Trayvon Martin protests in Boston, Tampa, Fla., Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.Nicolaus Czarnecki/Metro US/Zumapress.com; Dirk Shadd/MCT/Zumapress.com; Ringo Chiu/Zumapress.com; Miguel Juarez Lugo/Zumapress.com
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Saturday’s verdict in the George Zimmerman murder trial triggered waves of emotion, ranging from elation to despair, that rippled far beyond the confines of Sanford, Florida, where Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old, last February. Zimmerman claimed self-defense in the closely watched, divisive trial, which ended Saturday evening with an acquittal.
Unfounded speculation that a not-guilty verdict would lead to riots and widespread violence was rampant in the week before the jury made its decision. The riot rumor-mongers were right about one thing: People were angry enough to take to the streets Sunday, but the protests, which occurred from coast to coast, were largely peaceful demonstrations of anger and disappointment.
Here are images from some of Sunday’s demonstrations:
Hundreds gather in Boston’s Dudley Square. Nicolaus Czarnecki/Metro US/Zumapress.com
Two people lean on each other as a protest begins at Fort Mellon Park in Sanford, Florida. Jacob Langston/MCT (Zumapress.com)
Reverend William Brown of Morning Star Baptist Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico, speaks to a crowd at the city’s Civic Plaza. Around 200 people participated in the protest. Adolph Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal/Zumapress.com
A Los Angeles police officer watches a crowd of demonstrators. Thousands of Angelenos took to the streets in protest. Ringo Chiu/Zumapress.com
Niciah Petrovic (center) and Joanna Cherry (right) comfort each other at a protest in Washington, DC. Miguel Juarez Lugo/Zumapress.com
Demonstrators hold up a sign at they march down Washington Boulevard in Detroit. Courtney Sacco/Zumapress.com
Emmanuel Thombs, 13, joins about 100 people at a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina. Travis Long/MCT/Zumapress.com
Protestors convene in New York City’s Union Square. Thousands took to the streets of the city in protest. Staton Rabin/Zumapress.com
