George Zimmerman Acquitted in Trayvon Martin Killing; Black Lives Matter Founded

George Zimmerman was acquitted of murder and manslaughter on July 13, 2013, in the killing of Trayvon Martin, 17, whom he had shot on February 26, 2012, while Martin was returning from a convenience store in a gated community in Sanford, FL. Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, had followed Martin despite being told by a 911 dispatcher not to. He invoked Florida's Stand Your Ground law. Alicia Garza wrote a 'love letter to Black people' on Facebook the night of the acquittal; Patrisse Cullors shared it with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter; Opal Tometi helped build the network. BLM was born from that moment.