Immediately after Saturday night’s acquittal, the NAACP said it was “outraged” by the Florida jury’s verdict and called on the Justice Department to prosecute Zimmerman for civil rights violations.
The civil rights organization also posted a petition on their site calling for the prosecution.
“The most fundamental of civil rights — the right to life – was violated the night George Zimmerman stalked and then took the life of Trayvon Martin,” the petition read. “We ask that the Department of Justice file civil rights charges against Mr. Zimmerman for this egregious violation. Please address the travesties of the tragic death of Trayvon Martin by acting today.”
Zimmerman shot and killed Martin in Sanford, Fla., on Feb. 26, 2012. Zimmerman, 29, maintains he shot Martin, 17, in self-defense, while the state argued that Zimmerman “profiled” Martin and concluded he was a criminal.