CNN Legal Analyst: Zimmerman Acquittal Means We Must Talk About Race

Sunny Hostin, a legal analyst who backed the prosecution during CNN’s coverage of the George Zimmerman trial, told viewers Saturday night that the trial had been good because it forced Americans to talk about race. 

“One of the good things that has come out of this is that people are going to talk about race relations,” Hostin said.

Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter after sixteen hours of deliberation. Police and prosecutors had initially been reluctant to file charges because of strong evidence that Zimmerman had acted in self-defense, until protests fanned by Al Sharpton, and backed by President Barack Obama, created immense public pressure for an arrest.

Hostin, clearly disappointed by the verdict, explained that Zimmerman had “profiled” Trayvon Martin–a racially-charged accusation made repeatedly by the prosecution, though never proven–and therefore a national conversation was necessary.