Protests against George Zimmerman trial verdict spring up nationwide

by Alexis Garrett Stodghill

July 14, 2013 at 3:23 AM

Anonymous: @AnonOpsLegion 1h
“Who killed Trayvon Martin?
The whole damn system!” #Justice4Trayvon
#Chicago pic.twitter.com/kihWgToVG01 of 17
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In cities across the country, protests have taken shape in reaction to George Zimmerman’s acquittal of all murder charges in his second degree murder trial for the death of Trayvon Martin.
“Trayvon was murdered,” marchers chanted in Washington, D.C. “No justice, no peace,” they intoned according to NBC 4 Washington.
The Los Angeles Times is covering similar developments. Officials in San Francisco have noted that 200 people have gathered peacefully, yet taken to the streets, to contest the Seminole County jury’s finding that George Zimmerman is not guilty after two days of deliberations.
“We haven’t been notified of any disturbance,” an officer told the paper. “So far it’s peaceful.”
On Twitter, people have captured and shared these spontaneous outpourings into public spaces, where kindred spirits are gathering to lament the outcome to a controversial trial that some feel underscores a widespread belief that, for African-Americans, true justice is a fleeting ideal.
“The whole system is racist,” stated the signs of protesters at a BART station in the San Francisco region, driving that message home.
Similar protests have been documented on Twitter and news reports in Chicago, Florida and New York City.
At approximately 10 p.m. on Saturday, the six jurors assigned to the George Zimmerman trial returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty. It is a legal requirement for such cases in Florida that juries must come to a unanimous decision.
Earlier on Saturday, there was some speculation that Zimmerman would receive the lesser verdict of manslaughter, rather than second degree murder, due to the fact that the jury had presented a question about that verdict to the court during its deliberations.
Zimmerman maintains that he was attacked by Trayvon Martin and acted in self-defense. Martin was shot and killed during an altercation that took place in Sanford, Florida in February 2012.
Follow Alexis Garrett Stodghill on Twitter @lexisb.