Trayvon Martin was not the first black youth to be held as an example of lack of justice for violence against blacks. And he certainly was not the last.

Trayvon Martin’s killer was “on patrol” for a neighborhood watch program. The recent events in Ferguson surrounding the death of Michael Brown, as well as the events in New York regarding the death of Eric Garner, both focused on the actions of police against black men.

In all cases, the killers were either acquitted or never brought to trial at all. In all cases, the perceived threat that these black men posed was a major factor for public consideration. And in all cases, there was never any proof that these men posed a threat to the non-black men who killed them.

These facts were behind the discussion that Trayvon Martin’s mother Sybrina Fulton had with Anderson Cooper recently, as well as another conversation with Dr. Phil.

With Anderson Cooper, she pointed out that white people who question why black people are protesting are missing something.

“It’s not happening to them, so they don’’t quite get it,” Fulton told Cooper. “They don’t quite understand. They think that it’s a small group of African-Americans that’s complaining: ‘Oh, what are they complaining about now?’ The people say that all the time, ‘What are they complaining about now? What are they protesting about now?'”

When Cooper asked her how she would answer white people who ask this, she responded, “To that person, until it happens to them and in their family, then they’ll understand. They don’t understand what we’re going through. They don’t understand the life, and they don’t understand what we’re fighting against. I don’t even think the government quite gets it.”

She insists that the recent racial unrest over black men experiencing unfounded violence at the hands of police and others is not some dew development.

“This is not something new. It’s been happening,” she said. “But it’s just been bringing a light to what’s happening. It’s bringing it to the forefront, which is why there’s so much conversations …rallies and protests. Because people are now realizing. … It’s not just about African-American rights… It’s about human rights.”

#ThingsACrazyPersonWouldSay The Michael Brown shooting or Eric Garner incident had anything to do with race

— mdkthefuture (@mdk06792015) December 13, 2014

With Dr. Phil, Fulton said the problem will continue until white people understand that there is a basic right or everyone to be safe.

“If history continues to repeat itself, not only do we need to change the laws, but we need to change people’s mindset as well. We have a right to be safe,” Fulton says.

#EricGarner #PoliceBrutality #tyranny #PoliceState #abolishtheirs #endthefed pic.twitter.com/T5pLoGli7E

— Marc swic (@SovereignNews) December 13, 2014