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Charlotte Rallies, Protests & Marches for Justice for Trayvon Martin


JUSTICE FOR TRAYVON MARTIN!
STOP THE WAR ON AFRICAN-AMERICAN YOUTH!

TRAYVON MARTIN a 17-year-old African-American youth, was shot in the chest and killed at point-blank range by a vigilante on Feb. 26 in Sanford, Fla. Martin was unarmed as he was returning from a store when his young life was tragically cut short. The man who shot him, George Zimmerman — who lived in a gated community — has not been arrested as of this writing.

Thursday, March 29
Million Hooded March for Justice for Trayvon Martin
6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.

Marshall Park
E. 3rd St & S. McDowell St
Charlotte, NC

The march is in memory of Trayvon Martin.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57402215/outrage-over-trayvon-martin-shooting-spreads/

Sponsored by Nolimit Larry and Thug Ministries. More info:
http://nolimitlarry.com/newspost/million-hooded-march/


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Friday, March 30
Charlotte March & Vigil for Trayvon, Shaima and other victims of hate crimes

Attendees are welcome to wear a hoodie and/or a hijab in solidarity.
6:45 pm - start the march through uptown
7:45 pm - vigil will begin in Marshall Park, 3rd St & S. McDowell St, Charlotte, NC
Candles will be provided

Come out, march, light a candle, tell a story, sing a song or just quietly observe the moment. This is a space for people to peacefully mourn, share their anger, and give each other strength and hope in the long fight for justice.

***

Feb. 26: Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old Florida high school student, is found shot and killed, in Sanford, Fla., a community north of Orlando.
Several eyewitnesses report to police that they heard a scuffle, then a cry for help, and then a gunshot.

According to the Sanford police report, George Zimmerman, 28, a self-appointed neighborhood watch captain, is found armed with a handgun, standing over Martin, who is unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene. He has no weapons on him, only a pack of Skittles and a bottle of iced tea.

Zimmerman tells police he killed Martin in self defense. Taking him at his word, police do not arrest him, nor administer a drug or alcohol test. They also did not run a background check.

***

The body of an Iraqi-American woman who was found brutally beaten next to a note saying "go back to your country, you terrorist" will be flown to Baghdad.

Shaima Alawadi, 32, was taken off life support on Saturday, three days after her 17-year-old daughter found her unconscious in the dining room of the family's El Cajon home in suburban San Diego.

***

We will remember Trayvon, Shaima and the countless thousands of people who have been wrongfully murdered because of prejudice and fear. You know some of their names. Trayvon Martin. Shaima Alawadi, Sean Bell. Oscar Grant. Sakia Gunn. Brisenia Flores. Luis Ramirez. But many many more remain nameless, faceless victims of a corrupt, unjust society says some lives are just worth less than others.

Facebook Event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/193053040806585

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Tuesday, March 27
Harding University High School
2001 Alleghany Street
Charlotte, North Carolina 28208

Students planning through Facebook
Also see this news story

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Sat., March 24
Hundreds gather in Charlotte in support of Trayvon Martin
by DIANA RUGG / NewsChannel 36
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Hundreds of people, Skittles in hand, filled a northwest Charlotte church Saturday to rally over the case of a Florida teen shot dead by a neighborhood watch volunteer.

The Skittles – bags of rainbow-colored, flavored candies – have become a rallying cry for those who want to see the man who shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin arrested.

Martin was carrying a Skittles and an iced tea – but not a weapon – when George Zimmerman spotted him and called 911 in a gated community in Sanford, Florida. The two got into a fight before Zimmerman shot Martin. Zimmerman’s attorney said he shot Martin in self defense.

Zimmerman has not been charged, and that has sparked outrage and several rallies nationwide, like the one at Chappell Memorial Church Saturday.

“All you hoodies throw your hand up in the air,” said organizer John Barnett, referring to the hooded sweatshirt Martin was wearing when he was shot. Several people at the church wore similar hooded shirts in support.

K.J. Webb was one of them. The 16-year-old Mallard Creek High School sophomore said his civics class discussed the case, and that made him want to attend the rally. He called the shooting unfair.

“For the simple fact that he shot him even though he was no threat,” said Webb. “All he had was skittles and a tea.”

A woman taped a sign to Webb’s shirt just before he spoke to NewsChannel 36. It said, “Please don’t shoot, I have a future.”

Webb said he doesn’t often feel like the target of discrimination, but he also knows to be careful about how he is perceived.

“Especially in stores, not to keep my hands in my pockets and my hoodie on, or look extra suspicious,” he said. “It makes me feel set apart.. makes me feel like I have to be different .. like I can't be myself,” he said of the practice.

Another man at the rally, Joe Guzman, said he knows what it feels like to be targeted. Guzman said he was shot 16 times when New York police opened fire on his friend, Sean Bell, as Bell left a bachelor party on the eve of his wedding in November 2006.

“It’s gonna happen again and again and again, and its gonna keep happening,” said Guzman, who now lives in Charlotte.

Friday, one police officer involved in Bell’s shooting was fired and three more resigned – more than five years after it happened.

Guzman believes the national attention brought to that case – and to Martin’s – eventually brings justice.

“The mass numbers, they have to respond to it. They can't just let it go, push it under the rug, it can't be done,” he said.

Zimmerman’s case is expected to go to a grand jury, which will determine what charges, if any, are filed. Saturday, an attorney for Martin’s family said he is confident Zimmerman will be arrested.

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If you know of any events planned for Charlotte, NC in support of Justice for Trayvon Martin, please contact us so we may share the info charlotteaction [at] gmail.com

For a list of actions across the U.S. see
International Action Center

March 31: Occupy Charlotte March, Rally, and General Assembly

Occupy Charlotte Facebook

Saturday, March 31st — March, Rally, and General Assembly

Meet at 12pm on The People’s Lawn (600 E Trade St) to march with members of Occupy Charlotte to the Duke Energy building where we will join activists from other organizations for a rally and press conference. After this event, please return with us to The People’s Lawn for the Occupy Charlotte General Assembly.

Greenpeace, the organizer of the Duke event named “Occupy Duke,” says this: “We will be having a rally and press conference to call on Duke Energy to quit coal and supply NC with clean, affordable and safe energy now! Speakers representing different interests including environmental, public health and economic justice will call out Duke Energy for their dirty rate hike and demand more for NC.

Speakers include:
Rev Kojo Nantambu, Charlotte NAACP
Hector Vaca, Action NC
June Blotnick, Clean Air Carolina
Monica Embrey, Greenpeace NC
Craig Glisson, Occupy Charlotte
Ken Davies, Green Party – Charlotte Chapter

Saturday, March 31st
1pm: Rally!
2pm: Press Conference
Duke Energy Headquarters (550 S Tryon, Charlotte, NC 28202)

Oppose Transit Fare Hikes, Occupy Government Center Plaza

Occupy Charlotte Press Release, March 26, 2012

The Occupation of Government Center Plaza

Members of Occupy Charlotte will be bringing attention to the Public Hearing on transit fare increases by Occupying Government Center Plaza on Wednesday, March 28th beginning at 6am.

Occupy Charlotte, which is part of the Occupy Wall Street movement, is a community group fighting for political and economic justice at the local, state, national, and international levels.

Public transit should be fully funded. But raising fares for riders is not the answer. CATS expects a 3% drop in ridership if fares are increased, which will lead to more traffic congestion and carbon emissions in Charlotte, a city which already has the 10th worst air quality in the United States. As part of our Occupation of Government Center Plaza, Occupy Charlotte members will host a discussion at 4:30pm to talk about alternatives to raising fares. We will also be encouraging community members to speak at the Public Hearing at 5:30pm.

Please join us anytime Wednesday, March 28th at Government Center Plaza (600 E. 4th St.)

For more information, please see our website: www.OccupyClt.net

Media contact for this event: Scottie Wingfield, 484-941-4722

April 14: Protest DNC - National Organizing Meeting in Charlotte


National Organizing Meeting of the Coalition to Protest at the DNC
Saturday, April 14 @ 9am
Charlotte School of Law
(2145 Suttle Avenue, Charlotte, NC)
On April 14, the Coalition to Protest at the DNC will be holding a national organizing meeting in Charlotte, NC.
This will be an opportunity for organizations from across the country to come together to discuss what struggles will be bringing them to the streets of Charlotte in September, to discuss what kinds of action we want to organize in the build up to and during the convention, and how to plug in more to the work to build for the demonstrations.
We’ll also be joined by organizers from the Coalition to March on the RNC in Tampa, FL who will be sharing plans and preparations for protests when the Republicans meet there one week prior to the DNC.
Even if you or your organization is not yet a part of the Coalition to Protest at the DNC, we invite you to come out to this meeting to learn more and find out how you can get involved.
For more information, please send us an email at info@protestdnc.org, find the event on Facebook.
Join the Coalition To Protest At The DNC