LA Violence: Zimmerman Verdict Sparks Clashes
Police fire non-lethal rounds as protesters voice disbelief that a black teenager's killer has been cleared of murder.
5:16pm UK, Monday 15 July 2013
Video: Demonstrators block traffic on the Interstate 10 freeway Los Angeles
A New York march in memory of Trayvon Martin, the black unarmed teenager who was shot dead by George Zimmerman in Florida last year. The 17-year-old was carrying a bag of Skittles when he was killed.
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Mr Zimmerman claimed he acted in self-defence and was acquitted of murder by a jury.
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The verdict has stirred emotions and divided people between those who believed Mr Zimmerman acted the way he did because of Trayvon's race, and those who believed that he acted in self-defence.
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A police officer confronts a protester in Manhattan.
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A demonstration in Union Square, New York.
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A peaceful rally in Miami.
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A woman stages a protest against the verdict in Florida.
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A protester is pushed back on a road in Los Angeles.
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There have been pockets of violence in LA.
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Protesters block traffic by marching through New York.
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Gallery: Protests In US Over Trayvon Case
By Tom Parmenter in Washington DC
Sky News
July 15, 2013
Violent clashes have broken out between police and protesters in Los Angeles after George Zimmerman's acquittal over the shooting dead of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin. [English translation: Rioters attacked police.]
The LAPD said officers fired non-lethal bean bag rounds to disperse the crowd after protesters threw batteries and rocks at police.
The protesters were marching on I-10 highway in the Crenshaw neighbourhood in southwestern LA.
Several arrests were made after 80 protesters gathered outside the CNN building in Hollywood chanting "No Justice, No Peace", the LA Times reported.
Officers faced pockets of protests throughout Sunday evening, but they stressed that most protesters were peaceful.
Protesters have been demonstrating on LA's I-10 highway
In New York, Times Square was closed to traffic to prevent a demonstration from getting out of control. Crowds have also taken to the streets in San Francisco and Boston.
Many have donned hooded tops as a mark of respect to the 17-year-old, who was wearing one on the night he was killed by Mr Zimmerman.
The neighbourhood watch volunteer was cleared on Saturday of the second-degree murder of Trayvon in Sanford, near Orlando in Florida.
[N.S.: Note the recent picture of Zimmerman from the trial, next to the picture of Martin when he was perhaps 12 years old. They're still doing it!]
Mr Zimmerman was acquitted of the 17-year-old's murder
He had been accused of pursuing him through a gated community, but the jury believed the defence team's argument that Mr Zimmerman opened fire in self-defence after the teenager wrestled him to the ground. [Not exactly. The jury believed the defense team's argument that Mr. Zimmerman opened fire in self-defense after the teenager began smashing his head into the ground.]
While many people believe the jury got it right in deciding that Mr Zimmerman acted in self-defence, many others believe it has again exposed deep racial divisions.
Some of the biggest demonstrations were in New York where thousands of people gathered in Union Square and then later in Times Square.
One protester, Stacey Ann Chin, said: "I have a black child growing up in New York City.
The protests in LA caused traffic chaos
"And I felt like I had to get out of my house today, and motivate the household and get everyone out to come and show a presence, some evidence of resistance, some evidence of our displeasure or our aghast, unbelief about what has happened. "
Carmella Alston, also from New York, said: "I just know that my ancestors, my great-grandmothers, my grandmothers all marched before with Malcolm, Martin, Reverend Jesse Jackson, and even marched with Al Sharpton.
[Her ancestors didn't march with Malcolm, because he didn't lead civil rights marches, and expressly denied that he was a civil rights leader. Given her dishonesty about Malcolm, I doubt her ancestors marched with MLK either, and they would have been too old to march with Jackson and Sharpton. Actually, they wouldn't have marched with any of the aforementioned men, because "ancestors" are people who lived centuries ago!]
"And I didn't think at this age I will have to be going through this as well."
Community leaders including the Rev Jackson - who said he was "stunned" by the verdict - have called on protesters to demonstrate peacefully.
A police officer pushes back a protester on the I-10 highway in LA
US President Barack Obama, who spoke emotionally about the case last year, has called for "calm reflection".
"The death of Trayvon Martin was a tragedy. Not just for his family, or for any one community, but for America," Mr Obama said.
"I know this case has elicited strong passions. And in the wake of the verdict I know those passions are running even higher. But we are a nation of laws, and a jury has spoken."
Times Square was closed to vehicles because of the protests
Meanwhile, New York Giants footballer Victor Cruz has apologised for a tweet in which he appeared to criticise the verdict and predict that Mr Zimmerman would become the victim of vigilantes. The NFL star said after deleting the tweet that he would never advocate violence.
Trayvon's parents, Tracy and Sybrina, who are separated, had asked the public before the verdict to respect the outcome of the trial. Afterwards they thanked people for the outpouring of support they had received since last year.
They are said to be considering a separate civil lawsuit against Mr Zimmerman, who was not arrested until well over a month after the killing led to national outrage.
The Justice Department has confirmed that now the trial has ended it is reviewing evidence to determine whether criminal civil rights charges are warranted.
I believe the Zimmerman-Martin case is showing white and non-black Americans what many black Americans really think of them.
ReplyDeleteThe people in these photos can't think for themselves, nor can they govern themselves. And they have no idea of how easily manipulated they are.
The presence of the white pro-Traylon protestors is shameful.
These same malcontents that demand & receive everything free, thanks to hardworking tax payers can't even leave a tip on the table. They contribute nothing but hell.
ReplyDeleteHow utterly absurd this all is. If anyone should be in the streets rioting it is white people who are the DAILY murder/rape victims of blacks. The media have concealed this all too well. May they roast in Hades!
ReplyDeleteTracy and Sybrina are divorced. Tracy's next wife, Alicia, raised Trayvon from the age of three till Tracy took up with Brandi (who had his baby in January).
ReplyDeleteThey can't get even the simplest things right.
--gainny