Shooting Death Of Florida Teen Sparks Nationwide Movement
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – One month after the shooting death of a Florida teen, the movement for action has spread across the nation –– including three straight days of rallies in Dallas.
On Sunday, the Dallas Peace Center became the latest local organization to gather in the memory of Trayvon Martin. A couple hundred people stood on the grass at Dealey Plaza. They called for justice, sometimes shouted in anger, and then prayed for peace.
The choice of the location for the rally, where President John F. Kennedy was shot, was not a coincidence. "That symbolized a man that had done so much good for the community and for the world," said Dallas NAACP President Juanita Wallace. "And his life was snuffed out, just like Trayvon's life was snuffed out."
Martin was shot on February 26 in Florida by George Zimmerman, a Neighborhood Watch volunteer who told 911 dispatchers that he thought the boy looked suspicious. That man has not been charged with a crime.
The Sunday rally follows one organized by high school students Saturday at City Hall. Students also rallied Friday at Paul Quinn College. Attendees said it has been easy for people to identify with the fact Martin was an unarmed boy, and they expect demonstrations to continue until authorities act in Florida. "You can talk to people of any ethnicity and they'll say, 'How dare this man kill this young boy?' He's a boy, who's not even gotten to the stage of manhood," said Wallace.
Another rally is planned for noon on Monday at UT-Arlington, including petitions calling for Zimmerman's arrest. The event is being organized by the Arlington chapter of the NAACP.
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