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Opinion

Violent protests don’t honor Trayvon Martin

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George Zimmerman looks down as the not-guilty verdict is read. From left are attorneys Mark O’Mara, Don West and Lorna Truett.  (Joe Burban / McClatchy-Tribune)
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People march down Wilshire Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles, protesting the acquittal of George Zimmerman.   (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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A child looks at security personnel guarding the federal courthouse during a “justice for Trayvon Martin” protest and march in downtown Los Angeles. About 400 people participated in the march.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Artist Nate Shaw participates in the rally and march in downtown Los Angeles protesting the acquittal of George Zimmerman.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Ruth Sarnoof, 81, center, participates in the “justice for Trayvon Martin” protest and march in downtown Los Angeles.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Aaliyah Coleman, 4, accompanies her parents to the protest in downtown Los Angeles.   (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Adam Smith, 43, wears a hoodie at the protest and march in downtown Los Angeles. Trayvon Martin was wearing a hoodie the night he was killed.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Jeff Sizemore, 51, left, holds a poster of Trayvon Martin as Anthony Walters, 32, pays his respects at a protest rally at Lemeirt Park on July 20.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Bettyemarie Benton, 19, complains that the organizers of Trayvon Martin protest march at Lemeirt Park in Los Angeles are communists. She belongs to the Moorish League and is in support of Trayvon Martin but against the group that led the march.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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CHP officers guard on and off ramps of Freeway 10 as the supporters of Trayvon Martin march down Crenshaw Boulevard on their way to Lemeirt Park in Los Angeles.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Syrbrina Fulton, center, and her son, left, Jahvaris Martin, brother of Trayvon Martin, attend a rally in New York on Saturday along with the Rev. Al Sharpton, right. Several hundred people gathered at Manhattan police headquarters calling for justice in protest of the George Zimmerman verdict last week.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Several hundred people bow their heads in prayer at the start of a rally at Manhattan police headquarters.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Despite temperatures near 100 degrees, several hundred people gathered at Manhattan police headquarters calling for justice in protest of the George Zimmerman verdict last week.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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A protestor holds up a bag of Skittles. At the time of Trayvon Martin’s death, he was carrying a bag of Skittles and a can of tea.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Despite temperatures near 100 degrees, hundreds of people gathered at Manhattan police headquarters protesting the George Zimmerman verdict last week.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Jay Z wipes sweat from his face during a rally at Manhattan police headquarters. He, along with Beyonce, was there to show his support for the family of Trayvon Martin.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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The Rev. Al Sharpton calls on people gathered at Manhattan police headquarters to continue the fight for justice in protest of the George Zimmerman verdict last week.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Several hundred people gathered at Manhattan police headquarters to protest the George Zimmerman verdict.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Martin Luther King III speaks at a rally outside the Richard B. Russell Federal Building in Atlanta.  (Jaime Henry-White / Associated Press)
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People in Atlanta rally in the rain.   (Erik S. Lesser / EPA)
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Barbara Dunn lies in the street while participating in the rally in front of the Richard B. Russell Federal Building in Atlanta.  (Erik S. Lesser / EPA)
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People rally in Atlanta, calling for civil rights charges against George Zimmerman.   (Jaime Henry-White / Associated Press)
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Jennifer Anderson of West Los Angeles joins a demonstration in support of Trayvon Martin at Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.   (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
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From left, Simone Edwards of Santa Clarita, Natalya Romo of Sylmar and Gina Watkins of Pasadena pray during a demonstration in Pasadena protesting the verdict in the George Zimmerman murder trial.   (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Alicia Dhanifu, wearing a hoodie in support of slain teenager Trayvon Martin, prays during a demonstration in Pasadena.   (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Diners on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills watch as protesters rally in support of slain teenager Trayvon Martin.   (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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Demonstrators rally on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills against the George Zimmerman trial verdict.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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A woman in Beverly Hills uses her phone to record demonstrators calling for an end to racial profiling and denouncing the verdict in the George Zimmerman murder trial.   (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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LAPD officers gather outside the Beverly Center in anticipation of a protest planned against the George Zimmerman case verdict.   (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters in Leimert Park demonstrate against the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial.   (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
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Rajeeyah Bilal-Varney listens during a demonstration near City Hall to protest the verdict in George Zimmerman’s trial. “I came out to protest because [Trayvon Martin’s] death is personal to me,” says Bilal-Varney. “I too lost a 17-year-old son; in 1998, he was shot. I see Trayvon as my son. I see Trayvon as all of our sons.”  (Spencer Bakalar / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters gather at Leimert Park on Tuesday evening to protest the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial. LAPD was out in full force after disturbances and violent protests on Monday night in the Crenshaw area.   (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
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A protester holds a “Honk For Trayvon” sign to motorists passing by on Crenshaw Boulevard at Leimert Park on the third day of protests on July 16.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Hundreds march along Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles protesting the not guilty-verdict of George Zimmerman for the murder of Trayvon Martin, holding signs that say “the whole system is racist.”  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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On Tuesday, Protesters rally for the third day on Crenshaw Boulevard in Leimert Park.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Business owners sit outside a beauty supply shop with the words “black owned” written on the windows. Tuesday marked the third day of protests on Crenshaw Boulevard near Leimert Park.  (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Jim Lafertty of the Los Angeles Lawyers Guild admonishes an LAPD officer for antagonizing protestors, he says, as they marched along Broadway to demonstrate the verdict of George Zimmerman.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters gathered at Leimert Park on Tuesday afternoon to protest the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial, holding signs and banners with Trayvon Martin’s face.   (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters gathered at Leimert Park on Tuesday afternoon to protest the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial. LAPD was out in full force after disturbances and violent protests the night before, July 15.   (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters yell at police officiers as they drive past Leimert Park on Crenshaw Blvd on July 16.   (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
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Nathan Shaw, pictured behind this painting he made of Trayvon Martin, says he believes the miscarriage of justice in that case has caused a revolution. Some 50 protestors turned out to protest the Trayvon Martin verdict at Leimert Park.  (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
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Demonstrators protest the George Zimmerman verdict in Leimert Park on Crenshaw Boulevard in Los Angeles.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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Ebony Pirtle stares at LAPD officers guarding the Baldin Hills Crenshaw Mall; the officers refused to let Pirtle enter to recover his property left inside. He was part of the Leimert Park rally protesting the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters raise theirs fists to show unity in their rally against Saturday’s verdict of George Zimmerman.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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Donald Hills rallies against the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin at Leimert Plaza Park on Monday.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
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Police patrol the area around Leimert Plaza Park and Crenshaw Boulevard on Monday.   (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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A participant in a rally Monday wears a Trayvon Martin T-shirt and a bullet pendant, in protest of the acquittal of George Zimmerman.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters marching on the sidewalk on Crenshaw Boulevard on Monday against the not-guilty verdict of George Zimmerman.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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Participants chanting slogans during rally protesting the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, at Leimert Plaza Park on Monday.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
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Police arrest a protester at the intersection of Crenshaw and Adams boulevards.   (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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A handful of protesters block the intersection at Crenshaw and Adams boulevards on Sunday night to protest a Florida jury’s decision that George Zimmerman is not guilty of murdering Trayvon Martin.   (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
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Demonstrators and members of Occupy L.A. on Crenshaw Boulevard over the 10 Freeway protesting the verdict in the George Zimmerman murder trial.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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Police officers in Los Angeles stop demonstrators on Crenshaw Boulevard on Sunday as they protest the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
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About 100 protesters block southbound Crenshaw Boulevard south of the Coliseum.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
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Demonstrators stop traffic on the 10 Freeway.  (Robyn Beck / AFP-Getty Images)
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Police officers confront protesters on the 10 Freeway.   (Robyn Beck / AFP-Getty Images)
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Bettye Jones takes part in a rally honoring Trayvon Martin on Crenshaw Boulevard.  (Susannah Kay / Los Angeles Times)
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Participants at a rally against the not-guilty verdict in George Zimmerman’s second-degree murder trial wear hoodies at Fort Mellon Park in Sanford, Fla., to show to show their support for slain teenager Trayvon Martin.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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On the day after George Zimmerman was found not guilty, people gather in prayer at the First Shiloh Baptist Church in Sanford.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Jacarrio Williams, 10, of Orlando, Fla. came to Sanford with his mother, Gloria Alcuis, and other family members to show their support for Trayvon Martin and opposition to the not-guilty verdict for George Zimmerman  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Terrance J. Smith II, 7, and is father Terrance J. Smith, of Fort Myers, Fla., attend a rally Sanford in support of Trayvon Martin.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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On the day after George Zimmerman was found not guilty, worshipers pray at the Allen Chapel AME Church in the Goldsboro community of Sanford, Fla.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Zierric Wynn, 11, attends a special service in memory of Trayvon Martin at the Allen Chapel AME Church in the Goldsboro area of Sanford, Fla.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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People gathered in Sanford, Fla., to support Trayvon Martin’s family use smartphones to listen as the not-guilty verdict for George Zimmerman is read in court.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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A crowd gathers at the Seminole County Courthouse in Sanford, Fla., as the verdict is read in the trial of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, was found not guilty. He said he had shot Martin in self-defense.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Backers of slain teen Trayvon Martin called for National protests after the verdict.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Supporters of slain teen Trayvon Martin react in disbelief and anger to the not guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman trial in Sanford, Fla.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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George Zimmerman is congratulated by his defense team after being found not guilty of murder in the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, had acknowledged shooting Martin in a gated community but said it was self-defense.   (Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel)
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Attorneys Natalie Jackson, left, Benjamin Crump, and Daryl Parks sit in for Trayvon Martin’s family during George Zimmerman’s trial. Jurors found Zimmerman not guilty of second degree murder in the shooting of Martin last year in Sanford, Fla.   (Gary W. Green / Associated Press)
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Denica Crawford, right, and her cousin Jekeem Burk listen for news of the verdict.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Shawn Caldwell, of Jacksonville, Fla., is pushed back by Seminole County sheriff’s deputies after a heated exchange of comments with another person in a crowd awaiting a verdict in the George Zimmerman trial in Sanford, Fla.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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“I’m a black guy and a white guy. We’re all the same,” says David Turner, of Sanford, who was waiting at the courthouse with others for a verdict in George Zimmerman’s second-degree murder trial in the death of teen Trayvon Martin.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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A supporter of George Zimmerman demonstrates outside the courthouse in Sanford, Fla., where a crowd awaits a jurty’s verdict. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Marton. Zimmerman contends it was self-defense.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Others in the crowd show their support for Martin, who was staying at a gated Sanford community when his fatal confrontation with Zimmerman occurred last year.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Ed Wilson, of Sanford, came to the Seminole County courthouse for the first time on Saturday, the first full day of jury deliberations in the case. “My emphasis is peace and love. We’ve always been a peaceful community here in Seminole. Now it’s up to the six women” on the jury, he said.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Eight-month-old Khaleel James rests in the shade next to his mother, Christina King, of Orlando, Fla., as a crowd awaits a verdict.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Cynthia Bradford, from Syracuse, N.Y., is among those awaiting a verdict. She said her nephew was killed 19 years ago at Syracuse University.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Laurie Isom, Sanford, brought her two children to the courthouse to take part in the rally on behalf of Martin, the dead teen. “I want my kids to see this, to know what freedom of speech is and to show support for Trayvon Martin,” she said.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Tatiandra Taylor, a U.S. Army veteran from Orlando, came to show her support for Martin in the case.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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This video frame shows suspect George Zimmerman as he is questioned by investigators in the shooting of Trayvon Martin. The interrogation took place on Feb. 27, the day after the shooting. Zimmerman was then released, with police later claiming they had insufficient evidence to make an arrest.

More: Zimmerman called police on night of shooting, was told to stay away  (AFP / Getty Images)
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In this image posted to Miami Heat basketball player LeBron James’ Twitter page on March 22, Miami Heat players wear team hoodies in solidarity with Trayvon Martin.  (LeBron James via Twitter / Associated Press)
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A makeshift memorial outside the gated community where Trayvon Martin was shot to death was still holding up when this photo was taken on March 20, but it gradually deteriorated. The items were moved to a local museum.  (Red Huber / Orlando Sentinel)
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On March 21, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon’s parents, took part in a New York City rally to protest police handling of the case.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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In this June 3 photo, George Zimmerman returns to jail after a judge revoked his bail.

More: Zimmerman accused of misrepresenting his finances, having second passport  (Joshua C. Cruey / Associated Press)
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President Obama spoke out on the case in late March, offering sympathy to Martin’s parents.

More:“When I think about this boy I think about my own kids”  (Haraz N. Ghanbari / Associated Press)
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Florida Circuit Judge Debra S. Nelson rules that Zimmerman’s defense team cannot delay the trial further. Zimmerman is set to stand trial in June for second-degree murder.

More: Judge declines stay; case to proceed in June  (Joe Burbank / Associated Press)
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Apollonia Mitchell, Shenika Mitchell and Yolanda Pearson, from left, gather with others for a candlelight vigil at Fort Mellon Park in Sanford, Fla. to mark the one year anniversary of when Trayvon Martin was killed.   (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
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The defense claimed that Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester Jr. was biased against George Zimmerman. They sought to disqualify Lester from the case.

More: Judge says no, I won’t disqualify myself  (Red Huber / Orlando Sentinel / Associated Press)
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The Rev. Al Sharpton, with Trayvon Martin’s parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, speaks out against the judge’s decision to allow bail. Fulton said she was disappointed.  (Matthew Hinton / Associated Press)
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George Zimmerman leaves Seminole County Jail on July 6 after posting $1 million bail The judge agreed to release Zimmerman on condition that he wear a tracking device, stay within Seminole County, and accept a curfew. Zimmerman also was prohibited from opening a bank account, obtaining a passport or going to the airport.

More: A scathing order from judge in Trayvon Martin case  (Roberto Gonzalez / Getty Images)
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George Zimmerman arrives in shackles for his bond hearing on April 20. He told the parents of Trayvon Martin that he was sorry for fatally shooting their son, and his bail was set at $150,000.

More: Surprise witness: Authorities do not know who started the fight  (Gary W. Green / Associated Press)
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The Rev. Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and Benjamin Crump, attorney for the Trayvon Martin family, join together in Sanford on March 26.

More: Demanding George Zimmerman be arrested  (Roberto Gonzalez / Getty Images)
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Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, Trayvon Martin’s parents, attend a House briefing in Washington on March 27. Tracy Martin called for supporters to continue working to make sure his son “did not die in vain.”  (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
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Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee announced on March 22 that he would temporarily step down in the wake of the Trayvon Martin killing. The police department had been criticized heavily for releasing George Zimmerman after he admitted to killing Martin, among other things.

More: Police chief gets a vote of no confidence after killing   (Mario Tama / Getty Images)
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Tonnetta Foster of Sanford, Fla., is stunned by the verdict.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
By Alexandra Le Tellier
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It was hard to watch Monday night’s peaceful demonstration in Los Angeles against the George Zimmerman verdict turn violent in the hands of rogue protesters.

The anger is understandable. Zimmerman was let off the hook despite having killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teenager whose only offense seems to have been walking while black. But the violence is counterproductive.

Storming a Wal-Mart, setting fires, stomping on cars and breaking windows in South L.A. caught people’s attention, but it didn’t raise awareness for addressing the American justice system or racial inequality. What it did was create distraction and chaos.

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Condemning the violence, county Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas reminded his district that taking a violent stance “does not advance the cause of Trayvon Martin or his memory.” And Mayor Eric Garcetti reminded protesters of something I’m sure Martin’s parents would appreciate, which is that “people also deserve to be safe on the streets and in their cars.”

The tasks ahead of us -- fighting for gun reform, changing unfair laws that institutionalize racism -- require focus. Activists need to, as New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow writes, look at the many ways the whole system failed Trayvon Martin and take meaningful action so that future generations of black youths don’t have to live in fear.

So that they won’t, as USA Today contributor David Person writes, have to navigate a justice system or society that sees “our boys as disposable and dispensable.”

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