Local Reflections On The National Day Of Action For Trayvon Martin

During yesterday’s National Day of Action for Trayvon Martin, people across the US took to the streets to demand justice. Marches were held in Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Miami, and a slew of other cities to protest George Zimmerman’s not guilty verdict, as well as the larger systematic issues that they felt lead up to Trayvon Martin’s death and were reflected in the legal procedures thereafter.

You already know this. What you might not know about were local gatherings, as well as local presence at larger NYC demonstrations. A protest was held at the intersection of Church and Nostrand Avenues yesterday afternoon, and a vigil was held at 6pm yesterday evening by the Cortelyou Library. This morning, signs cover the fence of the Tot Lot across the street, voicing sentiments like “All kids deserve our protection” and “He deserves better from us!”

Neighbor Laurie Davidson, who attended the vigil, says:

As parents of young children, it is our responsibility to educate our children to stand up and fight for social justice.

A big thanks to Jessica Smith who put out the call to gather at the Tot Lot for a neighborhood vigil for Trayvon. There was just a handful of us there but we lent our voices to the thousands who marched all day yesterday from Union Square to the Bronx. It was a great opportunity to include our boys (1 and 4 years old) to fight for a world where no mother loses her son to such violence.

In addition to demonstrations near us in Brooklyn, District 45 City Council Member Jumaane Williams issued a statement on the larger implications of the Zimmerman verdict, later joining over a thousand protesters in Union Square yesterday evening.

Did you attend any local demonstrations, or demonstrations elsewhere? What’s your take on the verdict, the larger issues surrounding Trayvon Martin’s death and how the case was handled, and how it affects our community in Flatbush?

Photos by Laurie Davidson