The National and Regional NAACP President traveled from Baltimore and Atlanta, hoping to give the community a chance to ask city officials questions. They invited the Mayor, City Manger and Police Chief in Sanford to the town hall meeting.
However, the Mayor and City Manager were in Washington D.C. talking to the Department of Justice, so only the Police Chief was suppose to attend, but for some reason he didn't show up. When NAACP National President Benjamin Jealous was asked what he thought of that, here's what he said.
"He should be here to listen and tell people why they should have faith in him. There's a sense of distance between this community and the chief."
People still asked questions during the town hall meeting, and some people like Ron Scott, didn't seem to mind the lack of Chief Bill Lee's presence.
"I feel he knows that something's wrong and he doesn't want to step up to the plate."
"If he had shown up would it have made a difference to you?"
"No, cause he should have done something in the beginning," Scott said.
But others like Sylvia Bodison felt it was important to give the Chief a chance and not jump to conclusions.
"Maybe something came up cause he has a very important job, so I don't think you should be judging him till you find out why he did not come. It had to be a good reason that's all I can say." "I just hope and pray that everything comes out peaceful, I just want everything to remain peaceful," Bodison said.
"We will ensure there's a new chief here in Sanford," said a person speaking to the crowd from the podium. Meanwhile, the NAACP National President says too much suffering has occurred and he wants changes to take place.
"The reality is people are losing faith day by day and they need to have their faith restored."
The Sanford Police spokesperson didn't know why the Chief decided not to attend and they maintain they conducted a fair investigation.
The State Attorney's Office will decide if George Zimmerman will be charged. The Grand Jury convenes on April 10th.
