On Sunday, July 14th, New Yorkers gathered in Union Square to express their outrage for the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the murder of Trayvon Martin. Although many were not surprised by the court's decision, the pain of another black life lost and the failure of the judicial system to bring justice still weighed heavy in many people's hearts.
After assembling at Union Square, protesters took to the streets and marched uptown to Times Square. Mothers pushed strollers with young children, seasoned activists held aloft banners decrying the racism of Stand your Ground laws while youth led chants declaring Without Justice there would be No Peace!
At Times Square, organizers took a temperature check of the crowd to see if they should stay where they were, head back downtown to Union Square or march to Harlem. The crowd roared with approval to continue marching uptown.
For the most part the New York Police Department permitted marchers to take over the streets as they clogged busy thoroughfares including Seventh, Fifth and Park Avenues, 116th and 125th streets and Malcolm X Boulevard. There were a couple of skirmishes on the Upper East Side where cops made several arrests but it was mostly a peaceful demonstration.
Many young people of color participated in the march and voiced both anger and anguish. Jessica, Andre and Natasha share their feelings.
https://soundcloud.com/globalmovements/justice-for-trayvon-martin
