2013

The Supreme Court's 5-4 decision in Shelby County v. Holder struck down Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 — the formula used to determine which jurisdictions required federal preclearance before changing voting laws. Chief Justice Roberts wrote that the formula was based on 'decades-old data.' Within 24 hours, Texas announced it would implement a previously-blocked voter ID law and a redistricting plan. Within two months, nine of the thirteen formerly-covered states had introduced new voting restrictions. North Carolina passed the nation's most sweeping post-Shelby voting law, later struck down by a federal court as targeting African Americans 'with almost surgical precision.'

In Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court struck down Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act by a 5-4 vote, invalidating the coverage formula that determined which jurisdictions required federal preclearance before changing voting laws. Chief Justice Roberts wrote the majority opinion. Within hours, Texas, North Carolina, and other states moved to implement voter ID laws and other restrictions.

George Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the killing of Trayvon Martin. The verdict prompted nationwide protests. Alicia Garza wrote a 'love letter to Black people' on Facebook, which Patrisse Cullors shared with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. Opal Tometi joined them, founding what became a global movement for racial justice.

In response to George Zimmerman's acquittal, Alicia Garza wrote a social media post that Patrisse Cullors amplified with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. Opal Tometi helped build the online infrastructure. The three women are credited as co-founders of Black Lives Matter, which grew into one of the most significant civil rights movements of the 21st century.

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.

George Zimmerman was acquitted in the killing of Trayvon Martin, 17, whom he shot on February 26, 2012, while Martin was returning from a convenience store in Sanford, FL. Zimmerman had followed Martin despite being told by a 911 dispatcher not to. 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.

Federal Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled in Floyd v. City of New York that the NYPD's stop-and-frisk program violated the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments. At its peak in 2011, the NYPD made 685,724 stops; 88% were of Black or Latino individuals, 88% of whom were found to have done nothing wrong. Mayor de Blasio ended appeals in 2013. Stops fell dramatically; crime rates did not rise, disproving the program's stated effectiveness.

U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled in Floyd v. City of New York that the NYPD's stop-and-frisk program violated the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments, constituting unconstitutional racial profiling. She appointed a monitor to oversee reforms. Mayor Bloomberg appealed but the appeal was withdrawn after Bill de Blasio took office in January 2014.

On August 12, 2013, Federal Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled in Floyd v. City of New York that the NYPD's stop-and-frisk program was unconstitutional, finding it violated the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments by disproportionately targeting Black and Latino men. At its peak in 2011, the NYPD made 685,724 stops; 88% were of Black or Latino individuals, 88% of whom were found to have done nothing wrong. The ruling required reforms and an independent monitor. Mayor de Blasio ended appeals in 2013. Stops fell dramatically; crime rates did not rise, disproving the program's stated effectiveness.

Jonathan Ferrell, 24, a former Florida A&M football player, crashed his car in Charlotte, North Carolina, and walked to a nearby home seeking help. The homeowner called police. Officer Randall Kerrick shot Ferrell ten times, killing him. Kerrick was charged with voluntary manslaughter; his trial ended in a hung jury in 2015 and charges were later dropped.

Renisha McBride, 19, was shot in the face and killed by homeowner Theodore Wafer when she knocked on his door in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, hours after a car crash, apparently seeking help. Wafer claimed self-defense. He was convicted of second-degree murder in August 2014 and sentenced to 17 to 32 years — a verdict seen as a partial corrective to the Zimmerman acquittal.

Jonathan Ferrell, 24, a former FAMU football player, crashed his car in Charlotte, NC, and knocked on a nearby home seeking help. The homeowner called 911 reporting a break-in. When police arrived, Ferrell ran toward them; officer Randall Kerrick shot him 10 times, hitting him 7 times. Kerrick was charged with voluntary manslaughter — a rare occurrence for an officer. His trial ended in a hung jury in 2015; charges were dropped. The case highlighted how seeking help while Black could be perceived as a threat and how rarely charges against officers resulted in conviction.

The Supreme Court strikes down the VRA's preclearance formula, unleashing a wave of voting restrictions.

After George Zimmerman's acquittal, three organizers launch a movement and a hashtag.