By Brentin Mock

For four weeks now, the youth justice alliance called the Dream Defenders in Florida have peacefully held the state capitol building captive, pushing for reforms to laws that criminalize youth of color. Today, they unveiled “Trayvon’s Law,” a three-pronged bill that aims at the hearts of problematic policies the Defenders say allowed for neighborhood watch guard George Zimmerman to stalk and kill 17-year-old Trayvon Martin when he was innocently returning to his father’s fiancée’s house from the store. Trayvon’s Law seeks to reverse state laws that allow people to shoot-and-kill first then claim self-defense later with impunity, that encourage racial profiling, and that excessively punish black and brown school students for trivial offenses. Many have argued that Trayvon Martin was racially profiled as a black youth by Zimmerman, who initially invoked “Stand Your Ground” self-defense laws after he shot and killed the teen. Martin was suspended from his school in Miami when he was murdered. The Dream Defenders have scored a number of victories since initiating their #TakeoverFL sit-in. A number of celebrities and high-profile activists have camped with them, including actor/singer Harry Belafonte, civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, and today, rapper Talib Kweli. In their first

Read More The Dream Defenders Introduce ‘Trayvon’s Law’; Talib Kweli Weighs In – COLORLINES.