Posted on 07/20/2013 3:10:19 PM PDT by kristinn
Natalie Jackson, co-counsel for the family of slain Florida teenager Trayvon Martin accused the nearly all white jury that acquitted George Zimmerman in the February 26, 2012 shooting death of Martin in Sanford, Florida of viewing Martin as “the black boogeyman everybody is afraid of.”
The jury was comprised of five white women and one mixed race woman believed to be black-Hispanic.
Jackson made the racially inflammatory charge in an interview with Bright House Networks’ CFNEws 13, a cable TV news channel serving central Florida, broadcast on Wednesday.
Jackson criticized juror B-37, who spoke out this week on CNN, for not identifying with Trayvon Martin as her own child. Jackson compared the juror’s lack of identifying with the 5’11” 158 pound athletic 17 year old black male to the universal sentiment for two year old Caylee Anthony, a central Florida white female found murdered in 2008 whose case similarly garnered obsessive national attention.
While Jackson said “everyone has to accept” the jury’s verdict, she accused the jury of racism and basing their decision on “emotional elements.” Jackson accused juror B-37 specifically of deciding the case on “other things besides the law” for stating her opinion of Zimmerman as a good person.
Asked what she thought changed the jury to vote not guilty after the initial vote of three for acquittal, two for manslaughter and one for second degree murder, and what was missing in the prosecution’s case, Jackson said, “I think there was not a real dialogue on race. I think that the fact that race played a part in this and how even when it came down to the defense putting on a witness who talked about crime at her house, being burglarized in 2011 (note: by two black males while the white woman resident hid in the house with her young child), and that was associated with Trayvon, a person George Zimmerman didn’t even know, that you know to me that, that brought it in. You have a picture of Trayvon shirtless that was shown to the jury–an upshot of a 17 year old body shirtless. You have silhouettes of a hoodie person and silhouettes of George Zimmerman. And that silhouette looked hulking over George Zimmerman. And it was, it was the black boogeyman that everybody’s afraid of.”
Jackson was asked about her expressed confidence before the trial that an all-white jury would convict Zimmerman and what she thinks about that now.
“I’ve always thought it was, I’ve always thought that (the racial make-up of the jury would matter.) The reason I wanted a white jury was because I wanted to see how far we’ve come in America. If people would base their evidence on the information that was presented in trial and base it on the common sense of this case, because I thought if they did that then surely George Zimmerman would be convicted.”
Asked what that meant about America, Jackson said, “I think we’re seeing it with the demonstrations. I think we’re seeing that people are not happy with the justice system, they’re not happy with the way that young black males are thought of in this case. And that’s why it was important to have a white jury. It was important for America to see that people who said, “Surely you can’t do this!” you know, they need to see where we are. This is not a po–we’re not in a post-racial society. Race certainly plays a part in everything that we do in life. And so now, that was to me the reason I wanted the white jury. It was the tough discussion. It was either the confirmation or the disappointment. And many people got the disappointment. And now, let’s talk about it.”
While expressing support for the prosecution in the interview, Jackson went on to reiterate her criticism of the prosecution for taking race out of the case. Jackson also made more direct her accusation that the defense engaged in race-baiting.
“The one thing that I’ve said was missing and I’ve already told you that of this case was that the element of race was taken out. And the only person that presented an element of race was the defense and they presented the ‘scary boogeyman black boy’ to the jury. So I think that if there was any tactical mistake it was that mistake.”
Jackson then went on to accuse the jurors of being liars and racists, “I will submit to you all of them will say that race played no part in this case when we all know that it did.”
Jackson’s blasting of the jury as racist follows softer attacks on the jury made by two of her co-counsels in interviews with Greta Van Susteren, host of the Fox News Channel show On the Record. As an experienced trial attorney, Van Susteren was quite upset with her guests’ attacks on the jury.
Jasmine Rand told Van Susteren she considers herself a “social engineer” more than a lawyer as her reason for seeking to overturn the verdict by rabblerousing for federal prosecution of Zimmerman.
In a subsequent interview with Van Susteren, Daryl Parks attacked juror B-37 over her statements to CNN.
Parks is co-founder of Parks & Crump, the firm representing the Martin family. Rand works for Parks & Crump. Jackson is an independent attorney based in Orlando.
(Transcription of CFNews 13 interview by Kristinn Taylor.)
Question for President Obama: Trayvon Martin was gunned down in the process of assaulting a neighborhood watch volunteer who was concerned about a recent rash of burglaries in his community, most of them perpetrated by young blacks such as Martin. Zimmerman was found innocent by a jury of his peers. Why do you offer prayers for the thug Martin, but none for the victim Zimmerman, who escaped an unjust verdict and now faces death threats from your supporters?
I postulate this:
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IF the jury had been 6 BLACK women.....
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Would they have been totally embarassed by TM’s chronic bad behavior and his willingness to jump another person in the dark and ‘ground & pound’ that person?
Would they have brought in a Not Guilty verdict in half the time???
I think there are many in the black community that are sick & tired of the thugs & gang mentality of their dark skinned brothers & sisters.
The Black woman alternate said she agreed with the verdict.
So by this logic, does George Zimmerman become a white Hispanic Boogyman?
Jesse Jackson considers people like Trayvon to be the boogie man. If I was out at night and saw some guy walking toward me with a hoodie I’d be very afraid. They wear hoodies so they will LOOK like ganstas.
This is all I could find, looks like from 2010.
Jasmine Rand of Parks & Crump is the self-described social engineer. Natalie Jackson works with Parks & Crump on the Martin case.
Excellent point. Quite a betrayal.
Do these people think Zimmerman will be tried again if they eliminate the stand your ground law?
What really makes me sick are gun owning liberals who say “Nobody needs a 25 round clip” but they’re happy with 9 rounds. And white liberals who are taking the blacks’ side in the Trayvon crap when they know they’re lying through their teeth.
crump’s firm is upset they have no civil monetary suit.
If Holder doesn’t charge him the next accusation will be “The FBI is filled with racists!”
It’s like a clown pulling a never ending handkerchief from his pocket. Race grievance - the gift that keeps on giving!
There’s not a bank in the country with the guts to foreclose on her.
What’s going to be funny is when Tracy and Sybrina start fighting over money. The first one who runs out will sue the other. Then the one who had legal custody will claim he or she is the only one entitled to any money. Then Sharpton and Jesse and Obama will move onto other “injustices” against blacks.
That will happen if you sucker punch somebody, break their nose and smash their head against cement..
so true!
The 16 hours of deliberation does not support that statement.
However, even if they did, they saw correctly.
How much money is this guy making off this case? Does he think everyone is naive?
The woman lawyer is exactly right. Too many black men ARE boogeymen and if a black male was around me at night with no one else there, I would have my hand by my gun. And, guess what, baby boy Trayvon WAS ONE. I have read his background and he was one to be afraid of.
By the way, have you ever eaten Skittles? I have not. Neither have I combined them with Watermelon drink and a bottle of Robitussin cough syrup with codeine in it.
I had a woman in her 20s for a counseling patient and she told me drug dealers were everywhere on the streets and would come over to you to offer to sell you drugs. I asked her which streets she was on because I've been on many streets and no one had ever offered me drugs.
Then she said the boy/man who worked in produce at the grocery store sold her drugs. Well, I've been in many grocery stores and no one working there has offered to sell me drugs.
She went into suicidal ideation and I went to her house as her roommate called me. During our talk, I told her she was not taking care of herself and she looked like hell. The next time she came to counseling, she had not had any drugs and was cleaned up in decent clothes and had fixed her hair and face. She said when I left, she looked at herself in the mirror and she DID look like hell.
One never knows what words will work to snap a person out of what she/he is doing.
My gosh, I haven't heard that one. How can Trayvon be a “glistening black buck” when he is baby boy child Trayvon? He was constantly called “child” by the prosecution. The writer you speak of is really nuts.
The sexiest person in the courtroom was 62 year old defense attorney Don West. I'm sure he would take on a dragon - oh, he did, that dragon judge. He has a spark in him that glows when he fights for the right - you can tell his whole heart is in it. He was a blast to watch.
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