Alex Darocy Photography

On August 24, community members marched with the Santa Cruz NAACP to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Great March on Washington. The 1963 civil rights rally was also known as the "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom," and in Santa Cruz, those commemorating that day also broadly described their action for justice, calling it a march for, "voting rights, jobs, justice, freedom, and to end stand your ground." Speakers included Stephanie Milton who spoke out against stand your ground and other justifiable homicide laws, and Simba Kenyatta who spoke about how the City of Santa Cruz has never had a black city council member. Kenyatta proposed two local election reform measures: eliminating privately financed elections, and dividing up the voting population into districts. Community members marched through downtown Santa Cruz singing classic civil rights era hymns. When gathering at the town clock, one individual was applauded when it was announced that h...

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 &...

The Justice for Trayvon Martin movement in San Jose grew during its second week of demonstrations. On July 21, community members returned to San Jose City Hall for a rally and march to the federal building. At the federal building, a group blocked a light rail train for approximately ten minutes before being encouraged by other demonstrators to clear the tracks. At the rally, organizers in San Jose announced their solidarity with Trayvon Martin organizers in Los Angeles and read off a set of demands for justice. San Jose Trayvon Martin organizers stand in solidarity with Los Angeles and read off the following demands:  1. Federal charges against Zimmerman.  2. Pardon Marissa Alexander.  3. Halt new jail & prison construction.  4. End gang injunctions & databases.  5. Community control over all law enforcement via an elected civilian review board.