San Jose Justice for Trayvon Martin Demonstrations Continue

On August 6, San Jose Justice for Trayvon Martin held a rally at San Jose City Hall, followed by a march downtown where the group circled the federal building and then moved on to Plaza de César Chávez. The representatives of a wide variety of organizations spoke and endorsed the demands that San Jose Justice for Trayvon Martin adopted on July 18. It was announced that the next big event planned by San Jose Justice for Trayvon Martin would be a town hall meeting held in September.

San Jose Justice for Trayvon Martin describes itself as, "a local mass multi-issue campaign made up of San Jose and larger Silicon Valley community members acting in support of the larger Movement of Justice for Trayvon Martin and Marissa Alexander specifically, and more broadly a group who seek out a Social Justice Agenda regarding a halt on the continued growth of California's Prison Industrial Complex, the Criminalization of Youth based upon the Apartheid styled use of Gang Injunction & Data-basing, and the promotion of the establishment of a Civilian Review Board & Community Control over Police." 

San Jose Justice for Trayvon Martin has adopted/adapted the following Demands from Justice 4 Trayvon Martin, Los Angeles: 

1. Federal Charges against Zimmerman: 
a. The Department of Justice must file civil rights charges against Mr. Zimmerman. 

2. FREE Marissa Alexander: 
a. Ms. Alexander comes from the same state as Zimmerman, she did not hurt anyone, she was protecting herself against someone who abused her, she was traumatized, she stood her ground and the law wasn’t afforded to her. 

3. No More New Jail and Prison Construction 
a. Jails and prisons draw critical funds away from poor, working class communities of color. 
b. The business of prisons generates the need to criminalize Black & Brown bodies. 

4. End Gang Injunctions & Database 
a. The rationalization of gang injunctions follows the same rational of racial profiling that allowed for Trayvon Martin to be hunted and murdered. 

5. Community Control Over All Law Enforcement With an Elected Civilian Review Board 
a. The families of people with stolen lives by law enforcement should have their cases re-opened, re-investigated, and given reparations. 
b. These are our tax dollars, our community; we should have a say of what safety looks like.