Questlove weighs in on Trayvon Martin verdict

Hip-hop superstar Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the Trayvon Martin trial verdict. George Zimmerman was found not guilty of murder and manslaughter charges on Saturday (13Jul13) for the 2012 killing of the 17-year old black youth in Florida, after claiming he shot the unarmed youngster in self-defence.
The Roots star is the latest star to address the jury’s decision, posting an emotional message online, which also deals with incidents of racism directed towards him in the past.
In the Facebook.com post, the drummer alluded to once having been detained by police in Buffalo, New York who thought he was “a drug lord”, and recounted an incident in an elevator with a woman in the building where he lives who, in his opinion, made clear that she didn’t want him to know what floor she lived on.
He sums up his lengthy post by writing, “I dont know how to not internalize the overall message this whole trayvon (sic) case has taught me: you aint (sic) (worth) s**t. That’s the lesson I take from this case. You aint (sic) (worth) s**t. Those words are deep (be)cause these are words I heard my whole life. I wasn’t surprised at all (by the verdict), but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t sting any less.”
A host of top stars including Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Rihanna, Beyonce, Jamie Foxx and Miley Cyrus, have all slammed the verdict, and have either taken to Twitter to denounce the jury’s decision or have performed songs in tribute to Martin.