14 DAY TRIAL // Attorney General Eric Holder has vowed to continue to investigate the George Zimmerman case. He is bound to start a civil rights inquiry in the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
Holder has conveyed that the federal government is "determined to meet division and confusion with understanding and compassion – and also with truth.''
As we wrote, although Zimmerman has been acquitted in a criminal case, that does not mean that he cannot be prosecuted in civil court.
According to USA Today, Holder spoke at a Delta Sigma Theta and referred to Martin's death as "unnecessary."
"The Justice Department shares your concern. I share your concern," Holder said.
During the convention on Monday, he addressed a petition posted by the NAACP on MoveOn, in which they ask for civil rights charges to be brought against 29-year-old Zimmerman.
"We are committed 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 tensions, address community concerns and promote healing.
"And we will never stop working to ensure that – in every case, in every circumstance and in every community – justice must be done,'' Holder adds.
He does not confirm that they will be charging Zimmerman, now free after his trial. However, he does mention carrying on with the investigation.
"[We will] continue to act in a manner that is consistent with the facts and the law," he says.
Zimmerman is now a free man and he has the right to get his weapon back. His attorney has stated that he would need it more than ever, since the not guilty verdict has prompted protests all over California.
"This tragedy provides yet another opportunity for our nation to speak honestly about the complicated and emotionally charged issues that this case has raised. [...] We must not – as we have too often in the past – let this opportunity pass," Holder expresses.