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| Zimmerman’s Acquittal Reverberates, Setting Off Protests and Talk of Race | Zimmerman’s Acquittal Reverberates, Setting Off Protests and Talk of Race |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The fallout over the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin reverberated across the country on Sunday from church pulpits to street protests, setting off a conversation about race, crime and how the American justice system handled a racially polarizing killing of a young black man walking in a residential neighborhood in Florida. | The fallout over the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin reverberated across the country on Sunday from church pulpits to street protests, setting off a conversation about race, crime and how the American justice system handled a racially polarizing killing of a young black man walking in a residential neighborhood in Florida. |
| Lawmakers, members of the clergy and demonstrators who assembled in parks and squares described the decision of the six-person jury not to convict Mr. Zimmerman on any counts in the death of Mr. Martin as evidence of endemic racism. | Lawmakers, members of the clergy and demonstrators who assembled in parks and squares described the decision of the six-person jury not to convict Mr. Zimmerman on any counts in the death of Mr. Martin as evidence of endemic racism. |
| “Trayvon Benjamin Martin is dead because he and other black boys and men like him are not seen as a person, but a problem,” the Rev. Dr. Raphael G. Warnock, the senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, told his congregation on Sunday morning. In an interview afterward, Dr. Warnock put the killing in the context of a month in which the Supreme Court voted 5 to 4 to, in effect, gut the Voting Rights Act. | |
| “The last few weeks have been pivotal to the consciousness of black America,” he said. “Black men have been stigmatized. We’ve become a stigmatized mascot for social misery and the canvas on which America projects all of its problems.” | “The last few weeks have been pivotal to the consciousness of black America,” he said. “Black men have been stigmatized. We’ve become a stigmatized mascot for social misery and the canvas on which America projects all of its problems.” |
| In Sanford, the modest Central Florida city where Mr. Martin was killed, the Rev. Valarie J. Houston drew shouts of support and outrage as she deplored “the racism and the injustice that pollute the air in America.” | |
| “Lord, I thank you for sending Trayvon to reveal the injustices, God, that live in Sanford,” she said. | “Lord, I thank you for sending Trayvon to reveal the injustices, God, that live in Sanford,” she said. |
| Mr. Zimmerman and his supporters, as did his lawyers in court, dismissed race as a factor in the events that led to the death of Mr. Martin. The defense team argued that Mr. Zimmerman had not chased down Mr. Martin and that he had acted in self-defense as the 17-year-old slammed Mr. Zimmerman’s head on a sidewalk. And Florida law explicitly gives civilians the power to take extraordinary steps to defend themselves when they feel that their lives are in danger. | |
| Nonetheless, the reaction to the verdict on Saturday night — by a six-person, all-female panel, which included no black jurors — suggested that five years after this nation elected its first black president, racial relations remain polarized, particularly when it relates to the American justice system and the police. | |
| President Obama, who said shortly after Mr. Martin was killed that if he had a son, “he’d look like Trayvon,” spoke out again on Sunday regarding the case. | |
| “The death of Trayvon Martin was a tragedy,” the president said in a statement issued Sunday by the White House. “Not just for his family, or for any one community, but for America. I know this case has elicited strong passions. And in the wake of the verdict, I know those passions may be running even higher. But we are a nation of laws, and a jury has spoken. | |
| “I now ask every American to respect the call for calm reflection from two parents who lost their young son,” he said. “And as we do, we should ask ourselves if we’re doing all we can to widen the circle of compassion and understanding in our own communities. | “I now ask every American to respect the call for calm reflection from two parents who lost their young son,” he said. “And as we do, we should ask ourselves if we’re doing all we can to widen the circle of compassion and understanding in our own communities. |
| “We should ask ourselves if we’re doing all we can to stem the tide of gun violence that claims too many lives across this country on a daily basis. We should ask ourselves, as individuals and as a society, how we can prevent future tragedies like this. As citizens, that’s a job for all of us. That’s the way to honor Trayvon Martin.” | “We should ask ourselves if we’re doing all we can to stem the tide of gun violence that claims too many lives across this country on a daily basis. We should ask ourselves, as individuals and as a society, how we can prevent future tragedies like this. As citizens, that’s a job for all of us. That’s the way to honor Trayvon Martin.” |
| Black leaders questioned whether Mr. Zimmerman, who is part Hispanic, would have been acquitted if he had been a black man and Mr. Martin had been white. | Black leaders questioned whether Mr. Zimmerman, who is part Hispanic, would have been acquitted if he had been a black man and Mr. Martin had been white. |
| “I find it troubling that a 17-year-old cannot walk to a corner store for candy without putting his life in danger,” said Kasim Reed, the mayor of Atlanta. “I find it more troubling that a citizen could not see a young African-American youth without immediately concluding that he was up to no good.” | “I find it troubling that a 17-year-old cannot walk to a corner store for candy without putting his life in danger,” said Kasim Reed, the mayor of Atlanta. “I find it more troubling that a citizen could not see a young African-American youth without immediately concluding that he was up to no good.” |
| Mark O’Mara, one of Mr. Zimmerman’s lawyers, offered a conflicting assessment during a news conference after the verdict was announced. | Mark O’Mara, one of Mr. Zimmerman’s lawyers, offered a conflicting assessment during a news conference after the verdict was announced. |
| Asked if the outcome would have been different if Mr. Zimmerman had been black, Mr. O’Mara said, “I think that things would have been different if George Zimmerman was black for this reason — he never would have been charged with a crime. | |
| “What happened was, this became a focus for a civil rights event, which again is a wonderful event to have,” he said, “but they decide that George Zimmerman would be the person who they were to blame and sort of use as the creation of a civil rights violation, none of which was borne out by the facts. The facts that night was not borne out that he acted in a racial way.” | “What happened was, this became a focus for a civil rights event, which again is a wonderful event to have,” he said, “but they decide that George Zimmerman would be the person who they were to blame and sort of use as the creation of a civil rights violation, none of which was borne out by the facts. The facts that night was not borne out that he acted in a racial way.” |
| Benjamin Todd Jealous, the president of the N.A.A.C.P., suggested that this case would galvanize young black Americans in much “the way the Emmett Till case did, in the way the Rodney King case did.” | |
| Emmett Till, 14, was murdered in Mississippi in 1955, reportedly after flirting with a white woman. | Emmett Till, 14, was murdered in Mississippi in 1955, reportedly after flirting with a white woman. |
| In the immediate aftermath of the Zimmerman verdict, demonstrations were held in black neighborhoods in some parts of the country, including Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington. | |
| In downtown Oakland, east of San Francisco, dozens of protesters filled the streets to denounce the verdict shortly after it was announced. Some of the protesters set fire to trash cans, broke the windows of local businesses and damaged police patrol cars. | In downtown Oakland, east of San Francisco, dozens of protesters filled the streets to denounce the verdict shortly after it was announced. Some of the protesters set fire to trash cans, broke the windows of local businesses and damaged police patrol cars. |
| Officer J. Moore, a spokesman for the Oakland Police Department, said no arrests had been made and no injuries been reported. Anticipating a reaction to the verdict, Oakland police officers were backed up by officers from surrounding law enforcement agencies, Officer Moore said. | |
| That seemed to be the case across the country, with no reports of violence or arrests at any of the dozens of demonstrations on Sunday. | That seemed to be the case across the country, with no reports of violence or arrests at any of the dozens of demonstrations on Sunday. |
| At St. Sabina, a Catholic church on the South Side of Chicago, where many parishioners are black, men of all ages, and even young children, gathered in the church sanctuary on Sunday, holding signs that read “Trayvon Martin murdered again by INjustice system” and “I am Trayvon Martin,” as the Rev. Michael Pfleger spoke. | |
| “Like many of you, I’m angered, I’m disappointed, I’m disgusted,” Father Pfleger, who is white and is often a contentious figure in Chicago, told his church. “And yet like many of you, I’m not shocked. ’Cause unfortunately, this is the America that we know all too well. Yesterday, we watched the justice system fail miserably again.” | |
| At one point, he stood with a parishioner who he said had called him immediately after the verdict in tears, fearful for what the outcome signaled for her 15-year-old black son. | |
| “America is full of Trayvon Martin realities,” Father Pfleger continued, later adding: “The murder of Trayvon Martin reminds us of America’s travesty — that race, whether we want to acknowledge it or not, is still a defining and crippling reality in America. It reminds us that though we are 150 years past the Emancipation Proclamation, black men are still not free in America.” | |
| In Oakland, Bishop Bob Jackson, the leader of the Acts Full Gospel Church, one of the city’s biggest churches, said he was disappointed by the verdict and hoped that violence would not escalate. | In Oakland, Bishop Bob Jackson, the leader of the Acts Full Gospel Church, one of the city’s biggest churches, said he was disappointed by the verdict and hoped that violence would not escalate. |
| “It’s just a sad day, as far as I’m concerned, as far as racial equality and justice are concerned,” said Mr. Jackson, who has long been active in crime prevention in Oakland and in relations between community groups and the police. | “It’s just a sad day, as far as I’m concerned, as far as racial equality and justice are concerned,” said Mr. Jackson, who has long been active in crime prevention in Oakland and in relations between community groups and the police. |
| “We live in a racist society,” he said. “We need to face it. Black people are not treated the same as white people. You need to face it. That’s just the truth of the matter. And when you see things like that, it just makes it more and more obvious. Even though we have a black president, it still doesn’t say that equality and justice are really being served with everybody.” | “We live in a racist society,” he said. “We need to face it. Black people are not treated the same as white people. You need to face it. That’s just the truth of the matter. And when you see things like that, it just makes it more and more obvious. Even though we have a black president, it still doesn’t say that equality and justice are really being served with everybody.” |
| That sentiment was echoed, with tears and expressions of sorrow, in many of the nation’s black neighborhoods. | |
| “If Trayvon Martin had not been a black man, he still would have been alive,” said Jeff Fard, a community organizer in a black neighborhood in Denver. “We know. If the roles were reversed, Trayvon would have been instantly arrested and, by now, convicted. Those are realities that we have to accept.” | “If Trayvon Martin had not been a black man, he still would have been alive,” said Jeff Fard, a community organizer in a black neighborhood in Denver. “We know. If the roles were reversed, Trayvon would have been instantly arrested and, by now, convicted. Those are realities that we have to accept.” |
| Benjamin Crump, the lawyer for the Martin family, made a similar argument in an appearance on ABC’s “This Week.” | Benjamin Crump, the lawyer for the Martin family, made a similar argument in an appearance on ABC’s “This Week.” |
| “When prosecutor John Guy said if the roles were reversed, and Trayvon Martin would have followed and profiled and shot George in the heart, what would the verdict have been? And that’s the question that everybody is asking,” Mr. Crump said. “That’s why the whole world was watching this case to see if everybody can get equal justice, not just certain people.” | |
| Representative Chaka Fattah, Democrat of Pennsylvania and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, said the jury had in effect condoned Mr. Zimmerman’s actions. | Representative Chaka Fattah, Democrat of Pennsylvania and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, said the jury had in effect condoned Mr. Zimmerman’s actions. |
| “What the jury is saying is, here’s George Zimmerman back, here’s his gun back, and what he did was perfectly fine, and he’s coming to a neighborhood near you, or someone acting the way he acted, and that’s dangerous,” he said on CNN. | “What the jury is saying is, here’s George Zimmerman back, here’s his gun back, and what he did was perfectly fine, and he’s coming to a neighborhood near you, or someone acting the way he acted, and that’s dangerous,” he said on CNN. |
| Still, throughout the day, as blacks and whites struggled with the racial implications of the debate, many called for prayer and peace and urged that there be no escalation of violence. | Still, throughout the day, as blacks and whites struggled with the racial implications of the debate, many called for prayer and peace and urged that there be no escalation of violence. |
| “My heart is heavy,” said Milton Felton, a cousin of Mr. Martin, outside the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Miami Gardens, Fla., where members of the family had gathered. “But that’s our justice system. Let’s be peaceful about it.” | “My heart is heavy,” said Milton Felton, a cousin of Mr. Martin, outside the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Miami Gardens, Fla., where members of the family had gathered. “But that’s our justice system. Let’s be peaceful about it.” |
| The church’s pastor, Arthur Jackson III, said he and others had been urging calm. “The community responded the way I thought they would,” he said after the Sunday service. “I’m pleased there’s no violence, but I wasn’t expecting violence. This situation has not traumatized us, it has not paralyzed us — it has mobilized us.” | The church’s pastor, Arthur Jackson III, said he and others had been urging calm. “The community responded the way I thought they would,” he said after the Sunday service. “I’m pleased there’s no violence, but I wasn’t expecting violence. This situation has not traumatized us, it has not paralyzed us — it has mobilized us.” |
Reporting was contributed by Michael Schwirtz and Michaelle Bond from New York; Cara Buckley from Sanford, Fla.; Kim Severson and Alan Blinder from Atlanta; Monica Davey and Steven Yaccino from Chicago; Jack Healy from Denver; Ian Lovett from Los Angeles; Nick Madigan from Miami; Jon Hurdle from Philadelphia; John Eligon from Kansas City; Norimitsu Onishi from San Francisco; and Trip Gabriel from Washington. | Reporting was contributed by Michael Schwirtz and Michaelle Bond from New York; Cara Buckley from Sanford, Fla.; Kim Severson and Alan Blinder from Atlanta; Monica Davey and Steven Yaccino from Chicago; Jack Healy from Denver; Ian Lovett from Los Angeles; Nick Madigan from Miami; Jon Hurdle from Philadelphia; John Eligon from Kansas City; Norimitsu Onishi from San Francisco; and Trip Gabriel from Washington. |
| This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: | This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: |
| Correction: July 14, 2013 | Correction: July 14, 2013 |
An earlier version of this article misstated the given name of a pastor in Sanford, Fla. She is Valarie J. Houston, not Valerie. It also misstated the city where Jeff Fard is a community organizer. It is Denver, not Detroit. | An earlier version of this article misstated the given name of a pastor in Sanford, Fla. She is Valarie J. Houston, not Valerie. It also misstated the city where Jeff Fard is a community organizer. It is Denver, not Detroit. |