Trayvon Martin Rallies were held at 12 p.m. local time outside federal courthouses in over 100 cities across America today.
Abcnews reports that the “Justice for Trayvon” vigils were organized by the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network. Sharpton and his organization hope the vigils will encourage the Justice Department: “To investigate the civil rights violations made against Trayvon Martin.”
Sharpton addressed the crowds which had gathered outside the Police Department headquarters in NYC. saying: “We are trying to change laws so that this never, ever happens again.”
The Trayvon Martin rallies nationwide want to push for civil rights charges to be brought against George Zimmerman, who was found not guilty by a court last week. Zimmerman killed Martin in February of 2012, he alleged that he shot the teenager in self-defense.
An NAACP petition calling for a federal prosecution of Zimmerman has gained thousands of signatures and is receiving more daily.
Even President Obama spoke about the courts decision at a news conference in the White house. He noted that Zimmerman’s acquittal was frustrating for the African American community. He said in his comments:
“Travyon Martin could have been me 35 years ago,. In the African-American community at least, there’s a lot of pain around what happened here. I think it’s important to recognize that the African-American community is looking at this issue through a set of different experiences and a history that doesn’t go away.”
The Trayvon Martin rallies across the country today are a massive show of support for Martin’s family. The rallies are ongoing and you can follow live updates about local rallies and their current status at the guardian.co.uk website .