Organizers from several groups have organized the Million Hoodies for Trayvon March in New York, to show solidarity with the family of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed Florida teen killed by a neighborhood volunteer patrolling the area.
Martin was wearing a hoodie Feb. 26 when he was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, according to audio from the 911 calls the night of the shooting.
Organizer Daniel Maree, of New York, said that he saw parallels between the circumstances surrounding Martin's death and his own experiences.
"I lived in Florida for two years in Gainesville," he told Huffington Post BlackVoices. "I would be driving alone at night and would get stopped by the police for no other reason than being an African-American man in a predominantly white, gated community."
The event, he noted, coincides with the United Nations International Day To End Racial Discrimination. At press time, around 4,000 people said they would attend the Union Square event.
Martin, 17, was returning to his father's house after walking to a nearby store to get candy when he was pursued by Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch member. Zimmerman called 911 and told police dispatchers that Martin "looked suspicious." Zimmerman and Martin had a confrontation, and Martin was shot in the chest. Zimmerman, who police said told them he shot Martin in self-defense, has not been arrested or charged in the incident.
Martin's parents, who started an online petition pushing for Zimmerman's prosecution, are scheduled to attend the event in New York's Union Square.
Like it or not, the image of a young black man walking along in a hoodie is regarded by a lot of the non-black culture to be threatening. It's a stereotype reinforced in all kinds of media.
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Posted: 03/21/2012 2:13 pm Updated: 03/22/2012 6:57 am