Merchandisers, Strip Clubs Capitalize On Trayvon Martin's Death
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The killing of South Florida teen Trayvon Martin has sparked outrage across the country, prompting marches that draw in thousands of protesters in hooded sweatshirts in show of solidarity.
Although the hoodies are symbolic of what Trayvon was wearing the day he was killed, someone is profiting from those sales.
CBS4 News found that if you type in Trayvon Martin in Google Shopping, you'll find pages and pages of T-shirts and other clothing available for sale.
eBay also has plenty of Trayvon goods from hoodies to shirts to buttons to bumper stickers. You can even purchase a hoodie for your dog in support of solidarity for Trayvon.
It's not just merchandise. CBS4 News discovered if you type in the URL, "Iamtrayvon.com" you'll discover that someone bought the domain name for strip club reviews.
Nightclubs are also capitalizing on all the publicity. Events like "Hoodies and Heels" have been held to reportedly raise money for Trayvon's family.
Trayvon's mother Sybrina Fulton has filed legal documents to trademark the phrases "I am Trayvon" and "Justice for Trayvon" for use on CDs, DVDs, and videos.
"This is about protection and not exploitation," said Martin family attorney Kimra Major-Morris, who filed the trademark documents for Travyon's mother.
She said the family wants to keep folks with bad intentions from using those phrases.
"The purpose of the trademark filings is to protect against exploitation and to keep the heat on an arrest and that is really our goal and the family is not interested in a profit," said Major-Morris.
Major-Morris also said that the family is fine with people using the phrases on shirts and hoodies because it continues to raise awareness about their case.
Some South Floridians, however, found it disturbing.
"If they're not family and they're not associated with the family they really shouldn't be doing things like that," said Karissa Masson.
"Nauseating, it is definitely not something I would like to be part of," said Gary Garske.
There has also been some backlash to the capitalizing of his death.
A strip club in North Carolina cancelled its Trayvon Martin Club Night after public outcry against it.
