View this article online: https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2012/04/04/242151.htm
A march in Florida’s state capital to protest the shooting death of Trayvon Martin is being held today after city officials relented and allowed the march to precede despite a lack of liability coverage.
Tallahassee officials had told the march organizer, the National Christian League of Councils, that it needed to show proof it could self-insure against any liability claim, after the NCLC said it could not obtain a $1 million liability policy as required by a city ordinance.
The NCLC said its application was rejected by 12 insurance companies due to the march’s controversial nature and security concerns.
Tallahassee City Attorney Jim English said the city decided to reverse itself and remove the insurance requirements citing concerns over the NCLC’s First Amendment rights.
He said the decision does not eliminate the risk of a claim and does not indemnify the NCLC against any possible claim. However, he said, in such event the city would consider any claims to be a private matter.
“We try to be as accommodating as possible to constitutional and community issues,” English said in a statement. “However, we still encourage the NCLC to have insurance to protect themselves and their organization in case something occurs.”
The march is set to arrive at the state capital around noon today and last until 4:00 p.m. The NCLC has said it expects up to 4,000 people to attend.
The march is protesting Florida’s “Stand your Ground” law that has come under fire in the wake of the death of Martin, a 17-year-old black teen who was shot last month in Sanford, Fla., by a neighborhood watch worker, George Zimmerman.