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It Ain't Over for Zimmerman: Demonstrations Continue

by Nuzha Nuseibeh

Twitter's not the only place where people are voicing their frustration over Zimmerman's verdict. On the East Coast and in California, people have taken to the streets in response to George Zimmerman's acquittal on Saturday, vocalizing support for Trayvon Martin.

Around 2,000 demonstrators marched from Union Square toward Times Square in New York, disrupting traffic. Another group of about 1,000 people also staged a sit-in at Times Square.

In Boston, 500 protesters made their way from the Roxbury neighborhood through the city streets, alongside police vehicles in a peaceful procession.

Over 100 people demonstrated in Oakland, and things turned destructive as protestors broke the windows of a downtown newspaper office and started small street fires. Protesters also burned two flags (one American and California state), and began spray-painting anti-police graffiti on the walls of the Alameda County's Davidson courthouse. The police say no one has been arrested.

In L.A., 200 protestors gathered for a peaceful vigil in Leimert Park, a historically black neighborhood. Later in the night, a different group of around 100 people marched through the city, while another march also took place in San Francisco's Mission District neighborhood.

A smaller (but still vocal) group also gathered at Sacramento City Hall, where about 40 protesters chanted: "What do we want? Justice. When do you we want it? Now. For who? Trayvon."

"I encourage everyone to continue to keep that fire inside your belly... It's a small drip that makes a big puddle. And today, we started a big puddle in Sacramento," one protester said.

Meanwhile, the White House issued a statement asking people "to respect the call for calm reflection from two parents who lost their young son."

"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," the statement said.

Although George Zimmerman wasn't initially accused of murdering Trayvon Martin (whom he claimed he shot in self-defence), nationwide protests led to him being charged with second-degree murder in April 2012. On Saturday, Zimmerman was found not guilty.