02/06/2026
Yesterday we mourned Trayvon Martin, who would have been celebrating his 31st birthday had he not been murdered by a misguided man masquerading as law enforcement in February 2012. Trayvon was just 17 years old when his life was unjustly taken away when visiting the store while staying with his father in Florida. He was shot in cold blood by the cowardly racist killer George Zimmerman, who was patrolling the area as part of a neighborhood watch program. Against the advisement of local police on the phone, and neighborhood watch practice, Zimmerman left his vehicle to approach Trayvon, and a scuffle ensued, at which point Zimmerman brandished his weapon and shot Martin dead.
Trayvon was a boy who was robbed of his right to exist, grow, thrive, and contribute to society, never aging to reap all the rewards a life could promise. That promise and its potential was ripped away from him and his family when George Zimmerman, motivated by fear and prejudice, acted above the law and took Trayvon’s life. Police brutality and violence has plagued the black community since this nation’s inception, and today is no different. In recent news, we are seeing similar devastating stories with the prevalence of paramilitary forces scattered throughout neighborhoods across the nation. Citizens are still being murdered in cold blood for exercising their right to protest, and federal forces have become emboldened with immunity to act with violent prejudice against the public.
BLAC demands the immediate removal of ICE and all affiliations from our communities, and continues to advocate for trustworthy public safety, free of corruption and over policing. May we continue to protect our rights and one another, and may Trayvon rest in power.
