Trayvon Martin cause gains support with rally at city hall

A rally and march was held Monday for Trayvon Martin, the teenager who was killed by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman in Sanford, Fla.

Thousands showed up to take part in the march, which started on Park Avenue in front of the Sanford City Hall and ended beside the Sanford Civic Center on Seminole Boulevard.

“We will not rest until there is an arrest made,” said Vince Taylor who gathered people together with a speech before the march was set to start. “How can one regular citizen’s word count against another regular citizen who is unable to defend himself?”Many of the people in attendance at the event held various handmade signs, but the one most frequently present was for the online petition in Martin’s name asking for the arrest of Zimmerman. The petition has over two million signatures on it.“They think we’re going to get tired of marching,” said Taylor. “They think we’re going to be satisfied with our ‘15-minutes of fame.’ This isn’t about that. This is about a movement. You need to exercise your right to mobilize your community.”This view was one shared by several others who felt compelled to take part in the march through downtown Sanford. People who were from both in and out of the state of Florida came down to help out.

“I came here from New Jersey originally for vacation,” said Ron Hutchinson, age 20. “Due to all of the commotion about Trayvon, I decided that I wanted to let the people know that I’m here to stand by them. Unjust things are never good.”

The majority of the rally goers were of the same opinion about the killing of Martin being unjust. The group spent the majority of the march shouting various chants such as “no justice, no peace,” “jail him now; enough is enough” and “justice now” with enthusiasm.

“It’s not fair for this man to kill a kid who just went to get a pack of skittles,” said Rodney Hillman. “The fact that he’s still able to roam around is not right. If it were my son, I would want something done about this.”

While many were there to voice their opinions about an arrest of Zimmerman made, others were looking for a closer look at our state’s laws.

“I just think that the ‘Stand Your Ground’ law should be severely reevaluated,” said Rose Saint Paul, a 20-year-old student at Seminole State College. “I feel very strongly about that.”