NEW YORK/MIAMI (Reuters) – Trayvon Martin’s mother choked back tears as a crowd of 2,000 New Yorkers chanted “We love you” – one week after George Zimmerman was acquitted of murder by a Florida jury in the fatal shooting of the unarmed black teenager.
Across the nation, hundreds marched in the heat of a summer Saturday to rally at federal courthouses in Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles and other cities, demanding “Justice for Trayvon.”
In Miami, Tracy Martin told about 300 supporters of his son’s cause that, after the acquittal, he has “come to realize George Zimmerman wasn’t on trial – Trayvon was on trial.”
In New York, hip-hop mogul Jay-Z and singer Beyonce, his wife, arrived at one of the largest of the protests organizer Rev Al Sharpton said were planned for 100 cities nationwide.
Martin’s mother stifled sobs as she told the crowd: “Not only I vow to do what I have to do for Trayvon Martin, I promise I’m going to work hard for your children as well.”
Among “Boycott Florida” signs were protesters wearing T-shirts with a photo image of Martin in a hooded sweatshirt.
“I’ve got four beautiful daughters. I want them to look forward rather than behind their backs,” said Harlem resident Maria Lopez, 31, who attended the rally with her children.
Visible above the neckline of her Trayvon T-shirt was a tattoo of a packet of Skittles, the candy the teen was carrying when he was shot dead by the neighborhood watchman.
Civil rights leaders had voiced hopes for peaceful protests after outbreaks of violence that earlier this week led to arrests in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area.
Late last Saturday night, a Seminole County jury in central Florida acquitted George Zimmerman, who is part Hispanic, of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the incident, where 17-year-old Martin was shot through the heart.
About 500 people converged on the federal courthouse in Los Angeles under gray skies, toting signs saying ‘Open Season on the Black Man’ and ‘This Should Not Be OK in 2013 America.”
