Martin\u2019s killing was the latest in what some demonstrators described as a pattern of unarmed black men being killed, often by law enforcement. Last month, eighteen-year-old Ramarley Graham was killed by New York police officers in his grandmother\u2019s Bronx home after they chased him. Officers claim they thought Graham was armed.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday many demonstrators expressed outrage at the lack of successful prosecution of such cases. “This kind of thing happens all the time,\u201d said Ray, 29, a resident of Bronx, NY. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing someone could kill one of us and still not be prosecuted,\u201d he explained. Another demonstrator, a 59 year old man from Brooklyn, said law-enforcement brutality continues because perpetrators \u201cdon\u2019t get convicted, so they continue to behave in this way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Promoted through a viral social-media campaign, the \u201cmillion hoodie march\u201d aimed, at least in part, to collect signatures for a Change.org petition started by Trayvon\u2019s parents demanding that Zimmerman face charges.<\/p>\n