(Many members of FSU's Greek community have been working very hard to raise awareness for this cause. Students can be seen on campus wearing bandaids on their foreheads in Martin's name. By the way, Cindy is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and is a good friend of mine).
Rev. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton among speakers scheduled to appear in Tallahassee
Lauren Walleser
April 17, 2006
A rally will be taking place in Tallahassee Friday, April 21 regarding the ongoing investigation into the death of 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson. Anderson died Jan. 6 at a Panhandle boot camp after being kneed and punched by Bay County Sheriff's boot camp guards.
Students from Florida State University, Tallahassee Community College and Florida A&M University have been involved in the planning and organization of the event at which Rev. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton will be making appearances.
Charlie and Martin Sheen, who donated $10,000 to the cause, are also reportedly planning to attend Friday, along with former TLC member Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Afeni Shakur, mother of the murdered rapper Tupac Shakur. According Samantha Greer, an FSU student and volunteer for the Coalition for Justice for Martin Lee Anderson, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois may also make an appearance. Greer stressed that the Coalition is still looking for volunteers and that anyone is welcome to join the cause.
"There are law enforcement that are doing a good job, but the ones that aren't, they need to be reprimanded," Greer said. "The people who are going too far with the disciplinary actions, they need to be reprimanded. We do appreciate the police. We are appreciative of the services that they give and perform for our community and the huge sacrifices that they make, but it gets kind of lost when people abuse their power."
Greer said that she became involved with the cause after watching the news and attending a seminar on the issue along with many senators from the Student Government Association and student activists. She and other students have been wearing bandaids on their foreheads to show support of the cause and create awareness. She said she will help with crowd control at the rally and make sure that students follow safety precautions and laws while protesting, as well as assist elderly and disabled protestors.
"It's going to be a peaceful protest, but we want it to be powerful," Greer said.
Volunteers will also be carrying signs and banners and handing out informational pamphlets to rally attendees.
"We're not just protesting - we want reform,"Greer continued. "We want people to be reprimanded. We want juveniles to have rehabilitation centers as opposed to boot camps, and we also want our politicians to know that we are paying attention and that they do need to take care of us and our children."
Anderson entered the boot camp Jan. 5 after being caught taking his grandmother's Jeep for a joy ride. He collapsed while being ordered to run around the track at the boot camp, and video has been released of the guards kneeing and punching him. The first autopsy report on Anderson following his death, conducted by medical examiner Charles Siebert, said that he died of natural causes related to a sickle cell anemia trait. However, after state attorney Mark Ober ordered a second autopsy, reports now show that Anderson did not die of natural causes.
"A lot of people are mistaking this for a racial issue, when it's really a humanitarian issue," said Cindy Motta, second vice president of the Progressive Student Assembly, an FSU organization, and volunteer coordinator for the Coalition. "These people were supposed to be reprimanding him but not kill him. The fact that our government is trying to cover this up and lie to people is not right. We as a people need to hold the government accountable."
The event will be kicking off at 8 a.m. Friday, with FSU students meeting in front of the Westcott Building. TCC and FAMU students will gather on their respective campuses, and all students will make their way to the Donald L. Tucker Center, formerly the Civic Center, at 9 a.m. where they will march to the Capitol for the main event. The rally will be held downtown from 10 a.m. to noon.
A volunteer meeting will be held for FSU students at 8 p.m. Monday in the Senate Chambers on the third floor of the Oglesby Student Union. TCC and FAMU will be holding their own volunteer meetings.
"I want people to feel like, even if you don't know anybody, if you know the cause and you're a humanitarian and you love people issues, you're more than welcome to come out, even if you feel like no one knows your name," Greer said.
For more information on the rally and how to get involved as a volunteer, contact Motta at
cem02e@fsu.edu.
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