Jay Z, a man of many talents, had his activism hat on Sunday when he and superstar wife Beyonce appeared at a New York "Justice for Trayvon" rally to protest the acquittal of Florida neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman, who fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin during a confrontation with the unarmed teen.
In an interview Jay Z, who co-headlined two shows at Yankee Stadium this past weekend with Justin Timberlake on his "Legends of the Summer" tour, spoke about the Zimmerman case and media coverage of it.
"I was just watching the trial and man, it's strange how you can just see everyone's agenda when their talking about things. CNN is almost like TMZ. Certain things it's like, aww man, this is really just entertainment. It's really all for ratings. And you squeeze a bit of information in there."
While Jay Z declined to speak at the rally, saying "I'm not here to do interviews, thank you," his presence spoke volumes. Jay Z and Timberlake also gave a rousing tribute to Martin as an encore to their shows, asking all fans to use lighters or cell phones to light up the stadium as they performed Forever Young.
Zimmerman was on trial for murder after following Martin, believing him to look suspicious. Zimmerman reported to police that he was following Martin, but ignored their order to stop. According to Zimmerman he was then confronted by the 17-year-old and forced to use his weapon in self defense.
He was acquitted on the basis of the "Stand Your Ground" law, which states a person in danger has the right to use a weapon to defend themselves in their home or on their property, with no legal obligation to remove themselves from a dangerous situation. In Florida, where Martin was killed, this law extends beyond the parameters of a person's place of residence.
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