A rally against the verdict in Los Angeles
Obama calls for calm as verdict sparks protests
Sanford, Florida , July 15, 2013
US President Barack Obama called for calm on Sunday after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, as thousands of civil rights demonstrators turned out at rallies to condemn racial profiling.
Zimmerman, cleared late on Saturday by a Florida jury of six women, still faces public outrage, a possible civil suit and demands for a federal investigation.
With civil rights activists clamouring for federal civil rights charges, the US Justice Department said it was evaluating whether it has enough evidence to support prosecution of Zimmerman in federal court after his acquittal in Florida.
Zimmerman's lawyers argued he acted in self-defense the night of February 26, 2012, when, they say, Martin attacked Zimmerman inside a gated community in the central Florida town of Sanford. They accuse civil rights advocates of wrongly injecting the issue of race.
"It was such a shame. The whole case nearly destroyed George from day one ... . That they put a racism spin on this prosecution just hurt him very deeply," said John Donnelly, a close friend of Zimmerman who testified in the trial.
Critics contend Zimmerman, 29, who is white and Hispanic, wrongly suspected Martin, 17, of being a criminal because he was black. Zimmerman called police to report a suspicious looking person, then left his car with a fully loaded Kel Tec 9mm pistol concealed in his waistband.
A fight ensued in which Zimmerman suffered a bloody nose and head injuries, and Zimmerman shot Martin once in the heart.
The teenager had no criminal record and was staying in the neighborhood at the home of his father's fiancee. He had been walking back from a convenience store where he had bought candy and a soft drink.
Thousands of protesters chanting "No justice, no peace" gathered in New York City on Sunday to protest the acquittal, which prompted rallies across the country.
"I feel if we don't step it up, we're in trouble," said Prince Akeem, 20, of the Bronx. "It's young blacks being targeted and we have to stand up, stand up to the cops."
About 1,000 to 2,000 of the demonstrators abandoned the protest site at Union Square to march in the streets toward Times Square, slowing or stopping traffic. Police attempted to funnel the crowd into controlled lanes but were unable to.
Police attempted to halt the march about eight blocks short of Times Square, which was already packed with tourists, but the demonstrators made their way around the officers.
PROTESTS AROUND COUNTRY
Saturday's not-guilty verdict was decried by civil rights leaders and protests were organized in several cities, including Boston, San Francisco, San Diego and Sacramento.
In Boston, about 500 racially mixed protesters left their demonstration site in the Roxbury neighborhood and started marching in the streets alongside police escorts on motorcycle and on foot. "They've been very orderly," Boston police superintendent William Evans said. - Reuters
