Nashville, TN – On Feb. 25 over 30 youth, mostly African American and Latino, rallied on Legislative Plaza at the State Capitol to demand an end to racial profiling and a repeal of Tennessee’s version of the “Stand Your Ground” law. The event was organized by the American Baptist College chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Protesters marched around the entrance to the Tennessee Legislature holding signs, handing out flyers and chanting, “No justice, no peace! No racist police!” “Brown skin is not a crime!” and “Black skin is not a crime!”

A number of organizations rallied, including Workers Dignity Project, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC). Protesters held signs saying, “Stand your ground is racial profiling,” “Give us peace. Don’t leave us in pieces!” and “50 years later.” This last one was referencing the 50 years since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that SCLC played a pivotal role in winning.

Many at the rally spoke about the murders of African American and Latino youth by police, and by racists such as George Zimmerman and Michael Dunn. They demanded justice for Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis, Oscar Grant and all the youth whose lives have been cut short by racist murderers. They spoke of the outrage they felt and the injustice of a system that lets child killers like Zimmerman walk free and allows Dunn to be found not guilty of murder in Jacksonville, Florida. They vowed to continue the fight to end racial profiling and the attacks on African American and Latino youth.

A lead organizer for the event, Evan Regis of the SCLC said, “The lynchings still continue and the lynchings of Black and Brown brothers and sisters allows us to see that the fight for freedom must also continue. Racial profiling has resulted in Black brothers being 80% of the prison population today and we need to stop the lynching and the discrimination against our brothers and sisters. Legislators are holding the noose around our Black brothers! Laws and policies are squeezing the breath out of our Black brothers! Legislators are still holding the noose on Black bodies. The fight for freedom still continues.”

#NashvilleTN #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #AntiRacism #RacialProfiling #SouthernChristianLeadershipConference #StandYourGround

Clarksville, TN – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and other students at Austin Peay State University rallied at 4:00 p.m., on UC Plaza, Feb. 26 to demand justice for Trayvon Martin. This was one of a number of actions organized by SDS chapters around the country exactly one year to the day since Trayvon Martin’s murder. Martin’s killer has not been convicted.

Speakers at the rally demanded that the man who racially profiled, stalked, and murdered 17-year-old Trayvon Martin one year ago, George Zimmerman, be convicted of murder and called for an immediate repeal of “Stand Your Ground” laws. SDS members held a banner and signs that read, “Justice for Trayvon Martin”.

Several students passing by the rally on the way to class who were familiar with the issue threw their fists in the air in a show of solidarity. Others who were unfamiliar with what happened stopped to ask questions and learn more.

An SDS speaker at the rally said, “We are trying to make our voices heard and show that we won’t stand for the racist attacks and the murder of black youth. We want to raise awareness about this case and remember Trayvon Martin, but we also want to remember and demand justice for the thousands of other Black and brown people whose names we don’t know who have been attacked or killed at the hands of police and racist vigilantes like George Zimmerman.”

#ClarksvilleTN #InJusticeSystem #AntiRacism #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #StandYourGround

Tampa, FL – Feb. 26 marked the one-year anniversary of Trayvon Martin's murder. Students and community members met in front of the student union on the University of South Florida campus demanding justice for Martin and an end to Florida's 'Stand Your Ground' Law. This law legalizes murder on the grounds of self-defense. The state government and judges use it to let white murderers go free for killing African-Americans and Latinos. The same is true for George Zimmerman, Trayvon Martin’s murderer, whose lawyers are attempting to get his charges dropped.

Over 70 people rallied in Tampa, as part of a national day of action. Participating cities included Salt Lake City, Utah; Milwaukee, Wisconsin and others. Groups present at the Tampa rally included: Dream Defenders, USF Triota [Women Studies Honor Society], A.N.G.E.L.S, Students for a Democratic Society, and Uhuru Solidarity. As the sun went down, the protesters heard from a few speakers.

The day before the gathering, the university administration attempted to shut down the event and threatened activists with a fine of almost $700. They also planned on sending police to the event in order to intimidate those speaking out against racial injustice. This is nothing new for the USF administration. Late last year, the administration tried to intimidate activists when they organized a candlelight vigil for Jordan Davis, another African-American teen murdered under Florida's Stand Your Ground Law. (http://www.fightbacknews.org/2012/12/4/tampa-dream-defenders-hold-vigil-against-murder-jordan-davis)

The University of South Florida has repeatedly shown that they will attempt to silence anyone speaking out against racism and oppression.

With police present and a crowd of angry youth, the rally continued. They heard from a few speakers and chanted, “The people united will never be defeated.” The crowd heard from Cornelius Williams, a personal friend of the late Trayvon Martin. Another speaker, Adranna Witherspoon of A.N.G.E.L.S said, “Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis are a wake-up call. This YOLO [You Only Live Once] lifestyle was a dream sold to us in a song, and we bought it. But what happened to them can happen to you!” Tiffany Schultz performed a song, ending it with, “Stand up for Trayvon!”

Life Malcolm, a community member said, “Everyone here is old enough to know how foul and disgusting this system is... We have the right, just as Trayvon had the right to live. This is more than just Stand Your Ground. There is a war in this country, where helicopters, violence, and police oppress people like they do in Afghanistan. But this goes down in East Tampa, and we live in occupied territory. This is a war against the oppressed, brought on by the oppressors.”

As the rally closed, Marisol Marquez, a Chicana activist, with Dream Defenders spoke to the crowd. “Black and Brown people in this country are incarcerated more than anyone. And with the highest prison population in the world, it shows how the system keeps us down. The courts, the prisons and the laws are all designed to oppress us. We must stand up! We must fight back, because within the people there is power.”

Dream Defenders is planning more actions around George Zimmerman's pre-trial hearing which will happen on April 22. This pre-trial will determine whether or not Zimmerman's charges will be dropped. As shown in Tampa, the people will not stand for this. They demand justice for Trayvon Martin and that Zimmerman be convicted of murder.

#TampaFL #InJusticeSystem #AntiRacism #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #StandYourGround

On the one-year anniversary of Martin’s murder, national SDS is calling for a day of action to demand that George Zimmerman receive a guilty verdict for murder of the second degree. SDS will also be demanding the immediate repeal of Florida’s Stand Your Ground law.

On Feb. 26, 2012, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot from a distance by the racist vigilante George Zimmerman. Despite committing no crime, Martin was murdered by Zimmerman for “looking suspicious”, in what is surely an extreme consequence of racial profiling. Many days passed before Zimmerman was officially arrested, and to this day he has yet to stand trial.

The murder of Trayvon Martin is a clear and flagrant example of the systematic racism prevalent in this country. Students for a Democratic Society stands against all forms of discrimination and racist violence and joins the rest of the nation in demanding that George Zimmerman be convicted for murder in his trial, which is set for June 10.

On Feb. 26, UF students and Gainesville organizers will host a demonstration at 6:30 p.m., alongside other universities in Florida. SDS is asking participants to wear black in solidarity with Martin’s family. The Gainesville demonstration will be organized as a speak-out against systemic racism and it will be held at Bo Diddley Plaza.

University of Florida SDS will be tabling beside a Trayvon Martin memorial tent in Turlington Plaza both Feb. 25 and 26 in preparation for this event.

#GainesvilleFL #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #AntiRacism #TrayvonMartin #GeorgeZimmerman #StandYourGround