The aftershocks of Trayvon Martin’s killing continued to reverberate Thursday from Sanford to South Florida, as the embattled police chief and state attorney overseeing the investigation stepped down hours after more than 1,000 Miami-Dade high school students staged a walkout to protest the lack of criminal charges in the case.
Angela Corey, the state attorney for Duval, Nassau and Clay counties, will serve as special prosecutor in the case, Gov. Rick Scott’s office announced Thursday night. The government’s statement suggested that Brevard-Seminole State Attorney Norm Wolfinger was forced out.
Scott also created a statewide citizen task force to review Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law.
The governor’s news was welcomed with boisterous cheers by thousands of people gathered in a Sanford park to attend a rally with the Rev. Al Sharpton, who led the event despite the death of his mother. Flanked by Trayvon’s parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, the celebrity civil-rights activist said Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee’s decision to temporarily step down was not enough.
“We didn’t come here for a temporary leave of absence,” Sharpton said. “We came here for permanent justice. Arrest Zimmerman now!”