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Dream Defenders End Occupation of Florida Capitol After 31 Days

HeadlineAug 16, 2013

The Dream Defenders are ending their occupation of the Florida State Capitol after 31 days. They entered the suite of Florida Republican Governor Rick Scott three days after the acquittal of George Zimmerman to call for the repeal of Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law which delayed Zimmerman’s arrest for killing Trayvon Martin and affected instructions to the jury. The group claimed a number of victories, including a promise from House Speaker Will Weatherford to hold a hearing on the law this fall, although Governor Scott rebuffed their demands for a special session. They have announced plans to register the amount of voters by which Governor Scott won the election in 2010. The group’s executive director, Phillip Agnew, spoke Thursday.

Phillip Agnew: “And so it is now that I am proud to announce that our work and our power has grown too big for these halls, and that it’s time for the movement to continue, and that this is the last time that I’m going to sleep on any floor. And so, as we announced just last week, I’d like to reaffirm our intent to register 61,550 voters in the state of Florida, because we will indeed never forget.”

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