Street outside Trayvon Martin’s high school to be renamed in his memory

A Miami street will be renamed to honor Trayvon Martin, the teenager whose 2012 death sparked a nationwide reckoning with racial injustice and police brutality and has helped inspire the Black Lives Matter movement. The street will be located outside of Martin’s former school Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High.

Martin was in the 11th grade when he was killed by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer. Zimmerman was later acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter under Florida’s controversial stand-your-ground law. The resolution to rename the road was approved unanimously by Miami-Dade commissioners without discussion.

As reported by the Miami Herald, the resolution also included a description of Martin’s life as a teenager in the Miami area.

“…He was beloved by his family, friends, and other members of his community and has been described as a peaceful, respectful, laid back, and positive person; and, in some ways, Trayvon Martin was a typical teenager who enjoyed playing video games, listening to music, watching movies, and talking and texting on the phone…,” read the resolution.

The street will be renamed “Trayvon Martin Avenue” with new signs expected to be erected within the next few weeks.

Martin was killed in Sanford, Florida while visiting his father at his apartment complex. President Trump will be hosting a rally in Sanford on Monday, his first since contracting the virus. Hosting the rally less than 20 days after first experiencing symptoms goes against CDC health and safety guidelines.