STF na Mídia - MyClipp

Reuters General/ - Article, Dom, 01 de Abril de 2012
CLIPPING INTERNACIONAL (Civil Rights)
Florida teenager's home town turns out in
Miami protest
(Reuters) - Thousands of protesters gathered in a
downtown bayfront park on Sunday demanding the
arrest of the neighborhood watch volunteer who shot
and killed an unarmed black teenager, Trayvon Martin,
in central Florida a month ago.
Civil rights leaders were joined by local politicians,
pastors and Martin's parents, who made their first
major public appearance in their hometown since last
month.
Sunday's protest came a day after one of the largest
demonstrations in Sanford, the central Florida town
where Martin was killed.
A crowd of about 5,000 gathered in an amphitheater
with a "Justice for Trayvon" poster behind the stage to
hear speeches from civil rights leaders Rev. Al
Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, as well as Martin's
parents. Grammy Award-winning singers Chaka Khan
and Betty Wright also attended.
Sharpton received a standing ovation when he called
for the arrest of George Zimmerman, the 28-year-old
neighborhood watch volunteer who shot Martin with a
semiautomatic handgun.
"I didn't come to Florida ... to convict Zimmerman. I
didn't come to try Zimmerman," he said after
questioning why the police were not able to find
probable cause to make an arrest in the shooting and
let the courts decide if a crime had been committed.
"I came to say, what is good for one, is good for all.
Zimmerman, tell it to the judge," he added. "We cannot
live in a nation where some of us go and are arrested
on probable cause, and others are released because
they told an improbable story."
Zimmerman, a white Hispanic, was in his car about to
drive to a store on February 26, when he noticed
Martin.
CASE HAS SPARKED PUBLIC OUTCRY
Zimmerman called 911 to report that Martin was
wearing a hoodie sweatshirt and looked "suspicious"
and followed him against the dispatcher's advice.
Martin was walking back to his father's fiancée's home
after buying candy and iced tea.
Zimmerman later told police that he was walking back
to his vehicle when Martin attacked him and that he
fired his weapon in self-defense after he was punched
in the nose, knocked down and had his head slammed
against a sidewalk.
Police refused to arrest Zimmerman citing Florida's
controversial "Stand Your Ground" law, which allows
the use of lethal force outside the home when a
reasonable threat is perceived.
The case has sparked a public outcry from celebrities,
politicians, civil rights activists and ordinary citizens
who believe Zimmerman judged Martin to be
suspicious because of his skin color and should have
been arrested for the shooting.
More than 2 million people have signed a petition on
Change.org to demand justice in the case. President
Barack Obama weighed in on the matter, comparing
Martin to a son he might have had and calling for "soul
searching" over how the incident occurred.
A special state prosecutor is examining the case and
could decide as soon as this week whether charges
should be filed. Federal investigators are looking into
charges of racial bias.
Martin was visiting Sanford while serving a 10-day
suspension from Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High
School in north Miami. His parents are divorced, but
both still live in Miami. His mother is a county housing
agency employee and his father is a truck driver.
'AM I DANGEROUS TOO?'
Martin was reportedly a good student and was taking
after-school classes in the hopes of becoming an
aviation mechanic.
At the rally, vendors sold $10 t-shirts with slogans such
as "My hoodie does not make me a criminal," and
"Hoodies don't kill, guns do," promising to contribute
30 percent of proceeds to the Martin family's legal
fund.
Many in the crowd were mothers with their children,
eager to show their solidarity with the Martin family.
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