Posted on 04/11/2012 4:04:30 PM PDT by nickcarraway
With the firestorm over, but outrage over the Trayvon Martin shooting continuing to build, theGrio spoke with Joe Oliver, a friend and defender of George Zimmerman, who also happens to be black, a day after the 1-month anniversary of the fatal shooting.
"Now I get 'the look.'"
Joe Oliver used to be known in the Orlando area as a news professional, working for more than 20 years as a reporter and anchor for a local NBC station and for CNN. Now, the 53-year-old is known as the black man who is supporting George Zimmerman, the man who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
Oliver, who has known Zimmerman since the 28-year-old began dating the woman he's now married to ("his mother in law is a close friend of my wife's," Oliver told theGrio), reached out to Zimmerman's lawyer, Craig Sonner, after he was unable to reach his friend as the uproar over the shooting grew. He asked if it was okay for him to speak on Zimmerman's behalf.
"My conversations with George were to confirm what I had been told via his relatives, and also to confirm that I was doing the right thing by standing up for him," Oliver told theGrio. He said Zimmerman, who is in hiding, is being treated for "post-traumatic stress [syndrome], insomnia and depression."
By coming forward, Oliver knowingly exposed himself to the same firestorm that engulfed his friend. "But I was quite adamant that I could not live with myself if I did not do what I knew was the right thing to do," Oliver said. "And that, unfortunately, has put me in this position. I do come from an extremely unique perspective, not just being George's friend but being an African-American. Because I understand the outrage. If I didn't know George, I too would be outraged. Because of the history of the Sanford police department I would question the information that was being leaked; the validity of the information regardless of who they put in front of the camera. I get all that. But I am in a unique position, in that I know George. And I know that there's no way he would have put himself in a position where he's in hiding, if he didn't believe he had to save his life."
Oliver reiterated -- and said he believes -- Zimmerman's story about being attacked by Trayvon Martin on the night of February 26th, and said Zimmerman told him that he fired his gun after a "life and death struggle" with the teen.
He has not been to the rallies. He has not yet spoken with black friends about the incident. But he did talk with Rev. Jesse Jackson after a chance meeting in hotel lobby in nearby Lake Mary, where he had gone to do an interview Monday.
"I told this to Rev. Jackson yesterday...in the stereotypical big picture, race is the issue. But when it comes down to what happened with Trayvon and George, race had nothing to do with it."
Oliver said he and Jackson talked briefly about the contagion of fear that has made life challenging for young black men, and that, he believes, is the real story in the Trayvon Martin saga.
This "has been building up for decades," Oliver said, "George and Trayvon, they're just the match."
"The sad part is that all of this has just perpetuated the stereotype that has raised the voices of millions because of what has happened, and how young black men are portrayed," Oliver continued. "The problem is, everyone is at fault: the media. Young black men, whites.... Everyone's responsible. And we're at a point where no one is willing to step back and take a look, and take responsibility for their own actions. I mean we're at a point where millions of people are calling for justice and yet they're willing to take justice away from one man."
And how does he feel about being on what many in the African-American community would consider the wrong side of the Trayvon Martin case?
"Let's just say now I get 'the look,' when I'm recognized [by black people]," Oliver said. "There have been veiled threats; not directly towards me, but there have been individuals that have found out where I work, and they have made contact with the executives of my company, trying to get me fired because of what I'm doing."
"I wasn't there. I didn't shoot Trayvon. But I also know that if George hadn't shot Trayvon, Trayvon would have shot George. I'm saying it was a life and death struggle; after that initial blow, it turned into life and death struggle and at some point a decision had to be made about saving a life. And that's what he did." Oliver said he has not talked with black friends about the incident. But he said his wife and everyone else who knows George is scared. He said that even if there are others who know Zimmerman and believe his story, they're afraid to come forward.
"There's a bunch of people out there who are acting in just the same way they claim George acted that night. Where's the justice in that?"
And Oliver, who said that he personally has faced racial discrimination and profiling, even as a prominent news anchor in Central Florida, said he feels it's important to have the conversation about race that the Trayvon Martin case has started.
"It's more than just George. Our country's on the edge. Our country's on the edge because of the history of young black men in this country," Oliver said, adding that much of the fault lies in the way the media portrays young black men.
"George isn't the only Floridian walking around with a gun. There are several others walking around with a gun. In fact I would guarantee that every person in Florida who made the effort to get a concealed weapons permit does not leave home without their weapon," Oliver said. "They got the concealed weapons permit because they're afraid, and they want to be able to confront that fear if it becomes a reality. And that's really at the root of all of this. Until we address the fear that we have, for our own selves and for each other, we're never going to further the conversation. There's never gonna be justice. Because there's always going to be somebody out there who says I did this because I'm afraid ...or I'm going to do this because I'm afraid."
"I mean, we have this issue about those profiling of young black men because people are afraid of them," Oliver said, becoming emotional, "That doesn't mean every young black male is someone you should be afraid of. But the portrayal of young black men, in the media, in the stories, I mean, we will hear every story that involves a young black male and some sort of felony crime....We will not hear every story of a young black male graduating from high school, graduating from college, putting himself through college, going on and being a successful individual..."
Oliver's voice breaks on the phone, "...and raising a family, so he can have another young black male to go out there and carry on his own legacy, and try to do something, where we can get rid of this fear, and he doesn't have to be told as he's growing up: 'okay look son, this is what you're going to have to deal with as a black man in this country.'"
"Okay? So that's where I'm at. I'm on both sides. I'm on the side of George because George did what he had to do. And I truly believe that if we weren't talking about George shooting Trayvon, we'd be talking about another young black man who shot someone else."
And if George's story turns out not to be true?
"I'm at the front of the million hoodie march."
Black peoples are the most racist peoples on the plant!!!!
“Oliver said, adding that much of the fault lies in the way the media portrays young black men.”
It how many young black men conduct themselves that has led to all this.
We hear stories about young black men committing crimes but we don’t hear about young black men graduating from whatever? I don’t see a lot of stories about young white men graduating.
Look, the negroes want this man to be executed REGARDLESS if he’s found guilty or not. If he is found to be innocent, cities will burn . . . mostly because of Eric Holder, Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpton, and the skinny idiot in our White House.
This is pathetic that it’s happening today in our country, but it shows how more racially divided we are because of the previously mentioned morons, especially since Zimmerman has been found to be a WHITE Latino.
Good Grief!!!!
Uhm, no. Christian and Channon come to mind.
He writes about “young black males” but it takes a young black male and a young black female to create an (out of wedlock) baby, who statistically goes on to do drugs, alcohol, dropout of school, do crimes, make more out of wedlock offspring.
Remember 72 percent of black babies are born outside of wedlock. Their highest crime rate correlates with their highest out of wedlock birth rate.
The public is fully justified to be fearful of them, for they commit disproportionate ratios of violent crimes; eg. assault, murder, etc.
The benefit of this charge against Zimmerman should be the publishing of these facts.
I live in the “greater” Lost Angeles metro area, but carefully avoid entry into predominently black areas.
I started avoiding black areas after they burned their homes and businesses in 1965 (Watts Riot), later reinforced in 1992 (Rodney King Riot).
On the other hand, while a big metro area like this has other ethnic minorities and low income/high crime areas, I don’t fear them to anywhere the degree of the blacks, who earned that status in my view.
A weed, or a tree? Hehehe....
That said....I've have / had some relatives that are white, and red...and they are / were pretty darn racist.
That’s a nice read. Thanks. I hope this all works out well for Mr. Oliver and Mr. Zimmerman. It seems Mr. Oliver is really adamant about sticking up for his friend, and that’s refreshing considering the treatment Mr. Zimmerman is getting whil not one person knows any of the facts regarding the shooting.
I don’t buy the problem being youngs blacks are portrayed negatively in the media. I think the exact opposite is the problem. The socialist democrat left and MSM overreacts when any situation occurs between a black and another race. They seem to take the position a black can do no wrong. It’s never the blacks fault, it was someone acting in a racist manner towards him. In this case that reaction has caused many people to be killed and injured because the MSM rushing to judgement to paint racism into this mishap when none was there. Even doctoring key evidence to support their idealogical warped views.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wichita_Massacre
While I applaud this guy for doing the right thing in the face of a racist lynch mob, this line is a cop out. "Everyone" is not responsible. The liberal media and black race hustlers are responsible. I'm not saying Zimmerman is innocent but the media and the Sharptons of the world have rushed to judgment and have fostered an environment where this guy can't get a fair trial. Oliver can't face that fact for some reason.
Id like to buy a vowel Pat
Bullsh!t
Remember my comment about Z having friends and a family member in the black community.....Now I REALLY question whether it's his wife.
Wonder if Oliver will be a witness and if any attempt to sway his testimony has happened.
Also the new lawyer, O'M has worked in media....Has it been with Oliver?
Thanks, I remember that one now. I think it was referred to here on FR after the Christian and Channon torture, rape and murders occurred.
If anybody portrays black youth negatively it’s Hollywood and all their rapper movies.
And didn’t Jesse Jackson himself say that he gets edgy and fearful on dark streets when he sees a gang of hoodies walk by?
Didn’t see the media report on this case (attack on a 78 yr. old man) either as retribution for the death of Trayvon Martin:
I guess we're lucky these 'oh so open minded' liberals aren't advocating having him shot rather than just fired from his job...
With friends like this, Zimmerman has little need for enemies.
Precisely.
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