The march through downtown Grand Rapids was sometimes somber, but sometimes joyful as spectators smiled, waved and encouraged the student protesters. The march stretched a block long with city notables and educators in the lead. It united African Americans with whites, Chicanos, Latinos and other nationalities. Students from Grand Rapids Christian High School and Northview High School enthusiastically participated, linking arms as they marched in the cold winter weather, sharing their message of opposing racist discrimination and police brutality.

Nearby, hundreds of college students marched silently across the GVSU campus, passing yard signs highlighting the life and struggles of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There was quiet anticipation as the GVSU field house filled up to standing room only. After an inspiring rendition of Lift Every Voice and Sing and introductory remarks, the crowd rose to their feet in thundering applause at the introduction of Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin’s mother.

Fulton opened with a moment of silence for Martin Luther King Jr. and others, like her son Trayvon Martin, killed by gun violence in the U.S. She was steadfast, “This could not happen to a more average family,” adding, “We should not be comfortable with burying our children.” She clarified her purpose, “So what happened to Trayvon, we don’t want to happen to any more of our children.”

Fulton, a labor union member, described discrimination on the basis of race, class, religion and gender, exhorting, “All of these things are a form of profiling, are a form of discrimination, and they need to be got rid of in the U.S.”

She finished by expressing, “It hurts my heart to see what continues to happen in our country. Are you going to sit back and just do nothing, or are you going to participate in what is happening in your country? We cannot continue to remain silent.”

In response to an audience question, Fulton gave an energetic response, “The community has played a big role, but more importantly the colleges and universities have played a big role because they were active in their protests, they were active in their marches...I give it to the college students who were on the social media and constantly keeping this story alive. Even before CNN and ABC and CBS and all of those networks that got involved, it was the college students that got involved first and they were fed up with what was going on.”

Fulton emphasized, “It is the young folks that keep this movement going, that say, ‘I’m just not going to take this anymore.’”

#GrandRapids #GrandRapidsMI #AfricanAmerican #MLK #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #Michigan #MartinLutherKingJrMLKDay

Newark, NJ – The People’s Organization for Progress held a march here, Feb. 26, to commemorate the second anniversary of the murder of Trayvon Martin. Martin was murdered in Sanford, Florida. The state of Florida refused to convict his killer, George Zimmerman.

Dozens of people came out in the freezing cold for the protest. The acquittal of Michael Dunn for the murder of Jordan Davis, also in Florida, gave even greater impact to the march.

POP Chairman Lawrence Hamm told the gathering, “Never forget – because forgetting is the first step toward having it happen again. Violence has been used against us since the first slave ships tore families apart. More states are actually passing ‘stand your ground’ laws, but they all have to be repealed.”

#NewarkNJ #PeoplesOrganizationForProgress #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #InjusticeSystem

Jacksonville, FL – The steps of the Duval County Courthouse were filled with protesters and community members on Saturday, February 15. They waited to hear the verdict in the trial to convict Michael Dunn for murdering Jordan Davis. Groups ranging from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, to the New Black Panther Party (NBPP), to the Jacksonville Progressive Coalition (JPC) held up signs, gave speeches, demanded justice, and marched around the courthouse. The day of protest began with a 9:00 am press conference and lasted long into the evening. So many people showed up throughout the day, it was hard to find a spot to sit or stand on the giant steps leading to the courthouse.

Inside the court, the jury was deliberating for a fourth day over the November 23, 2012 murder of Jordan Davis. Jordan Davis and his friends were in their Dodge Durango outside a Jacksonville gas station, when Dunn fired eight times into their vehicle. Michael Dunn, a white man, drove over, parked next to them, and then brutally murdered Jordan Davis in cold blood “for playing his music too loud.”

All week outside the court, organizers and everyday working people, especially African American community members, gathered eagerly awaiting justice. Everyone was there to demand that Michael Dunn be found guilty of all charges, especially the charge for the first-degree murder. Sunday February 16 would have been Jordan Davis's nineteenth birthday, surely a difficult day for his parents.

On Saturday, the crowd grew more and more energetic as they chanted and listened to speakers. Then came an announcement that the jury was deadlocked on the charge of murder one for Michael Dunn. Protesters were stunned, but quickly identified the problem as State Attorney Angela Corey. Corey botched the prosecution of George Zimmerman who stalked and murdered Trayvon Martin. Corey’s mishandling allowed Zimmerman to walk free after killing the African-American youth in Sanford, FL. Now she was mishandling another prosecution.

In another problematic case, State Attorney Corey was aggressive in prosecuting Marissa Alexander, an African American woman given 20 years for defending herself against her abusive husband. Angela Corey also has a long history of locking up African American and Latino youth, and trying them as adults – as was the case for both Christian Fernandez and Travis Swanson.

Later on Saturday, another announcement was made from the doors of the courthouse. The nearly one hundred protesters turned their attention to the announcement: “On the count of murder one, a mistrial had been declared.” People grew outraged and began shouting “We want justice NOW!” and “Justice for Jordan Davis!”

Protesters rallied on the steps and issued statements to a big circle of news cameras. The Jacksonville Progressive Coalition called for an emergency march to Angela Corey's office to demand her resignation that same night. The New Black Panther Party called for civil disobedience and for people to wear black ribbons and black armbands this week on Black Ribbon Tuesday.

Protest leaders next drafted a letter on poster-board demanding Angela Corey's resignation. People crowded in to sign the letter to State Attorney Corey. Then the protesters took to the streets and marched in the roadways blocking traffic on their way to Angela Corey's office. Jacksonville Progressive Coalition member Tefa Galvis led the crowd chanting “Hey-Hey! Ho-Ho! Angela Corey has got to go!” and “Murder is a Crime! Michael Dunn should do the time!” The dozens of police officers present just watched, so visible was the crowd's anger and focused determination to get justice for Jordan Davis.

After marching for about a mile, the crowd gathered in front of Angela Corey's office and heard speakers denouncing the “mistrial” verdict. Activists placed the letter demanding Angela Corey's resignation in front of the revolving door at her fancy office building. Tefa Galvis urged the community to stay involved in the ongoing fight for Jordan Davis, and minister Mikhail Mohammad from the NBPP closed out the night with a prayer.

The fight for Jordan Davis is far from over, while Angela Corey's career is in question. Galvis said, “The people will determine whether justice is found for Jordan Davis. The people will also work to put an end to Angela Corey's reign of terror and repression against young African American and Latino men and women.”

Fight Back! News Service urges everyone to travel to Tallahassee on March 3, 2014 for Moral Monday. Look for more information from Fight Back! in the coming weeks about this important event.

#JacksonvilleFL #OppressedNationalities #AntiRacism #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #InjusticeSystem #JordanDavis #MichaelDunn #AngelaCorey

Speaking about the movement to get justice for Alexander, Octavia Littlejohn, an organizer with the New Jim Crow Movement and the Southern Movement Assembly in Jacksonville, stated, “I truly believe it helped Marissa's case...I pray she gets her freedom soon and very soon.”

Alexander, 32, discharged her licensed firearm when her husband attacked her at home just a week after giving birth to her daughter. The jury ignored her claim to self-defense against domestic abuse and found her guilty after deliberating for only 12 minutes. Under Florida's racist mandatory minimum laws, Alexander was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Alexander's case drew national attention in the wake of the not guilty verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman, the white vigilante who murdered Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old African American. After shooting Martin, Zimmerman was not arrested by police and a nearly all white jury found him not guilty of second-degree murder, sparking nationwide protests. Many protesters contrasted Alexander and Zimmerman's treatment by the legal system to highlight the racist nature of the criminal injustice system.

State Attorney Angela Corey, who was widely criticized for her lackluster prosecution of Zimmerman, prosecuted Alexander and sought the maximum 20-year sentence for her conviction. Several progressive and civil rights groups in Jacksonville have demanded that she resign for targeting Alexander and disproportionately prosecuting African American youth.

Protests in Jacksonville by the Southern Movement Assembly, the New Jim Crow Movement, Florida New Majority and others helped bring attention to Alexander's case. Shortly after the Zimmerman verdict, more than 500 people in Jacksonville marched to the Duval County jail, where Alexander was held, and demanded her release.

In late July, protesters with the Southern Movement Assembly walked 126 miles from Jacksonville to Sanford to demand the release of Alexander and the resignation of Angela Corey.

Littlejohn, one of those who participated in the 'Walk for Dignity' to Sanford, states, “We stood for what we believe in, and we didn't let anybody or anyone – not even Angela Corey – defeat us or scare us away. I feel we got what we wanted and justice will be served for her.”

Groups in Jacksonville and across the country plan to ramp up the pressure to free Alexander as she faces her new trial.

Reflecting on this people's victory, Littlejohn added, “Marissa will be very pleased in our hard work and dedication. Our voices were heard. We overcame all obstacles, even if it meant for me being in the media and speaking on the truth, not giving a damn what the jurisdiction said about her. We fought for her freedom and her rights.”

#JacksonvilleFL #OppressedNationalities #Racism #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #MarissaAlexander #InjusticeSystem #NewJimCrow #SouthernMovementAssembly

Jubilee Shine, Coalition for Community Control Over the Police, told the crowd, “W.E.B. DuBois wrote in The Souls of Black Folk, in 1903, 40 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, ‘Either America will admit Black people on the basis of democracy, or America will cease to exist.’ But America has never been a democracy.”

Shine continued, “Now, 50 years since Dr. King’s March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the Voting Rights Act has been overturned for the southern states, the submerged Black nation. And in Florida, where the Black vote went uncounted to make Bush president after he lost the election, a white supremacist investigation and prosecution and defense of a white supremacist terrorist named George Zimmerman – and don’t let the media tell you he’s Hispanic. Had he been named Jorge Zuniga, he’d be under the jail – they let Zimmerman waltz out of court.”

Shine concluded by saying, “All democratic people must in principle uphold the right to self-determination for the Black nation, and all oppressed nations. Trayvon Martin is murdered, and the killer acquitted and protected, precisely because of the imperialist relationship of the U.S. to the U.S. Black nation, geographically located in the Black Belt south. The Black nation, which emerged with the betrayal of the Reconstruction after the Civil War, has since been denied sovereignty and the opportunity to identify its relationship to the U.S. This denial of rights and theft of resources has been manifested in the collective oppression and super-exploitation of African Americans in the deep South, and replicated in the ghettos of the largest U.S. cities. Florida has the highest count of lynchings of any state. There can be no local justice for Trayvon in a Florida court. The federal Justice Department must intervene with Civil Rights charges. And the only solution to the historic and systemic oppression of Black people in the U.S. must be based on the right to national self-determination. Justice for Trayvon Martin, Federal charges now for terrorist George Zimmerman, Self-Determination for the Black nation!”

#LosAngelesCA #AntiRacism #USImperialism #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #BlackBeltSouth

San José, CA – Another protest for demanding justice for Trayvon Martin was held here, Aug. 6. About 100 protesters of all nationalities gathered at San José City Hall for a rally and then marched through the streets of downtown San José, past the Federal Building and ending with a speak-out at César Chávez Plaza.

At San José City Hall, the rally began with Symone Jackson reading the five demands of San José Justice for Trayvon, which organized the protest, followed by a Spanish translation of her speech. She was followed by pastor Oscar Dace of the Bible Way Christian Center. Masao Suzuki of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) spoke about the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan – Aug. 6 was the 68th anniversary of the bombing – and explained the history of disregard for human life in Africa, Asia and the Americas, beginning with the genocidal policies towards the indigenous peoples of America, the African slave trade, and then the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. Other speakers included Michelle Cordova of the San José Peace and Justice Center and Victor Vasquez of the 50/50 collective.

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

Sanford, FL – Defying rain, hateful counter-protesters and the Florida summer heat, more than 70 people on the 126-mile Walk for Dignity held a rally at the Trayvon Martin memorial in Sanford on July 27.

Protesters came from across Florida and other Southern states to demand the resignation of State Attorney Angela Corey and the immediate release of Marissa Alexander. Alexander is an African-American woman who got 20 years in prison for firing a warning shot in the air to fend off her abusive husband. Both Alexander and Zimmerman were prosecuted by Corey’s office.

The Walk for Dignity began on July 22 in Jacksonville, Florida. It spanned five days and passed through Saint Augustine, Bunnel and Daytona Beach before arriving in Sanford, where the Zimmerman trial took place.

“The march showed how we lead as a collective and how we can create systems to look out for each other as we walk our streets,” said Estefania Galvis, an activist who walked all five days to Sanford. “The people who walked are affected by the same oppressive system that put Marissa Alexander in prison. The people who walked identify Angela Corey as the representative of the judicial system incarcerating Black and Brown people. The long walk shows that we will do anything – march, scream, walk in the heat or rain – to demand justice, dignity and a new system for our communities.”

Organized by the Southern Movement Assembly, an alliance of activist groups around the South, and anchored by the Jacksonville-based New Jim Crow Movement, the walk brought together protesters from many states. Members from Project South, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Southerners on New Ground, the Ordinary People Society, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, the Coalition for Justice for Trayvon Martin, Alternate Roots and several other organizations walked or joined the assembly along the way.

The Walk For Dignity arrived at the Hickory Avenue Church of God in Sanford, which opened their doors to the scores of protesters to sleep, eat and hold assemblies. Throughout the walk, many African American churches provided food, shelter and supplies to the walkers. In Saint Augustine at the end of the first day, the walkers stayed at Saint Mary’s Missionary Baptist Church, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. rallied with civil rights protesters against segregation in 1964.

The walkers spent the afternoon of July 27 going door-to-door in Sanford’s predominantly African American neighborhoods talking with the people about their struggles. Many spoke about their experiences with racist police officers, while others spoke about relatives victimized by the criminal injustice system. Organizers from the Southern Movement Assembly invited Sanford residents out to the church to speak with others about their experiences.

“It’s a new thing for me to get involved, and see what it takes to get organized,” said Moses Daniels, a longtime resident of Sanford, who came out to the assembly after an organizer invited him on his doorstep. “I see things going on in Sanford, and I hear us all talk about it, but when it comes to doing something – to stand our ground – I didn’t know what it takes to stop the attacks.”

After a short assembly about organizing to fight racism, activists gathered in front of the church to start a mile march into historic Goldsboro to the Trayvon Martin memorial. As the second city after Eatonville founded by African Americans in Florida, Goldsboro was stripped of its charter by whites in the Sanford city government in 1911. The City of Sanford eliminated the Black-owned businesses and institutions of Goldsboro as a part of expanding racist Jim Crow laws. In 1923, whites infamously burned a similar town, Rosewood, Florida, to the ground after African Americans attempted to defend their families from white vigilantes. Today, Goldsboro remains predominantly African American and strongly supports justice for Trayvon Martin.

As afternoon storm clouds rolled off Lake Monroe in Sanford, the protesters marched on undeterred. Activists held several banners, reading “Walk for Dignity – enough is enough!” and “We will not be erased,” with the latter bearing the images of Trayvon Martin, Marissa Alexander, Jordan Davis and other youth victimized by the criminal injustice system. Many Sanford residents came outside their homes to watch and then joined the protesters in the streets.

With about a half mile to go, rain began to pour. Despite booming thunder and a constant downpour, not a single protester left the march. Chants of “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Angela Corey’s got to go!” and “Free Marissa now!” grew louder as the march approached the Trayvon Martin memorial. The storm passed and protesters spoke about the significance of the long march. Several Sanford residents spoke about their experiences with racial profiling.

Although every protester was soaked, spirits were high. “We started together, and we finished together,” sang Aleta Alston-Toure, an organizer with the New Jim Crow Movement in Jacksonville. Alston-Toure led a freedom song from the South African anti-apartheid struggle, and others paid tribute to fallen African American leaders like Malcolm X and Ella Baker.

Staff from the Goldsboro Westside Historical Museum warmly received the marchers with shelter from the rain and food. The Trayvon Martin Memorial, a brick and marble formation located at the Museum, was moved from the actual location of Trayvon Martin’s death. Several racist Zimmerman supporters and local police sabotaged the memorial six times, but the African-American community in Sanford united to defend it. Eventually, it was moved to the Goldsboro Westside Historical Museum and cared for by staff.

Activists see the Walk for Dignity and the July 27 march as a starting point for the movement against racism and national oppression across the country, while residents in Sanford felt empowered by the outside support. There is a call for a national march in Washington D.C. on August 24.

“I’m hopeful about the freedom movement in Sanford and everywhere,” said Daniels. “You have to give the movement some structure, so it’s impressive to me to be a part of an organization that seeks to make change happen.”

#SanfordFL #OppressedNationalities #AntiRacism #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #InjusticeSystem #NewJimCrow #SouthernMovementAssembly #WalkForDignity

Tampa, FL – In the wake of intense Justice for Trayvon protests, community members gathered in front of a police substation here on July 22, the one-year anniversary of Javon Neal's murder by Tampa police. Neal, a 16-year-old African American student, was shot more than 19 times by the police.

In the heart of the African American community, the rally started with 20 people and speeches and chants like, “No justice no peace, no racist police!” Police began to appear from their offices and more community members came from their houses and apartments hearing the chants.

Life Malcolm of the Justice for Trayvon Coalition of Tampa said this about Neal's murder, “Nobody was in a body bag before the police showed up. The same people who have body armor and all sorts of weapons of mass destruction, act as if they're scared.”

More and more people began to appear from their houses, videotaping, watching and cheering. At one point three women appeared with hoodies, in remembrance of Trayvon Martin.

Malcolm went on, “We need all the things other communities have, instead we get a police substation, as if we don't have enough police already. We can be responsible for ourselves, because every time we see the police they either take our money, our freedom, or the life of our loved ones.”

The protesters continued with chanting, “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!” A man came from the houses across the street and spoke to the rally. He told of how police were hitting an African American with a wrench, and how it only stopped because people began to record it with their cell phones. “We have to come outside our houses! I'm not scared. Nothing good comes from them being around and we're tired of it!” He continued with a quote from Malcolm X, “If you don't stand for something, then you'll fall for anything!”

From there the protesters marched to a busy intersection. Holding signs and a banner that read, “Justice for Javon, Justice for Trayvon,” those rallying at the intersection saw cheers and heard the blaring of horns. People continued chanting. As the sun set, the group planned for more actions, including a Cop Watch campaign, in which people record the police every time they harass or come into contact with the community. The organizers planned to meet the following day.

#TampaFL #OppressedNationalities #AntiRacism #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #InjusticeSystem #JavonNeal

Jacksonville, FL – Even the summer afternoon rain couldn’t stop more than 25 activists from meeting in downtown Jacksonville’s Hemming Plaza, July 22, to begin a five-day walk to Sanford, Florida. Activists took the first steps in the “Walk for Dignity – Enough is Enough” event, demanding justice for Trayvon Martin and the resignation of State Attorney Angela Corey, who prosecuted the George Zimmerman case.

Called by the Southern Movement Assembly, a network of activist groups around the South that met in Jacksonville last April, the walk will end with a large rally in Sanford. Activists from the Jacksonville-based New Jim Crow Movement, Project South, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, the Coalition for Justice for Trayvon, Southerners on New Ground and other organizations are participating in the walk.

“We recognize that people are feeling outrage and heartbreak after hearing a verdict that legitimizes the public lynching of Trayvon Martin and the impunity of his murderers,” said Emery Wright, the co-director of Project South in a statement about the walk. “Our response must not be restrained. Our collective response must be ‘Enough is enough’ – our human dignity is at stake, and we will come together to demand fundamental change.”

The walk began with an energetic assembly, in which each of the walkers spoke about their reasons for participating. Activists from as far as San Antonio, Texas spoke, as did walkers from Jacksonville, all uniting around the demand for justice for Trayvon Martin and other African-American youth victimized by the racist criminal injustice system.

“We walk for dignity,” said Synobia Williams, an organizer with Project South from Jacksonville. “We walk to lift our voices and be heard, demand the rights of all people and stand our ground.”

Organizers worked to mobilize community support in Jacksonville for the walk. Several labor unions, including AFSCME and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, along with some local businesses donated water, food, coolers and other supplies.

On the first day, the protesters walked to Saint Augustine and stayed at the Saint Mary’s Missionary Baptist Church, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. rallied with civil rights protesters in 1964. During the Civil Rights Movement, Saint Augustine became the center of the battle against segregation.

Throughout the walk, activists hope to engage the communities in the movement for justice for Trayvon Martin and build towards the final rally in Sanford. “We are all committed to walk while we engage and empower the communities that we stop in by listening to their stories,” said Tefa Galvis, an organizer with the Coalition for Justice for Trayvon. “We’re all learning about the history of the land and the freedom movement in Florida and we’re assembling every night to figure out the next steps for our movement.”

Caravans of activists from Jacksonville will leave every day to join the walk in-progress.

The walkers plan to stop in Flagler Beach and Daytona Beach before reaching Sanford for the final rally on July 27.

“We started together and we are going to finish together,” added Galvis.

#JacksonvilleFL #OppressedNationalities #AntiRacism #CivilRights #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #InjusticeSystem #WalkForDignity

Jacksonville, FL – When the nearly all white jury returned with a not guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman trial, people all around the U.S. were outraged. Outside the courtroom in Sanford, Florida some 200 protesters gathered up and issued a united call for nationwide protests, which was answered in the coming days by activists across the country.

One of these protesters in Sanford was Jared Hamil, a union member of Teamsters Local 79 out of Tampa. Holding a sign that read “Justice 4 Trayvon,” Hamil stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the other protesters, proudly wearing a Teamster pin on his shirt.

“Seeing racist discrimination at work and knowing that Trayvon was racially profiled, I saw a big connection,” said Hamil. He continued, “It goes further than just laws. Trayvon’s case shows a system of oppression that targets different nationalities in their communities and at their workplaces.”

Hamil was one of thousands of union workers around the country who joined the protests against Zimmerman’s acquittal in the streets. Two days after the verdict, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) called for “the Justice Department to immediately conduct an investigation into the civil rights violations committed against Trayvon Martin,” adding that it will take a “massive grassroots movement” to win justice.

Reverend Terry Melvin, President of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU), issued an even stronger statement, saying that the verdict “sends an ominous message to the Black community – that is, white fear still trumps the value of Black life in America today – whether you wear a suit or a hoodie; whether you live in a struggling neighborhood or a gated community; whether you are minding your own business or being stalked by a stranger armed with a gun and hostility toward folks who fit a negative racial profile. This is reality, not a reality show.”

Union members have a direct connection to the struggle for justice for Trayvon Martin. Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, is an active member of Office & Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 100 and has worked at the Miami-Dade County Housing Authority for over 23 years. In a powerful showing of union solidarity after her son was murdered, 192 of Fulton’s co-workers donated $40,825 hours’ worth of vacation time to assist the grieving family.

Many unions and labor organizations supported the outpouring of protesters demanding the arrest of Zimmerman. In Tallahassee, the Big Bend Labor Chapter passed a strongly worded resolution condemning the shooting of Trayvon Martin and “[supporting] coalition partners in their actions to demand justice.” On a national level, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists had Trayvon Martin’s parents speak to the delegates, who received them with roaring applause and calls for justice.

For many union members, the struggle for justice for Trayvon Martin and civil rights goes hand-in-hand with the struggle in the workplace. Warren Smith, a member of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) Local 1408 in Jacksonville and an active leader in the local CBTU chapter, said, “Union members have learned through the years that the right to organize is directly tied to one’s civil rights. What human can work and call themselves truly free in a place where they can’t even walk home safely from the corner store?” Smith continued, “Seeing this, we feel compelled to take arms and ensure justice for Trayvon and by doing so, we ensure a measure of justice for ourselves.”

On July 22, Smith and other union members in Jacksonville did just that. Members from the Longshoremen, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the International Association of Machinists, and AFSCME provided water, food, coolers and supplies to protesters marching from Jacksonville to Sanford to demand justice for Trayvon Martin. The five-day march, called “Walk for Dignity – Enough is Enough”, will span the nearly 120 miles between the two Florida cities. Jacksonville unions took up the call to feed and support the protesters.

Progressive labor unions are part of the African American freedom struggle in the South. The Congress of Industrial Organizations rose to prominence by organizing African American workers in the Black Belt South, in defiance of Jim Crow repression. Civil rights leaders like A. Philip Randolph worked heavily in the unions to fight against job discrimination and unequal pay. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was brutally assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee just a day after supporting the striking African American sanitation workers of AFSCME Local 1733 as a part of his Poor People’s Campaign.

In the struggle for justice for Trayvon Martin in 2013, the history of unions fighting against racism and national oppression remains alive and well. Speaking to his experience on the shop floor, Hamil said, “Where I work, African Americans are constantly harassed and disciplined by managers. I went to Sanford to fight for justice for Trayvon and all other oppressed nationalities who live under this oppressive system. More than just showing solidarity, this was about getting up to the gates of the courthouse to struggle alongside everyone else fighting for freedom in this country.”

#JacksonvilleFL #Labor #OppressedNationalities #AntiRacism #unions #Teamsters #CivilRights #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #InjusticeSystem

Jacksonville, FL – With their fists and their voices raised, more than 450 people took to the streets of downtown Jacksonville on July 20 to protest the acquittal of George Zimmerman and demand justice for Trayvon Martin.

Led by the New Jim Crow Movement and other allied organizations, the march distinctly linked the Zimmerman verdict with other injustices committed against African Americans in Jacksonville. Protesters at the front of the march held a banner bearing the names and images of Trayvon Martin, Marissa Alexander, Jordan Davis and others below the phrase, “We will not be erased.”

The protest came six days after the last rally in Jacksonville, which happened the day after the verdict was announced. By all counts, the number of protesters had grown in less than a week.

Noting the importance of the protest, Keith Mack, an activist in Jacksonville, said, “There has never been a thing like Justice for Trayvon in the Jacksonville area. It drew such a young crowd.” Mack continued, “I believe we needed that boost in social consciousness. It’s way overdue.”

Beginning in Hemming Plaza, the protesters marched to the office of State Attorney Angela Corey, who Florida Governor Rick Scott chose to prosecute Zimmerman. Because of Corey’s notorious reputation for harshly prosecuting African-American youth in Jacksonville – some as young as 13 years old – and her failure to secure a guilty verdict in the Zimmerman case, protesters demanded that she resign from office. The crowd chanted, “Hey hey, ho ho, Angela Corey’s got to go!” as they congregated outside her office building.

From there, protesters marched to the Duval County jail and demanded they release Marissa Alexander, a 31-year-old African American woman who got 25 years in prison for firing a warning shot in the air to fend off an abusive husband. With Alexander held in a jail cell just feet from the protest, the crowd enthusiastically chanted, “Set Marissa free!” and “No justice! No peace!” Activists around the country have seized on Alexander’s case as a clear contrast with the Zimmerman verdict, showing the racist application of laws in the U.S. legal system.

After singing several Civil Rights era songs outside the jail, protesters returned to Hemming Plaza to hear a stack of speakers. Members of the New Jim Crow Movement, University Timbuktu, the Coalition for Justice for Trayvon, Florida New Majority, Dream Defenders, the New Black Panther Party and several other groups spoke.

#JacksonvilleFL #OppressedNationalities #AntiRacism #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #MarissaAlexander #InjusticeSystem

Milwaukee, WI – Several hundred people turned out for multiple rallies over the weekend of July 20. Hundreds rallied outside the federal courthouse downtown Milwaukee to demand justice for Trayvon Martin, Darius Simmons and others. The rally was one of about 100 across the country over the weekend that called for Attorney General Eric Holder to press federal charges against George Zimmerman.

Many speakers at the rally demanded justice for Darius Simmons, a 13-year-old Black child killed by his racist neighbor John Spooner. The family's pastor, Steve Jerbi of the All People's Church, championed popular movements in their work toward justice stating, “Justice began when the community rose up and said this verdict will not be accepted. Justice began when Father Groppi and the commandos crossed that bridge,” said Jerbi, in reference to the Milwaukee civil rights leader Father James Groppi.

On July 21, even the pouring rain couldn't stop a rally of 50 people from forming in front of the Martin Luther King Jr. statue on King Dr. Community members spoke in an open forum for over an hour in the cold rain before marching on the Fifth District police station.

Community members filled the police station, demanding to talk to the station commander about the death of Derek Williams, who was killed by Fifth District police officers in 2011. Police initially refused to talk to the protesters, but after loud chants of “No justice, no peace!” erupted, officers were forced to deal with the protesters.

On July 22, John Spooner was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Darius Simmons' family will now pursue a civil case against Milwaukee Police for their inhumane treatment of the grieving family members.

#MilwaukeeWI #OppressedNationalities #AntiRacism #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #InjusticeSystem #DerekWilliams #DariusSimmons

Salt Lake City, UT – Over 30 protesters gathered here, July 20, to answer Reverend Al Sharpton's call for 100 protests in 100 cities. They protested the not guilty verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman as he was acquitted of murdering Trayvon Martin.

Rally organizer Ian De Olivera led the protesters in chants demanding justice for Trayvon Martin, demanding the imprisonment of Zimmerman and condemning the judicial system. Speaking of his motivations, De Olivera said, “I'm not here just because I'm outraged. I'm not here to feel good about myself for doing something. I'm here to get justice for Trayvon.” He then announced the number for the Department of Justice and encouraged the crowd to call and demand a full civil rights investigation.

Local activist Victor Puertes related, “I support Trayvon Martin's family and at the same time the uprising for justice all across the country.” He continued, “It's not an individual problem, it's the whole system that needs to change, the system which kills Black, Brown and indigenous people.”

The protesters and organizers have vowed to keep fighting and demanding justice for Trayvon. Local organizer Gregory Lucero said, “What this verdict shows us is that it's OK to lynch a Black man in America. That's not an America that we want to live in and we'll keep fighting until it changes and we have justice for Trayvon.”

#SaltLakeCityUT #OppressedNationalities #AntiRacism #CivilRights #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #InjusticeSystem

Gainesville, FL – On July 20, 50 activists, faith leader, and community members held a noon vigil outside the Alachua County Courthouse. They gathered to demand the U.S. Department of Justice file charges against George Zimmerman for violating the civil rights of Trayvon Martin. The action was part of the #100citytrayvon initiative by the Reverend Al Sharpton.

Both young and old held signs reading “Justice for Trayvon” and “Praying for a New America.” People gathered together for a prayer and listened to a round of speeches from student organizers and community leaders. Lead organizer Eric Brown of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) said, “The issue in the tragedy with Trayvon, as with so many other Black men and women, is not ‘stand your ground’ but anti-Blackness that pervades our society at every level. It's a fact that Black men are seen automatically as fifth columns and enemy combatants in their own native country. Everyday simple actions, such as walking down the street at night with a hoodie, take on malice.”

Chrisley Carpio, one of the organizers for the event said, “Zimmerman was not the only one on trial last Saturday. The American justice system was as well. It has clearly failed the test. It is our job to seek justice, as the people, when the system has so grossly failed us.” Other speeches reiterated that both the murder of Trayvon Martin and the not guilty verdict for George Zimmerman are part of a larger systemic problem.

The event ended with a call to action to continue building up resistance to racism in the state. Leaders called on people to remember the fight of others like Marissa Alexander, imprisoned for defending herself and her children, and Jordan Davis, slain by a white man upset by loud music. After the 100-city event, activists and community members attended a rally at the Martin Luther King center not far away.

#GainesvilleFL #OppressedNationalities #AntiRacism #CivilRights #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #InjusticeSystem

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

Tampa, FL – Two protests demanding justice for Trayvon Martin and that the Department of Justice (DOJ) charge George Zimmerman with violating Martin’s civil rights occurred here July 19 and 20.

On July 19, 30 people joined the Justice for Trayvon Coalition of Tampa in protesting outside of the Tampa Middle District Office of the U.S. Attorney. The Middle District Office would be in charge for the DOJ if a federal civil rights violation were brought against Zimmerman. A contingent of the Coalition attempted to walk inside to present their demands directly to the Middle District Office, but was immediately denied entry by armed security guards and then Tampa police. The Coalition was not deterred and continued to protest outside the downtown office during rush hour for three more hours. The group chanted, “Civil rights, aren’t just for whites!” and “Charge Zimmerman now!” drawing support from community members who honked and some who came up to the participants of the demonstration to thank them for pursuing justice.

On July 20, over 400 people rallied outside the Federal Courthouse for Tampa’s National Day of Action for Justice for Trayvon Martin, which saw rallies in over 100 cities. The Tampa NAACP, Democratic Black Caucus, Tampa Dream Defenders and the Justice for Trayvon Coalition of Tampa spoke along with a multitude of community members. Speakers demanded charges be brought against Zimmerman by the DOJ. Life Malcolm, with the Justice for Trayvon Coalition of Tampa, referenced the case of Jennifer Porter who ran over two African-American children in Tampa and served no time in jail. “You can kill an African and go home, but you kill a dog, you go to prison!”

Tampa has seen a high level of organizing around demanding justice for Trayvon, with over 50 people representing community and activist groups attending the initial meeting of the Justice for Trayvon Coalition of Tampa. Plans have already been made for nationwide call-in days to Eric Holder and President Obama demanding justice, as well as local plans to protest outside a local Tampa police station involved in the murder of Javon Neal.

#TampaFL #OppressedNationalities #AntiRacism #CivilRights #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #InjusticeSystem #DepartmentOfJustice

Chicago, IL – On July 20, at the Federal Plaza here, almost 3000 people, the vast majority African American, protested in anger at the not guilty verdict in the murder of Trayvon Martin.

What was billed as a vigil was anything but, as speaker after speaker called for continued struggle around the case and against racial profiling in general. “Black people all across the country are branded criminals because of how they look, talk and dress,” said Randy Evans, an SEIU Local 73 union steward at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC), “which is the by-product of anti-Black racism, white supremacy and national oppression in the U.S. We are always being profiled and it must stop now!”

Organized by WVON, a popular Black radio station, and co-emceed by two of its hosts, including Cliff Kelley, the “Governor” of Chicago talk radio, the protest was part of the “Justice for Trayvon” 100 city vigil called for by the Rev. Al Sharpton, President of the National Action Network. Across the U.S., the Black community and its supporters raised the demand to charge George Zimmerman in federal court for violating Trayvon's civil rights in the killing. A number of prominent Black church leaders, attorneys, artists, community organizers and labor unionists echoed this demand from the stage in Chicago. Black elected officials like U.S. Congressman Danny Davis and Illinois State Representative Mary Flowers spoke in favor of racial justice as well.

But the most powerful messages of the day came from the Reverend Jesse Jackson and Erica Gordon Taylor, a cousin of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old Chicagoan who was beaten, lynched and killed in Mississippi 58 years ago for allegedly whistling at a white woman. Taylor described how her family is still devastated by Till's murder at the hands of white racists, and then led the crowd in “No justice, no peace!” chants.

Jackson recounted that Stevie Wonder had already announced that he will not perform in any of the 20 'Stand Your Ground' states in the U.S. and then Jackson took it one step further, calling for a boycott of Florida. “No spring breaks, no concerts, no vacations,” he declared in that inimitable voice, “until Florida repeals 'Stand Your Ground.'” He also expressed the collective frustration of Black Chicagoans with the school closings and mass teacher layoffs orchestrated by the Chicago Board of Education and Mayor Rahm Emanuel, as well as the lack of job and economic development programs that has been the cause of the unprecedented shootings and killings seen recently in the poorest parts of the Black and Latino communities of the city. He concluded with an unambiguous call for the protesters to continue the struggle and “take to the streets.”

Hatem Abudayyeh is the Executive Director of the Arab American Action Network (AAAN, www.aaan.org) in Chicago and a member of the national coordinating committee of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN, www.uspcn.org).

#ChicagoIL #OppressedNationalities #AntiRacism #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #InjusticeSystem

Grand Rapids, MI – Protesters gathered at Rosa Parks Circle here, July 20, demanding justice for Trayvon Martin. Led by mothers with their children, they marched to the Federal Building with signs proclaiming, “Justice delayed, but not to be denied – for Trayvon,” and a few African American children held signs “I am Trayvon.”

Marching past the Calder Plaza, the protesters chanted, “The people united, cannot be defeated!” They arrived at the corner of the Federal Building on Michigan Street, led by Kenya Smith. Smith is the organizer who put Grand Rapids on the map of 100 protests in 100 cities. She led the chants and invited up the speakers, an array of African-American leaders in Grand Rapids.

Asadada, a legal and mental health expert, spoke about the truth of the Trayvon Martin murder and the undisputed and incontrovertible facts, “Trayvon Martin a child, Trayvon Martin unarmed, Trayvon Martin did nothing wrong, was not in any place he should not have been, did not challenge or confront anyone to start some mess. Trayvon is dead. The person who shot and killed him is known to be George Zimmerman. Everything else is a matter of discussion and persuasion. Those facts remain. An unarmed and innocent child shot down and killed. Everything else they want to talk about and they failed to talk about that.”

The other speakers denounced the racist justice system, the systematic targeting of African-Americans for imprisonment and the need to rebuild the movement for freedom. Kenya Smith then read out an inspirational speech from her co-organizer Chaka Holley, beginning with the famous words written by German Pastor Neimoller after the defeat of Nazi fascism in 1945:

“First they came for the communists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the socialists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.”

Smith then led a chant, new for most of the protesters, “Ain’t no power like the power of the people ‘cause the power of the people don’t stop!”

Kenya Smith continued with Holley’s words, “It is a wonderful thing for people to rally together to express their desire for justice, their desire for Black life to be valued, their desire for our children to not have to walk in fear on their way to the store. It is beautiful for Grand Rapids citizens to gather in solidarity with others around the country to bring attention to the injustice in our justice system and to the effects of racism, racial profiling and white supremacy in the U.S.”

Towards the end of the rally, a large group of young people arrived, swelling the numbers to over 100 protesters. Duke Turley of African-American youth organization Team All Da Way said, “When Trayvon Martin was stalked and murdered by Zimmerman, we organized 1200 people to march and rally on March 31 last year. We are here today again to demand justice for Trayvon Martin because the system did not work. We need to stay active and for young people to come out until we change this system.”

#GrandRapidsMI #OppressedNationalities #AntiRacism #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #InjusticeSystem

Newark, NJ – The struggle to get justice for Trayvon Martin continued here, July 20. Over 500 people turned out at the Federal Building to demand a federal civil rights investigation of his murder by George Zimmerman. The rally was called by the National Action Network (NAN.) Speaker after speaker denounced the Zimmerman verdict and contrasted it with the 20-year sentence given Marissa Alexander in the same state of Florida for firing a warning shot in her own defense that harmed no one.

Another common point was to build the Aug. 24 march in Washington, D.C. in observance of the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s historic March on Washington. Goals of thousands of buses from New Jersey alone and over a million in attendance were projected.

Bashir Akinyele of the Newark Anti-Violence Coalition (NAVC), urged four points for action: a federal investigation of civil rights violations by Zimmerman; the repeal of 'stand your ground' laws in all states that have them; a boycott of consumer products made by companies owned by the infamous Koch brothers, who financed Zimmerman’s defense; and a United Nations declaration of the national identity of African-American people.

He said we need a united front of struggle—NAN, NAVC, NAACP, People’s Organization for Progress (POP), Bloods, Crips, unions, teachers, everybody.

The main address of the day was given by Lawrence Hamm of the People’s Organization for Progress. He introduced Earl Williams, father of Earl Faison, killed in 1999 by police in Orange, New Jersey, to the crowd.

Earl Faison was just 27 when his life was taken. The police told his father he had died an “accidental death” – that he had fallen off a chair. What Earl Williams saw was that his son had been beaten so badly that boot marks were visible on his body. One eye was hanging out of its socket.

As in the case of Trayvon Martin, the police destroyed evidence and tried to cover up the crime, Hamm said. They didn’t count on the determination of the people. POP and the family of Earl Faison stayed out in front of the police station, with protest after protest. They marched for justice in 13 different cities. Eventually five police were found guilty on federal charges of civil rights violations. It took five years of fighting through all kinds of official delays and evasions before the perpetrators were finally sentenced.

“We have to be in it for the long term,” Hamm said, “even if we have to come back here a thousand times!” The gathering roared its agreement.

He noted that the NAACP had already been working on the murder of Emmett Till when the Montgomery bus boycott was being planned. “The struggle for Trayvon Martin will be the forerunner of many other struggles for justice, just as was the struggle for Emmett Till.

“We stand here today 150 years after the Civil War,” he said. “Our ancestors gave their lives so that we would no longer be seen as chattels. Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, and Fannie Lou Hamer rose up to put Jim Crow in the garbage can.

“Since then we have been electing senators, representatives and governors. We even have a man in the White House. We even have an attorney general. Those officials can’t just sit there. If we can’t send this racist to jail, our ancestors will look down on us!

“Attorney General Holder has a representative here,” he said. “We demand that Federal Attorney for New Jersey Paul J. Fishman meet with leaders of our community to discuss our demand for a civil rights violations investigation of Zimmerman.

“Tell Obama dialogue is good but justice would be better. . . A voice calls from beyond the grave,” he said, urging attendance on Aug. 24 in Washington.

POP meets every Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, 224 W. Kinney Street in Newark.

#NewarkNJ #AfricanAmerican #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #PeoplesOrganizationForProgress #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #NationalActionNetwork

Asheville, NC – 100 people joined the National Day of Action in Downtown Asheville to demand justice for Trayvon Martin, July 20.

Protesters marched to the Buncombe county courthouse behind a banner reading, “Open season, no justice” and chanting, “No justice, no peace!”

Organizers encouraged everyone to join a discussion on July 29 at 6:00 p.m. at Firestorm Cafe & Books. The event, titled, “ Trayvon Martin and the Endurance of Structural Racism,” will be led by Kathryn Liss from the YWCA Asheville Stand Against Racism and George Friday from the Bill of Rights Defense Committee.

#AshevilleNC #OppressedNationalities #AntiRacism #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #InjusticeSystem