Organizers in Denver have put together a solidarity march to honor slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin, whose death has already spurred numerous hooded marches and heated discussions around the country.
After the news of Martin's death by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman exploded, FOX News host Geraldo Rivera's comments that Martin was killed in part because he was wearing a hoodie has helped to fuel more solidarity marches and solidarity hoodie wearers.
Colorado Speaker of the House of Representatives Terrance Carroll, D-Denver, posted a picture of himself wearing his usual cowboy hat last Friday and wrote:
Do I look more suspicious like this or hoodie? Is there anyway for a black man to dress that doesn't look suspicious?
Carroll however will be accompanying Gov. John Hickenlooper in Mexico Monday as part of the governor's economic development mission and won't take part in Monday's march.
On Sunday the Denver Post reports that several hundred people took part in an impromptu rally at the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in Civic Park.
"Our young people should be able to go to the store for some Skittles and some ice tea and wearing a hoodie, without it being a death sentence," organizer Jeff Fard, known locally as "Brother Jeff," told the crowd while clutching a bag of Skittles and a can iced tea.
In Denver, marchers will not only be showing their support for Martin, but also claim to "fight like hell for justice for Denver residents who have been assaulted by Denver Police Department" on their Facebook page.
Last year the city paid $1.34 million to settle police brutality cases and the ACLU of Colorado wrote a letter requesting a police department investigation by the Department of Justice. That same year the ACLU also settled a lawsuit with the city mandating that Denver Police contact federal authorities before charging someone with false identification, after an instance in which police falsely accused a man of being an "illegal immigrant" and unlawfully detained him.
There will be two step-off points for the solidarity march today, from the Colorado Progressive Coalition who is supporting the event and from Sonny Lawson Park in Denver's Five Points neighborhood. The march will begin from both locations at 4 p.m. and will end at the state capitol. Organizers ask participants in the march to wear their hoodies in solidarity.
See the event's Facebook page for more details.
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