Rallies are being held today at Union Square and Harlem in response to the not guilty verdict in the Trayvon Martin shooting, as the Reverend Al Sharpton and other prominent New Yorkers are asking the U.S. Department Of Justice to pursue a federal civil rights investigation of the Florida killing. Activist Kevin Powell and the nonprofit BK Nation are holding a peaceful protest at Broadway and 14th Street at 2 p.m., and the Stop Mass Incarceration Network is also holding rallies at Union Square and the Harlem State Office Building at 125th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard. At around 10 p.m. Saturday, a jury of six women in Florida announced around that George Zimmerman was acquitted of murder and manslaughter charges in Martin’s death. Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, had admitted he shot the unarmed 17-year-old but claimed it was in self-defense. The jury had listened to more than 50 witnesses and some dramatic closing arguments, and had reasonable doubt that the shooting amounted to a criminal act. Zimmerman left the court house a free man, with his tracking device taken off. The case has sparked some heated discussion about race relations, as Zimmerman is a white and Hispanic man and Martin was an African-American teenager. Reactions to the verdict have been mixed. Zimmerman’s brother and lawyer expressed their relief, but were careful to mention Martin and his family. Martin’s parents did not speak after the verdict, but did turn to Twitter to thank their supporters. They say, although they are brokenhearted, their faith is not shattered. Before the verdict was reached, officials in Florida were calling for calm, and demonstrators in Florida largely abided by that. It was a different story in California. Protestors in Oakland got rowdy overnight, smashing a cop car and setting a fire in the street. The Martin family also has the option of suing Zimmerman in civil court for wrongful death. There is no word yet on whether they’ll pursue that.
