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Thursday, May 17, 2012

George Zimmerman's Injuries: An Inconvenient Truth in the Trayvon Martin Case

     When politics, race-baiting, and biased journalism influence the administration of justice, there is no justice. In the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin case, the narrative, driven by political hacks, civil rights activists, black radicals, and their media accomplices, is this: a white, racist vigilante stalked an unarmed black kid in a hoodie and shot him to death in cold blood. Trayvon Martin's story is presented as a cautionary tale of racism still rampant in America. Young black men in hoodies are, according to these hate-mongers and hacks, an oppressed group. This story, figuratively and literally, is being cast in black and white notwithstanding the fact George Zimmerman is Hispanic.

     On the night of February 26, 2012, after Zimmerman shot the 17-year-old to death in the Sanford, Florida gated community, he claimed self-defense. As time passed, and it appeared that the Seminole County state attorney's office was not going to charge the neighborhood watch volunteer with criminal homicide, all hell broke loose.

     On March 13, a spokesperson for the New Black Liberation Militia said that members of the group were going to Florida to arrest Zimmerman. (Talk about vigilantism.) Feeling pressure from the national media, the U. S. Department of Justice announced it would open a  hate crime investigation against Mr. Zimmerman. The Seminole County prosecutor raised the possibility of convening a grand jury to hear the case.

     A day after the Sanford City Council voted "no confidence" in police chief Bill Lee, Jr., he resigned "temporarily." (Whatever that means.) It was now March 23, and across the country, rallies calling for Zimmerman's arrest led by Al Sharpton (of Tawana Brawley fame) and NAACP president Ben Jealous, were held. Hundreds of protesters were wearing T-shirts that read, "I am Trayvon Martin." In New York City, a few hundred Trayvon Martin supporters attended a "Million Hoodie March."

     In Washington, D.C., a black congressman appeared on the floor of the House of Representatives wearing a hoodie. President Obama, with nothing better to do, stirred the pot by announcing to the world that the Trayvon Martin case should be investigated. (It was being investigated, and as a former law professor, he should have known that.) The president didn't stop there. "If I had a son," he said, "he'd look like Trayvon." (Oh boy. George Zimmerman had shot a kid who looked like the son the president would have had had he not had girls. Maybe we should make shooting a young man who resembles the president of the United States a federal crime?)

     Amid all of this hate-talk and race-baiting, George Zimmerman, fearing for his life, had been in hiding since shortly after the shooting. In April, Seminole County Special Prosecutor Angela Corey, perhaps worried that a grand jury would refuse to indict Zimmerman, charged him with second degree murder. He was taken into custody and held on $150,000 bond. Several days later he posted his bail and went back into hiding. At this time, pandering politicians, the media, and millions of Americans, presumed Zimmerman's guilt.

     On May 15, the medical records pertaining to George Zimmerman's examination by his family physician on the day after the shooting were made public. According to the doctor's report, he had treated the patient for a "closed fracture of his nose, black eyes, two lacerations to the back of his head, and a minor back injury." The doctor also noted bruising on Zimmerman's upper lip and cheek.

     While Zimmerman's injuries alone do not exonerate him, they contradict the narrative of the case pushed by most of the media and Trayvon Martin's supporters. Moreover, this evidence will make it more difficult for the Zimmerman prosecution to carry its burden of proof.

     More information on the case came out on May 16 when a TV station in Orlando reported that according to Martin's autopsy report, his knuckles were banged up in a way consistent with injuries cases by punching someone.

     Biased journalism in service to Al Sharpton-style race-baiting has put enormous pressure on Special Prosecutor Angela Corey to acquire Zimmerman's conviction. An acquittal, given all the agitating, could cause civil unrest. In all probability, Corey will be pressing Zimmerman for a negotiated guilty plea. Because the case has produced so much negative publicity for this suspect, there is absolutely no way he can get a fair trial anywhere in the country. The well has been poisoned, and poisoned for good. This is not how our criminal justice system is supposed to work. (See: "George Zimmerman: Watchman or Vigilante?" April 4, 2012)

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