George Zimmerman must be arrested, demand hoodie marches
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 21: Supporters of Trayvon Martin rally in Union Square during a ‘Million Hoodie March’ in Manhattan on March 21, 2012 in New York City. Thousands of protesters turned out to demonstrate against the killing of the black unarmed teenager by a white neighborhood watch captain. The protesters marched through the streets after holding a large rally in Union Square.
Supporters of the Florida teenager shot and killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman are planning to march in Los Angeles today to demand his arrest.
The march comes as national outrage grows over the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
Yesterday, GlobalPost reported on the "Million Hoodie March" which took place in New York. An estimated 1,000 people participated in the march to show their support for both the Martin family, and to call for the arrest of Zimmerman who has admitted to fatally shooting the black teenager. Protesters wore hoodies and carried Skittles in solidarity with the teen who was also wearing the attire at the time of his death.
Students across the country are also uploading photos of themselves in hoodies to their Facebook and Twitter accounts in support of the march.
Now several other cities are following suit. In Los Angeles, a march is planned for today, March 22, at 5 p.m. According to KTLA, another rally is planned for Saturday at Hollywood and Highland. Both are expected to draw large crowds.
In Florida, Rev. Al Sharpton will be joining a protest, which had to be moved to Fort Mellon Park from its original starting point because it is expected to draw a large number of participants.
The Change.org petition calling for the arrest of Zimmerman has also received over 1 million signatures to date, making it one of the largest petitions in the website's history.
While many are focusing their attention on Zimmerman, others are setting their sites on Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee, including Ben Jealous the head of the NAACP who has demanded Lee's resignation.
On Wednesday, the Sanford City Commissioners passed a 3-2 no-confidence vote against Lee. However, it still remains unclear what implications this vote may have.
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According to CNN, "City Manager Norton Bonaparte said Thursday that he would like an independent review of police action in the wake of the shooting," with Jealous saying, "He needs to go right now."
CNN also points out, beyond the controversial "stand your ground" law which Zimmerman is using as his defense, what is also key to the investigation is whether or not Zimmerman used a racial slur while on the phone with 911.
CNN Senior Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin said, "It's extremely, extremely significant because the federal government is not allowed to prosecute just your ordinary, everyday murder," he said. "Two people fighting on the street is not a federal crime. However, if one person shoots another based on racial hostility, racial animus, that does become a federal crime."
Sgt. David Morgenstern of the Sanford Police Department said of the slur, "We didn't hear it. However, I am not sure what was said."
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See our complete Trayvon Martin case coverage.