2013年07月22日
I am Trayvon Martin rallies
Protesters angered over the acquittal of the man responsible for killing teenager Trayvon Martin have taken to the streets in rallies in more than 100 US cities, strengthened by Barack Obama's surprise decision to link the case to a legacy of racial discrimination.
Gathering outside federal court buildings and police headquarters on Saturday, civil rights campaigners called on prosecutors to bring hate crime charges against George Zimmerman, the neighbourhood watch captain who fatally shot the 17-year-old in Florida on his way home.
A jury acquitted Zimmerman a week ago, prompting an intense debate over race relations in America.
Civil rights veteran the Rev Al Sharpton told the New York rally: "Racial profiling is not as bad as segregation, but you don't know the humiliation of being followed in a department store."
"I'd never heard of Sanford," he added, referring to the town where Martin, who was unarmed, was shot dead by Zimmerman after an altercation. "But I heard too many times of stories where people are killed and treated like they are worthless, and it was a sense of justice that we said that this man should not be let go."
Sharpton was joined in New York by Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton. Jay-Z and Beyoncé also made a brief appearance and joined in prayers at the rally in Manhattan, where there were shouts of "I am Trayvon Martin". The chant was echoed at small gatherings in Boston, Chicago, Miami, New Orleans, Atlanta and Los Angeles. The rallies were mostly small, good-natured gatherings, ranging from a few dozen to a couple of hundred people. They were organised by Sharpton's National Action Network.
President Obama had addressed the issue on Friday relating to it on a personal level. "Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago," the president said. "And when you think about why, in the African American community at least, there's a lot of pain around what happened, I think it's important to recognise that the African American community is looking at this through a set of experiences and a history that doesn't go away.
"There are very few African American men in this country who haven't had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store. That includes me."
The president's remarks about the Martin case were reported to have surprised even White House staff, who had not expected him to talk in such personal terms about the experience of being black in America.
Gathering outside federal court buildings and police headquarters on Saturday, civil rights campaigners called on prosecutors to bring hate crime charges against George Zimmerman, the neighbourhood watch captain who fatally shot the 17-year-old in Florida on his way home.
A jury acquitted Zimmerman a week ago, prompting an intense debate over race relations in America.
Civil rights veteran the Rev Al Sharpton told the New York rally: "Racial profiling is not as bad as segregation, but you don't know the humiliation of being followed in a department store."
"I'd never heard of Sanford," he added, referring to the town where Martin, who was unarmed, was shot dead by Zimmerman after an altercation. "But I heard too many times of stories where people are killed and treated like they are worthless, and it was a sense of justice that we said that this man should not be let go."
Sharpton was joined in New York by Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton. Jay-Z and Beyoncé also made a brief appearance and joined in prayers at the rally in Manhattan, where there were shouts of "I am Trayvon Martin". The chant was echoed at small gatherings in Boston, Chicago, Miami, New Orleans, Atlanta and Los Angeles. The rallies were mostly small, good-natured gatherings, ranging from a few dozen to a couple of hundred people. They were organised by Sharpton's National Action Network.
President Obama had addressed the issue on Friday relating to it on a personal level. "Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago," the president said. "And when you think about why, in the African American community at least, there's a lot of pain around what happened, I think it's important to recognise that the African American community is looking at this through a set of experiences and a history that doesn't go away.
"There are very few African American men in this country who haven't had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a department store. That includes me."
The president's remarks about the Martin case were reported to have surprised even White House staff, who had not expected him to talk in such personal terms about the experience of being black in America.
