Follow Up on Trayvon Martin Rally in Hart Plaza

On Monday, March 26th in Hart Plaza there was a crowd of hoodie-clad individuals of all races, creed and sizes with skittles and iced tea in hand for the Trayvon Martin Justice rally. This case has caused a wavelength of anger across the nation because an unarmed African-American teenage boy was gunned down by George Zimmerman, a caucasian self-appointed neighborhood watchman who targeted him because he looked suspicious in a hoodie. As this case unfolds and Zimmerman’s friends are speaking out on his behalf of the account, while the media is going to work on tarnishing Martin’s character, both sides of the story will never be heard. So in response, various cities have organized “hoodie marches” for Trayvon Martin and Detroit came together not only for Martin but to address the issues we face at home with babies being gunned down in their homes and the recent abductions of children and women.

The Detroit Branch of The NAACP in conjunction with the UAW, Detroit 300, LA SED, Rainbow PUSH, The Detroit Police Department, United Communities of America, Detroit Council of Baptist Pastors, National Action Network and various faith-based organizations came together to organize the rally. Over a thousand people were present and it was a very peaceful rally that involved a lot of tears, prayers, speakers such as Rev. Wendell Anthony, Councilwoman JoAnn Watson, poetry by world-renowned poet Jessica Care Moore and many more whose heartfelt cries for justice in Detroit enriched the hearts standing before them.

My only plea is for us to keep the momentum going and seize the safety of our city. Our community has fallen apart, especially within the first quarter of this year with missing children and massive shootings in our streets. I was talking with a friend of mine yesterday about the mentality of our residents from the “no snitching” rule to the pointing of fingers about what others aren’t doing. Instead of discussing what needs to be done, let’s see some action and get involved in our youth and communities within our beautiful city. I believe in the comeback of Detroit and it can only get better once we get involved and support everything going on (from local businesses to community programs) within our city limits.

We have work to do, Detroit.