U.S. Murder Trial Leads to National Protests

07/15/2013

Demonstrators in Los Angeles protest the not guilty verdict.

Welcome to As It Is! I’m Christopher Cruise.

Today, we will visit a New York City neighborhood known for its amusement park. But for one family, the park has not been all fun and games.

“It was, it was like a death.”

We will also talk about an American court case that has led to protests across the country.

The George Zimmerman trial ended last Saturday in Florida. The jury found Mr. Zimmerman not guilty. He had been charged with murdering 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

George Zimmerman was driving in his neighborhood in February 2012 when he saw the teenager. Trayvon Martin was walking to a friend’s house. Mr. Zimmerman told the police the young man was acting suspiciously.

George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, left his car and followed Trayvon Martin. The two fought. Mr. Zimmerman had a gun, and he shot and killed the teenager.

The death left many Americans saying Trayvon Martin was targeted because he was black. George Zimmerman is half-Hispanic and half-white.

His defense lawyer, Mark O’Mara, said his client shot Trayvon Martin because the teenager attacked him.

“George Zimmerman was never guilty of anything except protecting himself in self-defense. I’m glad that the jury saw it that way. And I hope that everyone who thinks -- particularly those who doubted George's reasons, and doubted his background -- now understands that the jury knew everything that they knew, it was enough for them to find him not guilty. ”