Al Sharpton, speaking on MSNBC after the acquittal of George Zimmerman, called the decision an “atrocity,” and a “slap in the face to those who believe in justice.” Sharpton, who had led rallies calling for the indictment of Zimmerman, said:
I think that this is an atrocity. I think that it is probably one of the worst situations that I have 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 ice tea home to your brother and be killed and someone can claim self-defense, having been exposed with all kinds of lies, uh, all kinds of inconsistencies. We had to march to even get a trial and even at trial, when he’s exposed over and over again as a liar, he is acquitted. This is a sad day in the country. I think that we clearly must move on to the next step in terms of the federal government and in terms of the civil courts. Clearly we want people to be very disciplined and strategic, but this a slap in the face to those that believe in justice in this country.