Rally sentiment: Justice for Fla. teen's killing

Thousands participate in a rally for Trayvon Martin, the teen shot by Neighborhood Watch patrol captain George Zimmerman, in Sanford, Fla., March 22, 2012. / AP Photo/Roberto Gonzalez

(AP) SANFORD, Fla. - One sentiment was clear among the thousands who rallied Thursday night for action in last month's fatal shooting of an unarmed Florida teenager: justice.

Civil rights leader Al Sharpton helped lead the charge, demanding the arrest of neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in 17-year-old Trayvon Martin's killing in Sanford.

"We cannot allow a precedent when a man can just kill one of us ... and then walk out with the murder weapon," Sharpton said, flanked by Martin's parents and a stage full of supporters. "We don't want good enough. We want George Zimmerman in court with handcuffs behind his back."

The rally came the same day that bitterly criticized Police Chief Bill Lee stepped down temporarily, he said to help quell the rising passions surrounding the case. Hours later, Gov. Rick Scott announced that the county prosecutor also had recused himself from the case and that a state attorney from Jacksonville would take over the investigation.

2 Fla. officials step aside in teen death probe
Trayvon Martin parents call for shooter's arrest
Mayor: "Strained trust" in Sanford, doubts in case

Sharpton attended the rally just hours after the death of his mother. "This is where she would want me to be," he said.

He was joined by Martin's parents, Martin Luther King III and nationally syndicated radio host Michael Baisden whose encouragement to his Twitter followers helped escalate attention on the shooting.

Trayvon Martin lived in Miami and was in Sanford visiting family Feb. 26 when he went to a convenience store. He was walking back carrying a bag of Skittles candy and can of iced tea, the hood of his jacket pulled over his head because it was raining. He was approached by the 28-year-old Zimmerman, who told a police dispatcher he thought Martin looked suspicious. Zimmerman shot Martin following a chase and fight.

Zimmerman says he shot Martin in self-defense, and Sanford police officials say there is no evidence that contradicts that. Some neighbors in the gated community have praised Zimmerman for taking a stand against crime in the neighborhood that is 57 percent white and 30 percent black. Police say Zimmerman is white; his family says he's Hispanic.

Martin's parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, believe Zimmerman should have been arrested. They claim he was profiling their son and acted like a vigilante.

The rally was initially planned for a 400-seat church. But it was moved to downtown to make room for all the people who stood shoulder-to-shoulder in Fort Mellon Park, many holding signs with everything from "Justice For Trayvon" to "Chief is gone, Zimmerman is next."

Fulton was teary-eyed when she addressed the crowd, telling them "we want justice for Trayvon" before referencing a popular Bible verse when she said she had been reminded to "trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not on thy own understanding" during the past month.

Tracy Martin thanked the rally goers.

"If Trayvon were here, he would have been here tonight," he said. "He was a people person. Let's get justice for your son."

Familiar chants like "No justice, no peace" were also sung throughout the night. At least four charter buses from Atlanta brought rally goers.

Martin's parents both spoke to the crowd just hours after they sat down with Scott who announced that the local state attorney, Norman Wolfinger, had recused himself from the case. In a letter to Scott, Wolfinger said that while he thought he could fairly oversee any prosecution that develops in the case, his recusal was aimed at "toning down the rhetoric and preserving the integrity of the investigation."

Scott appointed Angela B. Corey, the state attorney for the Jacksonville area, to take over the case.

That announcement by the attorney for Martin's parents brought a loud cheer.

"We've still gotta hold everybody accountable until there's an arrest," attorney Benjamin Crump beckoned the crowd.

Sharpton took up an impromptu monetary collection for Martin's parents. He started it off with a $2,500 pledge and he was joined by Greg Mathis and Baisden who both pledged $10,000 each. Former New York Gov. David Paterson also gave $2,000. Paterson was among several state and national politicians at the rally.

Buckets were also passed throughout the crowd with Sharpton telling them "Y'all show the world we're gonna finance our own movement."

There was a brief moment of booing, when Sanford Mayor Jeff Triplett addressed the crowd.

But U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown quickly quieted it when she told them how Triplett flew to Washington, D.C., and met with congressmen for five hours about the case and helped get the 911 tapes released to the public, which generated a social media buzz that propelled the case nationally.

"Now we are working on this issue," she said. "And everybody didn't want him working on this issue."

Brown also announced that they hope to have hearings in Washington with the Justice Department about the case as early as Tuesday. The FBI is looking into what happened.

Dick Gregory, a comedian who uses humor to convey his civil rights message, said the steady pressure should be the goal going forward.

"All you have to do is be a turtle," he said. "Hard on the outside, soft on the inside and willing to stick your neck out."

[occupy_cbs]

SamBilski: "What amazes me is how so many from the Afro-American community as well as the Liberal media have made this a racial issue. It is quite pathetic!"


occupy_cbs: No, what is quite pathetic, is that the right-wing media has people like you convinced that the racial slurs by zimmerman on the 911 tape while in pursuit of Trayvon, do not constitute both a "racial issue" as well as a "hate crime."


SamBilski: "I don't care about any racial slur BS. Irrelevant!"

SamBilski: "I have found the police investigation to be fair and complete."





Sorry sammy, but just because you don't care about the racial slurs on the 911 tape by the overly-zealous wannabe cop, and a terrible investigation by a corrupt police department, now this whole incident will be brought under a microscope to show how wrong you are, and you right-wing gun nutz incited by the NRA will have egg all over your faces in the end!

This was murder by a racist wannabe cop, and the 46 calls to 911 he had made over the past year will prove his racist tendencies.

[occupy_cbs]

An online campaign is urging people to send their "weapons" -- a bag of Skittles -- to Sanford's police chief, Bill Lee, to protest Martin's shooting. Sanford police declined to arrest Zimmerman, who said he shot the unarmed teen in self-defense.

[occupy_cbs]

SamBilski: "I have found the police investigation to be fair and complete."



I suppose that is why the Sanford City Council voted yesterday in a vote of NO CONFIDENCE for its police department, after the police chief stepped down temporarily, and now the mayor wants to see a complete investigation of the whole incident and police dept.


Sanford City Council Votes No Confidence In Police Chief

SANFORD, Fla. -- In a 3-2 vote Wednesday night, the Sanford City Council said they have no confidence in the city's police chief, Bill Lee.

Chief Lee had been on the job just 10 months before the Trayvon Martin murder and investigation began to come apart. Lee originally said the shooter, George Zimmerman, had no criminal record, even though he had been arrested before, but beat the charges.

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Trayvon Martin Case: Sanford police chief temporarily steps down

SANFORD, Fla. -- Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee announced that he has temporarily stepped down as chief, during a press conference outside of Sanford City Hall on Thursday.

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Trayvon Martin Case: State Attorney Quits Investigation As State Studies 'Stand Your Ground' Law

SANFORD, Fla. -- Seminole County State Attorney Norman R. Wolfinger Thursday night removed himself from the case of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teenager whose killing by a town watch volunteer last month sparked national outrage.

Gov. Rick Scott met with the Martin's family and their legal team earlier today and assured them that Wolfinger would step down from the case, according to a family lawyer. Scott appointed Angela B. Corey, the prosecutor in the Jacksonville area, to replace Wolfinger on the investigation. The governor said on Thursday night that a state task force would review Florida's Stand Your Ground law and recommend changes "so that we might help avoid such tragedies in the future."

[askagain]

It doesn't take much in the brain department to realize that the Sanfford City Council buckled under pressure. It has nothing to do with guilt or innocence or whether or not the investigation was handled properly. Everybody wants to protect their backsides. It is not a matter of principal but of political expediency. Mob pressure works.

[occupy_cbs]

SamBilski: "..protesters can do to pressure people."

=====
askagain: "..buckled under pressure."
=====




Seems as if the right-wing has the talking points down pat, just to protect the NRA gun nutz with their "license to kill."

[mick7744]

by andyinga March 23, 2012 10:52 AM EDT
He was winded until the dispatcher told him not to follow Trayvon. At that time he was walking back to his truck by the clubhouse and he got attacked.

***********************************

andyinga...you not only contrive ridiculous convoluted theories (that you present as facts)

But are also making excuses for why hulking George was getting beaten about the head and shoulders by a MUCH smaller kid...

If he pursued and confronted Martin and a fight ensued...and he found himself losing...and blew away the "perp"...then he is legally culpable for his death...no matter who was kicking whose ass!

Zimmerman provoked the entire incident based on his not liking Martin's looks and that resulted in the death of a boy brandishing a bag of Skittles that this cop wannabee decided was a sufficient threat to his life...and is not even detained...no further investigation required...

Hulking, scary-looking individuals like Zimmerrman often become accustomed to winning fights through intimidation, and tend to overreact when resisted effectivly...especially to the point of getting their ass kicked...

Has this Zimmerman got a passport?

[occupy_cbs]

Actually, I wonder if the overly-zealous wannabe cop has a green card, since his mother is Peruvian, and might already be hiding in Peru to escape the justice he knows that is heading his way?

[visiopher]

I don't believe the Sanford PD was hampered in making an arrest of Zimmerman by the Stand Your Ground law. I think the Sanford PD decided at the time they responded to the shooting to use the law to get Zimmerman off. Using this law to protect the murderer of a black boy was their idea and during their chat with Zimmerman at their station they likely even coached Zimmerman on what to claim and say. This is why no standard procedures were followed during the investigation such as drug and alcohol testing and the gathering of evidence. The Sanford PD thought they could hide behind this law and make this easily go away. For Bill Lee to claim his department's investigation was thourough, fair, and complete is preposterous. This is one reason he must be fired. Another is that the Sanford PD, by these actions, is actually complicit in the murder of Trayvon Martin. Charges should not only be brought against Zimmerman but also against those involved at the Sanford PD, particularly Bill Lee.

[occupy_cbs]

I have a feeling that this debacle will shake the Sanford PD to its core, especially after the beating of a homeless man by the past police chief's son caught on video, and now a new chief that has temporarily stepped down, but still right in the middle of this whole cover up!

[occupy_cbs]

SamBilski: "I have found the police investigation to be fair and complete."



I suppose that is why the Sanford City Council voted yesterday in a vote of NO CONFIDENCE for its police department, after the police chief stepped down temporarily, and now the mayor wants to see a complete investigation of the whole incident and police dept.

[occupy_cbs]

SamBilski: "@Rafterman, Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch leader. His responsibility was to at least approach someone in the neighborhood that he didn't recognize. There had been recent burglaries in the area."



Actually, zimmerman became the self-appointed protector of the streets around his home, although his neighborhood watch organization was not officially registered, and even though he was more a wannabe cop, should have only WATCHED and REPORTED -- not pursued or confronted anyone, especially with a concealed 9MM.

[occupy_cbs]

SamBilski: "What amazes me is how so many from the Afro-American community as well as the Liberal media have made this a racial issue. It is quite pathetic!"



No, what is quite pathetic, is that the right-wing media has people like you convinced that the racial slurs by zimmerman on the 911 tape while in pursuit of Trayvon, do not constitute both a "racial issue" as well as a "hate crime."

Stick a fork in him, since the overly-zealous, wannabe cop, had absolutely no authority other than WATCH and REPORT, and after being told he didn't need to pursue Trayvon, used poor judgement and murdered an innocent black teenager!

[occupy_cbs]

andyinga: "Playing a race card is racist."



The right-wing media and you can call this debacle anything you want to, but unfortunately, this is indeed outright racism, and zimmerman will undoubtedly be charged with a "hate crime" due to his racial slurs on the 911 tape!

For crissakes, he's on tape with racial slurs during the pursuit!

[occupy_cbs]

Hey bubba, no theory, and if you had actually listened to the 911 tapes, you would certainly have known that racial epithets and racial slurs were spewed by cop wannabe, zimmerman, an overly-zealous murderer!

Too bad your right-wing propaganda sites as well as the fox/rush propagandists never told you the entire truth, and you go off half-cocked without the full story.

This is exactly what I've come to know about the fox/rush parrots -- they never miss a chance to spew LIES and DECEPTIONS, the TRUTH be damned!

[occupy_cbs]

andyinga: "What amazes me even more is the ignorant morons with no real information forming a lynching party."



Is that how the right-wing media described the rally last night?

[occupy_cbs]

andyinga: "get a clue you race card playing racist."




Now, now, now......keep your outright personal attacks to a minimum!

[occupy_cbs]

andyinga: "Race Card denied Rafter! Only racists like you play the race card."


All the right-wing gun nutz have is personal attacks!

[Rafterman11]

Recognizing and fighting racism is not being racist, silly boy.