Posted on 03/24/2012 4:27:07 AM PDT by Erik Latranyi
ORLANDO - An attorney representing George Zimmerman is speaking out, saying his client is not a racist, and that he acted in self-defense the night Trayvon Martin was shot and killed.
Craig Sonner spoke with FOX 35 in Orlando. He said he did not know George Zimmerman's location. He said due to death threats, he has been advising Zimmerman to avoid going out in public.
He referred to a flier saying Zimmerman was "Wanted dead or alive."
"I have advised him to stay out the public eye as much as he can," Sonner said.
Sonner also gave more details about injuries Zimmerman sustained that night.
"He did suffer a broken nose, and he has an injury to the back of his head which should have required stitches. I think he was delayed in getting to the doctor and having stitches put in. But he did sustain injuries to his head," Sonner said.
Sonner said portrayals of his client as a racist are not accurate. As an example, he cited Zimmerman's participation in fundraisers for an African-American church in the Orlando area.
Sonner said Zimmerman was under "a lot of stress."
"He's very concerned about the grave situation he's in. There's a young man who is now deceased in this situation, he's very concerned about that," Sonner said.
Yes, this is his attorney's view, but some interesting tidbits.
First, the fact that the New Black Panthers are distributing WANTED: Dead or Alive leaflets with Zimmerman's picture is news to me.
Second, Zimmerman has a broken nose and cuts on the back of his head that should have been stitched.
Third, Zimmerman and his wife were helping a black family, taking them places and participating in a fundraiser in a black church.
These are interesting pieces of the picture, but consider the source and keep your powder dry.
Don't be a Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton and presume guilt or innocence.
One has to wonder why the black church isn’t coming to his side. So much for their Christian spirit.
This whole story might end up like the Atlanta Park bombing, where the security guard was accused but it turned out that he was the hero. Zimmerman might be owed lots of apologies by people all the way up to the White House.
I’m curious to see what the government comes up with; at this point I’m sure many people will be reluctant to defend themselves just as the warm weather combined with the horrible economy is sure to bring a spike in crime.
Like the Rutgers student who “bullied” the homosexual, making an example of someone may take precedence here (though I’m not sure, given the witnesses).
He might get a no-apology beer summit..
If he can avoid the angry, now-fully race-baited lynch mobs. I hope he/his family stays out of sight and safe, and that the atty gets him a fair hearing, under these threatening circumstances. Sounds like a lot more facts to come out, but the mobs won’t care, I’m afraid. They’re in for his head.
Constitution...rule of law...innocent until proven guilty. America.
gnip
> Zimmerman might be owed lots of apologies by people all the
> way up to the White House.
Heh. Don’t hold your breath.
Maybe posthumously after the Black Panthers kill him.
It’s good he’s still carrying. Wanted dead or alive? Why aren’t the people promoting those posters being arrested? The main reason the police can’t arrest him is they don’t have a charge that will stick, so this new grand jury will have to twist the facts to issue an arrest warrant. I heard that Keith Obermann was wearing a hoody last night, so for me the entire case has crossed the line into unintended satire.
Based on just the facts we know, this is going to be a very difficult case for the State of Florida to resolve.
I’m unclear about something that the Florida “stand your ground” law covers, maybe a Florida CCW aware FReeper can help me out.
Clearly, you can’t use deadly force in a fight you provoke and then plead self-defense. I think that’s true everywhere, whether or not there is a “stand your ground” law.
Clearly, the “stand your ground” law eliminates a “duty to retreat”, which includes by implication a “duty to de-escalate”.
But the right to use deadly force to remain in any place you have a right to be (sounds good, I’ve supported it for NH) seems to create ambiguous situations like this one. This fight, which escalated to deadly force because Zimmerman was in reasonable fear of imminent bodily harm might have escalated BECAUSE Zimmerman was armed. IOW, without CCW PLUS “stand your ground”, Zimmerman might have de-escalated.
“Stand your ground”, in order to be good law, has to cover all kinds of people in all (normal and expected) mental states, all the time. I’m not sure that “stand your ground” doesn’t set up situations like this one for recurrence.
None of that will matter. The DOJ is going to investigate as well as the locals. The DOJ will assure he is guilty regardless of what really happened IMO. They will bring civil rights charges and change the venue if they need to.
Good; I’m glad he is.
It’s long-since passed from the Law to Theater of Mob Rule, and they’re not going to be satisfied/gone until he’s on death row or at least indicted for murder. *Ugly* is coming, bigtime.
That’s beyond my pay-grade, JN. We have “Castle Doctrine” here, and I’m going to re-read that new law in a little while, to be sure I *know* what it allows.
I can't believe even what some of the republicans have said about this without knowing the facts!
What strikes me as most curious is that this incident occurred on February 26. Only now is it exploding in the media - one month after the fact. Someone or some organization has decided to use this to stir up the hornet’s nest for a purpose. My guess is to raise sufficient public outcry that enough people will demand that guns be outlawed.
The New Black Panthers came up with the poster. This has become a powderkeg. And its only Spring.
“One has to wonder why the black church isn’t coming to his side.”
I don’t wonder one little bit. A black group of any kind coming to the aid of a non black person would be a miracle. I don’t ever remember it happening even though white groups and churches have been standing by blacks for a very long time. When it comes down to it—they have only a herd mentality and do, on the whole, what their black slavemasters tell them to do.
Sadly you are right.
The facts won't make any difference. Yesterday a black leader said they wanted justice, and justice was Zimmerman being convicted.
So much just does not add up here. I really hope we get to the truth but the race batters have poisoned the well and we will NEVER know the truth, unless the truth is that Zimmerman murdered the kid in cold blood.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.