As news spread of the jury’s acquittal of George Zimmerman for the killing of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin on Saturday evening, social networks and cable channels buzzed with heated reactions. But Tweeting only goes so far, and people who wanted a stronger, more public way to express their displeasure with the verdict and support for Trayvon flocked to the streets for spontaneous protests in cities around the country.
From San Francisco to Sanford, Florida; Atlanta to Washington, late Saturday night and Sunday saw people flooding into the streets. Several cities had braced for riots in the event of an acquittal, but most of the marches were peaceful demonstrations of the verdict.
Here, a look at some of the images and words from impromptu protests, marches, vigils, and gatherings from across the country.
In New York:
In Washington:
#trayvon protest signs in DC pic.twitter.com/iCed8erZ3W
— Will Sommer (@willsommer) July 14, 2013
In Chicago:
In San Francisco:
In St. Louis:
@blackvoices Rally in St. Louis at the Justice Center pic.twitter.com/3nDl82FAHZ
— Yvonne P. (@yvonnelouise) July 15, 2013
In Newark:
We will protest for justice for trayvon #justicefortrayvon #nojustice #nopeace @SybrinaFulton @BTraymartin9 #NJSUPPOR pic.twitter.com/GlgKCbarv5
— MIZZ_BADDAZZ (@Neato89) July 14, 2013
In Los Angeles:
In Milwaukee:
In Miami:
In Charlotte:
In Houston:
In Atlanta:
In Oakland, however, the protests were more violent, as HuffPost's Carly Schwartz reported. Some demonstrators broke windows on area businesses, started small fires and vandalized a police car.