SANFORD, Fla. (CN) - As more details of the shooting death of Trayvon Martin emerge, emotions run high in Sanford, where some residents say the mood of the city has changed. Downtown streets and businesses seemed bare on a rainy Saturday last weekend. Some said it was the weather, but waitress Lynn Schultz said business slows down on days there are rallies for Martin.
"If there's a rally or it's all over the news we see a decline," said Schultz, who works in a café on First Street, the main street downtown. "But you just go with the flow."
Other than the occasional slow day, Schultz, who is white, said she hasn't seen much difference in the city.
But Chuck Martin, 48, said racial tensions have risen.
"It seems kind of tense to me," said Martin, who is African-American. "You get stares at restaurants like, 'What are you doing here?'"
Martin, who has lived in Sanford for 30 years, said, "There's those certain few that have made rude comments like, 'It's good that happened to him [Trayvon].' So I guess it hasn't changed much yet."
Chuck Martin, a warehouseman for the Seminole County School Board, said he did not know Trayvon but they are from the same Miami Gardens neighborhood.
The Retreat at Twin Lakes, the gated community where Trayvon was killed, was quiet on Saturday. Reporters are not allowed past the gates.
An occasional passerby or resident walked to a makeshift shrine to Trayvon Martin's memory. They left bags of Skittles, Arizona Iced Tea, cards, teddy bears, candles and footballs.
Trayvon was carrying a bag of Skittles and an iced tea when he was shot to death.
A Twin Lakes resident, who identified himself only as Frank, and said he lives down the street from where the shooting happened. He said residents have been calm, with no disturbances, only sympathy. He said he did not know Martin's killer, George Zimmerman.
"People are just looking for justice," said Frank, who is Latino. "I know you gotta defend yourself but if I'm a grown man fighting against a 17-year-old kid, you don't have to shoot him. That's a big smack in the face for the African-American community."
Former law enforcement officer Jackie Douglas said the fact that Zimmerman has not been arrested or charged has made people angry and hungry for justice.
"I'm mad," said Douglas, who is African-American. "Zimmerman has been getting away with violence. Trayvon was crying on that tape. I don't care what nobody say. Trayvon was fighting for his life. If anybody pulls a gun on you, you'll fight."
Sanford city officials did not return calls. An assistant in the mayor's office said city officials work only part time. Sanford police have issued a number of public statementssince the shooting, but none indicate an arrest is imminent.
The Killing
Zimmerman shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin to death on Feb. 26 as Martin walked home from a convenience store, carrying only a bag of Skittles and an iced tea.
Zimmerman, 28, a Neighborhood Watch volunteer, called police to report Martin as suspicious. There had been break-ins in the area.