Trayvon Martin was remembered in a vigil in Montreal last night. 300 people gathered in a central square, following a severe thunderstorm that left thousands of Montrealer’s without power and working around downed trees.
Martin was the unarmed black teenager killed in February 2012 in Florida, by George Zimmerman, a neighbourhood watch volunteer.
Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder, and acquitted last Saturday by a jury of six women.
Protests and vigils have been held in several American cities since Saturday’s verdict.
In Montreal last night, people held candles and others held placards with slogans such as, “Justice4Trayvon”, “No peace without justice” and “The Whole System is Guilty”.
Didier Berry was one of the speakers during the vigil. The sociologist and filmmaker says he was a victim of police brutality while he was filming the arrest of a friend last October. He has taken civil action against the Montreal police department.
Ricardo Lamour, one of the organizers of last night’s event, told CBC News, “We are not only here for Trayvon, but we’re here for all the people that suffer daily injustices”.
Spokesperson Alexander McKenzie said, “The case and the eventual decision really spoke to a general sense of injustice and oppression for persons of colour, and especially black communities”.
Rallies and vigils are planned for this Saturday in front of federal court buildings in several American cities including New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles.
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