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February 27, 2013

Rallies Mark 1st Anniversary of Trayvon Martin Killing 
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Rallies were held across the country Tuesday to mark the one-year
anniversary of the killing of the unarmed African-American teenager
Trayvon Martin. On February 26, 2012, the 17-year-old high school junior
was shot dead in Sanford, Florida, by George Zimmerman, a self-appointed
neighborhood watch volunteer who claimed he acted in self-defense.
Police initially refused to arrest Zimmerman, but he was finally charged
with second-degree murder after a wave of protests around the country.
On Tuesday, Martin supporters gathered in California, Florida and New
York to honor his memory and call attention to racial profiling and
discrimination. Many donned hoodies as Martin had worn the night he was
shot. Trayvon Martin's father, Tracy Martin, addressed a crowd of
hundreds in New York City's Union Square.

Tracy Martin: "It's a somber day for us, but also it's a day of peace
for us. Because we know as parents that we have done all we can do to
make our children's lives right."

Also speaking at the New York event was the Oscar-winning actor and
singer Jamie Foxx.

Jamie Foxx: "All we're asking is simplicity. The simple thing is allow
the court system to work."

Zimmerman's trial is set to begin in June, although his attorneys are
seeking a further delay. He remains free on $1 million bail.

 

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