about that? do you feel that you were getting fair treatment? a second question similar to both of you. what do you say -- >> after 16 hours and 20 minutes of deliberations, a jury has found george zimmerman not guilty. not guilty of second-degree murder. not guilty of manslaughter. he is a free man. the defense is now reacting to that verdict. >> what could you do you have tell people, people have watched around the country and have dug in on either side. what do you tell people given the tension that could follow this verdict? >> that has been a challenge for me. a number of extremely high stakes, death penalty cases. nothing like this with the media attention. nothing that had the case tried over and over and over again in the media. nothing where the media was

accused of such irresponsibility early on, frankly, being swept along with this narrative that simply has been shown not to be true. to me as a trial lawyer, that was incredible distraction. because i like to, in fact the only place i can try a case is in the courtroom and i think we did that. so i don't know how to respond. >> yes. >> for the time of lonl and the daily beast. >> you're watching continuing coverage on msnbc of the breaking news. george zimmerman found not guilty. >> i've acknowledged that to the family on three different occasions. nothing can bring back trayvon martin. every time any life is lost, particularly a young life, it is a tragedy. we hear about it in car accidents. we hear about it with cancer. i lost a 13-year-old niece to cancer. we hear about it constantly. and it is always a tragedy. but i'm not going to shy away

from the fact that i think that the evidence supported that george zimmerman did nothing wrong. that that he was battered and beaten by a 17-year-old, for whatever reason, we won't know, thought that he had to lash out and attack violently. and it turned out that all of the forensic evidence supports that. none of it supports that george was ever the aggressor. certainly not legally and i don't believe morally. did that end up leading to the tragic loss of life? yes. could it have avoided, yes. 45 seconds before the gunshot, when george was getting battered? i still believe that that decision was in trayvon martin's hands more than my client's. they get my greatest sympathies for their tragic loss of their son. no one should ever have to suffer losing a child. ever. but it hams much more than we're

willing to acknowledge sometimes, or that we want to admit. this is a tragedy like any other loss of a child. >> valencia voice. when the jury asked for clarification or instruction regarding manslaughter, was there any nervousness between and you george that he would be facing the lesser charges? >> my understanding was that they were confused by a confusing jury instruction. i said to the judge, mr. west first argued one day. before i started my closing the next day. that the manslaughter instruction is very confusing. i don't want to get into a legal part of it and i know you can't. if you look at i, justifiable homicide is identified with manslaughter. excusable homicide is manslaughter. somewhere is use of deadly forceful if you try and read those, they're logically inconsistent but not legally inskinl. and i think that jury, as smart as they are, they were thinking,

looked at it and said, why are you telling us about excusable homicide? it's just that we had to. >> hi. you said i am thrilled that this jury kept this from becoming a travesty. we talked about civil rights issues here. people not falsely or wrongly linking it to race. could you tell me what you mean by that tragedy into a travesty? >> the tragedy is the loss of trayvon martin's life. regardless of what he was doing. not only will it impact trail's famili , will it impact trayvon martin's family. this also impacts george zimmerman forever and ever and ever. this is something no one gets

over. there is no winners here. there is no monsters here. that's the tragedy the travesty? it would have been a travesty if he had been convicted. >> someone that that was the last question. >> from your private conversations with george zimmerman, what was the most compelling statement from george zimmerman that made you believe in his innocence? >> there's not just one. but if you really want to look at the statements, the first opportunity that he could say something about this case, he said, i was screaming for help and nobody came. when officer serino challenged him and said, i think there may be a video of this. he said thank god. i dismiss with disgust the

state's suggestion that he was a cop wannabe savant who knew that he could take on that bluff. that really speaks to what george was going through that night and how he presented it. so if you want to look for some insight from him, that was it. >> did he ever cry to you? show you emotions? >> absolutely. 16 months of being, some people called him the most hated man in america for having defended his own life only after getting beat for 45 seconds and then a man who believes in the system, whose dad was a judge, who maybe wanted to be a cop or a prosecutor. then gets two systems went against him. that he can't understand. you guys, the media, he was like a patient in an operating table where mad scientists were committing experiments on him and he had no anesthesia. he didn't know why he was turned in to this monster. quite honestly, you guys had a lot to do with it. you just did.

you took a story that was fed to you and you ran with it and you ran right over him. and that was horrid to him. then he come into a system that he trusts. let's not forget. six voluntary statements. voluntary surrender. and he believes in the system that he really wanted to be part of. right then he gets charged with a crime that they could never, ever prove. so i don't think anyone would argue in this room that they had evidence of second-degree murder. this in your heart kind of stuff. that's not what we're supposed to do. not what they're supposed to do. those two systems failed him. >> so the defense team reacting to the not guilty verdict for george zimmerman. and they did everything from criticize the prosecution in the case and the tactics to say this is don west.

i thought the prosecution of george zimmerman was disgraceful. it followed the subdued reaction from the prosecution team. we have not heard yet from the family. we are expecting their lawyer, benjamin crump to come to those same microphones and tell us exactly what his reaction is. we should say that the parents of trayvon martin were not in that courtroom. we did not see sybrina fulton. we did not see tracy martin. he did tweet after the verdict. this is from tracy martin. god blessed me and sybrina with trey and even in his death, i know my baby, proud of the fight. we along with all of you put up for him. god bless. and then he followed that with a second tweet. thanks to everyone who is with us and who will be with us so we together can make sure that this doesn't happen again. we have a panel to discuss this. so we can make sure this doesn't

happen again. >> first, let me clear up some inaccuracies. when the defense says that mr. zimmerman won't see a courthouse again, that is not true. the family had already filed a civil suit that will go forward. they are not immune to a suit that is already been filed. and zimmerman will have to testify in a civil suit. you cannot avoid that. and his testimony could lead to some very interesting new evidence. the federal government, the justice department suspended an investigation. they did not end it. and clearly, we will be having a conference call tonight, civil rights leaders. we will be pushing for them to move forward. i've talk to mr. crump with these two press conferences and he will be reiterating that. this whole notion that race had

nothing to do with this. let us be clear. one, we came in, civil rights groups and i organized the first big rally in sanford because we were asked to by the family and the local community that said that there was a pattern of racial problems with the sanford police department. had the sanford police department went ahead like anybody would have thought, given the inconsistencies of the statement by a man who killed a child that had not committed a crime, there wouldn't have been a case. so to attack the media for covering something, what made this case was a sanford police department in their history. when we came in, and raised that, the republican governor appointed a special prosecutor who then found that there was grounds for a trial. for them to stand before the public today and act as though people fabricated this. a republican tea party prosecutor said there is grounds

for murder two. grounds for manslaughter. you noticed that even o'mara said tonight, no one in this room would doubt evidence of murder two. he never said manslaughter. he knows good and well this should have went to trial. he know good and well that you can have civil rights violations on the civil level. a civil case has nothing to do with this trial. he is misleading the public to say anything else. to say that it is disgraceful when a young man is killed for doing nothing but going home, to say that it is disgraceful to prosecute that is an insult to the intelligence of the american public. >> melissa harris perry is here. we heard that this is not about race although she added that tra trayvon martin was profiled. it is hard to imagine how those two statements could be coexistent. that this could have been not

about race and trayvon martin could have been profiled as a criminal. and not only profile as a criminal. i think part of what is so difficult here is, it is completely possible. maybe even likely that this jury based on the evidence presented to it. and based on the laws of the state of florida has made the appropriate decision. this jury. these six individuals. >> i'm going to sbrumt you. i understand that benjamin crump is about to speak. >> we represent the trayvon martin family. we are very, very, very saddened but we accept the jury's verdict in this case. first on behalf of tracy martin and sybrina fulton who are just heart broken right now.

and we ask that you keep them in your prayers. at this time attorney crump will make a statement and then we will take a few questions. >> i am here along with the attorneys. sybrina fulton and tracy martin would like to thank the supporters throughout the nation and the world to everybody that attend ad rally, to the millions of people that signed petitions, to the prosecution, miss angela corey, mr. bernie de la rionda, attorney john guy and mr. rich manti and everybody from the prosecutor's office. to everybody that put their hoodies up.

to everybody says i am trayvon. his family expresses their heartfelt gratitude for helping them these past 17 months. to tracee and sybrina, trayvon's parents, it has made sanford and many other cities a little safer for all our children. i know trayvon is up there proud of the changes that you as his parents have inspired in his name. this morning, martin luther king's daughter tweeted me a message. it read today is a demoment for the status of my father's dream. whatever the zimmerman verdict

is, she tweeted, in the words of my father, we must conduct ourselves on the higher plain of dignity and discipline trayvon martin will forever remain in the annals of history as symbols for the fight for equal justice for all tracy and sybrina are thankful for all the prayers over the past 17 months since the death of their son. this is a very trying time for their family and we ask that you respect their privacy. in conclusion, for trayvon to

rest in peace, we must all be peaceful. thank you. >> just a couple questions. >> amanda evans, news 13. the defense gave you a hard time throughout this. they said moments ago that your first interview with rachel jeantel was made for tv but not for an investigation. your thoughts on that. >> you know, it is easy to go back in a vacuum. miss jeantel, god bless her. she did not want to get involved in this matter. in no way possible. so i think it is pretty well documented about the challenges we had to try to get her to do an interview and finally, we got her to agree to do a telephone interview. and we did that interview the best we could to make sure that we had her statement.

and trayvon's parents are thankful that she did come forward to act as a witness in this case, something she did not want to do. >> stephanie cope with west 2 news. does it bother you when people say this case is not about race? >> no, it doesn't. the whole world was looking at this case for a reason. and what people wanted to see as we all said, how far we have come in america in matters of equal justice. and certainly, as we have said, we'll be intellectually dishonest if we didn't acknowledge the racial undertones in this case. so we have to have responsible conversations about how we move forward in this country.

>> from the valencia voice, could you give as you little insight on why the marnlts weren't in the courtroom for the verdict reading? >> upon our advice, we knew this would be a very emotional time for them. as you know, they have sat here for four weeks. and i don't know how hard, we were with them every step of the way. what they had to endure. the pain of hearing gunshot after gunshot after gunshot. the pictures from the morgue. upon our advice we recommended they should attend their home church since we were going into sunday. so on our advice, he this went home to go to church tomorrow and that's what they'll do. >> i think you may have answered this in part but i'll ask again. where was the announcement when was made? did they skip this because they

expected a particular outcome in they were in a safe location and remain in a safe location. they'll be going to church tomorrow but i won't disclose their location at this time for security purposes. >> any more questions? please remember that this is a very challenging time for their family and please respect their privacy. >> may i ask one last question? i'm sorry. i asked the same question of the prosecution. it is a question that came up during the trial. the prosecutors raised. do you think the outcome would have been different if the races were reversed? >> we know that a 17-year-old up armed boy was killed, an unarmed boy was killed and i think all america has to dig deep in their heart to find out how we as a society can learn from this tragedy. how we can make sure that it is not repeated.

>> just one more. from the associated press. you were born and raised in sanford. you've been in this community. what do you say to the citizens of sanford, people who, there's a lot of people worried about some things happening. what do you say about your city and how will they see this news tonight? >> what i say is what i told sybrina and tracy. i sent them a text and i told they will. i listened to the sheriff's press conference yesterday. and that you know all these changes that have been made in the wake of the shooting of trayvon martin. and there is a victory in that. a child died. because people took to social media. because 2.2 million americans signed the petition on change.org and demanded, not in

an effort to persecute george zimmerman but in an effort to say that a black 17-year-old child should be able to walk hole from the store and not be shot. so i think for the people who did that, i don't want them to be discouraged. i think they may have saved the life of another child. because i think that from now on, if there is someone that wants to follow someone with a gun, i think they'll think twice about it. so i say thank you for everything. sanford has changed for the better. >> we obviously had a technical problem there. that is the last press conference we expect to hear tonight after this verdict because we have just learned from officials at the courthouse that none of the jurors wants to be spoken to. wants to make a statement to the

media. but hearing from the family of trayvon martin, and again they chose not to be in court tonight. they are described as heart broken. we heard they accept this verdict. they also got a message that i thought was particularly moving from the daughter of martin loorth he king jr. earlier today, before the verdict was read. bernice king saying this will be a demoment for the status of my father's dream. melissa harris perry, what does it tell us? >> i think this is part of this question about, is this case about race. and obviously, there have been multiple viewpoints on this. let me be really clear. one of the key ways in which we know that this is about race is that this moment, in this moment, black families are holding their sons and daughters

closer to them with such a sense that in this moment, this verdict, a verdict which may be the appropriate verdict, given the evidence presented to these six people. and the decision they made based on florida law. nonetheless, feels as though it is saying it is okay to kill an unarmed african-american child who has committed no crime. and part of the reason it feels that way is because of the aggressive defense that not only made a point about mr. zimmerman. but that in important ways, criminalized trayvon martin without what i thinkle of us feel is clear and appropriate evidence that he did anything. so that moment when the defense attorney brings out the piece of sidewalk. the cement. and says that trayvon martin was

armed with this as though trayvon martin had been walking hole with a big rock rather than with skittles. part of how we know this is about race, the sense of anxiety and sadness and fear that black families have in a moment when it feels as though once again, the criminal justice system has looked at the death of our child and said, it simply does not matter. >> and joy ann reid, i know you have been following social media and this is drawing a very fast and broad reaction. what are you seeing? >> incredible. sadness. people are devastated. just tweet after tweet. people saying there was one that said, trayvon martin was convicted of being a black child walking through a neighborhood and being confronted by a stranger. people just essentially saying what you just heard melissa harris perry. this feeling that black life is

worthless. i've been getting texts from friends, from professionals, people involved in law enforcement, this unanimous kind of wave of sadness, really. of people saying, wow. that they feel the message has been sent really to not only black boys but to their parents that you should probably worry about your child. because i thought this was one of the most stunning things that i heard in the post trial press conferences was when mark o'mara said if george zimmerman were blackering never would have been charged. that got incredibly intense reaction online, in social media. it confounds belief that he really would think that. and also, a lot of people feeling that don west's statements were not very sensitive. just this idea of saying, it took too long for george zimmerman to get justice. it seemed a bit out of place, i guess, given the fact that we are talking about a dead 17-year-old boy. just an outpouring of sadness. you read a tweet from tracy

marine earlier of sybrina fulton tweeted a prayer saying god is still in it. as you just reported, they are planning to go to church tomorrow. and she is very much a person of faith and her tweet was a prayer. >> lord, during my darkest hour, i lean out. you are all that i have. at the end of the day, god is still in control. thank you all for your prayers and support. that was something that was reiterated by benjamin crump and the legal team themselves did feel, at least, the support of so many people across the nation. >> that's been expressed to me talking. i think what is the most insensitive to me is whether you agree with the trayvon martin family or agree with the zimmerman defense. to act as though, at least taerk all the criminal and legal issues out of this. this man was wronged. trayvon martin did nothing to

deserve him even stopping him that night. for them to not even acknowledge that maybe we legally were within the right to defend our client but that clearly this young man did no wrong. they're acting as if trayvon was responsible for something by just going home. george zimmerman in the best scenario misjudged. how do you act like that's all right? for them to stand there with nothing, no way, shape or form acknowledging that our china at best had bad judgment is an insult to everybody. that's why you have social media and everybody else jumping up. they're acting, he is not a cop. he never had the right to stop trayvon martin. and trayvon martin was doing nothing to be stopped for. that is why everybody is reacting like this makes us

vulnerable. do you mean when i walk outside the studio, just the fact that i walk outside means that any civilian can stop me and start following me and i have no recourse? if i do, that self-defense, they can kill me? is that what we're saying now? >> lisa bloom has been covering this throughout. you've been very critical of the case the prosecution put on. what did you make of the press conference that we just saw of the prosecutors? >> right. i was not critical of the evidence in the case. i was critical about the disparity between the evidence, as i continued to follow the case, as i looked at the evidence. the original source materials over and over again. i was shock by the disparity between the evidence that was there and the way the prosecution was presenting the case. one of my criticisms has been the prosecution's squeamishness to talk about race.

in closing argument, there was this very peculiar he hadding where the prosecutor said this is not about race. then he told a story about race, if the races were reversed, and then he said it is not about race. the defense was the only one who had a clear narrative on race. the narrative was racial profiling is okay. one of the final defense witnesses was a woman who had been burglarized by an average american male. the prosecution missed it by saying, were you burglarized by trayvon martin? no. then what does this have to do with the case? the only implication is, if you are burglarized by one african-american male, it is fair to assume that he ever other one is a criminal, too. that is the only implication of that testimony. and closing arguments essentially, that's what the defense said. that it is fair because he was a match. he was a match only because of race. when we talk about profiling, what are we talking about profiling? racial profiling.

it is not because of his shoe size. the only reason that george zimmerman looked out the window of the suv and considered trayvon martin to be an a-hole and a punk, he was a young african-american male. and george zimmerman knew he was up to no good for that reason. because 100% of the time, when he had called the cops about a suspicious person in the neighborhood, it was about an african-american male. the prosecution fought to get that into the trial themselves would have been that battle. it was admitted. they were absolutely silent on it in closing argument of something had to have happened in the middle of the trial for them to say we won't talk about race. if you don't make the decision to explain racial profiling to a jury who perhaps is not conversant in it. to explain that one burglar does not mean that all african-americans are criminals themselves really missed an tunnel. and they missed onle other subjects as well. i talked about it throughout the trial. it was very disappointing to me.

and i have never seen a prosecution do a closing argument where they talk about maybes and should haves. i can be explain why that happened in this case. >> we want to go outside the courthouse. craig melvin has been standing by. we reported earlier, at the moment of the verdict, many who gathered there were supporters of trayvon martin's family. dead silence. >> reporter: there was some singing and chanting. the one we could make out clearest, was the system failed us, the system failed us. that was a chant that could be heard over and over. i can tell that you the crowd that had been in front of that courthouse, you can see from the vantage point there. i think that's probably a better shot of the parking lot.

you could see a handful of folks in front of the courthouse. 200 probably the largest number of the day. at last check that number had dwindled to a few dozen. law enforcement at this point also. a lot of the law enforcement in front of the courthouse. that law enforcement is also going -- this is some footage from earlier. this is that chant. one of the chants i was talking about. no justice, no peace. we're starting to get some statements in from various members of the civil rights community. politicians and what not. one in particular, ben jealous is going to join me on the program tomorrow afternoon. nams president ben jealous issued a statement a short time ago saying we are outraged and heart broken over today's

verdict. we will pursue civil rights charges with the department of justice and we will continue to fight for the removal of stand your ground laws in every state. and we will not rest until racial profiling in all its forms is outlawed. that's from ben jealous. president of the naacp. i can also tell you, i am pleased to report that at this point, no reports of any sort of civil unrest. no reports of violence. everything here is peaceful. everything around these parts as well has been peaceful by and large. >> thank you very much. to follow up on that statement by naacp president ben jealous, we also got a statement from the chairman, who said among other things, this case has been reenergized the movement and racial profiling in the united states. how do you funnel that energy? >> i'm moments from a conference

call. >> don't forget, there was a they found rodney king innocent, federal court civil rights charges were next that's where they were found guilty. we've been at these junctures before. i'm saying what don west said. justice department investigating on civil rights has nothing to do with this. i think you can energize there and we will nams national action network, my group and others, will deal with the stand your ground law. the underlying law was the sanford police department made a prejudgment that mr. zimmerman was innocent. then there will be no arrest.

that's when we started rallying. the federal prosecutor who found probable cause and charged him. so clearly you have a problem in that state. and clearly, there is a pattern there with that police department that the local citizens raised and i found to be credible. >> outside the courthouse in sanford. kerry sanders is standing by with both the mayor and city manager. >> reporter: chris, let's first talk to the manager of the city. you had arrived here from new york just shortly before all of these events transpired. we just heard reverend al talking about the criticisms. let's look forward from this moment now. how is the city tonight? >> the city is fine. i think there's disappointment on the part of some but the realization is last year people

were raining because mr. zimmerman had not been arrested. he has been arrested. there has been a trial. the jury has spoken. now we're looking to move forward. >> there were those in the community who have that prior to this, and now expressed afterwards that they just don't feel the system works for them. you have spent a fair amount of time with this police department working with the justice department, working internally to make changes. do you believe you have reached out and made the changes to the police department that you felt needed to be made that sent a message to the community that makes them feel maybe the system does work for them in light of only the's decision? >> we have a new police chief. i think mr. smith has been very good about getting out into the community and looking to build trust with the sanford community. so yes, will very optimistic. >> the mayor joins us tonight. your reaction to the way your community has reacted to the verdict and what has not happened when so many people thought what could happen if there was an acquittal.

>> i think we've worked over the last 16, 17 months to really put some plans into place. originally they were asking to let him sit in front of a jury of his peers. that has transpired. it was peaceful, 16, 17 months ago when everyone came to town and demonstrated. that's our right as american citizens. that's what my expectation is now. it may not be perfect but we have to live by those decisions. >> they have a painted picture in their mind of this community. in light of all that has transpired, what is sanford? >> sanford is a great place to live. we're one of the only cities that sits on the st. john's river. we have a beautiful river front. we have a lot of mom and pop businesses that are here. we've got a lot of people that

make their life right here. live, work and play. some of the broad brushed painting, almost a stereo type of the citizens of stafford has not been fair for us. come see us. if you're judging us, come see for yourself and actually judge what you see. it is totally different than what has transpired over the last 16 months. >> the police department made in many cases what many people thought were errors in the case and the way it transpired. the state attorney initially decided not to bring charges. the governor pointed a special prosecutor who then did a direct file to bring this probable cause affidavit that led to all of this. when you look back at the system and you look at your conversations with the then police chief and the influences that you had, and the way pieces

of evidence were gathered. you're not a police officer but you were directly involved in many of these things. do you stand by the decisions you made? >> we've asked for a review of the actions of the sanford plarl. we went to washington and met with reppives of the united states darrel of justice. we would like to have a review of the sanford plarlolice department. >> i guess i'm asking your reaction. do you believe what you did, when you were with the agencies talking to them. i know you're not a detective. but you were engaged with the police department. do you look back and say to yourself that you handled yourself and that engagement properly or got in the way of any of this? >> as a city manager, my role is to oversee the police department. i did not get involved in the criminal investigation of this matter. >> okay. thank you both very much. and as far as you know, from your contact with the police department, tonight people

watched it on tv. there have been no problems, no gatherings no, issues outside of a few people out here earlier. maybe getting a little excited. nothing that has resulted in any problems or arrests. >> not that i'm aware of. >> thank you. so that's the take here outside the courthouse with the representatives from sanford. and i was in the courtroom when the verdict came down. so i thought i might paint a little picture for you of what you did not see on cam raffle that is as the jurors came into the courtroom, george zimmerman standing. they came into the courtroom. and they did not look over at him. and they sat down. no smiles, no twinkles in an eye. a very stone-faced look on each of the six women. they were looking forward and over toward the judge. and then after the verdict was published, when it was announced, and they were polled, then they exited and walked straight out.

and still did not look back at george zimmerman. we understand that they have now left the courthouse. they have been released. the court did make an offer to them if any of them wanted to talk off camera. maybe with just a mike he microphone, they declined. after being sequestered for some time, tonight they'll be home. at least with their loved ones somewhere where they'll get some peace and quiet. kris? >> kerry sanders, thank you as always for your terrific reporting. especially because usually, if you see them make eye contact, that tells you that they're going to find the defendant not guilty. the fact that they just looked ahead, before and after the verdict was read. we have also learned that we don't know how long an order will remain in effect for the anonymity of those jurors who chose not to make a statement or

answer questions tonight. judge nelson did say at one point, she would deal with it later but we don't know how long that order will remain in effect. melissa harris perry. if you could talk to those jurors, what would you want to know? >> you know, again, i want to be a little bit careful about laying this burden at the feet of these six jurors. they certainly had a set of decisions to make. but those decisions had everything to do with the case that was presented to them. and it had everything to do with florida law. i think this is part of what reverend sharpton was saying that is so important. the thing that makes this possible from beginning to he said, to get out and follow that child, ultimately brandish that gun and kill trayvon martin. the willingness of the sanford plarlt police department to walk away, and then even the instructions

that this jury had to be given, the terms under which zimmerman had to be tried, have everything to do with the stand your ground law. with the ways that this state has chosen to take the second amendment and turn it into something that is not just about the rights of individuals to own guns. but this kind of affirmative right to actually discharge those firearms. based upon your own feelings of threat. the stand your ground law, the question was asked. what if george zimmerman has been black? we sort of know that answer. melissa alexander, an african-american woman in florida who shot a ceiling. let's be clear. she shot a warning shot into the ceiling when her admittedly abusive husband who had physically abused her on multiple occasions, and was threatening her at that moment. as he was walking toward her, she shot into the ceiling. and she got 20 years in jail in

florida. 20 years for shooting a ceiling. george zimmerman is free tonight and we know without any doubt that he shot and killed trayvon martin. so i think we know the answer to what would happen had george zimmerman been african-american. >> and i am looking ought and i'm seeing that you're nodding to everything. as someone who spent so many years in florida. >> i lived there for 14 years. i wanted to point out what she is saying was true. the same prosecutor. angela corey is the prosecutor who put melissa alexander in prison for 20 years for shooting over the head of her abusive husband. and i'll tell you that florida is the state that was the template for the created laws that are like stand your ground. it was passed in 2005 in part because the gun lobby in florida is so all consumingly powerful. people used to call the well known lobbyist, better known than most politicians in florida interesting real governor of florida. what stand your ground was about, taking the castle

doctrine which always existed. if someone comes into your castle, and threatens you, you have a right to use your fire article. one in 17 floridians has a conceal permit like george zimmerman did and now can again because he's been acquitted. they wanted to export this ability. to take your gun. to use it. to move it around the state. if you discharge it, to decrease the liability. had mark o'mara actually done a stand your ground pre-hearing before the actual trial and would have been it, george zimmerman not only would have been cleared of the charges. there would have been no civil liability attached. he couldn't even be sued which he can be now because they didn't do a stand your ground pre-hearing before the actual trial. so the use of fwuns and the proliferation of guns is an issue. >> not just florida. let's be clear. there is no doubt that there was a huge racial disparity between african-americans and whites in america in every state at every stage of the legal system.

in terms of policing, arrests, convictions, sentencing. michelle alexander has written the key book on that the studies are there over and over again. there's no question about it. >> how do you change it? you were talking about that. and i think it is very important to point out. not only is it disproportionate in the number who are charged. in the number who died. but in the number you go into any prison across this united states and you look at the conviction rate against african-americans versus other defendants in the disparity is shocking. >> i think you change it by challenging those state laws. you challenge with outside government and what you have to put on state legislatures. i think this verdict will energize that movement to do that. that's exactly what happen in the civil rights movement in the

'60s. it was out of atrocities like someone mentioned to be. that energized the march on washington. so i think what they've done is won a battle but will lose the war. because people are going to say, wait a minute. this started when the local police made a unilateral decision that even the florida state prosecutor didn't agree with. and then now you have the defense attorney representing us for saying that a young man who did nothing wrong should be have been killed. can you imagine that you're going to come forward to the nation tonight and say the nerve of you to question the killing of a young man who did nothing wrong. this is the height of absurdity. >> there was this very telling moment when chris serino, the lead detective, was interviewing zimmerman. he said if trayvon martin had been white, would you have done the same thing? and he said yes. and serino says see?

that shows there is no racial issue. as if it was so easy. the criminal justice system is administered by human beings. most of whom if you ask them would say, i'm an racist. if you administer sophisticated testing, it turns out that they are. people don't want to acknowledge it. they don't want to admit it. if an african-american and a white person is convicted of the same crime. the african-american gets two or three times the stenls. that's true across the system. that drug policing happens disproportionately. it is such a complicated subject that people really don't want to talk about. when we talk about trayvon martin, of course, we're talking about a victim. there is no question that there is differential treatment of cases where african americans are victims. as we saw here. >> do you agree with reverend al that this is now something that needs to be fought on a state by state basis? and how far can energy, if this has reenergized the movement. how far can that take you?

where does money come in? >> i absolutely agree that this is part of the challenge whenever we are in media. when we're following a case. a single legal case that is working its way through the system. the challenge there, the reason that that defense attorney can come and level that kind of sort of thing against media. he is talking about this one case. we have to recognize that this is made possible by public policies. bylaws. laws that are not happening just from some organic sense of localism and loco over these are alec laws. these are laws that are being exported -- when i say state by state. it is happening across the states becausal he can is trangs porting these groups of laws we're seeing in everything from reproductive rights to voting rights to stand your ground and other gun based laws. so absolutely. we must.

and the only thing that fights back against the big money and the organizations is in fact the energy and organization of ordinary people. i still, and it is not easy to say on this night. i still believe in the system that is america. and i still believe that the self-rule of people in a democracy is our best hope for government. that means that we take a moment like this and turn it into democratic self-governance by once again, taking to the ballot box. taking to organized reasonable safe secure protests for which we have a constitutional right. and making sure that trayvon martin's death and the acquittal of george zimmerman becomes a base i on which we can do politics. and do public policy. >> we have seen families do remarkable things in the face of horror. and i thought the statements tonight on twitter, from sybrina

fulton, tracy martin and the statements from reverend al that came out through their lawyers were so positive. so remarkable. the grief, we can't pretend that we know what it feels like to be them. yet they're committed to making their son's death mean something. >> and they have been that way throughout the whole case. from day one that i've dealt with them. which was about two weeks after he was killed. they've maintained that dignity. they've main tanld their discipline. that's one of the reasons why i was so, wanted to raise the outrage of the lawyers. not one window has been broken. not one brick thrown. to act like they're race baiters because they use their constitutional rights to say we think this deserves a trial. they don't deserve to be

attacked like that and defaced like that. who did anything wrong in this process? other than george zimmerman? even though the jury acquitted him in the crime, was wrong profiling trayvon martin as a criminal. there is been no misstatements. are we telling people you have the right to protest if i agree with what you're protesting? is that what we're saying? no one is attacking them for defending their client. why would you attack those of us who said this should go before a jury. all of a sudden we have to be race baiters because we look at what the data says? that's really insulting. especially on a night like tonight. and especially the tone that has been set by these parents. >> if we're going to move this, not just going before a injure but before legislatures. how big is the hill that has to be climbed?

where is that mountain top? >> i think in florida it will be very difficult. florida has 67 koinlcounties. most which of are red and gun owning. florida gets disported because the south is the north. you have these counties that are very democratic. but the rest state is either purple, in the middle, the orlando area where seminole county is, and through the northern part of the state. it is dominated in the legislature because of the way florida has been redistricted. it is completely dominated by the rural interest. the rural state legislators have the numbers. republicans have overwhelming numbers in the state house. when the stand your ground law passed, it passed unanimously in florida. i think there may have been one person who voted against it even

democrats vote pro gun pause that's the way you keep your gun. there was a task force that came together when this case became big. the governor of the state of florida responded by putting together a task force with the now deposed lieutenant governor, the first african-american lieutenant governor of florida themselves put a task force together to review stand your ground. the recommendations were, change nothing. absolutely nothing. i don't see much changing in florida. maybe it will galvanize people outside the state. >> in the few minutes we have left as we are analyzing the results of this jury decision. george zimmerman found not guilty in the death of trayvon martin. i want to give our panelists some time for some final thoughts. let me start with you, what do you want people to take away from this night and this feeling? >> it's tough.

it feels like trayvon martin was found guilty for his own death. i want to take my cue from reverend sharp top. we don't get down in a moment like this. we get organized. >> i think that is absolutely right. we need to bring this to a national level in terms of the federal government. the federal government has always had to protect people's civil rights from state law. and i think that if people, i will say this. people are naive if they did not think that those of us in the civil rights community did not weigh that the possibility would be an acquittal. that we had plns for whichever way going forward to protect people's civil rights. none of us went to the trial. we were not dealing just with a narrow trial. we were always dealing with broader questions and that's where we need to go. >> lisa bloom, this was a chance for a lot of americans to see

the way the criminal justice system works or not. >> and to see bloody head injuries, a bullet wound. they were too squeamish to talk about race directly and squarely. the takeaway for me is that we have to talk about it. we have to talk about it one to another to prevent this from ever happening again. >> joe ann reid, what would you like people to talk about? >> people are not martyred by just outcomes. sometimes what seems to be injustice, it dwgalvanizes. and that is the way that you get that arc of history to bend toward justice. >> i want to thank all of our panelists for being here. at the end of what was a five-week trial, at many times wrenching and emotional. more than 16 hours of deliberation. the six women on the jury found george zimmerman not guilty in the death of unarmed trayvon

martin. a case that very importantly set off a national debate on racial profiling. on civil rights and on guns. that's going to do it for me. i'm kris jansing. copd makes it hard to breathe... but with advair, i'm breathing better. so now i can help make this a great block party. ♪ [ male announcer ] advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. ask your doctor if including advair could help improve your lung function.

[ male announcer ] advair diskus fluticasone propionate and salmeterol inhalation powder. get your first prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com.

get your first prescription free we've made major advancements in reducing the incidents of broken bones in seniors. we've received recognition for getting hypertension under control for over 80% of our members. we've made significant advances in asthma, immunization and maternity care. and j.d. power and associates ranked us highest in member satisfaction among health plans in california. we're focusing on the big things so you can enjoy the little things. kaiser permanente. thrive.

after more than 16 hours of deliberations, the jury reaches a verdict. >> in seminole county florida, the state of florida versus george zimmerman, verdict, we the jury find george zimmerman not guilty. so say we all, foreperson. >> does either side want to poll the jury? >> we would, your honor. >> ladies and gentlemen, ladies, i'm sorry. as your juror number is being called, please answer