Trayvon Martin and Martin Luther King Rally in Tallahassee

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Wearing hoods in 80 degree weather, walking uphill and shouting all the way,  protesters marched to the Florida State Capitol.  

Their message was clear.

They want to see George Zimmerman, the man who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, behind bars.   It’s been more than a month since Zimmerman told police he shot Martin in self-defense and was released.

The protesters say seeking justice for Martin is an uphill battle, but add the protests and rallies will continue until Zimmerman is arrested.

It is Cynthia Calhoun’s second rally.  She lives 20 miles outside Sanford and decided to participate in the march to the Capitol for two reason, to support the Martin family and for the 44th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. “Dr. King was doing this in the 1960s and here we are in 2012 doing the same thing over again.  When is it going to stop?”

Once the crowd arrived at the Capitol, they called for the Stand Your Ground Law to be repealed.  Since its adoption in 2005, justifiable homicides have nearly tripled.  Former State Senator Al Lawson voted for the law, but now says that was a mistake. “We didn’t really read the bill all the way through and an interpretation in a subsection of the bill is where all the problem is.”

There are differing opinions about what justice in the Martin case looks like, but most of the protesters agree, it begins with an arrest.  

State Senator Chris Smith is holding a task force meeting on Stand Your Ground Thursday in Ft. Lauderdale.  Governor Rick Scott has named a task force, but they’re not scheduled to meet until the Martin investigation is completed.