Center Talk! Reactions to the Zimmerman Verdict

Last February, George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, shot an unarmed teen, Trayvon Martin, after getting into an altercation with him in his Florida neighborhood.  Zimmerman claimed Martin attacked him and that he acted in self-defense.  Saturday, July 13, after 16 hours of deliberation, a jury reached a verdict in the case, finding Zimmerman not guilty.  Those words, “Not Guilty,” have reverberated across the nation, inciting peaceful demonstrations, some rioting, and provided a new opportunity for discourse on the ramifications of the verdict and the future of race relations in America.

UCLA students have protested.  Bunche Center director, Darnell Hunt, and several Bunche Center affiliated faculty members have commented in the media about the verdict.  Below are links to those interviews.

Robin D. G. Kelley, the Gary B. Nash Professor of American History at UCLA and a Bunche affiliated faculty member, commented in the Huffington Post and Counterpunch.

Brenda Stevenson, UCLA professor of history and African American studies, Bunche Center affiliated faculty member, and author of the forthcoming book The Contested Murder of Latasha Harlins: Justice, Gender and the Origins of the LA Riots, was interviewed on KCBS-Channel 2 | KCAL-Channel 9 about the trial of George Zimmerman and the not-guilty verdict in the case.  She also wrote an article about the verdict which appeared in the History Network News.

Darnell Hunt, professor of sociology and director of UCLA’s Bunche Center for African American Studies, was interviewed about the verdict by the New York Times.  He also spoke on KPCC’s Take Two about the peaceful protests in L.A. turned violent.

Additionally, UCLA students joined in protest of George Zimmerman’s acquittal.  To read more, Click Here.

 For addtional stories on the aftermath, Click Here.