Tag: George Zimmerman

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35 LGBT rights groups issue an open letter calling for justice in the Trayvon Martin case

A coalition of national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights organizations, led by the National Black Justice Coalition and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, today issued the following open letter:

An Open Letter: Trayvon Deserves Justice

We cannot begin to imagine the continued pain and suffering endured by Trayvon Martin’s family and friends. We stand in solidarity with them as they continue to fight for justice, civil rights and closure. And we thank everyone who has pushed and will continue to push for justice.

Trayvon Martin deserves justice and his civil rights. We support the organizations and community leaders who are urging the federal government to explore every option to ensure that justice is served for Trayvon and that his civil rights are honored and respected. But our work does not end there: we will honor Trayvon Martin by strengthening our commitment to end bias, hatred, profiling and violence across our communities.

We represent organizations with diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender constituencies. Our community has been targets of bigotry, bias, profiling and violence. We have experienced the heart-breaking despair of young people targeted for who they are, who they are presumed to be, or who they love: Rashawn Brazell, Lawrence King, Ali Forney, Brandon Teena, Brandon White, Matthew Shepard, Marco McMillian, Angie Zapata, Sakia Gunn, Gwen Araujo and countless others.

Every person, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity, must be able to walk the streets without fear for their safety.

Justice delayed is justice denied and in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “a right delayed is a right denied.” We honor Trayvon by seeking justice for all people.

All Out
American Civil Liberties Union
Believe Out Loud
BiNet USA
Bisexual Resource Center
Center for Black Equity
CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers
Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals
Equality Federation
Family Equality Council
Freedom to Work
Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network
Gay-Straight Alliance Network (GSA Network)
GetEQUAL
GMHC
GLAD
GLAAD
Harvey Milk Foundation
Human Rights Campaign
Immigration Equality
Lambda Legal
Movement Advancement Project
National Black Justice Coalition
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs
National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
National Minority AIDS Council
National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance
Out & Equal Workplace Advocates
PFLAG National
The Trevor Project
Trans Advocacy Network
Transgender Law Center
Trans People of Color Coalition

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A note to George Zimmerman – “Enjoy your freedom”

It’s still difficult to process what the George Zimmerman verdict means. Not only to George Zimmerman, but what it means philosophically to America.

I’m not wise enough to parse this. I wish I were.

I will, however, share a Facebook post by Alex Fraser that has gone viral in the past several hours. It has been shared over 47,000 times in less than a day.

Submitted without comment:

Dear George Zimmerman,

For the rest of your life you are now going to feel what its like to be a black man in America.

You will feel people stare at you. Judging you for what you think are unfair reasons. You will lose out on getting jobs for something you feel is outside of your control. You will believe yourself to be an upstanding citizen and wonder why people choose to not see that.

People will cross the street when they see you coming. They will call you hurtful names. It will drive you so insane some days that you’ll want to scream at the top of your lungs. But you will have to wake up the next day, put on firm look and push through life.

I bet you never thought that by shooting a black male you’d end up inheriting all of his struggles.

Enjoy your “freedom.”

Sincerely,

A black male who could’ve been Trayvon Martin

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George Zimmerman found NOT GUILTY in the murder of Trayvon Martin

BREAKING NEWS: George Zimmerman found NOT GUILTY  in the murder of Trayvon Martin.

So, kids, if you decide someone looks suspicious in your neighborhood, you can track them down, engage them and shoot them – and you can be found innocent of murder.

 That’s the civics lesson for today.

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George Zimmerman NOT screaming for help on recording say experts

Two audio experts testified today that the voice heard screaming on a recorded 911 call was not George Zimmerman

According to experts testifying at a pre-trial hearing today, the voice on a cell phone call to 911 does not belong to alleged murderer George Zimmerman.  This could indicate that it was perhaps not George Zimmerman who was in peril and instead deceased teenager Trayvon Martin.

More at ABC News.

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George Zimmerman defense team waives right to “Stand Your Ground” hearing

Trayvon Martin (L) George Zimmerman (R)
 
Wow. The “Stand Your Ground” approach is thought to be Zimmerman’s big ‘safety’ in this  mess.  This move surprised a lot of people:
George Zimmerman‘s attorneys stunned court observers Tuesday when they waived their client’s right to a “Stand Your Ground” hearing slated for April that might have led to a dismissal of the charges in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin a year ago. 

However, the defense lawyers didn’t say whether they would waive the immunity hearing outright. They left open the possibility for that hearing to be rolled into Zimmerman’s second degree murder trial. Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watch captain in his Florida subdivision, shot and killed the teen, who was visiting a house in the area.

The move allows the defense more time to prepare for the trial this summer, but also raises the stakes.
Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law entitles a person to use deadly force if he believes his life is threatened, and absolves them of an obligation to retreat from a confrontation, even if retreat is possible. 

Read more here.

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George Zimmerman’s wife charged with perjury

George Zimmerman’s wife was arrested today and charged with perjury for collaborating with her husband to shield the couple’s finances from the court.

According to an affidavit, Shellie Zimmerman transferred more than $74,000 to her personal account days before the bond hearing. Taped phone calls between the couple revealed that they had discussed the money transfers in code to hide the funds, according to the affidavit. The calls also showed that George Zimmerman instructed his wife to “pay off all the bills,” including payments to American Express and Sam’s Club. Nearly $50,000 was transferred to an account held by Zimmerman’s sister.

Mrs. Zimmerman was released after posting bail.

Via JoeMyGod

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George Zimmerman’s bond revoked; ordered to return to jail

The Washington Post is reporting that Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester revoked the bond of the neighborhood watch volunteer charged with killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin and ordered him returned to jail within 48 hours.

Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester said Friday that George Zimmerman misled the court about how much money he had available when his bond was set for $150,000 in April. Prosecutors claim Zimmerman had $135,000 available that had been raised by a website he set up.

Prosecutors also say he failed to surrender a second passport.

The defense says the finances are an innocent misunderstanding.

Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder of Trayvon Martin and is claiming self-defense.

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Possible Federal hate crime charges may be filed against George Zimmerman

More bad news may be on the way for George Zimmerman.  The FBI is conducting their own investigation to consider adding a federal hate crime charge to the murder charge already filed by the state of Florida against George Zimmerman.

FBI investigators are actively questioning witnesses in the retreat at the Twin Lakes neighborhood, seeking evidence for a possible federal hate crime charge. Martin was unarmed when he was shot to death, police said, and some accuse Zimmerman of targeting the teenager solely because of the color of his skin. WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer said federal prosecutors would have to prove the hate crime to charge Zimmerman, though. “What the government would have to prove is that Mr. Zimmerman acted out of hatred toward African-Americans. That’s why he came into contact with him. That’s why he shot and killed him,” Sheaffer said. Sheaffer said a federal hate crime murder charge could bring more serious consequences than the second-degree murder charge Zimmerman faces now. “Mr. Zimmerman could be punished by up to life in prison or even the death penalty,” said Sheaffer.