Protestors March in Florida After Manslaughter Defendants Are Acquitted

In the case of 14-year old black inmate Martin Lee Anderson who died on January 6, 2006 after being beaten by 7 guards, hundreds of protestors marched Tuesday to a Florida courthouse.

Hundreds of protestors marched to a Florida courthouse Tuesday more than a week after an all-white jury acquitted seven guards and a nurse of manslaughter charges in the case of 14-year old black inmate Martin Lee Anderson.

The defendants were workers at a now-defunct state-supervised boot camp where Anderson died on January 6, 2006 after being beaten by guards as the nurse watched. The act was videotaped. Defense attorneys argued that the boy died of a pre-existing medical condition and that the workers acted according to protocol.

Protestors and prosecutors argue that Anderson’s civil rights were violated and that former Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Guy Tunnell acted inappropriately during the investigation. The NAACP is urging for the investigation of Tunnell citing that he tried to prevent the videotape from being seen by the public, made racists remarks about the case, and did not accurately communicate the facts of the case to the current Bay County Sheriff.