A peace march has been planned for Wednesday evening in Liberty City to demand that a Sanford neighborhood watchman be held accountable for the shooting of unarmed Miami teen Trayvon Martin.
Supporters will meet at 5 p.m. in Sherdavia Jenkins Peace Park, named after a 9-year-old girl who was killed by a stray bullet while playing in her front yard in 2006.
Martin, 17, was visiting his father in Sanford when on the night of February 26 he made a trip on foot to a nearby 7-11 store for candy and iced tea.
George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old self-appointed neighborhood watchman who is white, called 911 saying he saw a suspicious person. Against a dispatcher's instructions, he approached Martin, the two struggled, and Zimmerman told investigators Martin was shot in self defense.
Martin had been on his cell phone while walking through the neighborhood, talking to his girlfriend who heard the confrontation.
Zimmerman, who was known to frequently call police according to the Orlando Sentinel, has not been arrested.
“This case is disturbing to say the least,” the Rev. Al Sharpton told HuffPost. “This is appalling, to think that this guy admitted to initiating the conversation and that there was no crime other than the killing of this young man. Yet, [Zimmerman] is walking around with no threat of an arrest.”
Two online petitions have circulated. One through Color of Change urges justice from Attorney General Eric Holder and Florida US Attorney Robert O'Neill. Martin's family also started a petition on Change.org.
Hundreds of thousands of supporters, both friends and complete strangers, have rallied online seeking justice.
Students at Martin's Miami school Dr. Michael M. Krop High observed a moment of silence Wednesday morning in memory of their classmate.
Others across the country are donning black hoodies Wednesday as a sign of solidarity for the slain teen, who was wearing one the night he was shot for looking "suspicious."
Martin’s mother Sabrina Fulton told HuffPost “...I can not eat, I can not sleep and I can not relax. Not until [Zimmerman is] arrested.”