Bay Area Churches Hold 'Hoodie' Event For Slain Florida Teen Trayvon Martin
OAKLAND (KCBS) – Several Bay Area churches, including the Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, took part in "Hoodies for Trayvon Sunday", a response to the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida last month.
Martin was walking back from a store in Sanford, Florida on the night of February 26 when he was shot and killed by neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman. Zimmerman said he shot Martin in self-defense. At the time, Martin was wearing a hoodie and carrying a bag of Skittles and a bottle of iced tea.
Zimmerman has not been charged in the shooting although the Justice Department and FBI have opened a civil rights investigation into the case.
KCBS' Bob Melrose Reports:
On Sunday, churches across the country held events to honor the teen. The Allen Temple Baptist Church invited family and friends to wear hoodies to Sunday worship and Chris Wagner obliged.
"I'm wearing a hoodie because it's kind of chilly out. I wear my hoodie all the time," he said. "I never thought it would cause a health issue or a loss of life. I think it's unfair to pre-judge someone according to what they're wearing. We live in a society where this is a hip-hop society and you have young men of all colors choose to wear this attire. This is their culture and their style."
Churches in Berkeley and Richmond also held "Hoodies for Trayvon Sunday" events.
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