**VIEW PETITION HERE: http://act.colorofchange.org/signup/zimmerman_acquittal/**
New York, NY – Today, August 20th, ColorofChange and CREDO will electronically deliver petitions containing nearly 219,000 signatures demanding that the U.S. Department of Justice’s criminal civil-rights section bring federal charges against George Zimmerman, who has yet to face any legal consequences for profiling and killing unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin.
Rashad Robinson, Executive Director of ColorofChange said, “ColorOfChange and our partners at CREDO have collected nearly 219,000 signatures, and today we sent a strong message to the DOJ that while the case against George Zimmerman may no longer be dominating news headlines we will not be satisfied until justice for Trayvon is delivered. We will continue to fight for Trayvon and countless others like him and work to reform the media culture and criminal justice system that dehumanizes young Black men and enables a society in which Black lives are seen as less valuable.”
The DOJ’s civil rights investigation, launched after Martin was shot and killed last spring, remains open, and the Department is now actively seeking public input on how it should proceed. Over 200,000 people responded by demanding the DOJ file civil rights charges. “The State of Florida, with its terrible Stand Your Ground law, let George Zimmerman get away with murder,” said Becky Bond, CREDO’s Political Director.
“That is why it’s imperative that the Department of Justice intervene and file charges immediately. Prior to the DOJ petition, thousands of ColorOfChange members spoke out against Florida’s “Shoot First” law, which initially shielded George Zimmerman from arrest and prosecution. Moreover, the shadowy lobbying organization the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) — and its deep-pocketed supporters at the National Rifle Association (NRA) — promoted these laws around the country.
Since ColorOfChange along with our partners at CREDO began drawing attention to ALEC’s role in crafting these deadly Shoot First laws, 52 corporations and nonprofits and at least 70 state legislators have publicly disavowed any relationship with the group.
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With more than 850,000 members, ColorOfChange.org is the nation’s largest online civil rights organization.