Civil rights leader Al Sharpton led thousands of followers through a Florida town on Thursday as the group held a rally for Trayvon Martin. The event was originally planned to take place at a 400-seat church however the size of the event quickly overshadowed the churches size.
Speaking to the rally’s participants Sharpton said:
“We cannot allow a precedent when a man can just kill one of us and then walk out with the murder weapon.”
Sharpton stood next to Trayvon’s parents as he told the crowd:
“We don’t want good enough. We want George Zimmerman in court with handcuffs behind his back.”
Speaking just hours after his own mothers death Sharpton said, “this is where she would want me to be.”
During an impromptu moment Sharpton took up a collection for the Martin family in which he pledged $2,500 and was then joined by Greg Mathis and Michael Baisden who both offered $10,000. New York Gov. David Paterson also donated $2,000 to the family.
The speech and rally came just hours after Sanford’s police chief stepped down amid criticism of his handling of the case. Also leaving the investigation is attorney Norm Wolfinger who told the Miami Herald that he was stepping down “with the intent of toning down the rhetoric and preserving the integrity of this investigation.”
To further the cases progress and future incidents that might occur Gov. Rick Scott announced the creation of a task force to review the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law.
Do you think the Trayvon Martin case is a travesty that needs to be dealt with immediately?