The Labor Community Strategy Center and Fight for the Soul of the Cities declare today the beginning of the online action campaign for the “Voting Rights Referendum for Trayvon Martin.”

The Trayvon Martin case, like the Emmett Till case 58 years ago, is shaping the consciousness of a new generation of civil rights and Black Liberation organizers.  This is a challenge to see if we can get the federal government to enforce civil rights laws. So far, President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder have yet to bring civil rights charges against either George Zimmerman or the Sanford, Florida Police Department—and the indictment of the police is essential to confront the institutional form of racism. How can this be, after so many organizations and people in unison called out to the Obama administration to take Trayvon Martin’s civil rights seriously? This is a test case not just for the president but for those of us on the ground doing anti-racist work in Black and Latino communities and all people who want to build an invigorated civil rights movement. We need your help!

Once we heard the verdict in the George Zimmerman case, Fight for the Soul of the Cities  began an on-the ground “Voting Rights Referendum for Trayvon Martin” calling for justice. Soon,Chicago for the People  joined the campaign and set-up eight polling places in their city. Our “Voting Rights Referendum for Trayvon Martin” was a success, with 5,000 votes tallied at polling stations across Los Angeles and many more in Chicago. Today we are officially ending on-the ground polling and transitioning online!

During our on-the-ground work we focused on voting rights in our Referendum for Trayvon Martin because we are outraged that so many people in our communities—people caught in the mass incarceration system, young people old enough to die in wars but not to vote, and immigrants, as well as those facing increasing demands for identification—are denied the right to vote. By opening up this referendum to everyone we got many people who had never voted in an election to vote in ours. While this specific petition to the President and Attorney General focuses on the Trayvon Martin demands we will be working with more groups in the future to make voting rights demands on the federal government.

The Labor Community Strategy Center and Fight for the Soul of the Cities declare today the beginning of the online action campaign for the “Voting Rights Referendum for Trayvon Martin.” The President and Attorney General, have the authority to act. Demand that they do, by sending them this letter:

President Obama and Attorney General Holder: We Continue to Demand Justice for Trayvon Martin

If you are an organization looking to join us in this campaign, email Ronald (at) thestrategycenter (.org)

________________________________________________________________

Please consider sharing this campaign on Twitter and Facebook.

    A few sample tweets:

  • Send a letter to #Obama (@WhiteHouse) and #Holder (@TheJusticeDept) demanding justice for #TrayvonMartin http://bit.ly/18H9m6E
  • Join @FFSC in continuing to seek justice for #TrayvonMartin. Send a letter to Obama and Holder: http://bit.ly/18H9m6E #CivilRights
  • Go to the root of systemic #racism: Call on Obama and Holder to indict the Sanford Police department http://bit.ly/18H9m6E #J4TM #VRR4TM

Follow us and use #PeoplesVote4Trayvon and #VRR4TM:

FacebookTwitterInstagramGoogle Plus