Young Jeezy on Trayvon Martin: “The Minute we Accept That, We Stand For Nothing”

The tragic murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, who was murdered while walking through a gated community on his way home in Florida last month, continues to spark outrage across the nation. And hip-hop is being vocal about its support.

Rap stars like Wyclef Jean, ?uestlove of the Roots and Big Boi have spoken up about the tragedy already, and now Young Jeezy is the latest to speak out about the disheartening case.

"I feel very deeply as a community leader and as a product of my culture," Jeezy told MTV News. "I feel like we all got to get together and stop this, 'cause I have a son his age and I just feel like that could've been either of our children.

"This is real, I understand that there are a lot of things goin' on in the world and times are hard for everybody right now, but when you start having adults kill children for any reason, then we're on our way to something we don't want to be at," the Snowman continued. "The minute we accept that, we stand for nothing."

Much like Jeezy's reaction, the heartfelt sentiments have been pouring in from all over the country, including out of the White House.

“Obviously, this is a tragedy. I can only imagine what these parents are going through,” President Barack Obama told reporters during a press conference addressing a separate matter on Friday morning (March 23). “When I think about this boy, I think about my own kids. You know, if I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon. I think they are right to expect that all of us as Americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves, and we are going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened.”

According to reports, Martin was walking home from a 7-11 store in the Sanford section of Florida, when a community watchman named George Zimmerman called the police and warned them about the teen looking “suspicious” in his hoodie. Zimmerman told police that he was going to follow Martin, but police instructed him not to. When cops did show up at the scene, however, Zimmerman had shot Martin dead in a claim of self-defense. Martin did not have a weapon on him. Citizens of Florida are protected under the controversial “Stand Your Ground” statute, which allows Floridians to shoot their guns if threatened.

The Miami Heat basketball team showed their support on Friday as well, as the entire squad donned hoodies in tribute of Martin. Heat superstar LeBron James even tweeted, "#WeAreTrayvonMartin #Hoodies #Stereotyped #WeWantJustice."

Amidst the heated reaction and media storm, Sanford Police Department Chief Bill Lee announced on Thursday (March 22) that he will temporarily be stepping down. This came after a throng of protesters, including Martin’s parents and civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton, turned out for a ‘Million Hoodie March’ in the Union Square section of New York City on Wednesday (March 21).—Mark Lelinwalla