Trayvon Martin’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, will attend Wednesday evening’s “Million Hoodie March” in New York City, NBC News confirms.
The event, which was organized via Facebook, will start at 6 p.m. in Union Square. Everyone who plans to attend is asked to wear a hoodie — the article of clothing that 17-year-old Trayvon was wearing when he was pursued and shot dead by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Sanford, Florida.
Organizers are urging participants to upload a picture of themselves in their hoodies to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #MillionHoodies.
“A Black person in a hood isn’t automatically ‘suspicious,'” reads its Facebook campaign. “Let’s put an end to racial profiling!”
In addition to attending the “Million Hoodie March,” organizers are asking supporters to sign a Change.org petition started by Trayvon’s parents. They’ve already collected over 800,000 signatures — with a goal to reach one million this week.
As for the ongoing investigation, MSNBC is reporting that Trayvon was on the phone during the time Zimmerman was trailing him. Phone records indicate that a 16-year-old girl was talking to Trayvon about five minutes before his death. However, the girl didn’t come forward with the information at the start of the investigation. “She was distraught because of the situation that happened with Trayvon and the fact that she was on the phone with him right before the incident occurred,” said Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon’s mother.
Ben Crump, the family’s attorney, said, “Her parents are very concerned. They did not want her to get involved, and it wasn’t until Mr. Martin found the phone records and saw that she called him at 7:12. The police got on the scene at 7:17, and he was shot dead on the ground.”
Late Monday, the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division announced they will intervene in the murder investigation. And over the weekend, eight chilling audio tapes were released in connection with Martin’s murder.