Minneapolis, MN – Several thousand people rallied and marched in downtown here, July 15, to express outrage at the not guilty verdict given to George Zimmerman for his cold-blooded murder of African American youth Trayvon Martin.

The rally started in People’s Plaza (Hennepin County Government Plaza) with speakers from several African American organizations, movements and churches. The crowd swelled as thousands of people marched through downtown Minneapolis, passing through the busy Nicollet Mall and then shutting down all northbound lanes on Hennepin Avenue.

The speakers demanded justice for Trayvon Martin, expressing outrage that George Zimmerman could walk free after stalking and killing Martin. Protesters also demanded justice for Terrance “Mookie” Franklin, a 22-year old African American man who was killed by the police in a South Minneapolis home on May 10.

A powerful movement for justice for Terrance Franklin has emerged in Minneapolis, demanding that an independent investigation be carried out since the police will not say what happened and that police be prosecuted for killing him. Many speakers tied these two cases together, making the point that what happened to Trayvon Martin is not something that just happens in Florida or in the South, but that there are many similar cases of legal lynching of African American youth here in Minnesota too.

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