Rally to be Held in Stamford Addressing Zimmerman Verdict

There will be a rally held in Stamford Saturday in response to the verdict given to George Zimmerman July 13.

Zimmerman, a volunteer neighborhood watchman in Sanford, Fla., shot and killed 17-year-old, unarmed Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26, 2012. Zimmerman was found not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter July 13.

The Stamford and Norwalk branches of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will be holding the rally at noon at the corner of Richmond Hill and Rose Park Avenue, according to a press release.

Jack Bryant, the president of Stamford NAACP, said in a released email statement that the "verdict shifted the priorities of the NAACP," which was holding its national convention in Orlando, Fla., when the verdict was announced.

"The emotions that came over us were of unbelief and anger. 'IE' was the message for the week," Bryant said. "'Intelligence over Emotions.'"

Bryant said though some at the conference wanted to travel to Sanford to protest, the message "intelligence over emotions" won out and the NAACP decided to focus on other efforts.

"We decided to come back to our respective communities and get that same message out of IE, Intelligence over Emotions," Bryant said in the email.

He said the Saturday rally is being held to discuss the verdict and black-on-black crime in neighborhoods, which he said is "the number one cause of deaths of those like Trayvon."

"We want our community to know about these issues and give them an update on the actions taken by the NAACP while in Orlando regarding the verdict," Bryant said.

For more information, call Stamford NAACP at 203-898-3223 or visit its website.