CMU Protestors Remember Trayvon Martin, Rally Against Gun Violence
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The theme on Carnegie Mellon University's campus today is "We are Trayvon," as demonstrators are set to rally this afternoon to remember the Florida teenager Trayvon Martin who was gunned down a month ago today.
The afternoon rally was a coming together of students, community leaders and many more.
The 17-year-old Martin, unarmed, was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, the watch captain of the gated community where Martin's father lives. Zimmerman claimed it was self-defense because he said Martin looked suspicious.
The shooting has prompted protests across the country, and now Pittsburgh is joining this movement.
Many protestors wore hoods, which has become symbolic of what happened to Martin.
"This could have been me walking down the street, this could have been my cousins walking down the street," CMU Grad Student Brittany Claud said.
About 500 people showed up for the rally. They signed a petition that called for a full investigation into Martin's death.
"Justice is really important for just everybody in that we have a hand in making sure that justice is distributed to everybody," Carolyn Slayton, from Duquesne Law School, said.
Peachie Kimbrough is rapper Wiz Khalifa's mother. He's made a name for himself in the music industry, but she worries about black males in hoodies, including her famous son being in the wrong place at the wrong time and running into the wrong person.
"All his life I have warned him, he's had the talk every time he's gone out the door since he was a young person," she said.
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