Saturday, July 20, 2013

Baltimore protest among several rallies nationwide to protest Zimmerman verdict - baltimoresun.com

Baltimore protest among several rallies nationwide to protest Zimmerman verdict - baltimoresun.com: As more than a hundred people gathered in the shade by the federal courthouse to protest the verdict in the George Zimmerman murder trial, the Rev. Jamal-Harrison Bryant traced a line between the shooting in Florida and the violence that has claimed the lives of scores of black men in Baltimore this year.

"It would be hypocritical for us to come on this corner and cheer and shout and wave signs for Trayvon Martin and remain silent for the 120 black babies in Baltimore who have been killed with no rally," Bryant told the crowd.

"If in fact we really value life, it cannot just be a life in Sanford, Florida; it got to be lives on North Avenue. ... Every life has got to be of some value."

The rally Saturday in Baltimore was among dozens held in cities around the country in a bid to keep up pressure on U.S. Department of Justice, which is weighing federal charges in the shooting death of Martin. Among the demonstrations, Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, protested in New York, while his father, Tracy Martin, was in Miami.