George Zimmerman: Thanks Obama
George Zimmerman, the man acquitted of the 2012 killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, discusses the affect President Obama had on his case. Video provided by the law firm of Ayo and Iken...
By: Gunscom
Read more from the original source:
George Zimmerman: Thanks Obama - Video
In a recent interview, George Zimmerman criticizes President Obama for his response following the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in 2012 and reflects on his life since then. (Video provided by the law firm of Ayo and Iken in Orlando Florida)
George Zimmerman, the ex-neighborhood watchman accused and then acquitted of murdering Trayvon Martin, said he doesnt feel guilty for surviving the incident. But he blames President Obama for the way he handled it.
Zimmerman lashed out in a 13-minute video posted online Monday by his lawyer. He said with the Justice Department investigation behind him, he finally felt he could speak out without fear of retaliation by the president.
In February 2012, Zimmerman shot and killed unarmed 17-year-old Martin in Sanford, Fla., where Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch volunteer. Since then, Zimmerman has maintained that he pulled the trigger in self-defense. Still, Martins death ignited worldwide discussions about racial profiling.
Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder and, in July 2013, a jury acquitted him. Then last month, the Justice Department, which had been investigating the case as a potential hate crime, decided not to prosecute him.
In the video, Zimmerman compared his ideals to those of Anne Frank, saying, I still believe that people are truly good at heart, as Anne Frank has said, and I will put myself in any position to help another human in any way I can.
He said he would only feel guilty for Martins death if he thought he could have saved both Martins life and his own that night.
Only in a true life or death scenario can you have mental clearness to know that you cannot feel guilty for surviving, he said. Had I had a fraction of the thought that I could have done something differently, acted differently so that both of us who survived, then I would have heavier weight on my shoulders. That sense in the back of my mind but in all fairness you cannot as a human feel guilty for living, for surviving.
[RELATED: George Zimmerman resurfaces in Florida, again in security mode]
[RELATED: Trayvon Martin was shot and killed three years ago today]
Read this article:
George Zimmerman compares himself to Anne Frank, blames ...
In his first public comments since the U.S. Department of Justice announced it would not prosecute him for violating Trayvon Martin's civil rights, George Zimmerman says he was victimized by President Obama.
The president should never have allowed the DOJ investigation and is guilty of ramping up racial tension when he said, "If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon," Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman is the Neighborhood Watch volunteer who killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old, in Sanford on Feb. 26, 2012, setting off civil rights demonstrations across the country and beyond.
A Seminole County jury acquitted Zimmerman of manslaughter in 2013.
Zimmerman went into hiding after the shooting and still tightly guards his privacy.
He has rejected most media requests for an interview but on March 8 video-recorded an interview with his Tampa divorce lawyer, Howard Iken of Ayo and Iken PLC.
In it, he faulted the media for portraying him as a racist and the criminal justice system for bringing him to trial but saved his harshest criticism for Obama, whom he accused of trying to prosecute "an innocent American."
"For him to make incendiary comments as he did and direct the Department of Justice to pursue a baseless prosecution, he by far over-stretched, over-reached," Zimmerman said.
The president, whom he referred to as "Barack Hussein Obama," should have told the public, " 'Let's not rush to judgment,' " Zimmerman said.
On Feb. 24, the Department of Justice announced that it would file no charges against Zimmerman and was closing its three-year-old investigation.
Read more:
George Zimmerman: The President ramped up racial tension ...
Story highlights Zimmerman criticizes Obama's comments during the Trayvon Martin case "To me, that was clearly a dereliction of duty," he says
Zimmerman, who was acquitted of murder in 2013 over Martin's death, made the allegations against Obama in a video posted on his lawyers' website.
The February 2012 killing of Martin, an unarmed black teenager, by Zimmerman, a Hispanic neighborhood watch volunteer, stirred fierce debate about race and the justice system.
Zimmerman, who is now 31, said he shot Martin in self-defense during a confrontation in Sanford, Florida. But critics allege the death was spurred by racial profiling.
In the new video, Zimmerman claims it was Obama who stoked racial tensions surrounding the case.
He cites the President's remarks in March 2012, when the case was still being investigated, in which Obama said, "If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon."
"To me, that was clearly a dereliction of duty, pitting Americans against each other solely based on race," Zimmerman says in the conversation with his lawyer Howard Iken, who does not appear on camera.
Zimmerman notes that Obama's press secretary at the time, Jay Carney, had said previously that the White House would not wade into the case, calling it "a local law-enforcement matter."
Asked if he felt there was one government agency or official who brought the most unfairness to his situation, Zimmerman is quick to respond.
"By far, the President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama," he says.
Originally posted here:
George Zimmerman blames Obama
ORLANDO, Fla., March 24 (UPI) -- Former neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman, who was acquitted in the shooting death of a black Florida teen, lashed out at President Barack Obama and said he can not feel guilt for surviving the confrontation with Trayvon Martin in 2012.
In his first public interview since being cleared of civil-rights violations, Zimmerman blasted Obama for "rushing to judgment" against him and "pitting Americans against each other solely based on race" in expressing empathy for Martin's family. In a 13-minute video posted on his lawyer's website, Zimmerman said the person who has been most unfair to him is "President Barack Hussein Obama," citing the president's remarks in March 2012 in which Obama said "If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon."
"And for him to make incendiary comments as he did and direct the Department of Justice to pursue a baseless prosecution he by far overstretched, overreached, even broke the law in certain aspects to where you have an innocent American being prosecuted by the federal government," he said.
Zimmerman was acquitted in the Feb. 26, 2012, shooting death of Martin. The 17-year-old, who was unarmed, was walking home from a convenience store when Zimmerman, acting as a neighborhood watch volunteer, shot and killed him. Zimmerman, 31, said he shot in self defense. The incident sparked a nationwide debate over racial profiling. Last month, the Department of Justice announced Zimmerman would not face charges in the shooting.
Zimmerman said the the Justice Department process "worked," but the investigation should have been taken one step further to determine if his civil rights had been violated.
"And again they had various numerous examples of bounties place on my head, credible threats placed against myself and my family. Against from whom they know to be domestic terrorists and the president and the attorney general and the federal government declined to do anything about it," he said.
He said he does not feel guilty for surviving, but his life has changed dramatically since the incident.
"I have to have my guard up significantly. I have to look over my shoulder on a daily basis several times a day. I don't get to spend time with my family, kids I mentor. I do try and keep my ideals the same. I do try and remain pragmatic," he said. "Because despite it all I still believe people are truly good at heart."
He said he puts his future in God's hands and said his highly reported run-ins with the law since the incident put the attention on the "media's agenda."
"I would ask them to put themselves in my shoes and again when you have a speeding ticket or a speeding infraction, any traffic citation and it makes international news appearing all the way to the UK you have to sit back and ask what is the media's agenda," Zimmerman said.
View post:
George Zimmerman: Obama pitted 'American against American'