America is in an uproar.
The lack of any official charges of murder following the shooting death of 17-year-old Florida teen Trayvon Martin has resulted in tributes, petitions, and plans for a million-man march (dubbed #millionhoodies) in New York City. Martin was on his way back from buying Skittles and iced tea from a local store on February 26 when he was shot dead by a neighborhood watchman.
Executives at petition site Change.org told a local paper that the effort calling for justice for Trayvon is the fastest-growing petition that's ever been run on the site.
Celebrities, who often help raise awareness on the issues they champion, are as vocal as ever—and many have taken to Twitter to express their anger.
Here are 13 of their tweets.
Spike Lee, filmmaker
Lee called on his followers to send a bag of Skittles to Bill Lee, the Sanford police chief, whose department many have accused of bungling the evidence.
Michael Moore, filmmaker
Moore took to Twitter to point out that the suspected shooter, 28-year-old neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman, may have referred to Martin as a “coon” while on the phone with a 911 operator.
Russell Simmons, hip-hop mogul
The hip-hop mogul urged his “Twitter fam” to read a Global Grind article on race and the problem of "looking suspicious," and has continued to be a leading voice in raising awareness of the alleged injustice in the case.
Gabrielle Union, actress
Union tweeted how those who are defending him are “monsters" for supporting a man who killed "an unarmed child."
Anderson Cooper, journalist
The CNN host gave a preview of his report when he tweeted about interviewing two eyewitnesses to the shooting who say police were "lackadaisical."
Cornel West, Princeton professor
Activist academic West encouraged his followers to sign the Change.org petition, created by the victim’s family, that calls for prosecution of Martin’s killer.
Janelle Monae, singer
Singer Janelle Monae also pointed her Twitter followers to the Change.org petition calling for prosecution, noting that the number of supporters was reaching the one-million mark.
MC Hammer, performer
The ‘80s superstar also linked to the Change.org petition and asked if his followers would help spread the word of its existence.
Wyclef Jean, singer
Singer Wyclef Jean retweeted others who were talking about Trayvon, highlighting the issue of race at the heart of the story.
Big Boi, rapper (Outkast)
Big Boi had just four words for followers: "F*ck the dumb sh*t," he tweeted.
Star Jones
Star Jones tweeted about the racial issues involved in the case, specifically how different the case would be if Trayvon was white and his killer black.
Wanda Sykes, comedian and actress
Wanda Sykes, a comedian who once worked at the National Security Agency, posed the hypothetical question of whether self-defense would applied had Trayvon wrested the gun away from the shooter.
Tyrese Gibson, singer and model
Gibson wrote his tweet in the form of a message to Trayvon, saying his death was not in vain, and observing the "mess" has become a "message." RIH, Tyrese tweeted. Rest in Heaven.
You can follow all top tweets about Trayvon Martin by watching the hashtag #TrayvonMartin or mentions of his name on Twitter.