While the trial of George Zimmerman over Trayvon Martin’s death gripped the media and the political establishment, urban shootings claimed the lives of many more young people, including many young black men. Over the roughly month-long period from the commencement of jury selection on June 10 to the announcement of the verdict on July 12, the city of Chicago alone suffered a total of 61 murders, an average of 1.85 deaths per day. According to data available on the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye website, 52 of those killed were black, 43 were black males, and seven were children under the age of 18. The vast majority died of gunshot wounds. A sample of the victims follows (some of the descriptions below and the links can be disturbing).

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