TOLEDO -- Toledo, Ohio on Saturday joined the growing list of American cities whose citizens have held rallies in honor of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed Florida teenager fatally shot February 26 by a neighborhood watch captain in Sanford, Florida. The rally was organized by a group of Toledo pastors whose members said there was a need for Toledoans to express their concern about the incident that has gripped the nation.
19-year-old Alan Crawford was one of the people who attended the rally. He recounted his feelings when he first heard of Martin's killing. "My first thoughts were that it was unbelievable to me that something like that would happen to a young person and that people would be so hateful to shoot a young person because of how he was dressed in a certain neighborhood," Mr. Crawford said.
The rally took place in the parking lot at the headquarters of Toledo Public Schools in North Toledo. TPS superintendent Dr. Jerome Pecko spoke at the rally as well as up to a dozen community members.
On February 26, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot to death in a gated community in Sanford, Florida. He was returning to his father's girlfriend's house after a trip to a convenience store where he had purchased a bag of Skittles and a can of iced tea. George Zimmerman has admitted to firing the shot that killed martin but claimed it was in self defense. A grand jury will convene on April 10 to hear evidence in the case.
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