Frank Taafe, Profiling & The Vilification of George Zimmerman

The verdict is in and today on Hard In The Paint we take a look from multiple vantage points at George Zimmerman. Leggo.

Today is Monday. Two days after the Not Guilty verdict came down for George Zimmerman. God has blessed me with time off to follow this trial on a daily basis. I saw Rachel Jeantel on the Witness Stand and I silently shook my head because I wondered why she hadn’t been properly prepared by Prosecution. I’m black so I understand her mannerisms but like I said…I’m black. Her verbiage, her tone, her attitude was not going to play well with mainstream American Society. I knew this…why didn’t anyone else. And predictably she got blasted by the media (some are even now blaming her for Zimmerman’s acquittal), George Zimmerman supporters and her own race/culture of people. That last part surprised some people. It didn’t surprise me not one bit. There’s an old saying and it’s been said since before I was born (1968) that black people are like crabs in a bucket. In essence we’re always fighting to get to the top and we don’t mind dragging one another down to do so. Here was this 19 year old young lady (she speaks 3 different languages by the way) and her very persona was/is being torn down because in spite of everything that happens, “SHE DOESN’T SPEAK WELL,” which has always been code for a black person being uneducated.
Nevertheless, she wasn’t the only Prosecution witness who didn’t fare well on the Witness Stand. Associate Medical Examiner Shiping Bao said repeatedly he knew nothing. Even going so far as to say…, “Absolutely nothing.” What???? You performed the autopsy, why don’t you know anything? And why are you reading from your notes? Americans want to know what’s wrong with our judicial system? You just got a small taste of it on live television. Defense tore down witness after witness and all I could do was shake my head. Defense stated over and over that Trayvon threw the first punch. No one and I mean no one ever introduced the notion that Zimmerman could have thrown the first punch. Absolutely no one. Prosecution kept telling the jury to draw their own conclusion while defense kept telling the jury that, “Trayvon confronted and threw the first punch at George Zimmerman.” Outstanding job by the Defense Team. One could almost feel sorry for George and question the evidence on the table if not for Mr. Frank Taaffe. That being said, guess what…the jury did draw their own conclusion; that beyond a reasonable doubt, George Zimmerman was innocent of all charges.
Allow me to say this. George Zimmerman’s best friend is a man by the name of Mark Osterman. Mr. Osterman for the most part has kept out of the public eye. Not Frank Taaffe. Taaffe is George’s neighbor…not his best friend but his neighbor. This guy is a literal PR nightmare and if you know nothing of George Zimmerman…if you listen to Taaffe enough…you’re not going to care too much for Zimmerman. What’s that old saying, “Guilty by association?” Taaffe has made just about all the talk show rounds (please see Nancy Grace and Dr. Drew) and on each one he comes across as loud, obnoxious, buffoonish, grand standish, filibusterish and so on and so forth. When it comes to Taaffe, it does not matter how many experts you’ve spoken to, his experts know more than your’s do. He’s also passive aggressive. When dealing with those of the African American persuasion and or females, he is very condescending. If you’re at a bar, this is the guy you leave home because, he’s more than likely going to take a misunderstanding and turn it into something else. While I admire his passion and loyalty to George Zimmerman, he has become a polarizing force and very insensitive to the death of Trayvon Martin. Now let me pause here for a minute or two.
No one knows what happened on that faithful night save Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman. I repeat, forget what you’re being told, even if George is the one telling you. No one knows. As they say, there’s 3 sides to every story…my side, your side and in the middle lies the truth. With that being said, the problem that I have and the problem that everyone should have whether you support George or not, Trayvon wasn’t doing anything wrong that night. I say again, he wasn’t doing anything wrong. He was on his way from the store where he had purchased an Iced Tea and a bag of Skittles. He had $40.00 in his pockets. He was on the cell phone with Ms. Jeantel. He was going to his father’s house. It was raining outside. He had on a hoodie. Because of all of this…he looked suspicious? Yes George said he was looking around and he had his hands in his pocket but I gotta ask myself, “Damn Theo, have you done that on the way home?” Have any of us ever done it? Are we all subject to looking suspicious for doing so? This could have been Frank Taaffe. This could have been Mark O’Mara. This could have been Tracy Martin. This could have been Mark Osterman. I say again…it could have been anyone of us.
Please understand when I say…I’m 45 and that could have easily been me. That could have easily been anyone of us regardless of our race, regardless of our age, regardless of our gender. It could have easily been anyone of us. Unfortunately it was one of us and because this prevailing thought was allowed to fester…a young teenager lies dead, his killer not looking the least bit remorseful. When asked if he would’ve done something different, his take on it is that he believes it was God’s will. Huh? Say what? See, even I who served 6 years in the Marine Corps if faced with taking a life would be remorseful for doing so because the agonizing question that would keep repeating itself in my mind is, “What more could I have done” especially, especially if I could’ve prevented such a needless death by doing something different. Make no mistake, Trayvon’s death was needless and senseless. And this is what makes George look so bad to so many, Trayvon did not die because he threw the first punch, he died because he “looked” suspicious.
As a result, mothers and fathers are telling their sons and daughters even as we speak to no longer wear hoodies. Some are pledging to take their children back and forth to wherever they need to go. Some are even saying that should their child meet such a fate, they will take the law into their own hands. This is the road we are unfortunately headed down. I can’t say which road I will travel. I don’t want to have to ever deal with it. I have two daughters, one 18 and one 12. I’m not particular about telling my daughters what clothing they shouldn’t wear because someone might profile them as being a suspicious character and I say again, make no mistake, it is this assumption that lead to the eventual death of Trayvon Martin. While Zimmerman most definitely has been found not guilty, he should still be held responsible for his reprehensible conduct by both his supporters and non supporters. Profiling is completely and utterly wrong. In this great country of ours, we cannot afford to judge one another like this. Why you ask? Because we’re all so very different and that’s not to be feared…that’s to be appreciated. I’m out.

Zimmerman Killed Martin, It’s Really Plain & Simple!!!!

Sure we know George shot Trayvon but there’s a lot of speculation and innuendo needlessly flying around. Today we go Hard In The Paint to clear it up. Leggo!!!!

On February 26, 2012…George Zimmerman fatally shot Trayvon Martin. This is fact. There have been less facts and more assumptions as to what happened prior to Trayvon being shot. The belief as to whether Zimmerman was right or wrong in his shooting has been cut down racial lines. Why anyone would expect less? I mean, this great country of ours has a history of young black men being gunned down. Recently though, it’s been mostly young black men gunning down young black men (which never gets enough news coverage). So here we have poor George who is of mixed Latino-Caucasian decent.
For those on either side of the fence, I’m going to stick the facts. Trayvon was 17 and George was 28 at the time. George is the Neighborhood Watch for his neighborhood, i.e. he was on patrol (although not that night). George had a gun. Travyon had a bag of Skittles and a can of Ice Tea. As Zimmerman is on his way to the store, he sees Trayvon and places the call to 911. Here is the complete transcript of that call:
Dispatcher: Sanford Police Department. …
Zimmerman: Hey, we’ve had some break-ins in my neighborhood, and there’s a real suspicious guy, uh, [near] Retreat View Circle. Um, the best address I can give you is 111 Retreat View Circle. This guy looks like he’s up to no good, or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.
Dispatcher: Okay, and this guy is he white, black, or Hispanic?
Zimmerman: He looks black.
Dispatcher: Did you see what he was wearing?
Zimmerman: Yeah. A dark hoodie, like a grey hoodie, and either jeans or sweatpants and white tennis shoes. He’s [unintelligible], he was just staring…
Dispatcher: Okay, he’s just walking around the area…
Zimmerman: …looking at all the houses.
Dispatcher: Okay…
Zimmerman: Now he’s just staring at me.
Dispatcher: Okay. You said it’s 1111 Retreat View? Or 111?
Zimmerman: That’s the clubhouse…
Dispatcher: That’s the clubhouse. Do you know what the—he’s near the clubhouse right now?
Zimmerman: Yeah, now he’s coming towards me.
Dispatcher: Okay.
Zimmerman: He’s got his hand in his waistband. And he’s a black male.
Dispatcher: How old would you say he looks?
Zimmerman: He’s got a button on his shirt. Late teens.
Dispatcher: Late teens. Okay.
Zimmerman: Something’s wrong with him. Yup, he’s coming to check me out. He’s got something in his hands. I don’t know what his deal is.
Dispatcher: Just let me know if he does anything, okay?
Zimmerman: How long until you get an officer over here?
Dispatcher: Yeah, we’ve got someone on the way. Just let me know if this guy does anything else.
Zimmerman: Okay. These assholes, they always get away. When you come to the clubhouse, you come straight in and make a left. Actually, you would go past the clubhouse.
Dispatcher: So it’s on the lefthand side from the clubhouse?
Zimmerman: No, you go in straight through the entrance and then you make a left…uh, you go straight in, don’t turn, and make a left. Shit, he’s running.
Dispatcher: He’s running? Which way is he running?
Zimmerman: Down towards the other entrance to the neighborhood.
Dispatcher: Which entrance is that that he’s heading towards?
Zimmerman: The back entrance…fucking [disputed/unintelligible]
Dispatcher: Are you following him?
Zimmerman: Yeah.
Dispatcher: Okay, we don’t need you to do that.
Zimmerman: Okay.
Dispatcher: All right, sir, what is your name?
Zimmerman: George…He ran.
Dispatcher: All right, George, what’s your last name?
Zimmerman: Zimmerman.
Dispatcher: And George, what’s the phone number you’re calling from?
Zimmerman: [redacted]
Dispatcher: All right, George, we do have them on the way. Do you want to meet with the officer when they get out there?
Zimmerman:: Yeah.
Dispatcher: Alright, where you going to meet with them at?
Zimmerman: If they come in through the gate, tell them to go straight past the club house, and uh, straight past the club house and make a left, and then they go past the mailboxes, that’s my truck…[unintelligible]
Dispatcher: What address are you parked in front of?
Zimmerman: I don’t know. It’s a cut through so I don’t know the address.
Dispatcher: Okay. Do you live in the area?
Zimmerman: Yeah, I…[unintelligible]
Dispatcher: What’s your apartment number?
Zimmerman: It’s a home. It’s 1950, Oh, crap. I don’t want to give it all out. I don’t know where this kid is.
Dispatcher: Okay. Do you want to just meet with them right near the mailboxes then?
Zimmerman: Yeah, that’s fine.
Dispatcher: All right, George. I’ll let them know to meet you around there okay?
Zimmerman: Actually, could you have them call me and I’ll tell them where I’m at?
Dispatcher: Okay, yeah. That’s no problem.
Zimmerman: Should I give you my number or you got it?
Dispatcher: Yeah, I got it [redacted]
Zimmerman: Yeah, you got it.
Dispatcher: Okay. No problem. I’ll let them know to call you when they’re in the area.
Zimmerman: Thanks.
Dispatcher: You’re welcome.
Based on testimony from himself, George leaves his truck and as we all know by now…a few minutes later after a brief tussle, Martin lay dead. Trayvon’s father lived in that gated community that George lived in. George never identified himself to Trayvon. Trayvon did not have a weapon on him. Where am I going with this?
See as adults we have a responsibility to behave as adults. Sometimes our hopes, dreams, aspirations, fear and doubt get in the way of that but make no mistake we are adults. All the other things that people want to throw out there don’t really matter at the end of the day. George Zimmerman shot an unarmed teenager in cold blood. No one knows what happened for sure but we do know that an adult shot an unarmed teenager. See how plain and simple that is. But Theo, what about this and what about that? If “IF” was a “Fifth” I’d be drunk by now. There are adults and there are children. Children are immature and prone to be impulsive. Adults are supposed to be mature and prone to reasoning based on their years of experience.
Sure there’s evidence coming into play from both sides that I could do my media spin on but I won’t do that. A child is dead, his murderer is on trial and frankly there’s enough media spin going on. God knows Frank Taafe must be getting a huge check because although he isn’t he comes across like an expert on everything because he has spoken to known experts regarding every piece of evidence referencing this case. Mr. Taafe cannot possible have a day job. At least not now any way. My advice to Mr. Taafe, sit down, shut up and allow the case to play itself out because the more you talk and the way you act…it gives more educated people the impression you have your own agenda.
That being said folks, there it is in a nutshell. No spinning. No implications. No assumptions. When you remove everything else, here’s what we have. Trayvon Martin’s father stayed in the gated community. Trayvon Martin had a bag of Skittles and an Ice Tea on his person. George Zimmerman called 911. Based on that call, Zimmerman states Trayvon started walking towards him and then took off running. At that time, 911 asked Zimmerman was he following Trayvon. Zimmerman answered yes and was told, “Okay we don’t need you to do that.” Minutes later Trayvon lay dead 70 yards from where his father lived. An unarmed 17 year old male was shot in cold blood by a 28 year old male. These are the facts and they are undeniable. Let’s collectively stop making this case out to be more than what it is. I’m out.

By the way, the State Attorney’s Office is doing a rather horrible job in prosecuting this case.

Why Wasn’t He Allowed To Stand His Ground…Trayvon Martin, One Year Later

As we move toward the One Year Anniversary of Trayvon Martin being murdered by George Zimmerman, I wanted to take this time to reflect on a few things as we go Hard In The Paint. Leggo.

It was about a year ago when this shameful crime was committed. George Zimmerman, a 28 year old “Neighborhood Watch Organizer” pursued, confronted and killed 17 year old Trayvon Martin. What has caused so many furors regarding this case? Well, while Zimmerman is of mixed Hispanic heritage, Martin is a clear cut African American. Young African American males being targeted (profiled) by law enforcement officials in America and then being somehow justifiably killed has been an ongoing issue in this country since forever. The question we must now ask ourselves is when do we stop? This case appears to be the turning point in this hotly debated issue.
At issue here is the fact that Zimmerman claims the “Stand Your Ground Law” as his defense. I had a debate this past Friday with a barber at the place where I go get my hair cut. His stand was that because his wife is an attorney and this law is unprecedented, that by trying George Zimmerman…we are in fact trying the law. I found this to be laughable to say the least because that suggests that we as a judicial system have no clear cut understanding of a bill we passed into law. That’s ludicrous and bears further looking at. Are we actually voting bills into laws without having a definitive understanding of them? Furthermore, while I explained to the barber that I had actually read the law (he stated he had not) coupled with the “911 recording” of Zimmerman’s call to the local authorities…he (Zimmerman) should never have been able to claim this law as self defense.
If you have any questions about the law, I have a link (http://www.husseinandwebber.com/florida-stand-your-ground-statute.html) as well as a link (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57401619-504083/author-of-stand-your-ground-law-george-zimmerman-should-probably-be-arrested-for-killing-trayvon-martin/) to a statement given by the author (former Senator Durell Peaden) of the Florida “Stand Your Ground Law.” Please read it. I know I have. Please listen to this gentleman. I know I have. Then ask yourself based on all of the above information, although deceased…why does this law not apply to Trayvon Martin?
I know I’m no attorney (I was a Legal Specialist in the Marine Corps for 6 years) but this doesn’t take too much thought from those capable of understanding the printed word. Let’s go over the facts (and these in particular have not been questioned, i.e. refuted). Zimmerman noticed Martin. He called 911 and told them Trayvon looked suspicious. He was told by the 911 Operator to stand down. He was told not to follow Martin. You hear him out of breath on the phone stating that he was continuing his pursuit of Trayvon. We also have audio tape of Martin on the phone with his girlfriend stated that he was being followed. These points are irrefutable. What happens next is up for debate but for lack of better terminology, what happens next is not my point nor should it be anyone else’s for that matter.
Florida Statute 766.013(3) states that “A person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is attacked in any other place where he or she has a right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.” Please read this as many times as you deem necessary. I’m sure after awhile it will start to sink in. You make not like it but it is what it is.
Here’s what we know. Zimmerman killed Martin in a gated community where his father was living. Martin was temporarily staying with his father so at the very least, temporarily…he (Martin) had the right to stay there. According to the Sanford, Florida Police Report, there is no indication that Martin was involved in any criminal activity at the time of the encounter. Please feel free to reread this portion of my segment as well. I want all of this to marinate, to sink in per se. Once again, Zimmerman was told to stand down. Why? Because he’s not a trained professional to deal with such issues. As serious as he may take his job, he is basically a civilian with a badge and Martin was not engaged in any criminal activity.
See where I’m headed with this? Once he chose to disobey a lawful order given to him by the 911 Operator (no it was not a suggestion) and chose to pursue Trayvon…Martin then became the one allowed to stand his ground. Based on the police report, the 911 call and the audio tape between Martin and his girlfriend…we’ve been able to ascertain that Martin was the “Pursuee” while Zimmerman was the “Pursuer.” Since the Police report states that Martin was not involved in any criminal activity once Zimmerman confronted him…Trayvon, was the one allowed to defend himself using deadly force if necessary.
Forget black or white. This is a matter of wrong or right. Once Zimmerman chose to pursue Trayvon…he put himself and that young man in danger. Zimmerman is an amateur when it comes to being a law enforcement officer and his amateurish tactics, amateurish behavior and amateurish understanding of the “Stand Your Ground Law” resulted in the death of Trayvon Martin. I hope and pray the Professional Law Enforcement Officers get it right. I’m out.