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Joe Scarborough delivered a passionate monologue urging his home state of Florida to arrest Trayvon Martin's killer on Monday's "Morning Joe."
Martin was shot to death by self-appointed neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in late February. His killing, as well as the controversial police handling of the case, have sparked outrage across the country. On Monday, members of the "Morning Joe" panel were some of the numerous media figures who lamented the tragedy and demanded a full investigation of Martin's death.
Scarborough and co-host Mika Brzezinski were joined by New York Times columnist Charles Blow, whom they thanked for getting the story national attention. Scarborough also defended fellow MSNBC host Al Sharpton, who has faced some criticism for his role advocating for Martin's family.
Sharpton's mother died last Thursday morning, on the same day that Sharpton spoke at a rally for Trayvon Martin in Florida. Scarborough responded to skeptics who may have questioned Sharpton's decision to attend.
He said that the rally was "where his mom would want him to be," and agreed the people have to "totally respect" Sharpton for staying on the case.
"I'm just giving the other side that people may not see," Scarborough explained. "They see that fiery clip. They may not understand how much Reverend Al's mom meant to him."
After reviewing the facts of the case, Scarborough also made it clear that he was sorely disappointed in his home state. Turning to Brzezinski, he called it "disgusting" and "shameful" that the police have not arrested Zimmerman.
"This is disgusting, absolutely disgusting and again the clock's ticking, when are you gonna arrest this guy, Florida?" Scarborough asked.
"And the world is waiting actually," Brzezinski added.
"We really are," Scarborough responded.
"[Trayvon Martin] was shot dead with Skittles and iced tea almost a month ago," he continued, directing his message to his state. "How much longer? Do you need help? We can bring some people from other states to the state of Florida — my home state — if you can't figure this out yourself. This is not complicated and the longer you wait to arrest this guy, the worse it's gonna be for you in the long run. Whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, a conservative or a liberal, this is shameful."
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