Following Saturday’s not guilty ruling in the Trayvon Martin murder case, against George Zimmerman, many media outlets, high profile celebrities and organizations have been trying to determine what they can all do to provoke change on the laws that allowed a man who shot an unarmed teen to walk away.
One such organization, the NAACP, has raised their hands to spear head a movement and get citizens of the United States to sign a petition filing civil rights charges against George Zimmerman.
Nearly 450,000 people have already signed the petition, created by NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous. It begins with the statement, “A jury has acquitted George Zimmerman, but we are not done demanding justice for Trayvon Martin. Sign our petition to the Department of Justice today.”
It goes on to address the U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder asking him to take action for the wrongful death of a child. The petition again reads, “The most fundamental of civil rights — the right to life — was violated the night George Zimmerman stalked and then took the life of Trayvon Martin. We ask that the Department of Justice file civil rights charges against Mr. Zimmerman for this egregious violation.”
Although Trayvon Martin is not the first, and sadly may not be the last, African American male to die at the hands of another because of being racial profiled, the injustice has sparked something in all of us. Something, we’re proud, has encouraged people to take action in hopes less of these incidences will occur.
On Sunday afternoon, a spokesperson for the DOJ spokesperson addressed the petition in their own statement, which read, in part:
“As the Department first acknowledged last year, we have an open investigation into the death of Trayvon Martin…Experienced federal prosecutors will determine whether the evidence reveals a prosecutable violation of any of the limited federal criminal civil rights statutes within our jurisdiction, and whether federal prosecution is appropriate in accordance with the Department’s policy governing successive federal prosecution following a state trial.”
A six jury acquitted Zimmerman after facing conflict convicting him of second degree murder but there is still something we can all do.
To read and sign the petition head over to https://donate.naacp.org/share-the-DOJ-petition
3 Comments
I would like to express my feelings about the case at hand. It is a down right disgrace that George Zimmerman is a free. man . He is guilty as hell. All the evidence prove that he was out to do harm to Trayvon Martin. I can’t understand how they could let this fool get away killing an innocent child. Those folks on the jury we wrong on their verdict. How are they going to tell their own children that is you fear a young black male in a hoodie and looks like he doesn’t belong in your neighborhood that you have the right to do harm . We all know a Trayvon Martin and we need justice done .George Zimmerman needs to be behind bars.
His next case should be perjury for that exaggerated fight scene.
This case breaks my heart still. Pictures of Zimmermann grinning when he got off have angered me to no end.