George Zimmerman supporter Frank Taaffe arrested for DUI

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Taaffe and Zimmerman led the neighborhood watch for the Retreat at Twin Lakes townhome complex where Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin on February 26th. Zimmerman was the coordinator, and Taaffe was a “block captain.”

Questions about whether those participating in neighborhood watch volunteer efforts are typically screened for prior arrests were referred to the Seminole County Sheriff’s website. No specific information on the subject of background checks was available.

Zimmerman was arrested in 2005 on domestic battery charges involving a former girlfriend, and in 2005 on charges of battery on a law enforcement officer. He attended a pre-trial diversion program for the latter offense.

Neither Marsh nor Amon could be reached for comment.

Taaffe at center of memorial fight

Taaffe will be among the members of the Retreat at Twin Lakes homeowners association who will attend a City Hall meeting Monday night, at which the association is expected to object to the placement of a permanent memorial to Trayvon Martin outside the Retreat, where a previous, makeshift memorial was removed by the city earlier this month. Taaffe said the homeowner’s association voted unanimously to oppose a memorial, saying some homeowners believe that a memorial casts a “negative connotation” on the gated community, impacting home resale values. He said others at a recent homeowners meeting, at which the vote was taken, stated that if supporters of Trayvon Martin want to build a memorial, they should do so elsewhere, not on the Retreat property. Taaffe said he concurred with both views.

Taaffe has previously stated he objects to a memorial because Zimmerman’s trial has not taken place, and there remain questions as to “who was the victim” in the fatal confrontation between Taaffe’s friend and the Miami teen. “It’s extremely unpalatable to the majority of residents,” Taaffe told an NBC affiliate, adding that he planned to solicit signatures to oppose a new memorial. “It’s disdainful because we don’t know yet who the victim was and who the aggressor was.”

Follow Joy Reid on Twitter at @thereidreport