Oakland's Trayvon Martin Protests Underscore City's History Of Racially Charged Violence

When protests in Oakland, Calif. took a violent turn Saturday night, it was nothing the city hadn't seen before.

More than a hundred demonstrators gathered downtown to march against the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial, which allowed a man who shot and killed an unarmed black teenager to walk free. But while other events that materialized across the country remained mostly peaceful, Oakland's were marred by window-smashing, flag burning and other forms of vandalism, including aggressive graffiti declaring "Kill Zimmerman" and "F*ck the Police."

Though Saturday's activity was relatively tame compared to past instances -- nobody was arrested or visibly harmed -- it's a story that unfolds time and again in the small port city on the San Francisco Bay.

"You can't go six months without something getting smashed," longtime Oakland resident Max Allstadt, who attended the protests, told The Huffington Post. "The people doing it have various ideological justifications, but outside the Twitter echo chamber they've created for themselves, there's not a lot of support."

Twitter lit up with commenters both encouraging and denouncing the destruction. "Do you know why some groups feel the need to march and break windows in #Oakland? Because nobody is listening to their demands for fairness," tweeted Steven Tavares, a reporter for the East Bay Citizen. "Not sure why Oakland business are suffering because of Florida's sh*tty laws, if you care to explain," responded @JulioD. Occupy Oakland attempted to settle the matter with the widely re-tweeted, "Calm down, twitter. A few broken windows in #Oakland is not a #riot, its a dance party."

In recent years in Oakland, events that have often started as peaceful marches have quickly turned aggressive. During an Occupy rally on May Day last year, authorities used tear gas to disperse rioters. In the months that preceded the May confrontation, the city had become a national symbol of violent clashes between protesters and police.

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Trayvon Martin Protests In Oakland, Calif.

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According to Allstadt, the majority of Saturday's demonstrators weren't engaging in violent behavior, but they weren't trying to stop it, either. "It was a few small groups of people smashing stuff within a larger crowd," he said. "Some people were supportive, a few were absolutely condemning, but the biggest group was the one that doesn't smash but believes they shouldn't tell others to stop."

That Oakland residents would protest the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, who died at the hand of a neighborhood watchman while returning from the store with little more than a bag of Skittles in his possession, comes as no surprise. The same weekend the jury handed George Zimmerman his not guilty verdict, the movie"Fruitvale Station" opened in theaters, telling the story of another unarmed black man killed by a gun-wielding authority figure -- but in Oakland.

"Fruitvale" chronicles the life and death of 22-year-old Oscar Grant, who was shot to death on an Oakland train platform by a transit officer in the early hours of New Year's Day, 2009. The officer who shot Grant served 11 months for involuntary manslaughter, a decision that sparked angry riots on the streets of the city.

"It’s a given that most of Oakland is mad about the Trayvon Martin verdict," Allstadt explained. "Nobody is cheering on George Zimmerman."

Oakland has a long history of racially-charged cases that involve shootings by officers, including those of Alan Blueford and Raheim Brown, black teenagers killed by police in 2012 and 2010, respectively.

"The thing about Oakland is that we’ve got nine, 10 names like [Trayvon's] that people know," Allstadt said. "We have a list of martyrs in this town, and everyone's talking about all of them right now."

Beyond the pockets of unrest, local civil rights activists are finding nonviolent ways to continue the conversation. Local shoe store SoleSpace is inviting residents, especially children, to participate in an "Art Wall 4 Justice" that will decorate its storefront.

And Richard Raya, executive director of Oakland-based nonprofit Youth Radio, is planning a series of public forums in which community members are encouraged to discuss Trayvon Martin, Oscar Grant and wider social justice issues. "Oakland is a special place," Raya told HuffPost. "It’s a place where people pay attention to what’s happening locally and nationally, and people act. It's who we are."

More protests are expected Sunday night and into the week. Still, Allstadt points out that the potential for violent activity, though perhaps isolated, is worth paying attention to. "I would agree that breaking things is a distraction," he said, "but it's happening in more places, and it's happening more intensely. It's a good barometer of just how mad people are."

Rachel Jeantel, Trayvon Martin Friend: Teen Was Trying To Escape George Zimmerman

Rachel Jeantel, the young women who was on the phone with Trayvon Martin the night he was shot, testified on Wednesday at George Zimmerman's trial that Martin was aware that he was being followed.

"A man was watching him ... He kept complaining the man was watching him," the 19-year-old told the prosecuting attorney, relating her conversation with Martin of the night of Feb. 26, 2012.

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Jeantel said Martin told her the man watching him was a "creepy-ass cracker." She recalled suggesting that the man might be a rapist. She went on to say that Martin told her he was going to try to elude the man, and that the teen left the area but that he was still being followed. Jeantel said she told him to run, but Martin replied that he was close to his father's fiance's house. Shortly after, Martin told Jeantel he would run home and then the phone went dead.

Later in her testimony, Jeantel said that when she called Martin back, he told her "the nigga is behind me." Jeantel said she heard a bump and then the sound of "wet grass." She said she heard Martin say "get off," the call was cut off and she never spoke to Martin again.

When asked whose voice was screaming for help on the 911 audio, Jeantel said she believes it was Martin.

Both Jeantel and Martin's father became emotional during the testimony, wiping their eyes with tissues. Jeantel became agitated when she described hearing about Martin's death and while discussing her decision not to attend his wake or his funeral.

Jeantel also grew visibly frustrated by defense attorney Don West's questions on cross-examination."I didn't want to see the body," she said.

Jeantel, who was 18 at the time of the shooting, admitted that she lied about her age, claiming to be a minor because she did not want to get involved.

Jeantel also insisted she declined to meet with Martin's mother because she did not want to "see somebody cry."

During a confrontational exchange with West, she dismissed apparent discrepancies in her previous statements to attorneys by saying that she was distraught during her interview with the Martin family lawyers and that it "didn't mean nothing to me."

She bristled when West asked why she didn't attend the services for Martin.

"You gotta understand," she told West. "I'm the last person -- you don't know how I felt. You think I really want to go see the body after I just talked to him?"

Jayne Surdyka, George Zimmerman Trial Witness, Says She Felt Cries For Help Were 'A Boy's Voice'

SANFORD, Fla. -- A former neighbor of George Zimmerman testified Wednesday that she heard a boy's cry for help shortly before hearing the firing of a gun.

But Jayne Surdyka also testified on the third day of testimony in Zimmerman's murder trial that she heard multiple gunshots, "pop, pop, pop." Only one shot was fired in the fatal encounter between Zimmerman and 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

"I truly believe the second yell for help was a yelp," said Surdyka, who later dabbed away tears as prosecutors played her 911 call. "It was excruciating. I really felt it was a boy's voice."

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Surdyka also told the court that before the shooting, she heard an aggressive voice and a softer voice exchanging words for several minutes.

Other neighbors also have described hearing cries for help which were captured on their calls to 911. Martin's parents have said they were those of their son, while Zimmerman's father has said he believes the cries belong to his son. Both prosecutors and defense attorneys believe they could show whether Zimmerman or Martin was the aggressor in the encounter at the Retreat at Twin Lakes townhome complex on Feb. 26, 2012. Defense attorneys successfully argued against allowing prosecution experts who claimed the cries belonged to Martin.

Also Wednesday, Judge Debra Nelson ruled that she would allow at trial five police dispatch calls Zimmerman made in the months prior to his encounter with Martin.

Prosecutors want to use the calls to bolster their argument that Zimmerman was increasingly frustrated with repeated burglaries and had reached a breaking point the night he shot the unarmed teenager. Prosecutors played the calls for the judge Tuesday with the jurors out of the courtroom.

The recordings show Zimmerman's "ill will," prosecutor Richard Mantei said.

"It shows the context in which the defendant sought out his encounter with Trayvon Martin," he said.

O'Mara argued that the calls were irrelevant and that nothing matters but the seven or eight minutes before Zimmerman fired the deadly shot into Martin's chest.

In the calls, Zimmerman identifies himself as a neighborhood watch volunteer and recounts that his neighborhood has had a rash of recent break-ins. In one call, he asks that officers respond quickly since the suspects "typically get away quickly."

In another, he describes suspicious black men hanging around a garage and mentions his neighborhood had a recent garage break-in.

Zimmerman, 29, could get life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder for gunning down Martin as the young man walked from a convenience store. Zimmerman followed him in his truck and called a police dispatch number before he and the teen got into a fight.

Zimmerman has claimed self-defense, saying he opened fire after the teenager jumped him and began slamming his head against the concrete sidewalk.

Zimmerman, whose father is white and whose mother is Hispanic, has denied the confrontation with the black teenager had anything to do with race, as Martin's family and its supporters have charged.

Trayvon Martin Crime Scene Photos Shown To George Zimmerman Jurors (GRAPHIC PHOTOS)

Jurors in George Zimmerman's murder trial on Tuesday were shown graphic photos of Trayvon Martin's body while a police officer testified about trying to resuscitate the teen.

Sgt. Anthony E. Raimondo, who works for the Sanford Police Department, testified he was one of the first officers to respond to Martin's shooting on the night of Feb. 26, 2012.

Raimondo said Martin was face-down and unresponsive. He said he turned the teen over and began to give him CPR but heard air escaping "in a manner that it was not supposed to."

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The police officer said he determined the air was escaping from the gunshot wound to Martin's chest. He continued in his attempts to resuscitate the teen until paramedics arrived and pronounced Martin dead.

Assistant State Attorney John Guy displayed several graphic photos of Martin and his injuries during Raimondo's testimony. Defense attorney Mark O’Mara also displayed graphic photos of Martin's body during his cross-examination of the witness.

The photos had an obvious impact on those seated in the courtroom and were so disturbing to Martin's family members that his mother averted her eyes and his father left the courtroom.

Zimmerman, 29, shot and killed Martin as the unarmed teen was walking back to the home of his father's fiancee from a Sanford, Fla., convenience store with a bag of candy on the night of Feb. 26, 2012.

The defendant has pleaded not guilty in Martin's death. The defense team says Zimmerman was attacked by Martin and acted in self-defense. Prosecutors allege Zimmerman profiled Martin before killing the teen.

Zimmerman faces a possible sentence of life in prison if he is convicted.

George Zimmerman Trial Live Updates: Opening Statements In Murder Trial

More than a year after the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin sparked controversy across the country, prosecution and defense lawyers will finally get to outline their cases to a Florida jury.

Opening statements are set for Monday morning in George Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial. The proceedings start following a marathon nine days of jury selection to find objective candidates who had not already formed an opinion about Zimmerman's guilt or innocence.

Zimmerman, 29, shot and killed Martin as the unarmed teen was walking back to the home of his father's fiancee from a Sanford, Fla., convenience store with a bag of candy on the night of Feb. 26, 2012.

Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty in Martin's slaying.

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Jury selection in Zimmerman’s trial concluded Thursday, with a panel of six female jurors chosen to decide his fate. The jurors and four alternates were sequestered at an unknown location over the weekend in order to eliminate the possibility of their exposure to outside influences.

Monday's opening statements in Seminole County Circuit Court will preview the essence of the trial.

Defense attorneys Mark O'Mara and Don West are representing Zimmerman, and the lead prosecutor for the state of Florida is Bernie de la Rionda.

Zimmerman's attorneys claim he acted in self-defense when he was attacked by Martin while on a neighborhood watch patrol. The prosecution will likely suggest Zimmerman, who is Hispanic-American, profiled and murdered Martin.

The defense has not yet decided if Zimmerman will take the stand. That decision will likely be made after the prosecution presents its case.

The long-awaited proceedings have piqued the interest of the nation and fed a national debate about racism, self-defense laws and gun control.

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The trial, before Circuit Judge Debra Nelson in Seminole County, is expected to last more than a month. During that time, both sides will try to convince the jury of their version of the events of Feb. 26, 2012.

If convicted, Zimmerman could face a possible sentence of life in prison.

Opening statements are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. EST.

George Zimmerman Jury Selected: All Women Jurors Chosen In Trial Of Trayvon Martin Killer

SANFORD, Fla. — A jury of six women, five of them white and the other a minority, was picked Thursday to decide the second-degree murder trial of George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who says he fatally shot Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, in self-defense.

Prosecutors have said Zimmerman, 29, racially profiled the 17-year-old Martin as he walked back from a convenience store on a rainy night in February 2012 wearing a dark hooded shirt.

The race and ethnicity of the minority chosen for the jury was not immediately available. Zimmerman identifies himself as Hispanic.

Two of the jurors recently moved to the area – one from Iowa and one from Chicago – and two are involved with rescuing animals as their hobbies.

One juror had a prior arrest, but she said it was disposed of and she thought she was treated fairly. Two jurors have guns in their homes. All of their names have been kept confidential and the panel will be sequestered for the trial.

Opening statements are scheduled for Monday.

The central Florida community of Sanford is in Seminole County, which is 78.5 percent white and 16.5 percent black, roughly mirroring the jury's racial makeup.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys chose the panel of six jurors after almost two weeks of jury selection. In Florida, 12 jurors are required only for criminal trials involving capital cases, when the death penalty is being considered.

If convicted, Zimmerman could face a potential life sentence.

On Feb. 26, 2012, Zimmerman spotted Martin, whom he did not recognize, walking in the gated townhome community where Zimmerman lived and the fiancee of Martin's father also resided. There had been a rash of recent break-ins at the Retreat, and Zimmerman was wary of strangers walking through the complex.

The two eventually got into a struggle and Zimmerman shot Martin in the chest with his 9mm handgun. He was charged 44 days after the shooting, only after a special prosecutor was appointed to review the case.

Martin's shooting death and the initial decision not to charge Zimmerman led to public outrage and demonstrations around the nation, with some accusing Sanford police of failing to thoroughly investigate the shooting.

The six jurors were culled from a pool of 40 candidates who made it into a second round of jury questioning. Two men and two women also were picked as alternate jurors.

Before selecting the jurors Thursday, defense attorney Mark O'Mara explored potential jurors' views on guns, self-defense and justifiable use of force.

Under Florida law, Zimmerman could shoot Martin in self-defense if it was necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm. O'Mara previously decided not to invoke a "stand your ground" hearing in which a judge alone would decide whether to dismiss the case or allow it to proceed to trial.

After the jury was picked, Judge Debra Nelson continued a hearing on whether to allow experts to testify about screams heard on 911 calls made during the struggle. Prosecutors want their expert to testify it was Martin screaming on the calls. An expert for Zimmerman's defense has said there is not enough audio to determine who the screams are coming from.