HOUSTON – "We are Trayvon, We are Trayvon." That's what protesters chanted as they marched along West Gray Street Sunday afternoon.
They came by the hundreds, carrying signs and demanding justice for Trayvon Martin.
But just as important as their message, community activist Quanell X said, was the location where they staged this protest, one of the wealthiest, neighborhoods in the United States: River Oaks.
"Racial profiling in River Oaks is prevalent," Quanell said. "We wanted to come to the most affluent parts of our city. We come here today to protest racial profiling of young black men, just as Trayvon Martin was profiled by George Zimmerman."
The march was peaceful for the most part, but make no mistake, there were tense moments. Such as the moment when one group of Pro-Trayvon protesters came nearly face to face with a group of Pro-Zimmerman protesters at the corner of West Gray and Shepherd.
There was shouting, and police on horseback worked to push both crowds back from the street.
As the Pro-Trayvon marchers crossed into several River Oaks residential areas, homeowners came out to see what was going on, but again, there were no problems.
Some residents took pictures with their cell phones while standing on their palatial balconies.
One Pro-Zimmerman supporter asked, "Why are these people still protesting a verdict that is over a week old?"
"We will not rest until our children can all freely walk the streets of this country without being singled out for being black," one of the Pro-Trayvon protesters said.
They marched right by each other, passionate people on opposite sides of a racially divisive issue, but everyone stayed calm.
Loud and passionate about their cause, but most importantly, nonviolent.