Not only has the Trayvon Martin case gotten attention from Pres. Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey, but it has also caught the attention of ULM students.
Students, led by Donald McNeal, a junior communications studies major, rallied Thursday outside the SUB, begging for justice to be served in the shooting death of a teenager.
McNeal said the main goal of the rally was to get across the point: “Injustice ignored is injustice multiplied.”
“I felt moved at the fact the police department wasn’t doing anything about the injustice,” said McNeal, who is a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. “So, we needed to do something about it.”
Students held signs up that read, “Let’s stop the killing,” while chanting for peace in America.
“It made me feel like I made a difference,” McNeal said. “When I pledged Omega Psi Phi, I wanted to make a difference in the community, and that’s what I’m aiming to do.”
Martin was a 17 year old who was shot to death by a neighborhood watchman, George Zimmerman, in Stanford, Fla. Details about the case are still coming out, as are the opinions and voices of many.
“Regardless of the race, if somebody commits a crime, they should be arrested for it,” said Ricky Jackson, a senior pharmacy major. “If race was a factor, that makes it worse.”
Race was thrown into the controversy after Martin’s parents began to question why charges haven’t been brought against the man who shot their son. Zimmerman, the triggerman, has been taking the heat from many for walking away from the crime freely.
“I see how Zimmerman was trying to do his job,” said Jonathan Turner, junior risk management insurance major. “But, when the police tell you not to follow this person and let authorities handle it, and you don’t. That’s when you take justice in your own hands. He should be punished for it.”
Police released the phone conversation Zimmerman had with the operator during the night he pulled the trigger on Martin. In the conversation, the operator asked Zimmerman not to approach Martin.
Despite the controversy, some students view Martin’s case as a legacy and blessing in disguise.
After all, it has brought citizens together in the “I am Trayvon Martin” campaign, where people gather wearing dark colored hoodies to identify with the teen whose life was taken.
“I feel like everything happens for a reason,” said Keldrick Bonton, a junior mass communication major. “Trayvon’s legacy was to bring everybody together in issues like this.”
Some called on their religious beliefs to get through the tragedy.
Senior business major Kentwan Carter offered words of hope to the Martin family.
“Just know that God works in mysterious ways,” Carter said.