Ralliers call for justice for Kendrick Johnson

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A rally was held Friday calling for justice for Georgia teen Kendrick Johnson, the 17-year-old found dead in a rolled-up gym mat nearly a year and a half ago.

The rally was to remember two important people. Although the focus was on Johnson, those in attendance chose to remember him Friday because it was the 46th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

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Johnson's parents, along with members of the NAACP, gathered outside the Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Macon, Ga., demanding action and pointing out the discrepancies in the Valdosta teen's case.

"There are some, you know, 'Just let this alone. This was a freak accident,'" one person at the rally said. "No. What do we want? Justice. To those who say this was a freak accident, I question their motives."

An initial autopsy ruled Kendrick Johnson accidentally suffocated in the mat. A second autopsy,conducted by a pathologist hired by Johnson's family, found he died from a blow to the neck.

"It's almost a year and a half now. We want action," attorney Benjamin Crump said. "We want to see something happen, and that's why these community leaders are here to say we want something to happen."

An initial autopsy ruled Johnson's death an accident. But a second autopsy commissioned by his family blamed "apparent, non-accidental, blunt force trauma."

Just before the rally, Johnson's parents met with the U.S. attorney who reopened their son's case to get an update on the investigation.

The family says there has been progress in the investigation, but did not provide any details.