The parents of a Florida teen shot dead by a neighborhood watch captain vowed at a Union Square rally last night to seek justice for their son.
“Trayvon Martin did matter . . . We are not going to stop until we get justice for Trayvon,” the teen’s father, Tracy Martin, told a crowd of 1,200.
He described his 17-year-old son as “your typical teenager . . . Trayvon was not, and I repeat, was not a bad person.”
He lashed out at George Zimmerman, the 28-year-old aspiring law officer who claims he killed Trayvon in self defense while patrolling his gated community.
“George Zimmerman took Trayvon’s life for nothing,” Martin said.
“Our son was not committing any crime,” said Trayvon’s mother, Sybrina Fulton.
“This is not about a black-and-white thing. This is about right and wrong,” she told the crowd.
Trayvon carried no weapon, and died less than 100 yards from his father’s home in Sanford, Fla.
Many attending the “Million Hoodie March” wore hoodies just like the one Trayvon wore when he was shot dead on Feb. 26. Some also carried bags of Skittles, the candy Trayvon bought at a convenience store moments before his death.
Trayvon’s parents didn’t learn of the rally until after they arrived in New York for a round of media appearances. Some of the rally’s organizers were affiliated with Occupy Wall Street.
Because he claims Trayvon attacked him, Zimmerman has not been arrested or charged. Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law gives people the right to shoot instead of retreat if they feel they’re in danger of “death or great bodily harm.”
Last night, enraged demonstrators chanted “We want arrests!” during the march.
A grand jury in Florida will begin hearing the case next month.
The Justice Department is also probing the shooting death.