A protest for Trayvon Martin called by Campaign 4 Justice, Ava Vidal, Tottenham Defence Campaign, BARAC and Inquest, Supported by Defend the Right to Protest
Saturday 31st March, 1.30pm-4pm, American Embassy, 24 Grovesnor Square.
“Trayvon Martin was just 17 when he was shot dead while walking back home from a local shop, having bought a soft drink and a packet of skittles on 26 February 2012. His killer, George Zimmermann, a self appointed neighbourhood watchman admitted to having killed Trayvon, claiming that he had felt ‘threatened’ by the teenager. Since the murder, police recordings of calls both Zimmermann and witnesses to the murder have been made public, causing outrage across the world at what is an apparent racist murder.
Despite all this evidence, Sanford (Florida) police have not arrested or charged Zimmermann, who found shelter in the state’s ‘stand your ground’ laws, which supposedly protect those who kill in ‘self defence’. Trayvon was not armed. He was wearing a hoodie and was racially profiled as ‘up to no good’, ‘possibly on drugs’ by Zimmermann whose call to the police clearly shows he followed the teenager despite advice from the police not to. More than 4 weeks on, after over 1,5 million signatures on a petition by Trayvon’s family, and recent statements by the President Obama, Zimmermann is still walking free. This peaceful picket is called to show solidarity with Trayvon Martin’s family from London, where racial profiling has also cost the lives of many black people in police custody.
Please come, wear a hoodie, bring a packet of skittles, your children, friends, family and anyone else you can gather to say no to racism and call for justice for Trayvon Martin, who died walking home while being black!”
That’s right - this is a global problem so we must join together in protest.