Riots Continue in LA Over Zimmerman Verdict
Rioters angry over the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin tore through the streets of Los Angeles for a second night, interrupting traffic, smashing windows and even looting a Wal-Mart store.
Police struggled to contain the unrest to the Crenshaw District, the heart of the L.A.’s black community.
Meanwhile, one of the six jurors in the Zimmerman trial, known only as juror number 37B, told CNN she voted to acquit Zimmerman because she had no doubt the neighborhood watchman feared for his life.
She said both Martin and Zimmerman could have walked away from their tragic encounter.
“I think all of us thought race did not play a role. We never had that discussion,” she said.
Juror 37B said three jurors favored convicting Zimmerman but changed their minds after repeated scrutiny of the evidence presented at the trial.
Zimmerman’s whereabouts are not known, but his parents are concerned for his safety.
“There’s a lot of death threats in social media. We had an enormous amount of death threats,” Zimmerman’s mother, Gladys, said.
Even though Zimmerman was found not guilty of criminal charges, his ordeal may not end anytime soon. Civil rights leaders are pushing for federal charges.
“Clearly there are grounds for civil rights charges here,” civil rights activist Al Sharpton said. “We always said there would be a plan B, but there needed to be a plan A.”
“There never would have been protests if there had been an arrest and if the police department did what it was supposed to do,” he charged.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice is still considering a civil rights case against Zimmerman.
“I share your concerns and as we first acknowledged last spring. We have opened an investigation into this matter,” Attorney General Eric Holder said.
Martin’s parents are considering a possible wrongful death lawsuit against Zimmerman as well.
