Candlelight vigil held for Trayvon Martin

About 150 people gathered at Peanut Park on Tuesday night at a candlelight vigil for Florida shooting victim Trayvon Martin.

Some people brought their own candles, and some picked up tealight candles at the entrance. As participants lit their candles from the wicks of others, organizers read out the names of Suffolk murder victims since 2000 — and ended with Trayvon Martin.

“Once we allow justice not to be done, we all lose,” said Bishop Wallace Johnson, who organized the event. “I wasn’t there to help Trayvon that night, but I want Trayvon to know that we’re here to help you now.”

Trayvon Martin, 17, was fatally shot in Sanford, Fla., on Feb. 26 as he returned to his father’s fiancée’s home from a convenience store. He was wearing a hoodie and carrying Skittles and Arizona Iced Tea, all of which have become symbols in protests of the case.

The admitted shooter, 28-year-old George Zimmerman, has claimed he fired in self-defense.

Investigations into the incident continue at the local, state and federal levels but there has been no arrest in the case, and Florida’s so-called “Stand Your Ground” law clouds an already complicated case.

“What happened in Sanford will not be tolerated here,” Johnson said. “We will stand for that which is right. If it’s wrong, we’ll stand against it.”

Johnson had asked all fathers to bring their sons to the vigil, and many did.

“I asked all the fathers to bring their sons tonight, because when we lose our sons, we lose the next generation,” he said. “Trayvon is not only the son of the Martins, but he’s our son as well.”

Speaker Tyron Riddick urged the participants to vote in November.

“Respond with your vote,” he said. “A closed mouth won’t get fed. The only way we can really live out our nation’s creed that all men are created equal is to get out and vote.”

Speaking on behalf of City Council, Councilman Robert Barclay asked the crowd to “remember all of the young men who have died needlessly in crime and violence.”

They did just that minutes later, when the names of all homicide victims in Suffolk since 2000 were read out as people lighted their candles.

“It’s time for us as a people to recognize not only injustice, but it’s recognizing healing,” said Donald Everett, explaining why he attended the event. “The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King said injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. It’s just a time for the community to come together.”