Milwaukee reaction to George Zimmerman not guilty verdict

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Late Saturday, July 13th, a jury found George Zimmerman not guilty in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

Just steps away from the courthouse where a jury decided George Zimmerman's fate, demonstrators vowed that their fight wasn't over.

"Nationwide protest to demand justice," protesters chanted after the jury's not-guilty verdict in Sanford, Florida, cleared Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

It wasn't long before some appeared to be heeding their call.

Rallies started in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and New York. Pockets of protests spilled into the early morning hours Sunday.

In Milwaukee, many who have followed the trial say they're not surprised by the outcome.

"I wasn`t surprised based on what I was seeing in the trial. To be honest, there were a lot of holes in the prosecution`s case," Sheldon Jackson said.

Others agree, but believe politics played too big of a role.

"Even the president making that remark - that kid could be my son. I thought that was totally wrong. That put too much pressure on the DA to bring charges before they looked at the evidence," Landon Stucky said.

"I don't think they were presented the evidence properly to make a very good decision. I think they made their decision based on the evidence presented," another person who had been following the trial told FOX6 News.

Regardless of the verdict, many say they are keeping the memory of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin close to their hearts.

"He still died, and it was because of Zimmerman. I felt that should have been put into the trial," a Zimmerman trial follower said.

So what's next for George Zimmerman?

His GPS monitor has been cut off and George Zimmerman is free -- but only legally.

With the state criminal case over, George Zimmerman could now face new criminal charges.

The federal government could file a civil rights suit, accusing him of violating 17-year-old Martin's civil rights.

The NAACP has called on the Justice Department to file civil rights charges, and is asking the public to sign a petition.