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"A Million Hoodies" Rally In Union Square Tonight For Trayvon Martin
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 21, 2012
Modified Mar 21, 2012
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By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 21, 2012
Modified Mar 21, 2012
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A non-Occupy Wall Street protest is scheduled for Union Square tonight at 6 p.m., when a rally is planned to express outrage over the murder of Trayvon Martin, a teenager who was murdered earlier this month by a self-appointed neighborhood watch leader while walking through a Florida gated townhouse community. Martin's killer, George Zimmerman, has not been charged, and is still licensed to carry a concealed handgun. Tonight's "Million Hoodies March" comes in the wake of newly-released audio of the Zimmerman's 911 call the night of the shooting. At the 2:20 mark below, you can hear him whisper into the phone what sounds a lot like "f**ing coons."
In response to widespread outrage over local law enforcement's handling of the murder, the Justice Department confirmed it will conduct an investigation. Earlier today, local civil rights leaders in Orlando held a press conference to demand Gov. Rick Scott suspend Zimmerman’s concealed carry permit to protect the public. Ordinarily, this permit can only be revoked in the event of an arrest, but the Florida Civil Rights Association argues that “Mr. Zimmerman is not fit to maintain his license because he has demonstrated to be a clear threat to public safety.”
Just before he was killed, Martin, who was unarmed and walking home from a convenience store when Zimmerman shot him, had told his girlfriend in Miami via cell phone that he was being followed. "He said this man was watching him," the girl recounted. "So he put his hoodie on, said he lost the man. I asked Trayvon to run, and he said he was going to walk fast, I told him to run but he said was not going to run." But Zimmerman caught up to Martin, and after an altercation he claims he shot the teen in self-defense.
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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