Courtesy of Huffington Post Black Voices
Singer and entertainer Harry Belafonte on Friday called on Florida Gov. Rick Scott to listen to protesters who are asking for a special legislative session to examine the state’s self-defense laws after the acquittal of George Zimmerman.
Protesters have occupied the Capitol since July 15 – or three days after a jury cleared Zimmerman of charges in the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. The group wants Scott to call a special session so legislators can change the state’s contentious “stand your ground” law but Scott has steadfastly refused.
Belafonte – who had never been to Tallahassee previously – joined the protest on Friday afternoon. The 86-year-old celebrity said the sight of the protesters “makes my autumn heart dance like it was spring.”
Belafonte said Scott still has a chance to act before the protests intensify and the situation becomes “ungovernable.”
“At the moment all of this is governable, all of this is in a place where it can be debated and analyzed and discussed in a very peaceful, calm, productive way,” said Belafonte, who first rose to fame during the 1950s.
Belafonte – who has had a history of civic activism for several decades – said he was not predicting violence but said the amount of protests of the state could mount and make the state come to a “grinding halt.”
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