San José, CA – A week after the acquittal of George Zimmerman, another rally and march drew more than 250 people, three times the size of the week before. The protest continued to be majority African American with a large number of Chicanos, Mexicanos and Latinos. Many of the protest signs were in Spanish. There were also more middle-aged and older people and a sprinkling of families with children at the rally. At the top of the demand list was that the Department of Justice file civil rights violation charges against George Zimmerman.

During the rally, Ross Pusey told the crowd how he had been made a suspect because he was a young Black man. “I could have been Trayvon,” he said. “It is happening right here [in San José]. Another speaker said in Spanish “¡Este sistema judicial es basura!” (This justice system is garbage), referring to the outcome of the case. Akabandu of the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (A-APRP) said, “This is not a one person task – we need to organize!”

The protest then marched down Santa Clara through the heart of downtown San José to the Federal Building. After briefly blocking a streetcar line, the rally continued. One of the speakers was Masao Suzuki from Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) who asked: “Did the police arrest Zimmerman after he killed Trayvon? No! Did the prosecutors file charges against Zimmerman? No! He was only arrested and charged after the youth of Florida protested, including sitting in at the Sanford Police station. If we want the Department of Justice to file charges, we need to continue to protest, we need to continue to organize!”

#SanJoséCA #OppressedNationalities #AntiRacism #CivilRights #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #InjusticeSystem