Wednesday marked the two-year anniversary of the death of “Trayvon Martin,” the unarmed African-American 17-year-old who was shot dead by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman’s acquittal galvanized the country on the issues of race and bias in the criminal justice system. Rallies were held nationwide Wednesday to mark two years since the killing, including here in New York City, in Harlem.
Man 1: “So we are all Trayvon! We are, all of us out here — mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandfathers — all of us! So no matter who you are, what you’re doing, or where you’re going, if you believe in yourself, believe in him, too. Let this cause not go unaffected. Let it go corrected.”
Woman: “I have a 20-year-old, and so many times I’ve sat hurting just because he wants to go outside.”
Man 2: “Go ahead. No, go ahead. Tell ’em…”
Woman: “Praying that my child will make it back. I can’t speak no more.”
The anniversary of Martin’s death came less than two weeks after a jury hung on murder charges for Michael Dunn in the killing of another unarmed African-American 17-year-old in Florida, Jordan Davis. Dunn faces at least 60 years in prison after he was convicted of attempted murder for shooting 10 times at a vehicle full of teenagers after a dispute over loud rap music.