New York, NY – Hundreds of demonstrators, including music superstars Jay-Z and Beyonce, joined Trayvon Martin’s mother Saturday in New York City at one of about 100 rallies around the country calling for justice for the slain black teenager.
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Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, and the Rev. Al Sharpton led the noontime ‘‘Justice for Trayvon’’ rally on a blazing hot plaza in downtown Manhattan, where some people swooned as the temperature topped 90 degrees.
But the scorching sun did not deter protesters, some with hoodies covering their heads, from marching across the Brooklyn Bridge, chanting ‘‘Trayvon Martin,’’ flanked by a lineup of police scooters. At the rally, speakers urged the crowd to join an Aug. 24 rally in Washington that organizers are likening to the famed 1964 march on Washington led by Martin Luther King.
Fulton told supporters she was determined to fight for societal and legal changes needed to ensure that black youth are no longer viewed with suspicion because of their skin color.
‘‘I promise you I’m going to work for your children as well,’’ she said. At a morning appearance at Sharpton’s headquarters in Harlem, Fulton implored supporters not to think the tragedy involved Martin alone, saying, ‘‘Today it was my son. Tomorrow it might be yours.’’
‘‘Trayvon was no burglar,’’ Fulton said. ‘‘He had a drink and some candy. He had every right to be in that area.’’
The rallies in New York and elsewhere come a week after a Florida jury found George Zimmerman not guilty in the death of the unarmed black teenager. Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, had followed Martin because he thought he might be a burglar; previous break-ins in the complex had been committed by young black men, neighbors said. Zimmerman said he shot the teen in self-defense after the two fought.
Sharpton said he wants a rollback of ‘‘Stand Your Ground’’ laws that make it easier for people to shoot one another if they feel threatened. He also said the Justice Department should investigate civil rights charges against Zimmerman.
‘‘Racial profiling is not as bad as segregation, but you don’t know the humiliation of being followed in a department store,’’ Sharpton said, echoing a comment made by President Barack Obama earlier in the week.
Martin’s brother also attended the rally, which drew a racially diverse crowd and a number of New York City politicians. Other vigils are planned in Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta and many other cities.
How about 100 rallies for the HUNDREDS of whites killed yearly by Blacks for no reason?
Why in NYC? What does the NYPD have to do with it?
Travan was no burglar, may be right, but he apparantly had a scuffle with that Zimmerman who was armed. The kid made a big mistake, but it’s an isolated incident in Florida.
Rev Al looks good now that he’s lost all that weight!
It’s. not the color of there skin
It’s there actions. In society
Mugging -killing. – haresment of white people and Jews
What do these trouble makers raboul rousers want here in NY by the NYPD
they keep forgeting to say that he punched him and banged his head thats y he shot him and he did not use stand ur ground as his defens but self defens!
The spelling on posts 3,4 and 5 is atrocious.
I feel for Martin parents. But hooking up with Al will lose them some respect
I’m tired of hearing about his lets hope for some big news breaking event to sideline this circus
What about the hundreds upon hundreds of Black people killed every year in just the city of Chicago by Black criminals? Why won’t that get any publicity? About 70 were killed during the couple of weeks that this trial was going on? Intra-racial murders are almost 95% of all murders, not inter-racial!!!
where did Sharpton get that suit? he was showing off his ealth while those poor blacks were dressed so casual.
Al Sharpton is like the lawyer who would not give up when the time was right to ask for a recess.
They should spend their time rallying for jobs, education, for headstart, for help for families, for parent supervision, for parent patrols – instead, they are going back to the bankrupt system of the sixties – when really the issues are so different.
To: #10 - I’d like to expound upon your statistics. Young Black males account for about 4% of the population, yet they account for 50% of the homicides in the USA, and 60% of the robberies. Of those homicides, 14% of whites are killed by Blacks each year in the USA, many in random, senseless killings. Less than 7% of Blacks are killed by whites. Regarding rapes in the USA, over 20,000 are comprised of Black perpetrators and white victims. There are less than 200 White rapes involving Black victims. These are FBI statistics. Yet, whenever the above is even mentioned, organizations such as the ADL, discount those figures and imply that “white supremacists”, are behind them. Even Black people including Jesse Jackson have stated that they become uneasy, when they pass young Black males on the street. People have a right to feel intimidated, and to lock their car doors, especially when a large percentage of carjackers, are Black perpetrators. Incidentally, this article erred, as the civil rights march in Washington, D.C., was in 1963, and not 1964.
Where’s the Rev Sharpton’s outrage over that girl that was raped and thrown off a rooftop the other day? This was a real rape, not like Tawanna Brawly’s, and all involved were of the same race as Rev Al.
If the mighty Rev Al could stop Black on Black crime in this country we could save lives, reduce the police forces, close prisons, reduce hospital costs and lower taxes for all.