WASHINGTON — Demonstrators took to the streets of D.C. to show their support for Trayvon Martin following the announcement of the not guilty verdict for George Zimmerman.
A multiracial group of male and female demonstrators of varied ages marched through the streets of Washington, D.C. beginning at midnight Saturday evening and into the early hours of Sunday morning.
Marching through the neighborhood streets and the popular night spots of the city, the demonstrators peacefully and emotionally expressed their frustration over the outcome of the hotly debated case and tragedy.
An estimated crowd size of 150 demonstrators with signs and mobile phones, escorted by multiple police vehicles, grew to over 300 people at its height as supporters joined in from the sidewalks and word spread about the march via Twitter.
The march ended in Columbia Heights, where demonstrators passionately spoke to the crowd and passersby while police monitored the situation. Demonstrators also held a moment of silence for Trayvon Martin. As the crowd slowly dispersed one speaker berated the assembly for not being larger
No consensus existed amongst the crowd over the meaning of the case. Concern over race relations, power dynamics, income inequality and LGBTQ issues were all amplified with help of a megaphone, as well as from within the crowd.
For example, Clinton Dickens — a local 4th grade teacher — delivered a heartfelt plea for the safety and future of his students, black and white.
For Dickens, the tragedy was not about race, but about human beings and the failure of a community to care for its own.
For Quatatye, a local small business owner and former Marine, the verdict, however, did highlight racial inequality in D.C. and America.
“As a black person, I am an activist everyday because I always have to deal with racism,” she told The Daily Caller.
Zimmerman’s uncanny resemblance to Chaz Bono, noted by Daily Caller staff after his acquittal, went unmentioned in the passionate demonstration.
Videography by Josh Peterson – Photography by Grae Stafford