Zimmerman verdict spawns protests across country LAPD shoots bean bags and protesters after some hurl rocks and concrete The vast majority of protests across the country are peaceful Obama urges "calm reflection," asks Americans to reflect on toll of gun violence (CNN) -- If the George Zimmerman murder trial didn't polarize America enough, the verdict certainly did. While supporters of Zimmerman's acquittal kept largely quiet after the weekend decision, outraged protesters poured into the streets across the country Sunday and early Monday While the vast majority of protests were peaceful, parts of Los Angeles grew tense. Some protesters hurled flashlight batteries, rocks and chunks of concrete toward police, Los Angeles police spokesman Andrew Smith said. Police responded by shooting about a half dozen bean bags at protesters. "LAPD is hoping for the best and preparing for the worst," Smith said Sunday night. We hope everyone can exercise their First Amendment right to free speech, then get tired and go home. Some demonstrators continued their efforts into Monday morning. At least nine people were arrested, Smith said. Across the country Thousands also rallied in San Francisco, Chicago, Denver, Baltimore, Detroit, New York and other cities. In New York, demonstrators marched across Manhattan and packed Times Square. "This is what democracy looks like," they chanted. In Florida, just steps away from the courthouse where a jury acquitted Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin, demonstrators vowed that their fight wasn't over. "Nationwide protest to demand justice," protesters chanted in Sanford, Florida. Racial undertones Many of the protests, including large gatherings in New York and Los Angeles, drew demonstrators from a wide variety of races. But many expressed the same belief -- that Martin's death was spurred by racial profiling, and that Zimmerman's acquittal leaves no one accountable. "Only white life is protected in America," one protester in Washington shouted Sunday. They did not believe justice had been served. Some demonstrators in Denver, Baltimore and Detroit wore hooded sweatshirts like the one Martin wore when he was killed. President Barack Obama called for peace Sunday and acknowledged the Zimmerman case has stirred strong emotions. And as we do, we should ask ourselves if we're doing all we can to widen the circle of compassion and understanding in our own communities," Obama said. "We should ask ourselves if we're doing all we can to stem the tide of gun violence that claims too many lives across this country on a daily basis," he said. Critics of the verdict like Terri Weems said the trial was a referendum on race that confirmed what they knew all along. "That's our society," Weems said as she headed into church in Washington on Sunday. NAACP President Benjamin Jealous told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday that the largely peaceful protests were a positive sign. "I think we should, frankly, right now be celebrating the fact that we've seen a generation of young people respond by using our system, raising their voices, but not using their fists," he said. CNN's Jake Carpenter, Catherine E. Shoichet, Alan Duke and Jareen Imam contributed to this report.