Mara Lavitt Register July 15, 2013, protestors of the George Zimmerman verdict, including Michael Gibbs of New Haven, gathered in front of New Haven's Amistad Memorial.
NEW HAVEN >> The Black Liberation Flag waved high above the crowd of over one hundred black, brown and white individuals who stood together for justice.
The diverse group of people gathered around the Rev. Boise Kimber outside of the Federal Building for a ?Justice for Trayvon? vigil, one of more than 100 such events planned in cities across the country Saturday protesting the not-guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman trial. A jury in Florida last week found Zimmerman, a Hispanic, not guilty of murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Martin, who was black.
?Kimber, president of the regional chapter of the National Action Network, said the goal of the vigils was to press the federal government to investigate civil right charges against Zimmerman.
?The reason we are doing these vigils is to bring more light to the situation,? said Kimber. ?We desire for attorney Eric Holder to do a thorough investigation on the violation of Trayvon Martin?s civil rights.?
Scot X Esdaile, state president of the NAACP, said these mobilizations all over the country are to demonstrate that they are not satisfied with the decision of the justice system.
?It is really important for the Department of Justice to understand the amount of pain and concerns the people have,? said Esdaile. ?It is their job to make sure there is public trust, and right now we don?t trust the judicial system.?
View more photos from local rallies here.
Kimber claims the case was one of racial profiling, and said there needs to be a serious dialogue with ?white? America on how to deal with the issue of racism.
?Every black- or browned-skinned person has dealt with racial profiling,? he said. ?Everybody knows racism in America exists, but how do we eradicate the racism that is going on in our legal department?? Continued...
Michael Jefferson, founder of Kiyama Movement, an organization that focuses on self-improvement, said the conversation of racism should be with a degree of honesty that mirrors the depth of the problem.
?Racism is an issue that I believe the dominant culture has to begin to tackle,? said Jefferson, who hopes these vigils lead the Justice Department to take appropriate action.
Clifton Graves, an attorney and educator at Gateway Community College, said these vigils are a reminder for all people, no matter what ethnicity, that there is still a lot of work to be done with the issue of race and racial profiling.
Colen LePere of New Haven attended the vigil and said that, as citizens of this country, everyone needs to have equal rights, no matter the color of their skin.
?We need to have justice for everyone,? she said.
LePere brought her daughter, Journi, 13, to the vigil because she said she wanted her to realize that it is important to not only have and express one?s opinions, but to also be active in the cause.
?By being active, we are able to make a change,? said Journi, who held up a sign advocating for justice of Trayvon.
View photos from national rallies here.
In a separate event at Edgewood Park, a crowd that grew to about 100 people gathered with calls for justice, an end to racism and the fear it brings.
?We want to capture this energy and make sure it continues,? said Camelle Scott-Mujahid, 28, of New Haven, one of those who spoke to the crowd. Continued...
Organizers at Edgewood Park urged all those present to share personal experiences, thoughts and concerns and what they ?want to happen in New Haven.? Several speakers said change requires people to respect each other and to work together in a sustained way.
Tremetra Austin, 39, of New Haven, said she was there to learn, including because she has sons who are 19 and 6. She said while society has problems, she believes people can change for the better and become more open-minded.
?I think we are changing,? she said.
James Rawlings, president of the NAACP Greater New Haven Branch, said they will be organizing a trip to Washington, D.C., August 24 to show an international stage how dissatisfied they are with the justice system. They will have buses to transport people, and he urged the youth to come out and support.
?We are going to shake up the world and tell the Supreme Court that we will not stand still and lose our rights,? Rawlings said.
Source: http://www.middletownpress.com/articles/2013/07/21/news/doc51eb5416e79d3246625679.txt
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