QUINCY, ILL. -- The Quincy City Council unanimously approved Jenna Smith's petition to host a silent protest and march for Trayvon Martin.
"Just because we're a small community doesn't mean we can't come together and stand up for him and show support for his family," Smith who is organizing the march said.
Smith said she came up with the idea to hold a march in Quincy after several larger cities held similar events. She hopes the protest and march will show support to Trayvon Martin's family as well as educate the community on issues of racism. She hopes to, "let people know it's not okay to be treated by the way that you look or the color of your skin."
"We definitely have them in prayer, they can't get enough prayer. And as time goes on they're going to need all the support they can get to get through this," Pearl Harris, who supports the Council's decision to allow the march said.
The "Stand Up Against Racism for Trayvon Martin" silent protest and march will be on Saturday, April 14. According to the petition, two groups will march on the sidewalks around 11:30 a.m., one group will start at 6th and Broadway, the other will start at 36th and Broadway.
"All of our children could have been Trayvon, any one of them. Hopefully with our participation with the march and the silent protest, maybe we will reach people who don't know that this is going on," Smith said.
Martin was the unarmed 17-year-old Sanford, Fla. teenager who was shot and killed Feb. 26 by a 28-year-old neighborhood watch member, George Zimmerman.
Zimmerman told investigators that he acted in self-defense. According to CNN a gun rights group called LegalBoom.org has started a legal defense fund for Zimmerman and Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law.
The conflicting reports of what happened touched off a nationwide outcry over civil rights and Florida's Stand Your Ground Law.
Zimmerman has not been charged with a crime. The case is being reviewed by the U.S. Justice Department.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKHQA