Also ahead, a judge battles detroits bankruptcy filing, the largest of its kind ever. Whats down the road for this once mighty city . And a brave new label. Recycling guns and bullets into beautiful jewelry, but its not for glamour. Its todays big idea. First, were going to follow the several marches being held across the country for Trayvon Martin. Right now the National Action network is Holding Justice for trayvon vigils in about 100 cities. Reverend al sharpton is urging the Justice Department to investigate civil rights charges against George Zimmerman. Trayvon martins mother sybrina fulton, and his father and brother appeared in chicago just hours ago. Not only do i vow to you to do what i can for Trayvon Martin. I promise you im going to work hard for your children as well. Trayvons father, tracy martin, had this to say at a rally in miami this morning. My message this morning is simple. Id like the world to know that trayvon was my son. He was a loved child. He did nothing wrong. And were not going to let them persecute him the way that they have. Were going to go to Michelle Franzen at a rally in new york, as well as Stephanie Stanton is in los angeles. Michelle, lets start with you. When youre out there, michelle, what was the mood that youve seen so far . Reporter the mood was very uplifting, richard. Weve still got people lingering here, having that dialogue, having that conversation here, but about an estimate of a crowd of about 1,000 people turned out here, and it was pretty sweltering temperatures. They were glad to have the people that they did have here. As you mentioned, there were speeches. Trayvons mother sybrina telling people she wants to hear their voices, also saying she needs to hear those voice ins a peaceful way. Weve watched this past week across the nation as protests and anger certainly turned into a call for action in this area, and thats exactly what theyre hoping the takeaway from these vigils from coast to coast will bring. They want the federal civil rights charges filed against George Zimmerman. They very disappointed in their purpose today, making sure that Trayvon Martins memory lives on even though he was killed 17 months ago. Richard . Michelle, just yesterday we both heard from the president on this very case. Any response to the words that came from the president . Reporter the president s words in a surprise sort of dialogue not a dialogue, but more of a monologue he gave the press yesterday, with his personal account. Saying i could have been Trayvon Martin 35 years ago, or Trayvon Martin could have been my son. Those words certainly resonating with people here today in new york city and likely around the country. They said it was very important for them to hear from the president since he also shares many of their same experiences, and they said that it was something that they were glad to hear him come out and speak about. 2 03 eastern time. Nbcs Michelle Franzen for us live in new york. Thank you so much. Well now take you to los angeles, where it is 11 04 a. M. Stephanie stanton is there at another location of a vigil. What are you seeing, stephanie . Good afternoon to you, richard. This vigil ended about 30 minutes ago. You can see a small crowd behind me. The crowd peacefully dispersing. I spoke to one of the organizers here. He told me it was an absolute success. He told me it was nonviolent. It was a way for them to get their voices heard, to talk about pressing for those civil rights charges against George Zimmerman. To talk about overturning the stand your ground law, not only in florida, but in several other states. We had several speakers taking the stage. Also, this is los angeles. You talked about beyonce and jayz making that surprise appearance in new york. Im told that oscarwinning actor jamie foxx was here in the crowd to show his support. Also, former reality star omarosa, who is now a reverend, she gave remarks here as well. This event is over, and by all accounts, it was a success. A little bit of hollywood out there this morning in los angeles. Stephanie, any response or discussion points you heard in reaction to the president s words from yesterday. Reporter richard, you know, with the organizers here told me they were absolutely energized by president obamas remarks. This is something they have been waiting for, waiting for the president to speak up to talk about his feelings about the George Zimmerman verdict. Thats exactly what they got. It was definitely something they really took to heart here today. Nbcs Stephanie Stanton live for us in los angeles. Thank you for your report there. As you heard, reactions still coming in on the president s surprising and unscripted appearance at the White House Briefing room yesterday. He spoke from the heart about Race Relations in america and his personal experiences of being a black man in light of Trayvon Martins shooting death. When Trayvon Martin was first shot, i said that this could have been my son. Another way of saying that is that Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago. Kristen we will kelker is at white house for us now. Kristen, as has been said, the president s appearance a surprise to many. Watching on this side of tv, you there at the white house as well, the press corps scrambling for their seats, right . You have to ask the question, talk about the timing. Why then . Why like that . Reporter richard, its a great question. I think that part this was a decision that had been building over time. The National Back drop is this very emotional reaction to the George Zimmerman verdict. A number of africanamerican leaders calling on the president to speak out publicly. White house officials said that behind the scenes the president has been watching the reaction come in, both within the africanamerican community, but also all across the nation, and hes really been thinking deeply about how he should respond. Its a decision he discussed with his family and with his friends, and then on thursday he called some of his top advisers to meet with him. He said that he had decided he did want to address the nation. I am told that some of them were skeptical, and they werent sure it was the right decision. But once the president laid out exactly what it is he wanted to say, it was unanimous, and his advisers said you should absolutely go forward and talk to the nation about your thoughts. As for the element of surprise, i am told the president wanted his remarks to be extemporaneous, and white house officials didnt give reporters a heads up, by, by the way, they almost always do, richard. They didnt give reporters a heads up because they didnt want us sitting around speculating about what the president might be discussing. They didnt want to take away from the moment, in essence. I think what was also striking about the president s comments yesterday is what you pointed out. They were so deeply personal. Not only did he say that he could have been Trayvon Martin 35 years ago, but he also talked about his own history of being racially profiled. I think its a message that a lot Kristen Welker at the white house. It looks like we have a little technical difficulty there. If we can solve that, well bring her right back. Nbcs Kristen Welker reporting to us on the white house and the reaction by the press corps. Up next, new reaction to the president s candid remarks on race. What it means for floridas stand your ground law, and the president s legacy. Its been like a roller coaster. I have my days where im perfect and i dont even think about anything, and i have my days where im just like constantly reminded about that night. The day of remembrance. Todays gatherings exactly one year after the Movie Theater massacre, and two survivors are turning this nightmare into a dream come true. Plus ahead of their time. Three brothers set out to make music but ended up rewriting history. Why the band called death has been silenced until now. Hey, buddy . Oh, hey, flo. You want to see something cool . Snapshot, from progressive. My Insurance Company told me not to talk to people like you. You always do what they tell you . No. Try it, and see what your good driving can save you. You dont even have to switch. Unless youre scared. Im not scared, its. You know we can still see you. No, you cant. 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The dodge Summer Clearance event. Right now get 0 financing for up to 72 months and no payments for 90 days on all dodge vehicles. Kristen welker back at the white house. We decided to reconnect the cables to get talking to you. You were noting, as we listened to president obama yesterday, that this was a different tone. A more vocal and candid president talking about race. We really have to go back to 08, four or five years back before we have a discussion, a speech from the president on that very issue that was scripted. So talk about that. The tone, the cadence, the volume all different this time around. Reporter right. I think its a great point, richard. Thanks for having me back, by the way. When president obama spoke back in 2008, he was a candidate. I was there in philadelphia when he delivered that speech. It is certainly one of the defining moments of that candidacy and for this president , but he really hasnt delivered extensive remarks on race since then. That is one of the reasons why his comments yesterday were so notable and so remarkable. If you compare them to the 2008 remarks, this is a president who was speaking as a second term president , not worried about reelection, less concerned about the politics. Certainly, you could argue the politics are tricky here in terms of coming out and weighing in on the George Zimmerman verdict. I think he felt freer to express himself, to get personal, talking about the fact he could have been Trayvon Martin 35 years ago, and also talking about his own experiences in terms of being racially profiled. I thought that was one of the most interesting points that he brought up, and its something, i think, resonated with a lot of members within the africanamerican community. And put into context for the entire country why we have seen such a heated reaction and emotional reaction to the George Zimmerman verdict. So i think that certainly we saw a very different president yesterday. And i expect that, as we listen to him in the coming months and years, we will sort of continue to hear a more personal side from him. Richard . Certainly, content and tone different yesterday there in the Briefing Room. Before we let you go here, kristen, something that we just learned this morning. Weve heard that legendary White House Reporter helen thomas, whom we have both watched before, many, many years, shes passed away. A pioneer in journalism, a pioneer for women. Whats the reaction right now from the press corps . Reporter well, richard, certainly one of my role models, and i think that the overall reaction thats been that just one of respect for her legacy, the body of work she left behind. The white house released this statement, michelle and i were satd to learn about the passing of helen thomas. Helen was a true pioneer, Opening Doors and breaking down barriers for generations of women in journalism. She covered the white house since president kennedys, and during that time, she never failed to keep president s, myself included, on their toes. And this statement from the white house correspondents association. She, by the way, was the first female president of the white house correspondents association. They say, women and men who followed in the press corps all owe a debt of gratitude for the work of helen that she did and the doors that she opened. All of our journalism is the better for it. And i think we saw some of the strongest comments come from some of my colleagues who continue to be reporters to this very day. Mark noller, the sort of unofficial historian here at the white house. He tweeted out today, helen had her faults, but as a news gatherer, she was ferocious and indefatiguable. And another female pioneer, our own andrea mitchell, tweeted out, helen thomas made all of us who followed women pioneer journalist, broke barriers, died today, would have been 93 next month, rest in peace. I think that helen thomas legacy is one thats garnering a lot of admiration now. Shes covered every president from president kennedy to the first two years of president obama. She did retire in the wake of controversial comments she made about the middle east, but certainly the field of journalism mourning her loss this afternoon. Kristen, all those decades of us watching her during the White House Briefings, her questions always riveting and interesting to watch. Thank you so much, Kristen Welker at the white house with the latest today. An msnbc contributor and managing editor of the Goldie Taylor project. And bob e. Franklin, a syndicated columnist. And raul reyes, a usa today columnist and nbc latino contributor. Goldie, lets continue that conversation that Kristen Welker and i were having about this tone, this cadence, this volume, everything about the way the president spoke yesterday. Is this a president we have not heard from before . I think we have actually heard from this president. Weve heard more and more from him as this president has continued to grow and evolve, as we do with all president s. I listened to this speech again this morning, and i heard nuances there that i did not here on yesterday. I think the more you sort of dive into this thing, the more personal you know that it feels. And so im actually deeply proud of this president and that he did it sort of on the fly yesterday. What nuance stuck out to you that you saw today that you didnt see before, goldie . I think the biggest nuance that i saw that i think everybody missed is that this president spoke honestly about wrapping his arms around black men and boys around this country, who may be the victims of violence from inside or outside their community, and the willingness of this president to have the very difficult conversation about solving crime thats happening in our inner cities today, and no one, no one is ignoring that as a crisis. I think the president put that on the table yesterday. It was really missed by so many of us. Raul, what i found striking about the message was that he was able to communicate what it is like to grow up in america as a black man, and in a way and from a position that nobody else can communicate such an experience. Right. I really thought the speech was masterful, not only because it was so authentic, but because he was really giving two messages. The president was explaining what it was like to be a black male in the United States even in 2013. At the same time, he was conveying to the black community and all people of color that i understand the anguish, i get it, i understand the sadness. What i find so remarkable about that is consider president obama is often held up as the symbol of how far we have come as a nation, and if you look at Trayvon Martin as a symbol of how far we have to go, the president made the direct link between himself and trayvon, and i think that is very important and worth noting. Bob, heres another part of the message that the president gave yesterday. Take a listen. There are very few africanamerican men in this country who havent had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store, that includes me. There are very few africanamerican men who havent had the experience of walking across the street and hearing the locks click on the doors of cars. That happens to me, at least before i was a senator. There are very few africanamericans who havent had the experience of getting on an elevator and a woman clutching her purse nervously and holding her breath until she had a chance to get off. That happens often. So, bob, the way that the president expressing some very personal experiences there that would be difficult for anybody to discuss. When you look at that, will those comments move the public to examine or reexamine Racial Attitudes . Well, i think that part of what he said yesterday was addressed to us white people who may not have experience d that daily humiliation that he characterized as the black experience, particularly for black males. I think what hes saying is that, as we have a dialogue, we have to be open minded, first of all, to understand that that a