Hundreds protest in New York over Zimmerman acquittal

NEW YORK CITY - Hundreds protested in New York on Sunday against the acquittal of neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman, a day after his trial for killing unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin ended in Florida.

Many who gathered in Union Square brandished signs bearing a portrait of Martin and some, despite the sweltering July heat, wore "hoodie" sweatshirts, as the 17-year-old did the night he was killed in February 2012.

"I am appalled," said Carli VanVoorhis, a 21-year-old hairdresser.

"The man was armed, the kid was not, and the man with the gun got away," she said. "If we say it was not a racial issue, we would be lying."

The crowd -- chanting "no justice, no peace" -- was largely made up of black citizens, but there were whites and hispanics present as well.

One sign demanded to "Jail racist killers, not black youth," while many others declared "We are all Trayvon. The whole damn system is guilty."

"We have a big problem with race, and another problem is guns," said one speaker, Rodney Rodriguez.

"If Zimmerman didn't have a gun, he couldn't have killed Trayvon Martin."

Another protester, Derreck Wilson, 46, said the group had come "to say in a peaceful way why we are angry. We are angry, scared and anxious."

"It's cathartic," he said.

"We all have the same desires. I want to be able to have my son to come home," added Wilson, who came to the protest from the traditionally African-American neighborhood of Harlem.

Rhada Blank also came from Harlem with friends.

When the verdict was announced, she said she thought about leaving the United States permanently.

"I was sick to my stomach when I heard the verdict, I felt ashamed," she said. "I don't feel good about being American today. I think we have a lot of work to do."

"As far as people think we've gone, with the decision of electing (President Barack) Obama, this verdict shows we haven't moved beyond race," said the former teacher who now writes for the theater.

"People have not moved beyond their fears," she lamented. "That decision echoed what many people are feeling in that country. There is a fear of the black male."

The case has, since the beginning pitted those who think the 29-year-old neighborhood watchman -- son of a white father and a Peruvian mother -- killed Martin in self-defense, and those who think it was a murder sparked by racist assumptions.

The killing has also resonated with those who call for stricter gun laws, including New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who issued a statement Sunday against what he called "shoot-first laws."

"Sadly, all the facts in this tragic case will probably never be known. But one fact has long been crystal clear: 'shoot first' laws like those in Florida can inspire dangerous vigilantism and protect those who act recklessly with guns," Bloomberg said, reiterating his calls for eliminating them.

"The tragic death of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed child attempting to walk home from the store, will continue to drive our efforts," Bloomberg added.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Florida teen's shooter granted $1-million bail

MIAMI - George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer facing a murder charge over the high-profile shooting of an unarmed Florida black teen, was granted new bail on Thursday set at $1 million.

Zimmerman, accused of second degree murder for shooting dead 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in February, must post 10 percent of the bail amount, $100,000, but also show $900,000 in assets as collateral in case he flees.

The defendant and his wife Shellie "have about $211,000 in an account that his legal team is using for defense purposes," his lawyer Mark O'Mara has said, making it unclear if the defendant has the means to post bail.

Zimmerman was freed after posting $150,000 bail in April, but that bond agreement was revoked after he and his wife were found to have lied about funds they had raised through a website.

In issuing his ruling, Circuit Court Judge Kenneth Lester largely sided with prosecutors and said Zimmerman may have been intending to flee with more than $130,000 collected through the donations.

"The defendant tried to manipulate the system when he has been presented the opportunity to do so," Lester wrote.

If Zimmerman does post bail, he faces a series of draconian restrictions, unlike in April when he was even allowed to reside outside of the state due to threats against his life.

This time around he must stay in Seminole County and be subjected to electronic monitoring at his own expense. He must not consume any alcohol, open a bank account, or obtain a passport, and he is banned from entering Orlando-Sanford International airport.

Zimmerman, 28, has pleaded not guilty, claiming that he acted in self-defense when he shot dead Martin during a confrontation in Sanford, Florida.

Zimmerman told police he had been tracking Martin, whom he had viewed as suspicious, and shot and killed the teenager after being assaulted by him.

Witnesses reported seeing a scuffle but it is not clear who threw the first punch or what ensued.

The case caused consternation, mainly over authorities' initial reluctance to press charges against Zimmerman, who insists that he acted within his rights under Florida's controversial stand-your-ground law.

Thursday's ruling followed two three-hour bond hearings in which rival attorneys debated Zimmerman's credibility, which has been badly damaged by the revelations that he lied about his finances.

Zimmerman's wife Shellie has been charged with perjury over the money issue and was arrested and briefly jailed before posting a $1,000 bond.

"This increased bail is not a punishment," Lester wrote Thursday. "It is meant to allay this court's concern that the defendant intended to flee the jurisdiction and a lesser amount would not ensure his presence in court."

The racially-charged case -- the victim was black, the shooter is half-white, half-Hispanic -- set off a wave of protests before police finally arrested Zimmerman on April 11 and charged him with second-degree murder.

Sanford police chief Bill Lee was fired last month over the response to the incident.

source: interaksyon.com