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Students
continue vigil at the Capitol
By
Jennifer Jefferson
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
Originally published April 20, 2006
Early this morning, Sen. Steve Geller came to show his support for
group of college students who spent the night outside Gov. Bush's
office inside the Capitol.
"The
issue you are here for is an important issue," Geller, D-Hallandale
Beach, told the students. "You can't beat a kid to death and no one
gets punished."
Every hour on the hour a spokesperson for the group of more than 30
stands and recites the demands set forth by the group who want to
see justice served for Martin Lee Anderson, the 14-year-old Bay
County teen who died after being beaten in a Bay County Boot Camp in
Panama City. No charges have been filed so far in the case.
These include: a public apology; a change in venue from Bay County
for any trial; release of the second autopsy report; arrest of the
guards; a civil suit against the Bay County Sheriff's Office and
FDLE; removal of Dr. Charles Siebert as medical examiner in
Bay
County and removal of the boot camp nurse.
"We
need to see something happen," said Monique Gillum,
vice-president-elect of the Florida A&M University Student
Government Association. "We are serious about this. We aren't going
anywhere."
Outside of the governor's office, there is corner stockpiled with
doughnuts, water, other food and trash. Some students were sitting
in chairs, but most were seated along the perimeter of the floor
with their legs crossed. There are rules to the sit-in: no loud
talking and no use of cell phones, except for text messaging.
"This is a place of business," FAMU SGA President Ramon Alexander
said.
Gabe
Pendas, FSU's Senate president, noted: "The governor didn't wait for
a thorough investigation when he took action on the Terry Schiavo
case. Is Martin Lee Anderson not as important as Terry Schiavo."
"This is not only for Martin, but for all the Martin Lee Andersons
to come, Gillum said.
The
students said they planned to meet with Anderson's family at
4 p.m.
Students from FAMU, FSU and
Tallahassee
Community College also have planned a major march from the
Civic
Center to the Capitol on Friday to voice their united concerns on
what they say is too much silence and too little action on the
Anderson
investigation.
For
updates on this issue, please go to
www.tallahassee.com and read more about this in tomorrow's Tallahassee
Democrat.
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