(The Root) — The NAACP is asking supporters to sign a petition urging the Department of Justice to open a civil rights case against George Zimmerman. The call to action is in a letter signed by President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous, distributed in the first hours after a jury announced its acquittal of the neighborhood-watch volunteer in the death of unarmed Florida teen Trayvon Martin. The petition reads:
Attorney General Eric Holder,
The Department of Justice has closely monitored the State of Florida's prosecution of the case against George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin murder since it began. Today, with the acquittal of George Zimmerman, it is time for the Department of Justice to act.
The most fundamental of civil rights — the right to life — was violated the night George Zimmerman stalked and then took the life of Trayvon Martin. We ask that the Department of Justice file civil rights charges against Mr. Zimmerman for this egregious violation.
Please address the travesties of the tragic death of Trayvon Martin by acting today.
Thank you.
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