The Los Angeles Police Department has called a citywide tactical alert after demonstrators protesting the not guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman case blocked traffic on the 10 Freeway in the Mid-City area Sunday evening.

The California Highway Patrol said “police activity” around the 10 Freeway and Crenshaw Boulevard has jammed traffic. Motorists are urged to avoid the area.

No arrests have been made, and no one was hurt. LAPD sources said a splinter group of a larger protest walked down an onramp to the 10 Freeway and stood mostly in the eastbound lanes.

Officials said portions of the 10 were closed from 6:20 p.m. to 6:44 p.m. but have since reopened.


Photos and videos showed both sides of the 10 Freeway blocked and demonstrators milling about the freeway.

Demonstrators protesting Trayvon Martin’s death amassed in New York City’s Times Square on Sunday night after marching about two miles from an earlier rally in Union Square.

As tourists looked on, the protesters chanted: “What do we want?” “Justice!” “When do we want it?” “Now!” The demonstration was one of many in major U.S. cities Sunday after George Zimmerman was acquitted Saturday night in the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin in Florida.

After a protest Saturday night in Oakland turned violent, Sunday’s protests were peaceful.


Here are some images aggregated from social media:

Gnarly photo of protestors marching on the 10 freeway in LA earlier: pic.twitter.com/y5IzRyKMWj via @GaryRidesBikes— Matt Pearce (@mattdpearce) July 15, 2013

Trayvon Martin demonstrators are marching on the FREEWAY in LA. pic.twitter.com/GB8oJBp2sS— Matt Pearce (@mattdpearce) July 15, 2013


andrew.blankstein@latimes.com

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