Trayvon Martin's parents to attend Capitol Hill forum on race

Trayvon Martin's parents will attend a special forum on Capitol Hill Tuesday considering hate crimes and their son's death last month.

Martin's parents, whose son was shot by a Neighborhood Watch volunteer who has so far avoided arrest, will not testify, according to media reports. The Martins' lawyer is expected to testify. 

The forum, called by several Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee, is also expected to consider Florida's controversial "Stand Your Ground" law.

The law allows an individual who feels threatened to "stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force." Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has called for an investigation into the merits of the law, which has allowed shooter George Zimmerman to avoid arrest. Florida Rep. and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz has called for a repeal of the law. And the Congressional Black Caucus, headed by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), urged the Department of Justice to investigate.

Judiciary Committee ranking member John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), who is also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, believes race played a role in the shooting and helped organize the forum on Capitol Hill to investigate Martin’s death, racial profiling, federal hate crime laws and the "Stand Your Ground" law. 

Democrats from the House Judiciary Committee will hold a press briefing and news conference for the event. Reportedly, no Republicans are involved; although many members of the GOP have deemed the incident a tragedy, they have not been calling for a subsequent repeal of the law.

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