A member of the Congressional Black Caucus moved Sunday to dampen calls for an economic boycott of Florida in reaction to the Trayvon Martin verdict, saying the effort could wind up hurting black communities.
?I think that many of us understand that sometimes when we call for those kind of economic boycotts, the impact on some of our communities can be really tremendous, and so I want to examine that first,? said Rep. Donna F. Edwards, Maryland Democrat, on ?Fox News Sunday.?
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In an interview last week with CNN, the Rev. Jesse Jackson called Florida an ?apartheid state? and said he would weigh launching an economic boycott if the Justice Department does not file federal charges against George Zimmerman, who shot Trayvon during a scuffle last year in Sanford, Fla., but was acquitted by a jury of second-degree murder charges.
Singer Stevie Wonder also announced that last week he would refuse to perform in Florida or any other state with a so-called ?stand your ground? law.
Three members of the CBC told The Hill newspaper that they would support an economic boycott of Florida, but Ms. Edwards said the caucus has yet to consider the matter.
?I don?t think there?s been a unanimous call within the Congressional Black Caucus; in fact, we haven?t even discussed that in the Congressional Black Caucus to my knowledge,? Ms. Edwards said.
At the same time, she challenged calls by Dr. Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon and columnist for The Washington Times, for Americans to ?tone down the rhetoric and recognize that we the people are not each other?s enemies.?
?But Dr. Carson, really to be clear, there are deep systemic problems that really impact African-Americans in the system that have to be addressed, and I think the president spoke to some of those. And so we can?t ignore that,? Ms. Edwards said.
SEE ALSO: Nationwide rallies demand ?Justice for Trayvon?
President Obama compared himself in remarks Friday to the 17-year-old youth, saying that ?Trayvon Martin could?ve been me 35 years ago? and that the outcome of the case ?might have been different? if the victim had been white.
The Justice Department is investigating the case for possible civil-rights violations. The department has come under criticism after documents released by Judicial Watch showed that the DOJ?s Community Relations Service helped organize rallies against Mr. Zimmerman.
Dr. Carson said it was important to examine the laws, verdict and outcome of the case to ?make sure that everything has been done correctly,? but he discouraged civil rights leaders from fueling an already tense moment.
?We need to tone down this rhetoric,? Dr. Carson said. ?Those of us in leadership positions need to be looking for things that we can take out of this that can be helpful, not trying to inflame the situation.?
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