring our kids. this task force will be led by my team here at the white house along with wendy spencer, who's here, the ceo of the corporation of national community service who previously led the volunteer commission in florida for governor jeb bush. we have a whole family thing working. in times of tight budgets and some very tough problems, we know that the greatest resource we have is the limitless energy and ingenuity of our citizens. when we harness that energy and create more opportunities for americans to serve, we pay tribute to the extraordinary examples set by president bush. just to close on a personal note, mr. president, i'm one of millions of people who have been inspired by your passion and your commitment. you have helped so many americans discover that they, too, have something to contribu contribute, that they, too, can

make a difference. but given the humility that's defined your life, i suspect it's harder for you to see something that's clear to everybody else around you, and that's how bright a light you shine. how your vision and example have illuminated the path for so many others, how your love of service has kindled a similar love in the hearts of millions here at home and around the world, and frankly, just the fact that you're such a gentleman and such a good and kind person, i think, helps to re-enforce that spirit of service. so on behalf of all of us, let me just say that we are surely a kinder and gentler nation because of you, and we can't thank you enough. [ applause ]

so it is now my great pleasure to join president bush and all of you in presenting this extraordinary award to an extraordinary couple who have done so much for so many people. we are very grateful to them. floyd and kathy, will you please step up and receive your award. [ applause ]

[ applause ] >> thank you for this incredible award. we are humbled and honored to be chosen as the 5,000th daily point of light. not in our wildest dreams did we ever plan to be here or even imagined receiving this award. in fact, after being in business for 34 years, floyd was dreaming of relaxing, even sailing around the world. but in 2003, he was asked to

build an eighth hospice at an old lhospital in tanzania. that changes everything. when we got there, we saw children diesiying of starvatio. there was no food and no money. three little boys who were scavenging for food ate something poisonous and died. we left for home overwhelmed by our need to do something about it. we knew we had to send food to help the people of the village. we packed our first 2,000 meals with volunteers in our little town of union, iowa. we discovered that people loved to help and to give and to pack

meals. we started an organization called outreach. each day we took another step toward a bigger operation. one day we had -- we had no intention of building, but which we were compelled to expand. we had to help, and others were eager to help us. each labor day volunteers all over iowa helped pack 4 million meals. in the united states and canada, tens of thousands of volunteers of all ages and nationalities have so far helped us to pack a total of 232 million meals. so far. [ applause ]

as we've seen time and time again, when people give of themselves, when they share the burden and they share the task of solving it, life shines, love grows, all over the world and here at home. thank you so much. [ applause ] >> now i think we're going to have neil come up. going dad first? do we have the mic?

here we go. >> my remarks are simply to say something nice about neil, my son. it's not hard to do. he's been very active in this whole concept of volunteering, helping others. so my privilege then to introduce neil and first, of course, thank president and mrs. obama for this wonderful hospitality. it's like coming home for barbara and me. the rest of you just coming to this magnificent house to be greeted by this superb hospitality knows no bounds. so thank you all very much. now neil. [ applause ] >> as you can see, we are watching a very touching ceremony at the white house where the president and first lady are hosting former president george h.w. bush and the former first lady barbara bush. this is neil bush now speaking. they just awarded the 5,000th

point of light award. it went to an incredible couple. floyd hammer and kathy hamilton, a retired couple and a farm owner from union, iowa, who told their story of going to africa and their lives changing forever. they're the founders of a nonprofit that delivers free meals to children suffering from hunger in 15 countries, including the united states. this all started after an outreach trip to tanzania where they stopped to volunteer at a mission and were forever changed. on this day, we honor their work and volunteers around this country and around the world. in fact, points of light has seen millions of people volunteer and assist. they've mobilized the forces of millions of people to take action and bring a change in this world. we'll continue to follow the developments and talk much more about it. meanwhile, i'm tamron hall. the news nation is following developing news, continuing reaction to the george zimmerman not guilty verdict. protests planned today in cleveland, ohio, detroit,

michigan, and washington, d.c. the reverend al sharpton is calling for a justice for trayvon national day of action saturday and says demonstrations are planned in more than 100 cities nationwide. a special prayer service concluded in the past hour at a church in sanford, florida. we're hearing from the white house concerning president obama's reaction to the verdict. >> he did speak about it in personal terms, and i think his statement yesterday reflects how the loss of a young person is a source of great anguish and pain for the parents of that person, for the community where that person lived, that young person lived, and for the whole country. >> here in new york in the past hour, half dozen members of congress held a news conference to call the justice department to take action. >> he profiled trayvon martin

because he was black. a grand jury should ultimately determine whether he shot trayvon martin because he was black in violation of our nation's civil rights laws. >> but george zimmerman's legal team is dismissing any further legal action against their client. >> i don't think the federal investigation will develop into any sort of charges. they've been at this since the beginning as well. we have received extensive information along within the discovery in our case of what the fbi has done. absolutely nothing would suggest that this was a hate crime. >> and here's what the attorney for trayvon martin's family said just a few hours ago on msnbc. >> we continue to hear him refer to trayvon as a suspect. so that means that anyone black not dressed appropriately was a suspect. a person white wouldn't have

been a suspect. that's a problem. and probably gives the justice department a little bit more to go on than when they originally started investigating this case. >> joining me now live from sanford, florida, nbc's kerry sanders. also joining us, kevin cunningham. he's the man who started the jo online protest to get george zimmerman arrested. msnbc legal analyst lisa bloom and criminal defense attorney john burris, who has been involved in numerous cases with the department of justice, including the officer involved in the shooting death of oscar grant and that trial and rodney king's civil case. thank you all for joining us. john, let me start off with where we are now. there's so much talk about the justice department. in fact, we're going to talk with hakeem jeffries and gregory meeks, members of congress who are calling for action. you heard in that sound clip there, the question is whether or not george zimmerman targeted trayvon martin because of his race. that is something, as lisa bloom pointed out, that even the

prosecution didn't have a great follow up with while we were watching many days of this trial. >> i will tell you having been involved in and sent a number of cases to the justice department, i know it's a real challenge. the justice department likes cases that have huge impact. if you boil that down to the single case here, it will be difficult for them to conclude that it was based upon race, number one, and then number two, that he had the specific intent to kill him because of race. because of the factual circumstances that we have in this case, they would need more evidence, it seems to me, than what the prosecution had in this case. and they have to deal with that in the context of what the defendant said. now, i understand that al sharpton and others are high-profile people and may cause the justice department to look at it very closely, but i can imagine that will be very, very difficult for a grand jury to come forward with the case. now, i did rodney king with a jury, but there was a video camera in that case.

there were racial comments made that clearly suggested there was an animous here. more importantly, you didn't have to have race to do it. it was a violation of civil rights without race. race adds another element and makes it difficult for the government to prove. >> so in some of the guidelines or rules here for the federal government, it must involve substantial federal interest, prior prosecution must have left that interest demon stra bli unviciniu unvindicated, which is your point with rodney king, and it must constitute a fed issue. >> those are the significant ones, but at end of the day, the prosecution has to believe there is evidence there that's greater than what they had in the state case in order to prove it in a way that you can do it beyond a reasonable doubt. obviously the federal interest, if it was done because it was race, that's a federal interest.

then you have to have to prove it. can they prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt? i'm certain a lot of people would like to see this happen. knowing the justice department as i do, they'll be very cautious before they move forward on a federal investigation based upon the evidence as we know it. maybe there's other evidence. >> okay. let me bring in lisa bloom. there's a poll out that was released june 24th that showed had 62% believed george zimmerman was guilty of second-degree murder. 62%. let me play a little bit of what bernie de la rionda had to say with all the monday morning quarterbacking that's gone on and them explaining the case, at least as they see it now. let's play that, please. >> as we all well know, he's got the right not to. he made a decision. >> he was afraid to take the stand? >> the proof is in the pudding. did he take the stand? >> nobody just gets a gun out and shoots. even trained police officers when they're on the ground with a suspect on top of them, they can't get their guns out that quickly. >> i think there was a struggle at some point. trayvon became aware of the gun

and was backing up and george zimmerman shot him. >> you have, i think, been so honest with your convictions as a legal analyst, as an attorney, as someone who is concerned about this case here. when you hear this back and forth with the prosecution, are they just licking their wounds here? >> well, as someone who watched every minute of the trial -- >> and few people did. a lot of people watched and chimed in. you watched every minute. >> right. it was tuesday morning and wednesday morning and thursday morning quarterbacking. i would have loved if the prosecutors would have argued this theory of the case to the jury in closing argument, which would have been the appropriate time. you know, it's really surprising to me to hear some of this afterwards. and to say that they lost the trial because george zimmerman didn't testify, well, that was to be completely expected. if there's one thing all the legal pundits agreed to before this trial began, it was that it was extremely unlikely that george zimmerman was going to testify. >> and you said it's often we hear attorneys say, oh, my client really would love to testify. that's just a part of the rhetoric that e with often hear. >> they had all those statements from george zimmerman. they had the videotaped

re-enactment where he showed, for example, the positioning of the gun behind him. they didn't argue that during the trial. they mentioned it finally in the closing argument, only very bre briefly, not driving it home. so, you know, they didn't win the case. as to whether it could have been won had it been handled differently, that's the roadwea question. >> did the prosecution blow it? >> i think they had probably about a dozen major blenders in the case. by the end, the jury had two sides that were both arguing reasonable doubt. the only conclusion they could come to was a defense verdict. you asked me that before the verdict, tamron. you sort of made my mouth drop open when i had to tell you what i thought it was going to be. there was really no other alternative for this jury. i wouldn't blame the jury. they were given the instruction about reasonable doubt. the prosecution really only asked questions. they didn't give a declarative statement as to what actually happened. >> which i think comes down to you nicely saying you think they blew it. >> i won't say it that way. i would say they made a lot of mistakes. >> kevin cunningham, you have

been on the show a couple times. you were the man behind the online petition, you're the reason that it took off on twitter and others got involved and pushed this to the point where george zimmerman was eventually charged. what was your reaction when the verdict came down? >> i can only say i was heartbroken. i'm sad for trayvon's family, for his friends, and for america, for all my friends with black and brown children that have to be terrified when they walk out of the house every day. it hurts my heart. i feel like collectively we failed all of them. >> when you started the petition, though, your goal was to get george zimmerman charged. the jury has spoken at this point. you have people who say this is what you wanted, this is how our legal system works. so why go further with protests or even pushing the justice department? what's the motivation there? >> well, because unfortunately trayvon was not the first victim to die because of profiling.

unfortunately, i'm afraid to say he's not going to be it the last. the reason we're going to keep pushing is because we don't want anymore people to be killed, period. especially people who are minding their own business. i have to disagree with what was said earlier, that the jury couldn't have reasonably reached a verdict of guilty here. i still don't understand why people can't see the simple facts of that the killer here stalked, chased down, confronted and ultimately killed trayvon. the facts beyond that to me are only relevant regarding what the sentence should have been. >> i want to ask you about the component as far as race with the reaction here. saturday night on social media, you had -- and even the video we saw initially, mostly african-american people out saying this was an injustice. when you look at that video, and i hope we can pull it up -- for example, from new york. there were equal parts white and black people out. i actually have to be honest. i got a little irritated with some of the notion that it was only african-americans that were upset when you looked at that video and there were black,

white, latino, asian, you name it. men, women in that video. video does not lie. people can look at that and see these are not all black faces that feel this was an injustice. joe scarborough has an incredible article, i think, on politico which points out there is a line. the line exists somehow between liberals and conservatives. somehow george zimmerman became the hero for some extreme on the right. what is your reaction to what we're seeing and the diversity of those people like that woman we see who's clearly white who feels trayvon martin's family was wrong? >> it's really upsetting to me to hear people say this is a black issue. it's a human issue. it affecting me personally. so it takes away my own sovereignty over my own life to say this is only a black issue. no, this is an american issue. this is a human issue. this is an issue that deeply impacts my heart. even to discern between this

race or that race, i mean, i have a black cousin, i have a black god son. this is my family. therefore, it is my issue. that is not just me. that is large portions of america. although, unfortunately, there are large portions of america that have been divided by this and taken into politics, i guess. i can't really explain it, why so many people choose to support the killer in this case. >> let me bring in kerry sanders. he's standing by in sanford. kerry, what are you hearing today? i know there was a prayer vigil earlier. there may be one every monday for as long as those folks can hold up there. >> indeed. it's just concluded. it started at noontime at the church. among those speaking were the mayor, the police chief, the pastor's group that sat in during the trial to make sure that they knew what was going on and shared that information to the community so people would know what was happening in the courtroom beyond the television reports or beyond the snippets that people were picking up on

some of the live coverage that they could see on the internet. so they have concluded that, and they left a message, they said, that first of all we are listening, we are working here to make sure that everybody feels included. they said that they also wanted to sort of, since they were in a church, is quote the bible, matthew 5:9. that is, blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of god. so they're trying to make sure that message gets out, that people are listening, that rallies planned across the country should be peaceful rallies. those who are in government here, from it the mayor to it the police chief, are aware of the feelings that people have. i can tell you in that church that was not overflowing but that was packed, what i'm hearing from people in the community is that there is this general sense that while everybody is an american, that those who are not accepting of this verdict feel that the system somehow failed here. when i point out that everybody

is american, they accept the idea that in our system we have a jury that then listens to the evidence and comes to a conclusion. with that verdict, it is accepted. but in this particular case, there is such incredulity that people are sort of left saying, i don't think the system worked properly this time. i spoke to a city commissioner here, and she pointed out something that takes us back in history. that is that when this first began, the investigation by the sanford police department and by the state attorney at the time, was working towards a manslaughter charge. they never brought that manslaughter charge because it was taken away as the protests began to build, and a special prosecutor was appointed. that special prosecutor brought the second-degree murder charge. she is saying if it had run its course and there hadn't been that public pressure, would there have been an overcharge?

she believes that's what maybe led to the not guilty verdict. >> okay, kerry. thank you very much. lisa, you were shaking your head. >> a lot of people have said that. jurors i don't think in terms of overcharging. i think they looked at the murder charge, they clearly looked at the manslaughter charge. just before the verdict they had a question about the manslaughter charge. ultimately, they never got the specifics, they never got the answer. they were stuck on something about manslaughter. so to those who say the case was overcharged and that's why it was lost, i don't agree with that. >> just quickly, eric holder made comments a short time ago. he says he wants to assure that the department of justice will continue to act in a manner that's consistent with the facts and the law, and he's kmited to standing with the people of sanford, with the individuals and families affected by this incident and with our state and local partners in order to alleviate attentions, address community concerns and promote healing. those are words a short time ago from attorney general eric holder. thank you to my panel. i deeply appreciate your time. coming up, the difficult conversations happening in so many households across the nation, perhaps even yours, regarding george zimmerman's

acquittal. we'll talk with the founder of an incredible mentoring it organization. it's called brotherhood sister soul, about the message the verdict sends to young people of color. plus, a new poll out today finds most americans side with democrats on immigration reform, but so far there's no sign that house republicans plan to support the bipartisan bill passed by senate despite the outcry we've seen over the past several months for action. and we'll talk to arizona congressman about the next steps forward or the standstill. we'll find out his thoughts. join our conversation on twitter. you can find me @tamronhall. [ female announcer ] it's simple physics... a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day

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immigration. one thing lawmakers on both sides of the aisle can agree on is the current system doesn't work. >> the president's already refusing to enforce existing immigration law. he will not enforce the laws that we might pass. >> is this immigration and enforcement really working? no, it's broken. >> still, house republicans haven't offered much in the way of encouragement for any legislation getting done any time soon. joining me now, arizona democratic congressman raul grijalva. congressman, thank you so much for your time. you and i spoke several months ago. this is when everyone was so heavily focused on the senate. at that time, we discussed the real problem would be the house. i don't think it took a scientist to figure this out, that this was the dynamic here. yes, here we are predictably. what do you believe will happen next? >> unfortunately, predictably. you know, the house is -- and its leadership is showing a

tremendous lack of leadership. boehner is not talking about a bipartisan bill that's comprehensive. boehner is not talking about bringing something to the floor so that the house can work its will. so we talk between a bipartisan bill that is still in development. we talk about peace meal bills. we talk about the fact there's no path to citizenship. all those are indicators to many of us that support comprehensive reform that we have a tough path ahead of us in the house. much of it rests straight in the responsibility of speaker boehner to show not only leadership but to understand that this issue, like other issues we're confronting in this country, is divisive. it goes against our social fabric. it's time to fix this broken system, to close the gap on the division that we see, and the

house is responsible for it. thus far, they've shown no leadership. >> it's interesting you use the word leadership. i want to read analysis from our first read team. they write in part, while white house aides and advisers -- well, this is actually from an associated press article. it says, while white house aides and advisers believe republicans will inflict long-lasting political damage on their own party if they continue to block a comprehensive immigration bill, those advisers say obama is not ready to hit the road and wage a full-throated partisan fight. asked when the pressure might mounted, the reply was, there might be a moment when the hammer comes down, but we're not there yet. your reaction to that? >> i think we're awfully close if not at that moment. there is that pulpit that president obama has. he's been consistent about a path to citizenship, consistent about talking about compromise, and if -- i think his voice

right now would resound across this nation. it's a time to begin to understand that if we don't deal with this problem, we're going to go into recess without dealing with it, come back after the recess in august, and have to confront an issue that we cannot avoid. this is not just about electoral politics. this is a about a fundamental long-term view about what this nation is going to look like. to continue to ignore it, to continue to ignore 11 million people, to continue to ignore the fact that this system is so broken that it cannot be repaired without a comprehensive approach on the part of the leadership in the republican house is to bury your head, hope this problem goes away, hope electorally it doesn't hurt you, but it will. there's short-term gain, but there's long-term loss for the republicans on this issue. >> congressman, thank you so much for your time. we'll be speaking with you soon, i hope. thank you. >> thank you very much. still ahead, the challenges

facing the justice department as it decides whether to prosecute george zimmerman. and within the last hour, attorney general eric holder said he'll move forward in a manner that is consistent with the facts and the law. we'll talk with congressman gregory meeks and hakeem jeffries, who held a news conference just about an hour ago calling for immediate federal investigation. >> race matters, and clearly for those who think we should not go forward, race was not taken into consideration in this trial. so now it should be. er, you or your car? i would say my car. probably the car. cause as you get older you start breaking down. i love my car. i want to take care of it. i have a bad wheel - i must say. my car is running quite well. keep your car healthy with the works. $29.95 or less after $10 mail-in rebate at your participating ford dealer. so you gotta take care of yourself? yes you do. you gotta take care of your baby? oh yeah!

i'm gonna have to ask you to power down your little word game. i think your friends will understand. oh...no, it's actually my geico app...see? ...i just uh paid my bill. did you really? from the plane? yeah, i can manage my policy, get roadside assistance, pretty much access geico 24/7. sounds a little too good to be true sir. i'll believe that when pigs fly. ok, did she seriously just say that? geico. just a click away with our free mobile app. welcome back. attorney general eric holder speaking in the past hour in washington, d.c., acknowledging that the justice department issing lis looking into what he call the the tragic, unnecessary shooting death of trayvon martin. meantime, senator barbara boxer of california set a letter to the attorney general saying in part she fully agrees with the decision of the justice department to review the facts of this case to determine whether trayvon martin's civil

rights were violated. here in new york in the past hour, a half dozen members of congress held a news conference and called on the justice department to take immediate action. joining me live now, two of the members of congress who were there, gregory meeks and hakeem jeffries. you have a lot of people here saying when you think about a civil rights violation, we certainly know this nation's history and they should be burned in our minds, the name of emmet till and others who have suffered. in this case, george zimmerman could have profiled trayvon martin, but not be a quote/unquote klan member. >> we know he said he's not going to get away with it this time. he used some words to make sure it was clear based upon mr. martin's race that he was going to follow him and disobey what the police department told him to do by staying in the car. that son of a so an and so and so isn't going to get away with

it. he followed him based upon his race. had mr. martin not been black, he would have never gotten out of that car, he would have never followed him and he you hanever him. >> you have people who say the state did not bring these issues up. we heard the question of, well f the races were opposite, if george zimmerman were african-american and trayvon martin had been white, would this dynamic be different here. they alluded to it. but there was no proof this was about race. what do you say to those people? >> the state has its process. i respect the jury's verdict. i strongly disagree with it. now the federal government has its process where the question of race and our nation's civil rights laws will be squarely at issue. george zimmerman targeted trayvon martin as a potential criminal because trayvon martin is black. he followed trayvon martin because he was black. >> when you say that, what do you specifically point to? we know we heard him on tape saying they always get away and used a profanity.

but he didn't say, you know, these "n" words get away with this or something that was -- people believe they heard other things, but there was nothing proven in court as far as a racial slur specifically directed at trayvon martin. >> well, the law doesn't require the use of a racial slur. there's no evidence that a racial slur, for instance, was necessarily used in the federal prosecution of the officers accused of beating rodney king. two of whom were ultimately convicted of a hate crime. in this particular instance, george zimmerman has a history of targeting african-americans for suspicion in the past -- >> and you're referring to those other calls he made to the police. in all of those cases, i believe almost all of them, it was an african-american he was calling the police about. >> absolutely. we also know trayvon martin had no gun. he had no knife. he had no weapon. the only thing he had was a package of skittles. yet, george zimmerman identified him as someone for possible criminal suspicion.

the only question, and the one that the federal prosecutors need to closely examine, is was trayvon martin shot because he was black? >> congressman meeks, what timeline are you looking at? we're hearing pressure, immediate reaction. we know this has always been on the radar of the department of justice. it's been investigated. it's not as if they're starting at zero at this point. >> i'm not going to put -- i respect what the attorney general holder has said. do a thorough and complete investigation. i believe once that is done, that would lead to a grand jury and we'll move forward from there. but to say, you know -- i'm a former prosecutor and i know what you want to do. you want a thorough case. if you do something hastily, you don't have a solid case. do the investigation. take your time, mr. holder. make sure that the people know you are looking at it. then i believe that justice in the end will be with another jury. >> let me get your reaction quickly to joe scarborough has

an op-ed on politico. he talked about how this somehow fell in a political realm and you had conservatives for whatever reason rallying instantly around george zimmerman. he was even appearing on the hannity show, which was brought up in court. and liberals, as he saw it, automatically lining up on the side, if you will, of trayvon martin. how did this turn into this not a black and white divide almost as a liberal/conservative divide as he sees it, joe scarborough? what do you think? >> i've been pleased as i've watched the peaceful demonstrations of the individuals upset with this verdict all across america coming from every background. they were black, white, hispanic, asian. i don't know what their political affiliations may or may not have been. it tends to tell me if you're a mother, no matter whether you're a democrat or republican, whether you're liberal or conservative, you would be concerned about your son being shot. >> an innocent, unarmed african-american teenager was shot dead in cold blood.

i think every american of decency and grace should look at that with compassion and know that something went wrong, particularly given the injustice of a verdict that doesn't hold anyone accountable. as it relates to the conservative progressive divide, you know, the issue of the stand your ground legislation, which is a conservative initiative and provided george zimmerman with a defense, i believe, an unfortunate one, does create for the possibility of partisan views to creep into this dynamic. fortunately at the federal level, the stand your ground defense, we believe, will not be available to mr. zimmerman. so the facts can be evaluated on a more objective basis. >> thank you for your time. coming up, the struggle to explain to young people of color why george zimmerman was acquitted of murder and with so many saying that their life doesn't mean anything, how do you talk to a young black man about this? we're going to be joined by the founder of the brotherhood sister soul. it's a mentoring organization,

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now back to the verdict in the george zimmerman trial. take a look at this image. it is of a mother holding her son wearing a dark hoodie. it was posted on instagram by an artist. it actually went viral just a day after it was picked up by buzz feed, the website. many believe it represents an underlying issue of the case. while many of the protesters represented people of color and other backgrounds, the impact the verdict poses new concerns for families, particularly for parents of young black men. what are they supposed to tell their sons? joining me no w is the cofounde of the brotherhood sister soul foundation. thank you both for joining me. let me get your reaction. i know you're on twitter and social media. i saw what you were saying the

night of the verdict. you mentor hundreds if not thousands of young people of color. you take them around the world, exposing them to volunteering and just improvement of life. what are you telling those young people? >> i think the first thing is that we have to help young people to process the trauma. that's what it is. it's a trauma they have gone through. they see in the face of trayvon martin their own face, the face of their brother. they're concerned when we walk down the street. you made a very important point in the earlier segment when you said there's this great diversity of people protesting this issue. white, black, asian, latino, young, and old. it's not a black or white issue. their lives matter. their lives are important. a large percentage of americans believe that who occurred is an injustice and they should be protected and honored just like any other young person. >> "the wall street journal" editorial made this point today. there is no doubt that many

law-abiding black men are eyed suspiciously because they are black. such a discussion cannot exclude the main victims of crimes committed by young black men are other blacks. there's been this notion of black-on-black crimes can. i live in chicago. i've seen people march down the streets of chicago, not ignoring the black-on-black crime. we did the story of young men calling chicago chiraq. where does this come from that the black community does not acknowledge black-on-black crime. >> i think this undercuts the work many of us have been working to counterviolence to teach con fliblgt rflict resolu. we've talked about the broader implications of those issues. what does gone reform policy look like? what does it look like to make our young people safe?

when we start talking about incidents like the killing of trayvon martin and the turning of black men and black boys into threats, and it's very important we mention trayvon was a boy. the long, historical reality of black boys and men seen as threats, and we start talking about that issue to do an old-school shell game and change the conversation and say, what about black-on-black violence. that's a very important conversation to have. it's an issue we need to talk about. that in no way releases the importance of the conversation here about a black boy seen as a threat for no other reason than he was a black boy. there's a lot of conversation about what happened once zimmerman got out of the car. at the end of the day f you change one simple fact and mane trayvon martin a young white boy, he's not getting out of that car. we can't evade that issue. >> nicolas, you are part of his success story and what's happening with brotherhood sister soul. in "usa today," the editorial said african-americans saw this case in a way that the jury of six women, five of them white and the other of uncertain ethnicity, probably couldn't.

despite all of the nation's progress in burying its racist past, minorities are commonly stopped by authorities and viewed is by no good for no other reason than the color of their skin. consider new york city's stop and frisk policy, which allows officers to search anyone they see as suspicious. in 2011, 80% of those stopped were minorities. you wrote an op-ed in "the new york times" talking about the countless times you have been stopped in this city. >> yes. >> what has been your experience? >> my experience has been a very disturbing experience. i think, you know, being a plaintiff and writing this op-ed, my story speaks to this issue of race. i think with the zimmerman case, this definitely opens up a racial wound. >> but for you it's personal. you're helping to raise your siblings. your mother -- tell the people your story. >> my mother passed away.

i have custody of my youngest siblings. speaking to these cases, this is a question of what do i tell my brothers? you know, now that -- it's a racial wound. in a court of law, our lives are discounted. i feel that -- >> how many times have you been pulled over and literally -- you talked about having someone go through your pants and you had nothing on you, you had never committed a crime. >> yeah, it's very criminalizing. i think, you know, the psychological consequences of that alone is very damaging. damaging to the community. it's more of a broad issue as well. >> and i think that there's a trauma as well in terms of then the effects of his siblings having experienced this, seeing their brother/father having experienced it over and over. one thing in the statistics you mentioned is only 6% of those

people were either arrested or handed a ticket. 94% of the people were innocent. we have to question what kind of city and country we live in. >> gentlemen, thank you for your time. i appreciate it. we'll be right back. copd includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. spiriva is a once-daily inhaled copd maintenance treatment that helps open my obstructed airways for a full 24 hours. you know, spiriva helps me breathe easier. spiriva handihaler tiotropium bromide inhalation powder does not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. tell your doctor if you have kidney problems, glaucoma, trouble urinating, or an enlarged prostate. these may worsen with spiriva. discuss all medicines you take, even eye drops. stop taking spiriva and seek immediate medical help if your breathing suddenly worsens, your throat or tongue swells, you get hives, vision changes or eye pain, or problems passing urine. other side effects include dry mouth and constipation. nothing can reverse copd. spiriva helps me breathe better.

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that does it for this edition of "news nation." "the cycle" is up next. will be fantastic! find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust.

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