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.”

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Sanford, FL – On July 13, activists and community members came together here, demanding justice for Trayvon Martin, the African American youth shot by vigilante killer George Zimmerman.

The day began with people showing up at the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center, the courthouse for the Zimmerman trial. In the hot Florida sun, and braving thunderstorms, the people united under a banner that read, “End racial oppression: Justice 4 Trayvon.” For over 13 hours they chanted, yelled and cried out calling for justice. Throughout the day, the protesters did not have access to any water, food, bathrooms or shade from the hot sun. In fact, the police and city officials in Sanford knowingly did not provide these things in order to deter and prevent protesters from the action. But without all of these things, the people found a way. Many activists provided water and food for free.

As the day went on the protest became stronger. People chanted “Murder not manslaughter,” and “When I say ‘Black,’ you say ‘power.’” Midday, gathered in front of the courthouse, expecting a verdict from the jury, Marisol Marquez of the Legalization for All Network said, “The same system that wants to let Zimmerman go free, is the same system that murdered Trayvon Martin. This system of racist discrimination targets our people and locks them up, kills them, or deports them. We’re here today to demand justice. Trayvon is not an isolated case, and we want to start here with tearing down the wall of oppression and demanding justice for all.”

As the crowd grew, so did racist counter-protesters, who tried to provoke African Americans with racial slurs. The police presence also began to build and police eventually turned people away from joining the protest when they tried to enter the parking lot of the courthouse. At one point the conflict between protesters and counter-protesters increased to a point where police attempted to take an African American pro-Trayvon protester out of the crowd. The crowd surrounded the police chanting, “Stand together” which made them let the protester go.

By nightfall the group had grown to over 200 people. People continued to call out for justice. The chants grew louder, and more people came together waiting for news on the trial. By 10:00, the news of the verdict came as people listened to the trial over their cell phones. George Zimmerman was found not guilty on charges of second degree murder. Many people, outraged, started yelling out, but even more began to cry.

Chrisley Carpio of the Coalition to March to Sanford/Justice for Trayvon said, “George Zimmerman may have been on trial tonight, but it is the American justice system that failed the test. Black and brown youth now see that they should work to build a new America, to build their own communities and protect their own youth, as they cannot trust racist America to do it for them.” Shortly thereafter, the protesters started chanting, “The system has failed!” As disbelief and sadness turned to anger, the crowd chanted calling for a nationwide protest. They spoke to national and international media outlets demanding nationwide protests calling for justice not only for Trayvon Martin, but the many other Black and brown youth murdered in a system of racist discrimination. Protests are planned in over 30 cities for July 14 and July 15.

#SanfordFL #InJusticeSystem #AntiRacism #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman

Veronica Juarez of Immokalee said, “This rally will unite us as a community to stand up against racial oppression and discrimination that we experience in the streets and in the political system.”

Chrisley Carpio, with Students for a Democratic Society at University of Florida in Gainesville, marched 20 miles and sat in blocking the doors of the Sanford police department last year. Carpio was demanding that George Zimmerman be arrested and put on trial for the murder of Trayvon Martin at that time. Carpio said, “We know that it took tireless protesting to get Zimmerman arrested and charged. Due to the racist nature of the criminal injustice system, we know it will take tireless protesting to get justice for Trayvon Martin. We're in Sanford to confront the deeper issue of racial oppression head-on.”

Activists made clear that the struggle for justice and the fight against the racist murder of Trayvon Martin in Sanford would continue. Many protesters fear the criminal justice system will not find Zimmerman guilty of murder.

The March to Sanford/Justice for Trayvon Coalition announced that demonstrators plan to be out in force on Saturday, July 13, in front of the courthouse until the verdict is announced. There is a rally and press conference planned. A call was also put out for nationwide actions to demand justice for Trayvon Martin and an end to racist violence and police misconduct.

#SanfordFL #OppressedNationalities #Racism #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #InjusticeSystem

Sanford, FL – As the trial of George Zimmerman reaches its twelfth day, activists and organizers around Florida question whether the murderer of Trayvon Martin will face justice for killing the 17 year-old African-American student in cold blood.

On February 26, 2012, Zimmerman shot Martin after stalking him through his Sanford neighborhood. Sanford police did not arrest Zimmerman initially, which sparked a wave of nationwide protests by African-Americans and other oppressed nationalities demanding his arrest. Caving to popular pressure, police arrested Zimmerman in mid-April and charged him with second-degree murder. The trial began on June 30, with a mostly white jury hearing the case.

“I feel as though this trial represents a test in the battle against white supremacy in a very real and material way,” said Tallahassee Dream Defenders organizer Michael Sampson. “If Zimmerman is able to walk, then we see that national oppression, racism and the all out assault on Black and Brown people is alive and well. Compounded with constant cases of police brutality around the country, as well the gutting of civil rights by the recent Supreme Court decision on the Voting Rights Act, this case is part of the larger system of oppression that gets uglier every day. It requires the power of collective organizing and determination to really win emancipation and freedom for people of color in this country.”

Other activists across Florida also feel that the Zimmerman trial represents the greater struggle against racism and national oppression. Josh McConnell, President of Dream Defenders at University of Central Florida, said, “In a society where Zimmerman is acquitted, and Marissa Alexander is convicted for defending herself against an abusive spouse, I believe such a verdict would make apparent just how racialized the dichotomy between justice and injustice is.” McConnell referred to the unjust conviction and incarceration of Marissa Alexander, an African-American woman in Jacksonville, who received 20 years in prison for merely firing a warning shot in the air to ward off her abusive husband. In Florida, many activists have contrasted Zimmerman and Alexander’s treatment in the criminal justice system, with a white man who killed a Black teenager receiving far lighter treatment than a Black woman who discharged her firearm in self-defense.

Zimmerman’s defense team, headed by attorney Don West, resorted to blatant character assassination of Martin. West repeatedly attempted to enter a toxicology report on Martin’s blood after the shooting into evidence, which showed incredibly low levels of THC, the active agent in marijuana. On July 8, Judge Debra Nelson ruled that the mostly white jury could see the defense’s toxicology report, which was a reversal from several previous decisions that deemed it inadmissible. The defense hopes to prejudice the jury against Martin, the victim of a racist shooting, to justify Zimmerman’s crimes.

Biko Misabiko, an activist in Jacksonville Florida, spoke to Fight Back! about the defense’s racist strategy, saying, “When they brought up the point about Trayvon being under the influence, that got me guessing. Zimmerman’s defense is trying to make the argument because he [Trayvon] is black, they’re saying he was under the influence of marijuana, and that he’s violent. Everyone knows what Zimmerman did was wrong. So for the defense to bring out all this crap, it’s the most ridiculous part of the case.” Misabiko continued, “I just want justice. If Zimmerman gets off, that’s not justice. I don’t know what it is.”

Other activists around the state of Florida share a similar disdain for how the trial is going so far. “From what I've seen so far, I am disgusted at which the defense for Zimmerman, with help of the corporate media, implicitly alluded to Trayvon's aggressiveness and thus victim blaming [by] portraying the 17 year old boy as a hardened criminal,” said Kimberly Miller, a Ft. Lauderdale activist. “Throughout the case, the defense has attempted to appeal to the racist impulses of the public and the predominantly white jurors to depict Trayvon as inherently problematic.”

Activists are hopeful that the trial will draw people into action against racism and national oppression in the US, regardless of the verdict. “It could be a spark for a new movement,” said Misabiko. “If you don’t change the system, I don’t know what will happen. This isn’t the first case. It’s been going on like this for a long time.”

#SanfordFL #OppressedNationalities #Racism #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #InjusticeSystem