Trayvon Martin

George Zimmerman sure is a good friend.

The killer of Trayvon Martin, repeatedly accused assaulter of women and sometimes artist wants to help out the Florida Gun Supply shop.

Last month Florida Gun Supply decided to declare their store a "Muslim-Free Zone" in a video backdropped by a confederate flag. The Florida branch of the Council on Islamic Relations decided that was not a very nice thing to and so is suing the gun shop in federal court for discrimination.

Enter: George Zimmerman.

Remember when he painted a flag with some words on it and sold it for $100,000? Well he wants to do that again to help this struggling, xenophobic gun shop.



Zimmerman plans to sell prints of this painting and the original to help with Florida Gun Supply's owner Andy Hallinan for his gosh darn hard luck. Like it says on their website:

George Zimmerman is teaming up with Florida Gun Supply to offer signed and numbered prints of his Confederate Flag painting. This painting was painted in honor of Andy Hallinan for being a true patriot and leading the country into a better, safer America. Zimmerman's last painting sold on Ebay for over $100,000.

They even made a little BFF movie about it.

What else are friends for other than to paint and sell a controversial symbol to support intolerant business practices?

Despite the heated debate over Florida law since the February shooting death of Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman's lawyer, Mark O'Mara, said today that "the facts don't seem to support a 'Stand Your Ground' defense."

Instead, O'Mara said the incident is just a standard self-defense case, because Zimmerman didn't have the option to retreat:

People look at "Stand Your Ground" and immediately think somebody's standing there with deadly force -- be it a gun or a weapon -- and having the opportunity to back up but not having the need to under the statute.

I think the evidence in this case suggests that my client was reacting to having his nose broken and reacted to that by screaming out for help.

[dailyintel]

Evidence made public today in the murder trial of George Zimmerman includes graphic, tearful testimony (heads up -- audio link is a tough listen) from a woman who says Zimmerman sexually abused her for a decade, starting when they were children.

The woman, identified as Witness 9, says Zimmerman "always was just, you know, very charming and personable with everyone … and just would laugh and entertain everybody... But he was different behind closed doors with me":

It started when I was 6, he's almost about two years older than I am. He would put his hands under my pants, under my underwear. He would put his hands down my shirt and just rub and grab my chest. We would all lay in front of the TV and he would reach under the blankets and try to do things. … I would try to push him off, but he was bigger and stronger and older.

Witness 9 spoke with Sanford, FL, police in March. She said she only came forward after the February shooting death of Trayvon Martin because "this is the first time in my life that I'm not afraid of him."

Mark O'Mara, Zimmerman's attorney, had tried to keep the interview from being released. He argues, naturally, that it "is not relevant" to the case, and will "serve to reignite and potentially enhance the widespread public hostility toward Mr. Zimmerman."

[dailyintel]

The material collected by investigators after the Feb. 26 shooting death of Trayvon Martin was released today by George Zimmerman's lawyers on his website, and includes the results of a voice stress test that Zimmerman passed, a video re-enactment, a handwritten statement, and audio interviews.

Here are excerpts from Zimmerman's version of events, according to the newly released material:

"He took my head and slammed it against the concrete several times, and each time I thought my head was going to explode and I thought I was going to lose consciousness." "I started screaming for help. He told me to shut the f**k up, and I was suffocating." "I didn't want him to keep slamming my head on the concrete so I kind of shifted. But when I shifted my jacket came up…and it exposed my firearm. That's when he said you are going to die tonight. He took one hand off my mouth, and slid it down my chest. I took my gun aimed it at him and fired."

In related news, Sanford City Police Chief Bill Lee was fired Wednesday following widespread criticism of his department's initial investigation into the shooting.

[abc]

The Trayvon Martin gun-range target was bad enough. Then a bunch of white kids had to go and launch multiple #Trayvoning Facebook groups (that have since been removed).

Trayvoning is like Tebowing, except totally the opposite -- white (and apparently, black) kids pose as a gunshot victim, wearing a hoodie, and holding Skittles and an iced tea, which is what Martin had on him when George Zimmerman shot him to death in February.

Facebook group members said they were merely combating "racism against whites": "White people are becoming more and more oppressed."

[hypervocal]

Ebony magazine commissioned street artist Shepard Fairey (of Obey and HOPE fame) to create artwork of the late Trayvon Martin to accompany a piece in this month's issue.

Fairey writes:

I have followed Trayvon's case closely and I think any compassionate human being can relate to Trayvon as a brother or son and would want to see a thorough investigation into the killing of an unarmed person. In my portrait I wanted to emphasize Trayvon's humanity as well as the public outcry for a just investigation into his death.

[twbe]

Special Prosecutor Angela Corey on Thursday released several videos, crime scene photos, witness interviews, the autopsy report, and more documents relating to the February 26 shooting death of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman, and the new evidence begs the question: Can you "stand your ground" if you were the instigator?

Police reports written that night make it pretty clear Zimmerman took a beating -- they say he had a bloody face and nose, and bleeding to the back of his head. The reports also include two witness accounts that back up Zimmerman's version of events, describing a man on his back with another person wearing a hoodie straddling him and throwing punches.

Officer Christopher Serino, the lead investigator on the case, wrote that Zimmerman could be heard "yelling for help as he was being battered by Trayvon Martin."

Still, one investigator concluded: "The encounter between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin was ultimately avoidable by Zimmerman, if Zimmerman had remained in his vehicle and awaited the arrival of law enforcement."

[hypervocal]

George Zimmerman, currently facing second-degree murder charges in the February 26 shooting death of Trayvon Martin, also may be charged with a hate crime. According to Orlando ABC affiliate WFTV:

WFTV has learned charges against George Zimmerman could be getting more serious. State prosecutors said Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman, profiled and stalked 17-year-old Trayvon Martin before killing him, so the FBI is now looking into charging him with a hate crime. Zimmerman admitted to killing Martin in February during a confrontation. However, he claims the shooting was in self-defense. He's facing a second-degree murder charge, which carries a maximum possible sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. But if Zimmerman is charged and found guilty of a federal hate crime involving murder, he could face the death penalty. FBI investigators are actively questioning witnesses in the retreat at the Twin Lakes neighborhood, seeking evidence for a possible federal hate crime charge.

[globalgrind]

Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin's mother, taped this Mother's Day video, which calls for the appeal of the Stand Your Ground act, the self-defense law that is the basis of George Zimmerman's defense.

The law has come under scrutiny in the wake of Martin's death, and Fulton's plea gives a sense of urgency to its change.

[website builder]

Just days after a coordinated social media assault was launched by his legal team, the ancient (circa 2005) MySpace page of George Zimmerman -- charged with second-degree murder in the February 26 shooting death of Trayvon Martin -- has been unearthed. And it's a doozy.

First, his username, "datniggytb." "That was an old nickname his black friends gave him," a Zimmerman family member told the media. And the intials at the end? "They called him 'Tugboat' because he was so big."

Next, Zimmerman's headline, "Si vis pacem, para bellum" -- it's Latin for "If you wish for peace, prepare for war."

Finally, this little gem:

"I dont miss driving around scared to hit mexicans walkin on the side of the street, soft ass wanna be thugs messin with peoples cars when they aint around (what are you provin, that you can dent a car when no ones watchin) dont make you a man in my book. ... Workin 96 hours to get a decent pay check, gettin knifes pulled on you by every mexican you run into!"

Zimmerman also boasted on the blog section of the page about having two felonies knocked down to misdemeanors and describes a court battle with an ex-girlfriend.

The account is no longer active.

[image: dailycaller / newser]

Just as the news that George Zimmerman has been granted bail has hit, artist Michael D'Antuono's painting reflecting the killing is circulating online. Entitled A Tale of Two Hoodies, the picture not so subtilely hints at the fundamental issue of Trayvon Martin's death.

[machinefactory]

George Zimmerman has been granted bond -- set at $150,000 -- in the February 26 shooting death of Trayvon Martin. Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester set several conditions for Zimmerman's release, including a curfew, but said further details need to be worked out between Zimmerman's attorney and law enforcement. Zimmerman will not be released today.

Zimmerman's family asked the judge this morning to grant bail while he awaits trial. Family members -- testifying by phone because they say they have been threatened -- argued that Zimmerman is neither a flight risk nor a threat to the community.

"He is absolutely not a violent person," said his wife, Shellie Zimmerman.

Defense attorney Mark O'Mara would prefer that Zimmerman be allowed to leave the area because of concerns about his safety. "Normally, the conditions are that you stay local. I think that is going to be difficult," he said. "I think nobody would deny the fact that if George Zimmerman were walking down the street today, he would be at risk. That is a reality."

George Zimmerman took the stand to make a statement.

"I wanted to say I am sorry for the loss of your son. I did not know how old he was, I thought he was a little bit younger than I am and I did not know if he was armed or not."

[lat / globeandmail]

George Zimmerman may be freed on bond this Friday, the New York Daily News reports.

Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, said he was confident Zimmerman would be able to walk out of court after his 9 a.m. bail hearing, but that his client may be safer behind bars.

"I just hope we can get my client out to someplace safely. There have been threats on his life," he said.

Keeping Zimmerman in jail would require establishing that he is a flight risk and a danger to the community, but neither seems likely given Zimmerman's notoriety as the shooter of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin.

"He's not going anywhere even if he's released. Where's he going to go? He has one of the most recognizable faces on the planet," one expert told the Daily News.

Zimmerman's bond is likely to be "$1,000 or more."

[dailybeast.]

Art student Andy Bell constructed this 3'x4' portrait of George Zimmerman out of Skittles, the candy that Trayvon Martin was carrying when he was shot.

[nymag]

Special Prosecutor Angela Corey has charged George Zimmerman with second-degree murder in the February 26 shooting death of Trayvon Martin. She confirmed in a press conference that Zimmerman was taken into custody earlier today in Florida.

Zimmerman faces life in prison if convicted. A charge of first-degree murder was ruled out because a grand jury won't be empaneled, in accordance with Florida law.

UPDATE: Zimmerman will plead not guilty, says his new defense attorney, Mark O'Mara.

[abcnews]

The lawyers for George Zimmerman, who shot and killed Trayvon Martin in February, are no longer representing him, citing poor communication on Zimmerman's part. "On Sunday, we lost track of George, in that he would not return our calls," attorney Hal Uhrig said. Said attorney Craig Sonner, "I've lost contact with him at this point." The attorneys, who have been publicly representing Zimmerman in the media, also said that he called Sean Hannity of Fox News, and the office of the special prosecutor in the case, both moves Zimmerman didn't discuss with his legal team. "We were a bit astonished," Uhrig said.

Zimmerman remains in hiding, though he launched a personal website over the weekend seeking donations to help cover expenses.

[orlandosentinel]