With the sun beaming down on their faces and pain in their hearts, hundreds gathered together in the center of the Black community on Crenshaw Boulevard Sunday to express their dissatisfaction with the verdict in the Trayvon Martin case.
The protesters returned Monday and Tuesday to continue venting their angst. The protesters, a cornucopia of human beings—young, old, men, women, Black, White and Hispanic—marched through the streets with protest signs, heaviness in their voices and strength in their positions.
“No justice, no peace,” the crowd chanted at the top of their lungs. Women in the march were yelling to drivers to get out of their cars and join them. Many cars honked in support of the marchers as they passed by. There were even a few cars that drove in the middle of the march while people protested alongside them.
The group was thick, and demanded to be both seen and heard as they peacefully marched down Crenshaw Boulevard carrying African flags, and signs that read “End White Supremacy” and “Trayvon Martin.”
Along with marchers, there was a very visible police presence. Police officers in full riot gear lined up along the rail line, suggesting necessary force could be used, if met with opposition from the crowd. Tension in the air was thick as police officers continued to arrive to the scene. However, that did not stop protesters. They demanded to get their point across as they shouted “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!”
A young man recounts his experience in the march: “It was an exciting experience being a part of this march. I felt really excited then. However, I began to feel lost when I realized we were marching for help.” The young man explained how the marchers walked on to the 10 Freeway.
“We wanted to shut down traffic. The police had already shut down Washington Boulevard. The 10 Freeway was the only place to go. When we began to walk on the freeway, traffic came to a complete stop. Walking on the freeway was unreal. Traffic was very supportive as we took over every lane,” said the young man who goes by name Holladay.
“I’m just worried that people will use this march as an opportunity to vent, and the energy will be lost in days to come. We have to continue to fight!,” urged Holladay.
