Janine Jolicoeur grieves Saturday, July 20, 2013, in Miami over the death of her son, Kervin, who she says was killed in Miami Gardens under similar circumstances as Trayvon Martin. "I need justice for my son," Jolicoeur said. She stands with the Hatian Women of Miami organization. One week after a jury found George Zimmerman not guilty in the shooting death of unarmed teen Martin, people gathered nationwide Saturday to press for federal civil rights charges against the former neighborhood watch leader, and to call for changes in the nation's self-defense laws. (AP Photo/Miami Herald, Alex M Sanchez) MAGS OUT
Janine Jolicoeur grieves Saturday, July 20, 2013, in Miami over the death of her son, Kervin, who she says was killed in Miami Gardens under similar circumstances as Trayvon Martin. "I need justice for my son," Jolicoeur said. She stands with the Hatian Women of Miami organization. One week after a jury found George Zimmerman not guilty in the shooting death of unarmed teen Martin, people gathered nationwide Saturday to press for federal civil rights charges against the former neighborhood watch leader, and to call for changes in the nation's self-defense laws. (AP Photo/Miami Herald, Alex M Sanchez) MAGS OUT
Michael Kelly places his hands to his face as he prays during a rally during a rally Saturday July 20, 2013 in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network organized "Justice for Trayvon" rallies nationwide to press for federal civil rights charges against George Zimmerman, who was found not guilty in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin. (AP Photo/Chattanooga Times Free Press, Doug Strickland) THE DAILY CITIZEN OUT; NOOGA.COM OUT; CLEVELAND DAILY BANNER OUT; LOCAL INTERNET OUT
An American Flag is held high during a rally at Big Spring International Park Saturday, July 20, 2013 in Huntsville, Ala. The Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network organized "Justice for Trayvon" rallies nationwide to press for federal civil rights charges against George Zimmerman, who was found not guilty in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin. (AP Photo/AL.com, Eric Schultz)
Maya White sits beneath protest signs during a rally Saturday July 20, 2013 in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network organized "Justice for Trayvon" rallies nationwide to press for federal civil rights charges against George Zimmerman, who was found not guilty in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin. (AP Photo/Chattanooga Times Free Press, Doug Strickland) THE DAILY CITIZEN OUT; NOOGA.COM OUT; CLEVELAND DAILY BANNER OUT; LOCAL INTERNET OUT
People wait for a rally to begin, Saturday, July 20, 2013 in Huntsville, Ala. The Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network organized "Justice for Trayvon" rallies nationwide to press for federal civil rights charges against George Zimmerman, who was found not guilty in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin. (AP Photo/AL.com, Eric Schultz)
ATLANTA (AP) ? Crowds chanted "Justice! Justice!" as people rallied in dozens of U.S. cities, urging authorities to press federal civil rights charges against a former neighborhood watch leader found not guilty in the shooting death of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin.
The Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network organized the "Justice for Trayvon" rallies and vigils outside federal buildings Saturday in at least 101 cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and other locations.
One week after a jury found George Zimmerman not guilty in the 2012 shooting death of Martin in a gated central Florida community, people gathered nationwide Saturday to press for federal civil rights charges against Zimmerman. They also called for changes in the nation's self-defense laws.
"No justice! No peace!" some chanted. Many also sang hymns, prayed and held hands.
The Florida case has become a flashpoint in separate but converging national debates over self-defense, guns, and race relations. Zimmerman, who successfully claimed that he was protecting himself when he shot Martin, identifies himself as Hispanic. Martin was black.
In Atlanta, speakers noted that the rally there took place in the shadows of federal buildings named for two figures who had vastly differing views on civil rights and racial equality: Richard B. Russell was a Georgia governor and U.S. senator elected in the Jim Crow South; The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is the face of African-Americans' civil rights movement.
"What's so frightening about a black man in a hood?" said the Rev. Raphael Warnock, who now occupies the pulpit at King's Ebenezer Baptist Church, at the Atlanta rally.
In New York, hundreds of people ? including Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, and music superstars Jay-Z and Beyonce ? gathered in the heat.
Fulton told the crowd she was determined to fight for changes needed to ensure that black youths are no longer viewed with suspicion because of their skin color.
"I promise you I'm going to work for your children as well," she told the crowd.
Earlier Saturday, at Sharpton's headquarters in Harlem, she implored people to understand that the tragedy involved more than Martin alone. "Today it was my son. Tomorrow it might be yours," she said.
In addition to pushing the Justice Department to investigate civil rights charges against Zimmerman, Sharpton told supporters In New York that he wants to see a rollback of "stand your ground" self-defense laws.
"We are trying to change laws so that this never, ever happens again," Sharpton said.
"Stand your ground" laws are on the books in more than 20 states, and they go beyond many older, traditional self-defense statutes. In general, the newer laws eliminate a person's duty to retreat, if possible, in the face of a serious physical threat.
Zimmerman didn't invoke "stand your ground," relying instead on a traditional self-defense argument, but the judge included a provision of the law in the jurors' instructions, allowing them to consider it as a legitimate defense.
Neither was race discussed in front of the jury. But the two topics have dominated public discourse about the case, and came up throughout Saturday's rallies.
In Indianapolis, the Rev. Jeffrey Johnson told roughly 200 attendees that Saturday's nationwide rallies were about making life safer for young black men who are still endangered by racial profiling.
Johnson compared Zimmerman's acquittal to that of four white officers in the beating of black motorist Rodney King in 1992.
"The verdict freed George Zimmerman, but it condemned America more," said Johnson, pastor of the Eastern Star Church in Indianapolis and a member of the board of directors of the National Action Network.
In Miami, Tracy Martin spoke about his son.
"This could be any one of our children," he said. "Our mission now is to make sure that this doesn't happen to your child."
He recalled a promise he made to his son as he lay in his casket. "I will continue to fight for Trayvon until the day I die," he said.
Shantescia Hill held a sign in Miami that read: "Every person deserves a safe walk home." The 31-year-old mother, who is black, said, "I'm here because our children can't even walk on the streets without fearing for their lives."
Attorney General Eric Holder announced this week that his department would investigate whether Zimmerman could be charged under federal civil rights laws. Such a case would require evidence that Zimmerman harbored racial animosity against Martin.
Most legal experts say that would be a difficult charge to prove. Zimmerman's lawyers have said their client wasn't driven by race, but by a desire to protect his neighborhood.
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Associated Press writers Philip Lucas in Atlanta, Charles Wilson in Indianapolis, Christine Armario in Miami and Verena Dobnik in New York contributed to this report.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-07-21-US-Neighborhood-Watch-Rallies/id-74631ce1560b4a5ca188916a2c4a086b
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