Alexandrians Honor Trayvon Martin During Sunday Evening Vigil

About 100 supporters of Trayvon Martin turned out in Market Square on Sunday evening to express support for the slain Florida teen and his family and to make a statement about social justice today.

Martin, an African-American, was shot and killed by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman while Martin was walking through a gated community. The shooting has spurred racial tensions around the country.

The hosted the event and member Paul Friedman spoke followed by a moment of silence at 7:15 p.m., around the time when Martin was shot on Feb. 26. Mayor Bill Euille also addressed the crowd in front of , saying it’s important to seek justice, fairness and equity and to show love and respect in regards to race relations.

Old Town resident Judith Haskins, 67, said she attended the vigil “because what happened to Trayvon could have happened to any of mine,” referring to her three sons, six grandsons and three great-grandsons. “I’m trying not to jump to conclusions, but there’s no other way I can look at it,” said Haskins, who is also a science teacher at . “I grew up in Parker-Gray when it was segregated and I remember those times.”

City Councilman Paul Smedberg, who is also a resident of Old Town, said he attended the event to raise awareness of the issues surrounding the case and wanted to “be supportive of that.”

Sammie Moshenberg also attended, as did many other City Council candidates. Moshenberg, who said she attended as a private citizen, said the issues the case raises are important to her “as a mother and as someone who cares about justice and cares about racial profiling.”

Alexandrian Chris Lewis, who wore a hoodie along with many of the attendees, said he was at Market Square “to support justice and express my concerns about how the police conducted the investigation.” Martin was killed while wearing a hooded sweatshirt.

Many crowd members held signs supporting Martin and closed the event by singing “We Shall Overcome.”

Euille wrapped up the event by noting that not so long ago slaves were bought and sold in Market Square and even though the city now has a black mayor, city manager and police chief and the nation has a black president, “we still have much more work to do.”

To view a video from the event, go to the Old Town Alexandria Patch Facebook page.