Trayvon's Parents Find Support on Capitol Hill

In a packed forum on Capitol Hill today, the parents of Trayvon Martin got support from members of Congress who turned the death of their 17-year-old's son into a rallying cry against racial profiling. Martin's parents spoke briefly before a Democrats-only congressional panel as cameras clicked noisily in front of them. "Trayvon was our son, but Trayvon is your son," Sybrina Fulton, his mother, told the House Judiciary panel. "A lot of people can relate to our situation and it breaks their heart like it breaks our heart."

Martin's father, Tracy Martin, thanked "everyone who is holding the legacy of Trayvon." His son is "sadly missed and we will continue to fight for justice for him." During the two-hour forum, the lawmakers and witnesses openly criticized the police investigation of the shooting and the failure of police to arrest the admitted shooter, George Zimmerman. Those attending the hearing applauded the couple when Deborah Ramirez, a law professor at Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, praised the parents' "dignity and grace in the face of this tragedy" and said they were an "inspiration to all." (More Trayvon Martin stories.)