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MIAMI
(AP) - Police and city leaders in Florida say they have taken
precautionary steps for the possibility of mass protests or even civil
unrest if George Zimmerman is acquitted in the killing of unarmed teen
Trayvon Martin, particularly in African-American ...
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Fla. cities on guard for any post-Zimmerman unrest
MIAMI (AP) — Police and city leaders in Florida
say they have taken precautionary steps for the possibility of mass
protests or even civil unrest if George Zimmerman is acquitted in the
killing of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin, particularly in African-American
neighborhoods where passions run strongest over the case.
For
months, officials in Sanford and South Florida have been working with
pastors, youth coaches, community activists and summer camp counselors
to stress a non-violent approach if Zimmerman walks free. At the same
time, police say they have quietly been making plans for dealing with
any potential emotional flare-ups that could quickly turn into
storefront-smashing, car-burning riots.
"It's all right to be vocal, but we don't want
to be violent," said the Rev. Walter T. Richardson, a longtime pastor
and chairman of Miami-Dade County's Community Relations Board, which has
been holding town hall-style meetings about the case. "We've already
lost one soul and we don't want to lose any more."
Martin,
from the suburb of Miami Gardens, was 17 when he died. He was in
Sanford visiting his father and father's fiancee when Zimmerman, a
neighborhood watch volunteer, fatally shot him during a physical
confrontation in a gated community in February 2012.
Martin's
supporters portrayed the shooting as racially motivated, while
Zimmerman, who identifies himself as Hispanic, claimed self-defense.
Charged with second-degree murder, Zimmerman is pleading not guilty at
the trial unfolding in a Sanford courthouse.
After
police initially refused to arrest Zimmerman, there were many large but
peaceful protests in both Sanford and the Miami area — as well as in
New York and other cities. Those demonstrations included a mass walkout
at nearly three dozen South Florida high schools.
Many in Sanford say they doubt the trial's outcome would spark local residents to take to the streets.
"The
main focus was to get Zimmerman arrested and have him tried before a
jury of his peers in a court of law," said Clayton Turner Jr., president
of the Seminole County branch of the NAACP. "That was the main issue,
not how we felt about whether he's innocent or guilty."
Not everyone is so certain.
Shantree
Hall, 37, a lifelong Sanford resident who is black, said a Zimmerman
acquittal might anger many in the African-American community who already
feel they are less likely to obtain justice. The protests that led to
Zimmerman's arrest taught many people that was the only way to get
things done, she added.
"With Trayvon, the noise was too loud for them. That's why they couldn't sweep it under the rug," she said.
Recent
Miami-area high school graduate Jude Bruno, 18, said he doesn't sense
from friends and peers that there is a powder keg in South Florida
waiting to explode should Zimmerman be found innocent. Bruno is chairman
of the Miami-Dade County Youth Commission, which has been working with
local youth groups to stress a peaceful reaction.
"We want to be the example to the world because the whole world is watching us," Bruno said.
Bruno
spoke after a Community Relations Board meeting this week that drew
several hundred people to a Miami Gardens library auditorium, some of
them wearing "Justice for Trayvon" T-shirts and many asking sharp-edged
questions about the trial. Still, the overall theme was peace.
"Please, no violence. We don't want any violence. None," said Miriam Martin, one of Trayvon Martin's aunts.
One
potential advantage mentioned by several law enforcement officials:
school is out for summer, meaning there is no ready-made rallying point
for young people to gather.
Still, authorities
are taking no chances, particularly in the Miami area which has had
riots in the past connected to racially-charged court cases.
The
worst rioting occurred in 1980 in the mostly-black Liberty City and
Overtown neighborhoods of Miami, after four white police officers were
acquitted in the death of Arthur McDuffie, a black Marine Corps veteran.
McDuffie was beaten to death by police trying to stop him for a traffic
violation. The three-day riot killed 18 people and did some $100
million in damage.
The Miami-Dade Police
Department's intelligence operation, known as the Southeast Florida
Fusion Center, has been combing social media to monitor signs of unusual
interest in Zimmerman's trial. The center also acts as a platform for
South Florida's numerous police agencies to quickly share information.
The
department's deputy director, Juan Perez, said law enforcement's goal
is to allow for peaceful rallies or protests but be ready in case
violence flares. Perez said plans call for establishment of "First
Amendment Zones" in certain neighborhoods if crowds do gather, so people
can exercise their rights.
"We want to make
sure people have the right to protest," Perez said. But if there are
problems, he added: "Our job is going to be to minimize those
opportunities to rob a store or shoplift."
To
the north in Broward County, Sheriff Scott Israel and his staff have
organized several meetings with African-American church and community
leaders and recently began airing a public service TV ad featuring Miami
Heat player James Jones. The ad's theme is "Raise Your Voice, Not Your
Hands" and it also stresses a nonviolent approach.
"We
don't have information about a specific event that might take place at
the conclusion of the trial, but we encourage everyone to keep any
protests peaceful," Israel said.
Similarly, in
central Florida, religious leaders have been encouraged to attend the
trial and discuss it with their congregations. Up to four courtroom
seats were reserved for clergy on a rotating basis, and more than a
dozen churches have held regular Monday prayer sessions during the
trial.
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