About 200 people attended a rally in downtown Albuquerque to protest the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida.
The marchers who gathered Sunday in Civic Plaza carried signs that read "No Justice, No Peace" and called for justice for Martin.
The Albuquerque NAACP says the verdict sends a chilling message to the African American community that the justice system doesn't always protect the innocent.
Charles Powell attended the rally and said there are violent disputes across the country that he blamed on laws that encourage confrontation.
Powell referred to Florida's "Stand your ground law," which states that a person may use force in self-defense where there is reasonable belief that he is being unlawfully threatened.
Information from: Albuquerque Journal