Racist George Zimmerman Launches Websites to Raise Money to Pay his Attorney

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From [HERE] George Zimmerman's defense team has set up a Twitter account, a Facebook page and a website for the neighborhood watch volunteer, who has been in seclusion following death threats. Zimmerman is awaiting trial for killing Trayvon, 17, on Feb. 26 in Sanford, Fla.

"We understand that it is unusual for a legal defense to maintain a social media presence on behalf of a defendant, but we also acknowledge that this is a very unusual case," attorney Mark O'Mara says in his first Web posting. O'Mara contends that Zimmerman shot Trayvon in self-defense.

Prosecutors say Zimmerman shot Trayvon after racially profiling the African-American teen-ager. Zimmerman's father is white.  O'Mara said the website, called George Zimmerman Legal Case, is aimed at discrediting fake websites and social profiles that purport to be representing Zimmerman and even raising money on his behaf. (and even? please this guy is broke. His lawyer is not working for free -bw). 

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Supreme Court allows LA County sheriff to be held personally liable in lawsuit

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LOS ANGELES (AP) - The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an effort by Los Angeles County to prevent Sheriff Lee Baca from being sued by a man who claims he was stabbed 23 times while jailed.

The Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/IolQWj ) says Baca's appeal was rejected without comment Monday.

County lawyers argued that Baca couldn't be held personally responsible for the 2006 attack because he had no personal involvement.

The high court, however, let stand a lower court ruling that said Baca could be sued on grounds that he knew about such violence and didn't try to stop it.

Dion Starr sued Baca and jail deputies, claiming that Latino gang members stabbed him at the downtown Men's Central Jail and that a guard kicked him in the face. [MORE]

No prosecution of Border agent for shooting Mexican teenager - Shot Dead for Throwing Rocks

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Hernandez-Guereca crime scene following the altercation between U.S. border agents and alleged "Mexican illegal aliens."

According to law enforcement reports, fifteen-year old Sergio Hernandez-Guereca was shot in his head as U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents tried to detain two men who had crossed into the United States illegally near the Paso del Norte Bridge in El Paso, Texas. The teenager was pronounced dead at the scene.  

A federal law enforcement officer told the Law Enforcement Examiner that Hernandez was with a gang of youths throwing rocks at the agents. The anonymous law enforcement source stated that witnesses claimed one agent fired several shots toward the group, but the still unidentified agent claimed he acted in self-defense.

Mexican officials, including President Felipe Calderón, denounced the teen's death. The country's secretary of state said the use of firearms was a "disproportionate use of force" in response to rock throwing.

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Jesse Jackson Leads Protest for Hanna: Black Man Beaten and Tasered to Death by N. Chicago Police

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From [HERE] National civil-rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson has suddenly become a frequent visitor to Lake County, where he said he will establish a new Rainbow PUSH Coalition office in North Chicago.

During his second trip to that town in two days, Jackson on Saturday helped lead a march and rally protesting police brutality in the Nov. 6 arrest and ensuing death of Darrin “Dagwood” Hanna. Hanna died in November 2011, a week after he was beaten and repeatedly shocked with a stun gun at the hands of North Chicago police.

About 300 men, women and children carried signs and chanted “No justice, no peace” as they walked the 12 blocks from 17th Street and Park Avenue — near where Hanna, 45, was arrested inside his apartment on a domestic battery charge — to City Hall on Lewis Avenue.

 

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Sharpton Calls for justice in case of Black Man Run Down by NYPD Police Cruiser

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From [HERE] It was standing room only at the National Action Network Headquarters in Harlem on Saturday, as the Reverend Al Sharpton and community members turned out in a show of support for Laverne Dobbinson.

Her son, Tamon Robinson, was a Brooklyn man who allegedly died from his injuries after he was hit by a police car. "We deserve justice because my son did not deserve to die like that," said Dobbinson.

Police say Robinson was in the street allegedly stealing paving stones when they spotted him early on April 12. That theft charge was later dropped. His family says he was mowed down by police in front of his home in Canarsie.

Doctors told them Robinson was brain dead by the time he was brought to Brookdale Hospital, where he later died.

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Rodney King 20 Years After the Not Guilty Verdict

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From [HERE] and complete Rodney King Video [HERE] and [HERE]. The 20 year anniversary of the Rodney King verdict is April 29. Riots began hours after four police officers were aquitted in the videotaped beating of Rodney King. Many persons of color reacted violently when confronted with the realization that the U.S. has a system of white supremacy in a place -  not a system of justice.

Here is a timeline of events surrounding the Rodney King incident:

March 3, 1991: Rodney King beaten. Just after midnight March 3, 1991, Rodney Kingwas speeding on the 210 freeway in Los Angeles when a police officer started pursuing him. After King led them on a high-speed chase, he was pulled out of his car. Nearby resident George Holliday videotaped four white officers beating King, who is black. Holliday sold the tape to a local television station and the videotape stunned the nation a day later after CNN aired the footage. The nine-minute and twenty second videotape turned what would otherwise have been a violent, but soon forgotten, encounter between Los Angeles police and Rodney King into one of the most widely watched and discussed incidents of its kind.  All of the blows struck by officers come within the first minute-and-a-half of the video. [MORE] 

March 5, 1991: Officers arrested. Two days after the beating, Sgt.Stacey Koon, OfficerLaurence Powell, Officer Timothy Wind and Officer Theodore Briseno were arrested. They were charged with assault and using excessive force.

March 5, 1992: Trial begins. The prosecution made opening statements a year later in the state trial of the four officers in Simi Valley, Calif. They entered pleas of not guilty after they were arraigned on charges soon after the incident.

March 17, 1992: Prosecution rests. The prosecution rested its case just two weeks into the trial. Midway through testimony of the defendants, prosecutors begin to realize they might lose the case as they relied too much upon videotaped evidence.

April 29, 1992: Verdicts rendered. Judge Stanley Weisberg read the verdict the jury had reached -- all four officers were acquitted and not guilty. Shortly thereafter, massive riots broke out, resulting in the deaths of 53 people and $1 billion in damage to the city.

May 1, 1992: King appeals to rioters. King made an appeal to rioters in Los Angeles on television, asking "Can't we all get along?" A day later, U.S. Marines were called in to maintain order after the Los Angeles Police Department was overrun. The riots quieted down after the troops entered the city.

Feb. 25, 1993: Civil rights trial starts. The four officers had a federal civil rights trial in Los Angeles. Separate from the original state trial, federal prosecutors alleged the beating was racially motivated, which prompted the lawsuit.

April 16, 1993: Two guilty, two acquitted. Powell and Koon are convicted of civil rights violations and spend 30 months in federal prison. Briseno and Wind are acquitted. No riots were reported after this new trial.

April 19, 1994: King awarded damages. After a civil trial in which King sued the city of Los Angeles for damages, a jury awarded him $3.8 million. In another civil trial against the four officers, a jury gave King no money after he asked for $15 million.

December 1995: Officers released. The two officers who spent time in federal prison were released after fulfilling their entire sentences. Powell and Koon did not work for law enforcement again.

Bond Remains in Trayvon Case: Zimmerman Allowed to Move out of State, Defense sets up Impeachment in Mini-hearing

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From [HERE] Seminole County Judge Kenneth Lester on Friday allowed George Zimmerman to post a $150,000 bond to go free as he awaits trial on a second degree murder charge for his role in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla., on Feb. 26. The Judge rejected a prosecutor’s motion to increase his bail after his lawyer disclosed that Zimmerman had received more than $200,000 from a legal defense Web site he established.

Judge Kenneth Lester said, however, that he would revisit the issue if it became clear that the Zimmerman family had control of the money at the time of Mr. Zimmerman’s bail hearing last week, when the family said it would be unable to afford the $1 million bond requested by the prosecution. [MORE] 

Trayvon Martin Family has Raised Less Money for Legal Defense

In contrast to the $204,000 that killer Zimmerman has raised, Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump said Zimmerman's failure to reveal that he had the money shows that he is being dishonest. "If his testimony at the bond hearing is any indication of what is to come, then the lying has already begun," Crump said. The attorney also said the Martin family has raised less than $100,000 in fund-raising efforts to date, and that the money collected will go toward the Trayvon Martin Foundation.

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Donations Pour in to Trayvon Martin's Killer

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  • Al Sharpton, Trayvon Martin family urge peace on 20th anniversary of Rodney King Verdict [MORE] 
  • Judge wants answers about $200,000 'Real George Zimmerman' defense fund [MORE] and [MORE]
  • Pictured - People attend a rally in support of slain teenager Trayvon Martin in Los Angeles, California, April 26, 2012.[HERE]
(CNN) -- The lawyer for the neighborhood watch leader who fatally shot unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida, said Thursday that his client has received about $200,000 from supporters.

Orlando lawyer Mark O'Mara told CNN's "AC360" that George Zimmerman told him Wednesday of the donations as they were trying to shut down his Internet presence to avoid concerns about possible impersonators and problems with his Twitter and Facebook accounts.

"He asked me what to do with his PayPal accounts and I asked him what he was talking about," O'Mara told Anderson Cooper. "And he said those were the accounts that had the money from the website he had. And there was about 200, $204,000 that had come in to date."

O'Mara had said earlier this month that he believed Zimmerman had no money. "I think he's indigent for costs," he said, adding that Zimmerman's relatives had few assets. (The Rednecks at CNN know good & well that Zimmerman's jewish daddy is a retired magistrate judge).

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White Men accused of Assaulting Black Baltimore teenager, seek to postpone trial

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Beaten Black Teen Refuses to testify - Wants Charges Dropped [HERE]

(CBS/AP) and [HERE] BALTIMORE - Two brothers accused of beating a black teenager while on neighborhood watch for an Orthodox Jewish area are seeking to postpone their trial because of the publicity comparing their case to the case to Trayvon Martin. 

 Eliyahu and Avi Werdesheim were set to go on trial Monday in Baltimore. However, their attorney told a judge that due to recent press comparing their case to George Zimmerman's, he wanted to postpone the trial and seek a change of venue.

The Werdesheim brothers are accused of beating a 15-year-old boy in Baltimore in November 2010. Court documents say the brothers pulled up next to the teen in a vehicle, got out and surrounded him. He was allegedly thrown to the ground and hit in the head with a handheld radio.

The teen remembered the driver yelling, "You wanna (mess) with us, you don't belong around here, get outta here!" according to court documents, which do not identify which brother was driving.

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Beaumont Officer Blinds Latino Woman With Pepper Spray

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From [HERE] A Beaumont police officer has been indicted by a criminal grand jury on three felony counts of assault and one felony count of use of force causing great bodily injury stemming from a DUI traffic stop in February, a District Attorney's spokesman said.

Beaumont police Officer Enoch Clark, 36, was arraigned Thursday morning in Riverside Superior Court, and he pleaded not guilty to all four charges, John Hall of the Riverside County D.A.'s office said.

"On Feb. 21, 2012, Clark was on duty, working patrol in the city of Beaumont," Hall said in a District Attorney's statement. "During his shift, Clark was involved in a possible driving under the influence investigation. While conducting that investigation, there was an altercation between the officer and a woman he was attempting to handcuff.

"Clark then pulled out a less-than-lethal device issued by his department called a JPX device," the District Attorney's statement said. "This device uses a 'wafer' of gun powder to propel a stream of pepper spray . . .  at a speed of more than 400 mph.

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Chicago police put on leave in fatal arrest of Darrin Hanna: Recording Reveals Black Man Plead for his Life

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Police Recording Proves Hanna Begged For His Life During Arrest [HERE] 

Jesse Jackson Leads Protest [HERE] 

Beating Killed Man Who Died After North Chicago Police Incident, Autopsy Says [MORE] 

From [HERE] The seven North Chicago police officers involved in the violent arrest of a man who died a week later have been placed on paid leave temporarily, the mayor announced Tuesday.

The officers — Tristan Borzick, Jason Geryol, Gary Grayer, Marc Keske, Arthur Strong, Brandon Yost and Sgt. Salvatore Cecala — had been on desk duty since shortly after the Nov. 13 death of Darrin Hanna, 45. Police had been called to Hanna's apartment over complaints that he was fighting with his pregnant girlfriend, who told authorities that Hanna tried to drown her in the bathtub, reports show.

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Shooting of Elderly Black Man Draws Parallels to Trayvon Martin Case

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Medical alert device records police shooting and Racial Slur prior to Police Murder of Ex-Marine 

When White Plains Police responded to Kenneth Chamberlain's apartment last November, the 68-year-old former marine's medical alert device recorded the entire hour-long fatal stand-off.

 Now, an attorney for the family says a transcript of that recording identifies White Plains Police Officer Steven Hart as the one who shouted out a racial slur before Chamberlain was shot and killed by another officer.

"He's tapping on the window, tap tap tap, 'Mr. Chamberlain we need to talk N-word'. The N-word flat out," said Randolph McLaughlin, of the Newman Ferrara Law Firm. [MORE] 

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Parents of Unarmed Black College Student killed by Pasadena police sue city

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[From LA Times] and [HERE] The parents of an unarmed college student fatally shot by two Pasadena police officers filed a wrongful-death and civil-rights lawsuit against the city Tuesday, alleging the officers never saw anything resembling a gun, never yelled any commands before opening fire and handcuffed the dying man.

Kendrec McDade, 19, was shot March 24 shortly after 11 p.m. when police Officers Mathew Griffin and Jeff Newlen pursued him on a dark street after a 911 caller alleged the young man and a 17-year-old stole a backpack from his car at gunpoint. The caller later admitted lying to police about the pair having guns.

"Neither officers nor witnesses saw anything in Kendrec McDade's hands, no bulges in his closely fitted sweater, no bulges at his waistband and no shiny objects," Harper wrote. "Neither officer yelled any commands to identify themselves that evening and they did not have lights and sirens."

The lawsuit alleges McDade was still alive after being shot multiple times and, according to witnesses, tried to speak with an officer and then was left on the street for a prolonged time period without treatment.

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$120 million claim filed against LAPD for killing unarmed 19-year-old Latino Man

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From [HERE] As friends and relatives arrived for the 1 p.m. funeral service, journalists gathered in front of Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood. Jeffrey Galen spoke on the family’s behalf.

The attorney has filed a $120 million claim against the city of Los Angeles — a million, he says, for every bullet he alleges the LAPD fired at 19-year-old Abdul Arian on April 11.

"Once they started shooting at this man, it was like the wild, wild West," said Galen. "It was something that was undignified and something that we as a society cannot tolerate."

Tyler Izen, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, offered condolences to the Arian family in a statement. But he added that when someone ignores lawful commands from an officer, it often sets regrettable events into motion.

Six days ago, Arian led LAPD officers on a high-speed chase through the San Fernando Valley. Arian reportedly called 911 during the chase and told the dispatcher he had a gun.

The pursuit ended on the 101 Freeway in Woodland Hills when Arian ran from the police — and, they say, took an aggressive shooting stance. Officers at the scene opened fire and killed him.

The LAPD confirmed later that Arian was unarmed.

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Jury Awards Black Man $6 Million For 2007 LA Sheriff’s Beating

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LOS ANGELES (CBS) —  A Los Angeles federal jury awarded $6 million in damages to a Compton school bus driver who claimed he was racially profiled and severely beaten by sheriff deputies after a traffic stop, attorneys said Friday.

Following a three-day civil rights trial, the jury Thursday found Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Sgt. Pablo Partida and Deputy Robert Martinez liable for excessive force and malicious prosecution against 33-year-old Deon Dirks.

Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said the award is “excessive” and the department will likely appeal. The case stems from a traffic stop on Wilmington Avenue in Compton the morning of Nov. 4, 2007.

Dirks contends he was ordered out of his car, pepper-sprayed, punched in the face, arrested and finally charged with assault on a police officer and resisting arrest, according to plaintiff’s attorney Glen Jonas. Dirks also spent five days in jail - as a result he lost his job.  “We believe our deputies’ use of force was appropriate,” Whitmore said.

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After Man’s Death, Scrutiny for a Police Chase - Witnesses say NYPD ran Black Man Over

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Two women who said they saw the accident recounted that the car was moving when it turned directly into Mr. Robinson and hit him.

Deputy Inspector George Fitzgibbon, the commander of the 69th Precinct, which covers Canarsie, said the officers had brought the car to a stop to block Mr. Robinson’s path to the door.

“Whether he tried to hurdle it, or just slammed into the car, and fell back, that’s what he did,” Inspector Fitzgibbon said at a community meeting on Tuesday night.

One of the women who challenged that account, Zina Callahan, 38, said she watched the chase from her second-floor apartment above the walkway to the building after hearing the screech of a car and a police loudspeaker blaring: “Stop running! Stop running!”

“He made a turn to come into the walkway, and the cop sped up and he hit him,” Ms. Callahan said. “He went up a little in the air. He came down. He rolled over twice.”

Franchette Mowbray, 26, said she watched the episode from her eighth-floor apartment. “They hit him,” she said. “He flew up and he came down. They backed the car up, and they told him to get up. People were yelling out their windows screaming at the cops, ‘We saw what you did.’ ”

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Death on the Border: Shocking Video Shows Mexican Immigrant Beaten and Tased by Border Patrol Agents

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From [Democracy Now] A new PBS documentary exposes the tasing and beating death of a Mexican immigrant by U.S. border agents in California and has renewed scrutiny of what critics call a culture of impunity. In May 2010, 32-year-old Anastasio Hernández-Rojas was caught trying to enter the United States from Mexico near San Diego. He had previously lived in the United States for 25 years and was the father of five U.S.-born children. But instead of deportation, Hernández-Rojas’s detention ended in his death. A number of border officers were seen beating him, before one tasered him at least five times. He died shortly afterward. The agents say they confronted Hernández-Rojas because he became hostile and resisted arrest. But previously undisclosed videos recorded by eyewitnesses on their cell phones show a different story. "All eyewitnesses that we spoke to basically tell the same story of a man hogtied and handcuffed behind his back, not resisting, being beaten repeatedly by batons, by kicks, by punches, by the use of a taser, for almost 30 minutes until he died," says reporter John Carlos Frey, whose exposé aired in a national television special last Friday night as part of a joint investigation by the PBS broadcast, "Need to Know," and the Investigative Fund of the Nation Institute.
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Judge approves partial settlement for $75,000 in Miles case - Unarmed Black Man Assaulted by Pittsburgh Police

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[HERE] U.S. District Judge Gary Lancaster today approved a partial settlement of the Jordan Miles lawsuit alleging excessive force by police.

Mr. Miles agreed to drop the city of Pittsburgh from his lawsuit in exchange for $75,000. Pittsburgh City Council approved the deal last month.

The partial settlement clears the way for a July civil-rights trial that will focus entirely on the actions of the three officers accused of beating Mr. Miles on a Homewood street in January 2010.

Mr. Miles has accused city Officers Richard Ewing, Michael Saldutte and David Sisak of beating him "to a pulp" and later fabricating evidence against him.

The officers said they confronted Mr. Miles because he appeared to be "sneaking around" a house in the 7900 block of Tioga Street, with a heavy object in his coat that they thought was a concealed weapon. When he was approached by the officers he ran away, but the officers soon caught up with him and beat him into submission by delivering violent blows that left his face swollen and distorted. Police also used a stun gun and pulled out a chunk of his hair. He is  5-foot-6 and 150 pounds and was unarmed.

 

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Now out of jail, George Zimmerman may have Fled State: Commission Rejects Resignation of Racist Police Chief

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SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — George Zimmerman, who slipped out of jail on $150,000 bail in the early morning darkness, went back into hiding Monday and likely fled to another state to avoid threats as he awaits his second-degree murder trial for the killing of Trayvon Martin.

Later Monday, the Sanford City Commission rejected by a 3-2 vote the resignation of Police Chief Bill Lee, who was roundly criticized for not initially charging Zimmerman and had stepped down temporarily in March he said to let emotions cool.

Even though authorities can pinpoint Zimmerman's location with a GPS ankle bracelet, that he must wear round the clock, the public may not see him again for some time. Zimmerman has waived his appearance at his upcoming arraignment next month, so he can stay underground if he wants.

"He's doing well, he's very glad to be out, trying to get settled in, still worried about his safety, but, you know, talking to his family and feeling much better than being in" jail, Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, said Monday night on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360.

O'Mara declined to say if Zimmerman was in Florida, only saying his client will travel to several locations for his safety. O'Mara did not immediately return phone calls Monday by The Associated Press.

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Statement of Robert Zimmerman (from Orlando Sentinel)

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From the Orlando Sentinel (Florida) March 16, 2012

Statement of Robert Zimmerman, father of Neighborhood Watch volunteer:

"The tragic events of February 26 are very sad for all concerned. The Martin family, our family, and the entire community have been forever changed.

 The portrayal of George Zimmerman in the media, as well as the series of events that led to the tragic shooting are false and extremely misleading. Unfortunately, some individuals and organizations have used this tragedy to further their own causes and agendas. 

George is a Spanish speaking minority with many black family members and friends. He would be the last to discriminate for any reason whatsoever. One black neighbor recently interviewed said she knew everything in the media was untrue and that she would trust George with her life. Another black neighbor said that George was the only one, black or white, who came and welcomed her to the community, offering any assistance he could provide. Recently, I met two black children George invited to a social event. I asked where they met George. They responded that he was their mentor. They said George visited them routinely, took them places, helped them, and taught them things and that they really loved George. The media portrayal of George as a racist could not be further from the truth.

The events of February 26 reported in the media are also totally inaccurate. Out of respect for the on-going investigation, I will not discuss specifics. However, the media reports of the events are imaginary at best. At no time did George follow or confront Mr. Martin. When the true details of the event become public, and I hope that will be soon, everyone should be outraged by the treatment of George Zimmerman in the media.

Our entire family is deeply sorry for the loss of Trayvon. We pray for the Martin family daily. We also pray that the community will grieve together and not be divided by more unwarranted hate.

The Zimmerman family will have no further contact with the media prior to the resolution of the investigation. It would be greatly appreciated if the media would respect our privacy."