Dream Defenders demand Trayvon Martin Act

UPDATE: Wed. July 17 6:40 PM CST
Florida Gov. Rick Scott, according to Huffington Post & Associated Press has still not met with Dream Defenders, a grass-roots student led peaceful protesting group demanding justice for Florida youth.

Dream Defenders staged a sit-in at the Florida Capitol on Monday and it continued to today.

Scott, a Republican, has refused to come into the capitol. He also told the AP that he will not give into the Dream Defenders' plan.

ORIGINAL POST: Wed. July 17th 2:36 PM CST
For the second day in a row, Dream Defenders, a grass-roots advocacy group of college students demanding justice, are holding a sit-in at the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee today.

They want the Stand Your Ground Law in Florida repealed. The Stand Your Ground Law was not used as a defense in the Zimmerman trial. A study conducted by researchers at Texas A & M University showed that homicides have risen in states with Stand Your Ground Law.


Brian Marshall, Florida State University Dream Defenders president, told the Tallahassee Democrat:

Dream Defenders came out to demand action through peacefully civil disobedience because they felt George Zimmerman got away with murder. They are demanding a special session of the Florida Legislature be called to pass the Trayvon Martin Act.

Dream Defenders is a student-run organization with chapters at eight colleges in Florida.

"Dream Defenders is something new,” Marshall said. “Dream Defenders focuses on making change in forgotten communities, primarily those of color. Dream Defenders work focuses primarily on the school to prison pipeline and fighting systematic racism that plagues our communities.”


Watch the sit-in live through streaming video.
Huffington Post’s photo gallery of images from the sit-in.