Hundreds show up for Martin rally

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Supporters of Trayvon Martin, a young black male who was shot and killed in Florida a month ago, gathered at the gates on the South side of the Capitol on Tuesday afternoon.

Organizer Glen Maxey, a former state representative, said the many who have RSVPed to the event on Facebook are a broad cross-section of the Austin community, of all income and races.

"People from all walks of life are coming together to recognize this failure of the criminal justice system," Maxey said on Tuesday afternoon. "We expect almost a thousand people to gather together in solidarity."

Martin's shooting, by a neighborhood watch volunteer a month ago, has draw national attention as a possible case of racial profiling. George Zimmerman, who shot Martin in a gated Florida community as Martin walked to his father's girfriend's house on February 26, has argued he shot Martin in self-defense.

The Capitol event will be a silent one, Maxey said. There will be no speeches or cheers.

"If you are as incensed as most of America, stand with us demanding justice for Trayvon Martin. No speeches, no yelling," organizers wrote in the event invitation. "Just Austinites standing together for two hours in memory of Trayvon and by our presence demanding justice for his family."

Just today, new reports had emerged that Martin, 17, had a somewhat troubled disciplinary history at the high school he attended in Miami. Martin was suspended three times in the last year for various infractions, a fact that was confirmed by the family attorney on Tuesday.

Martin's parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, were scheduled to appear before a House Judiciary Committee briefing on Tuesday to discuss the topic of racial profiling.