Trayvon Martin's Parents To Meet With Justice Dept.
SANFORD (CBSMiami/AP) – The parents of Trayvon Martin are fighting for justice on behalf of their slain son.
Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton met with U.S. Justice Department officials Thursday to discuss the police investigation of the fatal February 26 shooting of their 17-year old son.
The State Attorney's Office is reviewing the case, which will be presented to a grand jury in April and the Justice Department agreed to open a federal civil rights probe.
Martin's parents believe that the 28-year-old shooter George Zimmerman should have been arrested,. The said Zimmerman was profiling their son and acted like a vigilante.
The state's State Your Ground Law, however, has worked toward Zimmerman's benefit. Zimmerman claimed self-defense and Sanford Police Department officials say there was no evidence that contradicted his claim. The state's self-defense law gives people wide latitude to use deadly force rather than retreat during a fight.
The lack of an arrest has outraged city residents who claim the Sanford Police Department has a history of ignoring the black community's concerns. Some neighbors in the gated community where Martin was shot, however, have praised Zimmerman for taking a stand against crime in the neighborhood.
In response to the controversy, Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee temporarily stepped down from his position on Thursday.
Outrage over a lack of arrest was also demonstrated in South Florida. Thursday afternoon, hundreds of students at Carol City High School in Miami Gardens held a massive walk out to protest Martin's shooting and the lack of an arrest in the case. Martin attended the high school during his freshmen and sophomore years. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald reports some students Miami Northwestern High School also staged a walk out.
A rally led by civil rights activist Al Sharpton will take place Thursday evening in Sanford. Thousands of protesters are expected to attend the rally which was originally scheduled to be held in a 400-seat church, but later moved to Fort Mellon Park accommodate the large number of protesters expected.
After the rally, Sharpton will fly to Dothan, Alabama to attend to the affairs of his mother who passed away early Thursday morning at the age of 81.
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