Several hundred people rallied in Downtown Los Angeles Monday evening to mark the one-month anniversary of the shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Florida teen who was shot and killed by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman.
The march started at Pershing Square and ended at City Hall, where protesters called for the arrest of Zimmerman. To date, the volunteer watch captain has not been arrested for shooting Martin because of Florida's controversial "Stand Your Ground" law, which gives immunity to a person using deadly force in self-defense.
Many in the group wore hooded sweatshirts like the one Martin was wearing on the night he died. The symbolic garb was part of the "Million Hoodie March," a show of solidarity that started in New York City last week and has spread across the nation.
Event organizers told CBS2 that close to 1,000 people were there with the message that “Injustice anywhere, is injustice everywhere.”
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In this video by reporter Christy Wilcox, protesters sound off about gun control laws, racial injustice and the proper role of neighborhood watch groups.
"Good neighbors don't need guns, they don't need weapons," one protester said in reference to Zimmerman."They're called 'watchmen,' not police," said another woman.
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Earlier in the day, Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard Parks and local pastors held a prayer vigil for the teen in South LA, reports ABC7. The group, gathered at McCoy Memorial Baptist Church, also called on Florida authorities to arrest Zimmerman.
Marches and rallies were held nationwide Monday, calling for justice to be served in the case of Martin's shooting death. Martin's family appeared before the Sanford, Fla. City Commission that evening, demanding answers and accountability about the way the Sanford Police Department handled Martin's case.
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