The media, the New Black Panthers, the National Basketball Players Association, Eric Holder and Rev. Al Sharpton — even the Florida governor and its attorney general, Pam Bondi, prosecutor Angela Corey and the NAACP — few are spared in a newly-released e-book by Robert Zimmerman Sr. Zimmerman’s eldest son, Robert Zimmerman Jr., confirmed the authenticity of the e-book in a text message to NBC News on Monday.
For the price of a $3.99 download on Amazon.com, readers can learn in Florida v. Zimmerman: Uncovering the Malicious Prosecution of my Son, George about what the father of George Zimmerman — charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, a crime to which he has pleaded not guilty — calls “misconduct” and the inappropriate charging of his son. The elder Zimmerman even implied that federal resources committed to investigating his son might have prevented the Boston Marathon bombing.
Zimmerman Sr. criticizes the media for the way various outlets have reported the case, including HLN, CNN, NBC and even Fox News, singling out Shepherd Smith, Geraldo Rivera for past reports he found unfavorable toward his son. (George Zimmerman has sued NBC Universal, the parent company of theGrio, for defamation, and NBC Universal has strongly denied these allegations.) He criticizes NBC for providing a platform to Rev. Al Sharpton, who hosts “Politics Nation” on MSNBC and who, as head of the National Action Network, led massive protests in the spring of 2011 demanding George Zimmerman’s arrest.
He is equally unsparing in his criticism of Sanford’s political leaders, including the mayor and city manager, and of Florida’s governor, Rick Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and special prosecutor Angela Corey, who he claims colluded to prosecute George Zimmerman for political reasons. He entitles one chapter “The failed state of Florida.”
But it is his statements about black organizations and, in his words, “racism” by African-Americans, that are the most striking.
Black organizations are ‘the true’ racists
The retired Virginia magistrate, who is white and married to an Hispanic woman, writes that he “believed generally racism was a thing of the past,” but that after the February 26, 2012 shooting, he discovered that racism “is flourishing” and that it is coming from members of the black community who called for George Zimmerman’s arrest last year.
In a chapter called “Who Are The True Racist” [sic], Zimmerman Sr. writes, “Unfortunately, segregation and racism not only exist, but appear to be flourishing at the insistence of some in the African American community. … Today there exist a Black Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers, National Association of Black Journalists, National Black United Fund, United Negro College Fund, and hundreds of other racially identifiable organizations.”
He writes: “Others continually promoting racial hatred and separation are members of the United States Congress,” and writes “The Congressional Black Caucus is a pathetic, self-serving group of racist [sic] caring more about advancing their purely racist agenda than uniting us as Americans.” And he singles out for criticism two of Florida’s three black members of Congress: Rep. Corinne Brown, who represents the Jacksonville area, and Rep. Frederica Wilson, both of whom have been vocal supporters of Martin’s family.
Zimmerman writes that the NAACP “simply promotes racism and hatred for their own, primarily financial, interests” and adds that in his view, “without prejudice and racial divide, the NAACP would simply cease to exist.” He adds that NAACP national president Ben Jealous’ statements regarding the Trayvon Martin shooting were “what I would expect of a racist,” and even has choice words for the funeral director who prepared Martin’s body, calling Richard Kurtz a “racial activist and former head of the local NAACP.” Kurtz told various media outlets last year that in his view, Martin’s body showed “no physical signs like there had been a scuffle [or] there had been a fight.” Kurtz could not be reached for comment.
Reached by phone on Sunday and read the passages in the book related to the NAACP, Sanford NAACP president Turner Clayton told theGrio: “Well that’s just a way of Mr. Zimmerman blowing smoke. Since he knows that his son is guilty, he’s trying to cast the blame on everyone else but where it should be, and that’s him and his son. And you can see from his expression where his son gets his from. We’re not the ones talking about race. That’s coming from him and his side.”
TheGrio reached spokesmen for the NAACP and the CBC, both of whom said their organization had no interest in commenting on the e-book.
Zimmerman investigation to blame for Boston Marathon bombing?
Zimmerman Sr. devotes numerous passages to criticizing President Barack Obama, singling out his statement that if he had a son, he “would look like Trayvon,” and claiming the president has “long standing relationship with attorneys Parks and Crump.” Also criticized: U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, about whom Zimmerman Sr. writes: “Eric Holder’s Justice Department immediately launched an investigation into George’s falsely alleged violation of Trayvon Martin’s civil rights,” which he called an “unfounded witch hunt.” Adding that “because a violation of Trayvon’s civil rights would possibly resulted in a death sentence, we were extremely concerned. A presidential election was just around the corner. Eric Holder and President Obama would shamelessly seek to obtain a great advantage in the African American community, nothing they do would surprise me.”
It is not clear what federal death penalty statute Zimmerman Sr. is referring to. The federal statutes refer to the death penalty in cases involving law enforcement officers acting under color of law, and first degree murder, neither of which apply in George Zimmerman’s case. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the FBI opened an investigation into the shooting last March, after more than 450,000 people signed a Change.org petition demanding a federal probe. And the Justice Department’s Community Relations Service sent a mediator, Thomas Battles, to Sanford to meet with members of the African-American community and discuss their complaints about Sanford police. At the time, George Zimmerman had not been arrested for the shooting.
He was charged and surrendered to Seminole County sheriffs April 10th.
Zimmerman Sr. calls the Justice Department’s investigation a waste of resources, implying that if the resources used to investigate his son were applied elsewhere, the Boston Marathon bombing might have been stopped. He writes: “I find it very troubling that Eric Holder would spend an inordinate amount of these finite resources investigating, George, at the same time not providing the FBI adequate resources to investigate clearly identified potential terrorist [sic] in the Boston area” and that, “tragically, we have suffered the consequences of Mr. Holder’s politically motivated decisions.”
He mentions cases of white victims of crimes committed by African-Americans, and asks why those have not been investigated by the Justice Department. And he writes that he was “surprised when I heard that 93% of African Americans murdered were murdered by other African-Americans” adding: “Interested, I checked the latest crime statistics I could find, 2011. Reportedly, the vast majority of murders are certainly committed by those of a certain race.” He adds, “(I only find these statistics interesting as they relate to the media.)” The FBI uniform crime report for 2011 finds that 90 percent of black homicide victims were killed by black defendants. However, 83 percent of white victims were killed by white defendants, showing similar statistical symmetry. Of the 6,131 homicides recorded by the FBI uniform crime report for 2011, 3,172 of the offenders were white, 2,695 were black, 180 were of “other” races, and 84 were of an unknown race.
The Justice Department had not responded to requests for comment as of this writing.
Sherman Ware revisited
In the e-book, Zimmerman Sr. repeats the claim, previously made by the Zimmerman family, that George Zimmerman was “in large part” responsible for the arrest of Justin Collison, the son of a Sanford Police lieutenant who was caught on cell phone video in December 2010, punching a black homeless man, Sherman Ware, in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious. Zimmerman revives the claim that George Zimmerman “contacted the local NAACP to inquire about what could be done” but was “informed by the NAACP that they lacked any resources whatsoever to assist” and that after that, George and Shellie Zimmerman handed out flyers at local churches calling for Collison’s arrest.
“In large part due to George’s efforts, the young man was ultimately charged with the assault,” Zimmerman writes.
He goes on to criticize national NAACP president Ben Jealous, noting that the local chapter of the organization received a donation from the Collison family as part of a settlement of a civil case, and saying, “although he should have known better, NAACP president Benjamin Jealous would later comment ‘It [sic] appears that Trayvon Martin was stalked and murdered..’.” [sic] And he adds that Ware’s attorney, Natalie Jackson, “is the same attorney who, without any evidence of a crime being committed, worked tirelessly with attorneys Crump and Parks to demand George’s arrest.” He also says that Ware’s sister “would later protest at the Seminole County Courthouse demanding the racist George Zimmerman be arrested,” adding: “It is abundantly clear to me who the racist [sic] are.”
Related: For Black Sanford residents: a history of distrusting police
Ware’s sister, Tonnetta Foster, told theGrio in April 2012 that she had never heard of George Zimmerman before the Trayvon Martin shooting. TheGrio also interviewed several black pastors in Sanford, including the pastors of the three of the largest black churches in Sanford, one of which is located four blocks from where the Ware incident took place, and none could recall ever meeting George or Shellie Zimmerman, or seeing them distribute flyers at their churches, or knowing who he was prior to the shooting. Collison was arrested in December 2010 after video of the assault leaked on Youtube, prompting a public outcry. The then Sanford police chief, Brian Tooley, retired early after the Sanford commission voted to relieve him of his duties on the same day Collison surrendered to police. Collison was charged with felony battery and disorderly conduct. He agreed in a settlement with Ware to pay the 47-year-old’s medical bills, to get substance abuse and anger management counseling, and to make donations to three charitable organizations: the Seminole Action Coalition Serving Our Needy, a Sanford-based drug rehabilitation center and the Seminole branch of the NAACP. In October 2011, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery and received a year’s probation.
Asked to respond to the Ware story, Clayton said of George Zimmerman: “never heard of him before until this incident with Trayvon. Never heard of him, never heard from him.” The national NAACP declined to comment.
Next: Praise for Bill Lee, conservative website
There are some for whom Zimmerman reserves praise: Bill Lee, Tooley’s replacement as Sanford’s police chief, who was relieved of his position by City Manager Bonaparte last year, who Zimmerman writes conducted a fair investigation.
He also singles out the website The Conservative Treehouse, which has become a hub for George Zimmerman’s supporters, writing: “the research that was being conducted by contributors to this site was astonishing. Although I clearly knew the facts in our son’s case, this site made me almost instantly aware of the behind-the-scenes manipulations by many and the true motives of those involved.”
In July of last year, a post on The Conservative Treehouse revealed the identity of Witness 9, a cousin of George Zimmerman’s who called police two days after the shooting, telling a police officer she believed Zimmerman and his family “dislike black people.” She later told investigators that Zimmerman allegedly molested her from age 6 to 16. The Conservative Treehouse, run by a 46-year-old Florida man, Mark Bradman, who calls himself “Sundance Cracker” online, posted the cousin’s photo, along with a picture of her husband and son, which were later taken down.
When Witness 9’s statements were released by prosecutors last July, Zimmerman’s defense team filed a motion to block their public release, saying on the defense website: “the content of this statement is not relevant to the issues of this case, and it would not be admissible in the State’s case in chief,” referring to the trial itself, as opposed to the pretrial period.
Zimmerman Sr. repeatedly refers to the attorneys and a former public relations representative for the Martin family, Ryan Julison, as the “Scheme Team,” and writes that he “felt it strange that Trayvon’s family would obtain attorneys to represent them, clearly presenting a barrier between themselves and law enforcement, while publicly demanding an open and complete investigation.”
He makes frequent references to “little Trayvon,” and writes that “[a]lthough continually portraying Trayvon as their innocent ‘baby’ or child, Trayvon’s parents must surely have been very well aware of Trayvon’s true nature.” In one passage, he questions the romantic relationships of Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, and Martin’s girlfriend, who he and Trayvon were visiting at the time of the shooting, writing: “[i]t’s very difficult for me to understand all the relationships involved.” He adds that he doesn’t think Martin and Fulton are “bad parents.”
References to the “Scheme Team” and “investigations” of the Martin parents and attorneys are frequent themes on the Conservative Treehouse, and the site gave the book a glowing review.
Reached by phone late Thursday, attorneys for the Martin family said they had not read the book and didn’t plan to, and had no comment.
George Zimmerman’s lawyer criticized
Zimmerman reserves the final chapter of his e-book for his thoughts on various parties involved in the case. In a section called “Trayvon Martin,” he writes: “as a result of the tragic death of Trayvon Martin, I sincerely hope young people will more fully understand there are often unintended and wholly unimagined consequences to inappropriate behavior.”
In a section entitled “Mr. Martin and Ms. Fulton,” Zimmerman states that”[t]here are individuals convinced that Trayvon’s parents were loving and sweet parents raising a wonderful son with a very bright future. Others believe Mr. Martin and Ms. Fulton simply had numerous children and cared little about raising them, primarily being concerned with their own social activities. My personal feelings are mixed.”
And he has criticisms of Mark O’Mara, the lead attorney representing his son. He writes about his frustrations with Mr. O’Mara in the early stages of the case, and that he was “clearly frustrated that Mr. O’Mara initially maintained a ‘wait and see’ attitude pertaining to George’s guilt or innocence.”
“When Mr. O’Mara made comments such as ‘George believes he’s innocent”, [sic] I wasn’t happy,” Zimmerman Sr. writes. “Further, when asked if George was a murder [sic], Mr. O’Mara replied ‘we’ll have to wait and see”. [sic] In a purely legal, technical sense that answer was correct, there being no finding of guilt or innocence in a court of law. However, to the media, and certainly to the public, that answer could only be interpreted as a lack of confidence in a client’s innocence.”
He said O’Mara “initially told the family he was a ‘control freak'” and said the family had no problem with the fact that “Mr. O’Mara wanted control. However,” he writes, ” as time passed, it still appeared George was having little said about him positively in the media, even by Mr. O’Mara. This was extremely frustrating to the family.”
TheGrio reached O’Mara’s law firm on Friday for comment. His spokesman said they were reviewing the book, but they have not yet released a statement or commented.
Zimmerman Sr. is not the first member of the Zimmerman family to criticize the NAACP. Robert Zimmerman Jr., who apologized in March for tweets comparing Martin to the 17-year-old Georgia teen accused of shooting a toddler to death after asking his mother for money (a second teen said to have been with him was not charged), and that the “lib media” should “ask if what these2 black teens did 2 a woman&baby is the reason ppl think blacks mightB risky [sic],” wrote a May op-ed for the conservative Daily Caller website, entitled “What the NAACP can learn from George Zimmerman.”
In it, he re-asserts the Ware claims, and writes: “In the wake of the NAACP’s strange attempt to exploit the Trayvon Martin tragedy, I thought back to my discussion with [NAACP president Ben] Jealous about racial equality and my brother’s rebuffed effort to enlist the NAACP to help Sherman Ware. Maybe Jealous’ insistence that there will never be racial equality has something to do with the fact that his organization thrives off racially divisive controversies.”
Zimmerman Jr. was promoting his father’s e-book via his Twitter account on Thursday.
Not everyone was a fan of the book, however. An Amazon customer calling themselves Kharma “Kharma” Kharma, posted their own version of the e-book cover, changing the subtitle to “uncovering my malicious son George.”
Follow Joy Reid on Twitter at @thereidreport.