Zimmerman verdict triggers mass protests across US

Mass protests erupted in major U.S. cities Sunday to decry the acquittal of George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot unarmed African American teenager Trayvon Martin. The national wave of protest spread to New York, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco and other cities, blocking traffic and leading to clashes in Los Angeles. A group of demonstrators gathered in New York City's Times Square Sunday night after marching about two miles from an earlier rally in Union Square. The Times Square protest caused a traffic shutdown on 7th Avenue between 42nd and 47th Streets. In Los Angeles, at least one person was arrested Sunday evening during clashes between the police and people protesting Saturday's not-guilty verdict. The Los Angeles Police Department said the clashes happened when some protestors threw rocks at police, who then responded by firing non-lethal rounds at the demonstrators. There were no reports of injuries. Demonstrators also blocked the 10 Freeway, causing a traffic jam on the busy highway. Martin, a 17-year-old high school student, was shot dead while walking to the house of his father's fiancee in a gated community in Sanford, Florida on Feb. 26, 2012. Zimmerman, then 28, called the police to report Martin's presence as suspicious and followed him. The two then engaged in a fight, and Zimmerman ended up fatally shooting Martin. Zimmerman claimed he shot the unarmed teenager in self-defense. The fact that Zimmerman was not immediately arrested raised racial tensions across the country. It was only after public outcry that Zimmerman was charged last April with second degree murder, and U.S. TV stations have been live covering court proceedings starting last month. After more than 16 hours of deliberation Saturday night, a jury in Florida found Zimmerman not guilty of second degree murder or manslaughter. Zimmerman was set free. But heated debates over justice for minorities continued. Outraged people at New York's Union Square, along with those outside the Florida court, protested the verdict Saturday night. Protesters also held demonstrations, mostly peaceful, in several California cities Saturday night. An Oakland protest turned violent, with some protestors breaking windows and starting small street fires. President Barack Obama on Sunday issued a statement, saying the death of Trayvon Martin was a tragedy, and the strong passions elicited may be running even higher in the wake of the verdict. He said the jury had made its decision and he called on every American to engage in calm reflection as the best way to stem the tide of gun violence and prevent future tragedies like this.