Moments after the news of George Zimmerman’s not guilty verdict in the death of Trayvon Martin was revealed on Saturday night, the NAACP launched a petition to the Department of Justice calling for federal prosecution.
The civil rights organization, which is currently hosting their annual convention in Orlando, announced their petition via Twitter and gathered over 100,000 signatures within hours.
By noon on Sunday, the number had reached to more than 350,000 and the overwhelming response caused the NAACP’s site to crash due to the heavy traffic.
In the meantime, an alternate site has been created to host the petition, which hopes to prosecute Zimmerman on civil rights violations.
“We call immediately for the Justice Department to conduct an investigation into the civil rights violations committed against Trayvon Martin,” Roslyn M. Brock, Chairman of the NAACP, said in an official statement released by the organization. “This case has re-energized the movement to end racial profiling in the United States.”
The latest petition calls on the Department of Justice to act against George Zimmerman’s acquittal. It reads:
The most fundamental of civil rights — the right to life — was violated the night George Zimmerman stalked and then took the life of Trayvon Martin.
We ask that the Department of Justice file civil rights charges against Mr. Zimmerman for this egregious violation.Please address the travesties of the tragic death of Trayvon Martin by acting today.
NAACP’s President Ben Jealous, who is “outraged and heartbroken” over the verdict, appeared on MSNBC’s Weekends with Alex Witt on Sunday afternoon to further discuss his sentiments on the Zimmerman trial and the plans the organization has in place.
“[What we] need to focus on is how can we do better to make sure that are no more Trayvons,” he said. “The most important message is that this is not over.”
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