Protestors Demand Action From Justice Dept. In Zimmerman Verdict
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- One day after President Obama spoke out on the George Zimmerman verdict, protestors returned to the Federal Building in Downtown Pittsburgh.
They want the Justice Department to take a closer look at the case.
The call from protestors has been resonating through the streets of many cities across America ever since a Florida jury acquitted Zimmerman on all charges in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
Nearly 300 people came to the Federal Building to demand action from the Justice Department.
Cecilia Colemen literally wore her feelings on her sleeves.
"He needs to be brought to justice, George Zimmerman. He killed him," said Colemen.
"We have to see what Eric Holder comes back with, and we make the decision from there," said Pa. Rep. Ed Gainey.
Zimmerman has defended the shooting as an act of self-defense. The Justice Department is now saying it will look at the circumstances surrounding the shooting to see if civil rights laws were violated.
Protestors call it another example of profiling young African American males.
"Trayvon is the spark to this fire," said one protestor. "We, who fight for freedom, will not rest until it comes."
Attorney Joel Sansone told the gathering that Pittsburgh has had its own case of racial profiling.
"Jordan Miles was a young, beautiful, innocent young man who did nothing, and this is what they did to him," said Sansone.
But some people who showed up Saturday say marches or rallies are only part of what needs to be done.
"Got a bunch of young folks here," said Louis "Hop" Kendricks, a community activist. "They're energetic, there's enthusiasm, there's romanticism, but I would hope that when they leave here they go back home with constructive ideas about what they need to do in their communities."
"Vote, continue to march, continue to educate and to hold policymakers accountable," added DeWitt Walton, a protestor.
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