An audience of more than 100 people at a panel discussion tonight in Chicago about the Trayvon Martin case applauded enthusiastically when the moderator mentioned that second-degree murder charges had been filed against the man accused of killing him.
Anton Ford, a University of Chicago professor who moderated the discussion, called the charges a victory for the Martin family and the thousands of protesters who took up his cause.
“It’s been 44 days (since Martin was killed),” Ford said. “And this is being held out by the special prosecutor as evidence the system works.”
The panel, titled “Trayvon Martin and the fight against the new Jim Crow,” had been planned before the charges were announced.
George Zimmerman’s arrest caused a cancellation by Martin family attorney Ben Crump, who had planned to participate by phone. Before the start of the discussion, Stephen Watts said he was happy to hear Zimmerman would face criminal charges.
Watts’s autistic 15-year-old son, Stephon was killed by Calumet City police officers in a confrontation at the Watts’ home on Feb. 1. What media attention was focused on Watts’s killing paled in comparison to the national media firestorm over Martin’s death, Watts said.
“I was glad to hear the charges were filed and so we can finally get justice for Trayvon, and maybe I can get justice for Stephon,” Watts said.
Watts spoke on a panel that included Simeon Wright — cousin of Emmett Till, an African-American boy who was murdered at age 14 in Mississippi in 1955 — and Martinez Sutton, brother of Rekia Boyd, who was killed last month by an off-duty Chicago Police officer.
Twitter: @ChicagoBreaking
