Las Vegas group gathers to mark one month since shooting of Florida teen

By Jackie Valley

Sunday, March 25, 2012 | 6:39 p.m.

It’s been one month since a Neighborhood Watch captain fatally shot an unarmed, black teen wearing a hooded sweatshirt in Florida, sparking a cry for justice across the nation.

Las Vegas followed suit Sunday afternoon, as 100 people, many donning hooded sweatshirts, gathered outside Raw Remedies, 203 E. Colorado Ave., seeking answers for what happened to 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Police in Sanford, Fla., have not arrested or charged the shooter, 28-year-old George Zimmerman, who claimed he was acting in self-defense.

“We wanted to show some solidarity here in Vegas and make sure this doesn’t happen here,” said Desirée Duncan, who helped organize the event. Similar gatherings occurred in cities nationwide this weekend.

Attendees in Las Vegas acknowledged that Martin easily could have been their brother, cousin, nephew or friend.

“They’re hoodie kings,” said Antoinette Banks, referring to her two college-aged sons. “My son has a different colored hoodie for every T-shirt he owns.”

Now, Banks frequently calls her sons, who attend college in Oklahoma, to check on their safety, and she has decided against attending law school in Florida.

Banks said her decision stems from Florida authorities’ handling of the investigation. Earlier this month, authorities released 911 recordings that revealed dispatchers told Zimmerman not to follow Martin.

“It’s clear he didn’t follow orders,” she said. “Something needs to be done, and it needs to be done now.”

Trayvon’s killing has galvanized the nation, renewing racial-profiling concerns and triggering debate about Florida’s “Stand Your Ground Law,” which gives residents greater latitude to use force rather than retreat during a fight.

Nevada law regarding the use of deadly force dictates a person is not required to retreat before using deadly force if he or she is not the original aggressor, has a right to be at the location and is not engaged in criminal activity at the time, according to the Nevada Revised Statute.

Duncan said the Florida case is a “wakeup call to look at: What are Nevada’s laws?”

Alex Dixon and his wife, Yindra, brought their three young children to the gathering Sunday to reinforce social-justice teachings.

“Our oldest is 5, and he will, in time, realize the magnitude of what’s going on,” Dixon said.

Dixon said racial profiling is impossible to completely eradicate, but he hopes the case prompts changes to state laws regarding use of deadly force.

“I hope all Americans could be able to look at the injustice through the eyes of humanity and not race,” he said. “Race amplifies it.”

DeMarkest Brooks, who was at the event, said it’s easy to see himself in Trayvon Martin.

“As a black male, it makes me concerned about my own safety and how I’m perceived by others,” he said. “…I’m not a threatening person, but someone else may perceive me as that by the way I’m dressed.”