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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Protests Continue Against|Florida Gun Law

SANFORD, Fla. (CN) - Protests continued in Florida Wednesday as students occupied the governor's office demanding changes to the state's "stand your ground law," Stevie Wonder said he will boycott the state so long as the law remains in force, and civil rights leaders addressed a march against gun violence in Orlando.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was holding its national convention in Orlando last weekend as the jury acquitted George Zimmerman of murdering Trayvon Martin. The jury accepted Zimmerman's claim that he killed the unarmed teenager in self-defense under Florida law.

The Rev. Al Sharpton addressed a crowd in Orlando Wednesday on the final day of the NAACP convention.

"We cannot have our sons and daughters' lives on the line for anybody who wants to pursue them, follow them and kill them, and say it was self-defense," Sharpton said.

Protesters held chanted "No justice, no sleep" Wednesday as they marched from Lake Eola to the Orange County Courthouse.

In Tallahassee, students calling themselves the Dream Defenders have occupied Gov. Rick Scott's office for two days, awaiting his return. They want the state to revise the law that allows people to meet force with force if they feel reasonably threatened.

Protesters leave Scott's office and stay in the lobby after 5 p.m.

Stevie Wonder said at a concert in Canada on Wednesday that he will boycott Florida and any other state with a similar law.

The Department of Justice said Wednesday that it has set up a special email address to receive comments on a federal investigation of the Zimmerman case: [email protected].

The Justice Department said it is still investigating the shooting, to "determine whether the evidence reveals a prosecutable violation of any of the limited federal criminal civil rights statutes within our jurisdiction, and whether federal prosecution is appropriate in accordance with the Department's policy governing successive federal prosecution following a state trial."

It is unclear what exactly the Justice Department hopes to receive at the email address; it said in a statement that it "will not be able to respond to all messages received."

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