Over a thousand protesters braved damp conditions to gather at Freedom Plaza Saturday and call for an arrest in the shooting death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.
A number of clergy, political activists, and artists were scheduled to speak at the rally, which began at 2 p.m. and was held on the steps of the Wilson Building. The rally was one of dozens that have been held across the county in recent weeks as a national controversy has developed over the shooting of the unarmed black teen.
The 17-year-old Martin was killed on the evening of February 26 while returning to his father's home from a 7-Eleven in Sanford, Florida. George Zimmerman, a volunteer neighborhood watch captain in the gated community of Twin Lakes, has claimed that he shot Martin in self-defense after Zimmerman confronted the teen and asked him what he was doing in the neighborhood. Moments before the shooting, Zimmerman had called the Sanford Police Department to report what he believed was suspicious behavior on Martin's part.
Federal authorities have opened an investigation into the case.
