More than 100 people gathered in East Atlanta early Thursday morning to board buses bound to Sanford, Fla., where they will rally tonight in the case of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teen slain last month by a neighborhood watchman.
The 5:30 a.m. event was spearheaded by former Atlanta councilman Derrick Boazman, who was among those leading participants in an early morning rally and worship service. Tonight the group will join the Rev. Al Sharpton at the first Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Sanford.
Martin, 17, was shot Feb. 26 as he returned to a gated community where his father lives. The teen had just purchased candy at a convenience store when he was reportedly spotted by neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman, who called 911 claiming that the teen looked "suspicious." Zimmerman had followed the youth on foot, according to 911 calls, but later said he lost sight of the teen and was then attacked.
Zimmerman has not been charged in the shooting, claiming he acted in self-defense. Police who responded to the incident said Zimmerman had a bloody nose and blood on the back of his head.
The slaying and the fact that Zimmerman has not been charged have stoked racial tensions across the country. Police have said that Zimmerman is white, though his family reports he identifies as Hispanic. Martin's family questions Zimmerman's story and believes if their races were reversed, there is no doubt a black shooter would be jailed, even if he claimed self-defense.
For people such as Aswad Thomas, who attended the Atlanta rally, the issue is that Martin may have been targeted because of his race.
"As a young black man, this is something all of us are used to," said Thomas, 28, who wore a sweatshirt that read, "I am Trayvon Martin" on the back.
Thomas said the killing brings to mind such high-profile racially motivated killings as Emmett Till, who was slain in Mississippi in the 1950s after reportedly flirting with a white woman. Thomas is heading to Florida, he said, to help bring continued awareness of the Martin case..
Beverly Dumas drove from Henry County to the First Iconium Baptist Church before 5 a.m. Thursday because "to just complain and feel bad isn't enough."
"This is my son, he's my grandson. He's my brother, my nephew, my uncle, my fiance," she said, adding that she felt morally compelled to join the rallies today. "There are still people who fear African-Americans ... it's real and it's not going away as much as we want to ignore it or shy away from the subject."
Robert Blackman, who is also heading to Florida, said he hopes Zimmerman will be arrested and tried for murder in the case, and questioned Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law. Florida is among 21 states with the law, which gives people wide latitude to use deadly force rather than retreat during a fight.
"You shoot somebody down ... but this man is still walking free," he said. "If that's the case, we don't have any rights at all."
Blackman, who is 72, said he wasn't surprised by the killing.
"Nothing surprises me at this age," said Blackman, who lives in the Stone Mountain area. "It just doesn't seem to be getting any better."
The Justice Department and FBI have opened a civil rights investigation, and the local prosecutor has convened a grand jury April 10 to determine whether to charge Zimmerman.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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