Vol. 79 No. 26

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THE SIGNAL ThE STUDENT NEWSPAPEr OF GEOrGIA STATE UNIVErSITY SErVING ThE STUDENTS SINcE 1933

WWW.GSUSIGNAL.cOM

VOLUME 79 | ISSUE 26

TUESDAY, MArch 27, 2012

Hundreds rally for Trayvon

Miles keenlyside | the signal

Hundreds rallied at the state capitol yesterday to protest Georgia’s “stand your ground,“ which models the Florida law that protected the killer of Trayvon Martin from charges nearly a month ago.

tErah BoyD associate News Editor

A month after the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin the nation is still responding. Yesterday’s “I am Trayvon Martin” rally at the Georgia Capitol is the latest response from students and protesters demanding the arrest of 28-year-old George Zimmerman. Martin was found dead on the scene in his gated Sanford, Fla. neighborhood. Zimmerman was reportedly standing over his body with a handgun. Zimmerman walked away without arrest, stating the shooting was an act of self-defense. Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law has kept Zimmerman from being arrested. Monday’s rally demanded justice for the slain Florida teen and a repeal of the “Stand Your Ground” law. The rally was organized by Rev. Markel Hutchins, and was aided by many Atlanta area colleges and universities,

including Clark Atlanta, Spellman and Morehouse. At approximately 5:20 p.m., a march of hundreds of Atlanta University Center students rounded Martin Luther King Boulevard to join the rally at the Capitol. Protesters fear the Georgia equivalent of the Florida law could lead to a similar event in Georgia. Senate Bill 396, also known as “No Duty to Retreat,” passed in 2006, one year after Florida’s “Stand Your Ground.” This bill, which amended Title 16 of the Georgia Code, was designed to protect gun owners that are protecting themselves. “It’s not guns that kill people, its people that kill people,” said Clark Atlanta University student Jasmarrett, who declined to give her last name. “I’m not for the abolishment of the law, but I am for the amendment of the law, because those laws are meant to protect [people] no matter what they look like.” Georgia State accounting major Darrell Brown feels that student support

“will have a great impact” on legislative changes. “I, myself being a black man understands being judged on what you wear. I wear hoodies, but I don’t want to look like a killer,” Brown said. “I also have two younger brothers growing up in a predominantly white community, and I would hate for them to be targeted for being black males.” Black community leaders, including members of the NAACP and the Concerned Black Clergy spoke out about the racial tensions that surround the circumstances of Martin’s death. “This is not just a Black issue, this is not just a Hispanic issue, this is not an issue characterized by race; anytime someone’s life is in issue it’s a human issue,” said Jonathan Howard, the Morehouse College senior class president. The cry for legislative reform dom-

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outside the lines with Athletic Director Cheryl Levick Page 19

▲ Atlanta

Film Festival returns through April 1 Page 14-15

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PatriCk duffy | the signal

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