The Rev. Al Sharpton blasted a Florida jury's not guilty verdict of George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin, calling it an "atrocity" and a "a slap in the face to those that believe in justice in this country."
"Well, I think that this is an atrocity," Sharpton said moments after the verdict was read on MSNBC.
"I think that it is probably one of the worst situations that I've seen. What this jury has done is establish a precedent that when you are young and fit a certain profile, you can be committing no crime, just bringing some Skittles and iced tea home to your brother, and be killed. And someone can claim self-defense having been exposed with all kinds of lies, all kinds of inconsistencies."
He added that it was a " sad day in the country and a "slap in the face to those that believe in justice in this country."
The Florida jury determined that Zimmerman was not guilty of both second-degree murder and manslaughter in the 2012 death of the 17-year-old Martin. For more than a year, the case has prompted a large racial divide.
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