Solidarity rallies build organizational ties with Occupy Wall Street Trayvon Martin protests

Democracy, elections and voting at Democracy Chronicles

As protests revolving around the killing of teenager Trayvon Martin continue, Occupy Wall Street and its army of left-wing activists are becoming a leading protagonist.  Unifying outrage against Trayvon Martin’s killing with pre-existing Occupy Wall Street distaste for heavy handed police tactics has proved a rallying point for Occupy. According to an article from on occupywallst.org there will be plenty more protest to come with civil disobedience being discussed at various levels:

The Zimmerman verdict reminds us that in the United States Black life is given no value by the forces of law, order, and property. While #hoodiesup shows a historical force drawn up in opposition, the direction of the protests is still uncertain. Some demonstrators call for a federal civil rights suit, while others draw attention to the larger structural oppression faced by black and poor people. Some want to stay focused on a single vigilante, while others draw the connection to Oscar Grant, Sean Bell, Amadou Diallo, and Rodney King. Some want to ignore the institution of the police, while the rest of us know that Zimmerman is a wannabe cop, and that every cop is a wannabe Zimmerman.

Florida’s Stand Your Ground law that was the basis for the acquittal of George Zimmerman, is certainly a focus of the protests. There are protests being organized almost daily on Occupy’s website, its social media outlets and on the streets. According to an article in the Tampa Bay Times, a local Florida newspaper, there is already one protest taking aim at the Florida Governor’s office:

When the young activists known as the Dream Defenders marched into Gov. Rick Scott’s office last week, few observers expected the group to attract much attention. Seven days later, they’ve proved hard to ignore. What began as a modest protest has morphed into a weeklong occupation of the Florida Capitol. The organizers, most of whom are college students and young professionals, say they are prepared to stay for weeks or even months — as long as it takes for Scott to call a special session on racial profiling and the state’s controversial “stand your ground” law.

For those of you in NYC, Florida or Washington D.C., there is a major gathering in support of the protests that you find much more information about at the links in this excerpt:

From Dream Defenders occupying Florida’s Capitol building, to the tens of thousands protesting across the country against the Zimmerman verdict, to the 1.5 million who have signed the NAACP’s petition calling for a civil rights investigation, countless people feel the urgent need for justice. How do we put an end to this racist injustice system, which lets vigilantes and police kill without consequences and devalues the lives of people of color? Join us on July 31 to plan next steps for the fight in New York, to mobilize for the march on Washington, DC, and more.  Justice for Trayvon Martin! Justice for Ramarley Graham! Justice for Marissa Alexander! Justice for them all! ENDORSED BY: Campaign to End the New Jim Crow, International Socialist Organization, Justice Committee, Stop Stop & Frisk