George Zimmerman's Father: My Son Is Not Racist, Did Not Confront Trayvon Martin

Orlando Sentinel ^ | 3/15/12 | Rene Stutzman

[Lmo56]

The Sanford Neighborhood Watch volunteer who shot and killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, did not instigate the encounter but has received death threats and moved out of his home, his father told the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday.

George Zimmerman, 28, has not been arrested, something that has put him and the Sanford Police Department at the center of a firestorm. Critics say Trayvon, who was visiting family from his home in Miami, was a victim of racial profiling.

Zimmerman's father, 64-year-old Robert Zimmerman of Lake Mary, delivered a one-page letter to the Sentinel on Thursday, saying that the depiction of his son in the media has been cruel and misleading.

George Zimmerman is Hispanic and grew up in a multiracial family, the statement says.

"He would be the last to discriminate for any reason whatsoever ...," the letter says. "The media portrayal of George as a racist could not be further from the truth."

The letter does not provide details about what happened Feb. 26 on a walkway in the gated community where George Zimmerman lives and where Trayvon was visiting. But it does challenge one basic assumption of the family's lawyers: that Zimmerman's intent when he got out of his sport utility vehicle was to confront Trayvon after calling police to report a suspicious person.

[Jack Burton007]

No kidding.

It’s looking like the “Al Sharpton fan club” is starting to swarm to this thread now to scream for Zimmerman’s lynching.

These are some of the posters on FR who gave me hell on another tread for not screaming for Zimmerman’s blood.

They should be banned from FR for siding siding with Sharpton in any way, shape or form.

[Clara Lou]

Because he’s a postman?

[Clara Lou]

Jack, you lie and exaggerate just like a useless liberal. Hmmmmm....

[muawiyah]

Do you seriously imagine that anyone on FR has no idea who Al Sharpton is? Why I was just sitting down for a quick cup of coffee the other day and he just walked right in and sat down like he belonged there.

We talked, then we conspired, and he said "I need a new bullhorn". I told him to get a few pounds off his gut and he wouldn't need one.

WE All had a good laugh. .

.

.

(/s)

[Jack Burton007]

It is obvious you’re only referring to one report. The video one.

I’m talking about numerous reports from other news agencies like CNN and ABC or MSNBC where they said what I wrote to you.

I suspect you’re one of those screaming for Zimmerman to hang just because an “innocent” black child was shot down. You know all the facts due to your past history with the postal profession?

Sounds like you put more faith in Al Sharpton than most of us here do.

The media reports a few days ago never said it was the “witness behind the door” they just said “witness accounts state” and then went on to say that the witness said that Zimmerman was never on the ground and that Martin was never confronting Zimmerman or attacking him.

Are you saying you know what I’ve read over the past few weeks and I’m wrong in my comments?

Did you google that too?

[muawiyah]

I'd already found the quickest route to a quicky mart in that area. The '111' came up later when Google told me there was an Orthodontist near the address i was looking for. Doggone ~ that was an ADVERTISEMENT and GOogle.com told me that in case i needed one ~ must have hit a profile thing.

That came up on its own. THen I looked closely at 111 ~ BEYOND KOINKYDINK LEVEL.

[Mr. K]

thanks for that partial info

[muawiyah]

I'd already found the quickest route to a quicky mart in that area. The '111' came up later when Google told me there was an Orthodontist near the address i was looking for. Doggone ~ that was an ADVERTISEMENT and GOogle.com told me that in case i needed one ~ must have hit a profile thing.

That came up on its own. THen I looked closely at 111 ~ BEYOND KOINKYDINK LEVEL.

[Lmo56]

The grand jury will make the determination of whether the racist will face charges and what charges they might be, and it will convene on April 10.

I would be careful as to calling him a racist - you don't know the man.

Has he made racist remarks? Probably - but who hasn't [including you and I] ...

If you are condemning him for comments - look in the mirror, the kettle is black ...

[dforest]

The way this thing is being handled in the media reminds me so much of the Duke Lacrosse case.

The hype transcends the search for the truth. This guy has already been convicted without a trial.

[coon2000]

Agreed. Some people need to take a step back and wait until ALL of the facts come out before they come to a conclusion.

[Jack Burton007]

Point out where I have lied.

It seems you are on the side who has an agenda to hang a man with little or no evidence all because the media and Al Sharpton has said he is guilty.

[snowstorm12]

Zimmerman is the only person who knows how the confrontation first started. The only other person is an ear witness - Trayvon’s girlfriend. I would believe Trayvon’s girlfriend over Zimmerman. His history should be taken into account to judge the truthfulness of his story. He says he walked back to his car and was attacked, but I don’t believe that.

I believe Zimmerman put his hands on Trayvon first. I also don’t believe he backed off after 911 dispatcher told him to.

Zimmerman is the one with the history of being overzealous, wanting to detain people, putting his hands on people and not wanting people to get away. The 911 operator told him to back off, and his tone of voice he did not sound happy. He reminds 911 that “he ran” after being chastized for following him.

[muawiyah]

Neighborhood Watch, collecting Association Dues, I worked for the USPS AND For years agonized over them, woke up screaming finding addresses and addressing standards and hygiene in my dreams ~ what a stupid question!

[Clara Lou]

Point out where I have lied.
You said, It’s looking like the “Al Sharpton fan club” is starting to swarm to this thread now to scream for Zimmerman’s lynching.

Liar. And you're awfully new here to be saying who should be banned from this website. (See post #181)

[Political Junkie Too]

Listening on Hannity now...

Regarding the quote "They always get away..."

It sounded to me that this was a longer statement that was paused to take a breath.

Zimmerman was not lamenting that "They always get away."

Zimmerman was reporting to 911 that "They always get away... [breath] through the back gate."

-PJ

[Mr Rogers]

“Clara, the headbashing appears to have been an invention ~ but it’s on a number of threads here and elsewhere.”

Actually, it is from the police report.

“Zimmerman was also bleeding from the nose and the back of his head.”

http://www.sanfordfl.gov/investigation/docs/Twin%20Lakes%20Shooting%20Initial%20Report.pdf

The location has a sidewalk with grass on either side. The same report says Zimmerman’s back was “covered in grass”. And a witness reports Martin was on top of Zimmerman.

Put that together, and a plausible case exists that Zimmerman was on his back, with his torso in the grass and his head against the sidewalk, getting beaten. If the back of his head was bleeding, then either the beating was pretty hard, he hit the sidewalk when tackled, or he was getting his head smashed against the sidewalk.

We have no way of knowing which it is, but then, my post said, “If the kid was pounding his head against the sidewalk...”, not, “Since the kid was...”.

But since the cops did not arrest Zimmerman, and still have not, it seems likely the press accounts are a bit slanted.

[AAABEST]

I missed nothing. Zimmerman staged the attack by baiting Martin with filthy racial slurs. Zimmerman knew the kid was unarmed, contrary to what he told the 911 dispatcher about "something in his hand, that was in his waistband", and he was confident he could end the attack at his lesuire by killing Martin after enough witnesses had heard his feigned cries for help. Zimmerman is a murderous, racist scumbag.

Don't even know where to start with that... not even worthy of a response.

I'm 100% sure however that whoever reads it (myself included) will immediately put you on their idiot list.

[tomkat]

The Orlando Sentinel also cut the last half of the 911 tape out in the edited version that it published, which was Zimmerman referring to blacks, and this kid in particular as "f'n coons".

You do, of course, have a definitive source you can link to for that assertion, right ?

[boxerblues]

link to police report

http://cnninsession.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/martinpolicreport.pdf