The dangerous heat didn’t stop several hundred from marching repeatedly around the block adjacent to the Eagleton Justice Building downtown Saturday afternoon.
The high noon sun seemed to beam directly over the meet up area as the people waited for instruction and the kick-off of “Justice for Trayvon Day.”
30 minutes later, sweat drenched protesters of all ages, races and walks of life as they sipped water and pounded the pavement with fervor and intention.
“We’re fired up, and can’t take it no more,” they chanted.
“No Justice. No Peace.”
Some carrying homemade signs, others wearing custom printed T-shirts with Trayvon Martin’s hooded face. The variation of their respective interpretation of what they were standing and marching for was as diverse as the makeup of the protesters. But the message was the same.
They came to voice their outrage on the one week anniversary of not guilty verdict of George Zimmerman, who gunned down unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin last February.
Clear Channel Radio, Radio One St. Louis as well as representatives from the faith and activist community came to represent St. Louis in The Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network nationwide protests across 100 cities that Sharpton announced – standing alongside Trayvon Martin’s family – on Tuesday afternoon.
The rallies and vigils occurred in front of federal court buildings at noon Saturday in cities across the nation – including Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and New York as well as St. Louis.
“This wasn’t a bad turnout for only two days notice,” said Ben Broadnax, one of several individuals and organizations who pitched in to bring people out for Saturday’s rally. “I’m thinking about trying to get a National Action Network chapter here in St. Louis – especially after what they did to that boy up from Hazelwood, shooting him down like that.”
Sharpton admits there are possible legal hurdles, but says “there is also a blatant civil rights question of does Trayvon Martin and the Trayvon Martins of this country have the civil right to go home.”
“What happened to Trayvon was a tragedy,” Old School 95.5’s DJ Kut shouted from a bullhorn as marchers circled the block. “But being out here today shouldn’t be the end of it – it should be the beginning of us taking steps to save our children and our community.”
At the press conference announcing the nationwide protest, Sharpton said vigils will be followed by a conference next week in Miami to develop a plan to address Florida’s “stand-your-ground” law. The law gives people wide latitude to use deadly force if they fear death or bodily harm.
