Thousands call for San Francisco boycott after Kate Steinle verdict Following the acquittal of Garcia Zarate, thousands tweet #BoycottSanFrancisco

Thousands tweeted to #BoycottSanFrancisco in the wake of the stunning Kate Steinle verdict. On Thursday night, a jury acquitted undocumented immigrant Jose Ines Garcia Zarate for the 2015 high profile killing of Steinle. less Thousands tweeted to #BoycottSanFrancisco in the wake of the stunning Kate Steinle verdict. On Thursday night, a jury acquitted undocumented immigrant Jose Ines Garcia Zarate for the 2015 high profile killing ... more Photo: Twitter Screen Grab Photo: Twitter Screen Grab Image 1 of / 34 Caption Close Thousands call for San Francisco boycott after Kate Steinle verdict 1 / 34 Back to Gallery

San Francisco is a "liberal cesspool" that must be boycotted, according to some on social media who called for a boycott of the West Coast city after a stunning acquittal of an undocumented immigrant in the killing of Kate Steinle on a San Francisco pier.

Thousands tweeted #BoycottSanFrancisco in the 24 hours following the acquittal of Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, a 45-year-old Mexican citizen who was released from San Francisco County Jail before the killing despite a federal request that he be held for his sixth deportation. The Steinle trial been a component of the national debate over sanctuary laws for much of the past two years.

FULL STORY: Garcia Zarate acquitted in San Francisco pier killing

On Friday those disturbed by the controversial verdict took to Twitter to express their disbelief.

"Hell will freeze over before I ever visit SF #BoycottSanFrancisco," wrote an incensed Twitter user.

One man called the city a "used needle-strewn hipster dystopia."

Another seized her platform to pen a rhyming poem of sorts: "The morning fog may chill the air. We don't care. There's nothing there in San Francisco except the Liberals and the poisoned air."

Many went so far as to pledge to never use another San Francisco-made product again. It's impossible to know if they were on iPhones when they used the San Francisco-based social media network to make the declaration.

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Others seized the opportunity to air their extended list of grievances with the city and its excess sympathy for "liberal causes," like Colin Kaepernick's anthem protests and feminism; many hoped CalExit would come to fruition.

Although he had yet to sound off on the boycott, President Trump condemned the verdict in a series of tweets Friday and renewed calls to build a border wall.

SEE ALSO: Trump jumps on Democrats in latest Kate Steinle case tweets

The calls for boycott were met with plenty of pushback from the opposite side of the political spectrum.

"RT if you're jealous Trumpsters promise to #BoycottSanFrancisco," wrote @Millennial_Dems.

Other users pointed out the hypocrisy of boycotting San Francisco after they remained silent following the killing of Heather Heyer during a white nationalist rally and counterprotest in Charlottesville, N.C.

Outside cyberspace, many Bay Area were shocked by the surprising verdict. Speaking with The San Francisco Chronicle on Pier 14, where Steinle took her last steps, many expressed a mixture of anger and sadness for the young life taken too soon.

Vivian Ho, a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer, contributed to this report.

Michelle Robertson is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @mrobertsonsf.



