Rachel Jeantel talks Travyon Martin, Don West (and ‘haters’) with theGrio

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Rachel Jeantel, the 19-year-old friend of Trayvon Martin, and the last person to talk to him in the minutes before he was shot and killed last year, sat down with theGrio.com Tuesday, for a wide-ranging discussion of the trial, her testimony, and the reaction to her on social media.

Jeantel hit back at those who made fun of her appearance and speech on Twitter, calling them “haters,” including Olympic runner Lolo Jones, who compared her to the Tyler Perry’s character Madea.

“Lolo Jones, I thought of her as a joke,” Jeantel said. “She was funny. She’s a hater. To me she’s a hater. I had a whole lot of haters.”

And she added: “for other people, you can disrespect me, all that, it’s not going to hurt me. I’m just adding you to my hater list.”

Jeantel also talked about Trayvon Martin, saying he was “nice” and “chill” person, and adding that had she known that he was in a fight for his life, “I know what to do,” adding that she would have called 911. But she said she believed that he was near the home where he and his father were staying in Sanford, Florida, and that she was unaware that Tracy Martin wasn’t home.

Jeantel addressed her interaction with George Zimmerman’s attorney, Don West, saying she had been questioned by him months before the trial, and that during the trial, she tried to be respectful, “because that was an adult.” And she said that the way she speaks is in part because of her braces.

Zimmerman was found not guilty of second degree murder and manslaughter on July 13th. He claimed self-defense.

Watch the interview and let us know what you think.