An explosive petition on Change.org started by the parents of Trayvon Martin now has more than 425,000 signatures from people around the world and is quickly gaining the support of musicians, professional athletes, film industry representatives, and numerous other celebrities online.
The petition, started just days ago by Trayvon’s parents Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton,calls on Florida District Attorney Norman Wolfinger to bring charges against George Zimmerman, the self-proclaimed “neighborhood watch captain” who allegedly confessed to police that he killed Trayvon Martin. Police have so far declined to charge Zimmerman with any crime.
A number of international celebrities have taken to Twitter and Facebook to spread the word about the petition and Trayvon’s parents’ struggle for justice. Musicians like Cher, Wyclef Jean, Talib Kweli, Clay Aiken, Monica, Janelle Monae, and Raheem Devaughn; film industry leaders like Spike Lee, Mia Farrow, Taraji P. Henson, D. L. Hughley, and Michael Moore and sports stars like Chad Ochocinco have all tweeted their support for the petition on Change.org.
Other celebrities who have promoted the petition online include John Legend, Russell Simmons, Big Boi, Chuck D, Questlove of The Roots, Estelle, Blair Underwood, Alyssa Milano, Kerry Washington and Gabrielle Union.
Trayvon Martin was a top trending topic on Twitter at several points over the weekend and on Monday.
Russell Simmons tweeted on Thursday: “Let’s seek justice for Trayvon Martin. We will fight for a society that is compassionate and loving, not one that pre-judges and stereotypes.”
Talib Kweli retweeted a post about Trayvon’s parents’ petition when it was nearing 150,000 signatures: “Almost 150K have signed this petition started by #Trayvon Martin’s mom. Will you sign & RT?”
Janelle Monae, who has posted several tweets with links to the petition throughout last week, wrote on Sunday night: “I’m gonna keep sending this out until justice is served. Racial profiling on our people has got to end.”
The online petition’s momentum continues to steadily recruit thousands of supporters on Change.org, the world’s fastest growing platform for social change.
“It’s amazing to see how many people around the world are signing the petition on Change.org and calling for justice for Trayvon,” said Tracy Martin, Trayvon’s father.“People see what happened and they know it’s wrong for the police to not arrest and charge this man for killing my son. It’s been three weeks with no arrest.”
Trayvon Martin was shot and killed while walking from a store where he had just purchased a bag of Skittles and an iced tea for his younger brother. According to reports, Zimmerman called police to report a suspicious person after he saw Martin walking back from the store. Despite police instructing him not to confront Martin, Zimmerman allegedly approached the teenager. Witnesses say a scuffle ensued before Zimmerman shot the unarmed teen in the chest with a semi-automatic pistol, killing Trayvon.