Tracy Martin Reflects On First Father's Day Without Trayvon
MIAMI (CBS4) - It will be a somber sobering Father's Day for Tracy Martin; his first without his 17 year old son Trayvon. Martin released a special video message about the pain he is enduring as he waits for his son's killer to be tried in court.
"I'll share a prayer for all the dads throughout the nation who share this grief," said Tracy Martin in the video. "Last year 30,000 fathers lost a son or a daughter from senseless gun violence."
Martin asks others to contact the governor in their state to repeal stand your ground laws. George Zimmerman killed Trayvon and wasn't arrested for months because of the stand your ground law. It is still unclear if he will be found guilty of a crime for shooting the teen.
Click Here to watch the full video
"Ask them to review these dangerous laws," said Martin in the video. "If we do, next year thousands more dads will have a happy Father's Day with their children and not the toughest one of their life without them."
It's a cause David Jenkins was fighting for long before Martin. Jenkins' nine year old daughter Sherdavia Jenkins, was gunned down while playing outside of her Liberty City Home nearly six years ago.
"Every Father's Day to me is a tragic because it's so close to July 1st It's July 1st which is the day Sherdavia was murdered."
Jenkins said he feels Martin's pain and knows it all too well. Its taken him years to try and come to grips with the loss of his daughter. But yet every year, Father's Day is a difficult time for him.
"My advice is don't quit," said Jenkins. "Keep going because if I had quit I would probably have went insane. I still don't quit. I still keep going and Mr. Martin if you're listening I'm in your corner 100 percent."
