Go Away, George Zimmerman

Have you ever seen something in the news that has made you feel like anger has invaded your body and is running through your veins?

When I heard that George Zimmerman, the man who shot and killed a seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin for wearing a hoodie and pulling a pack of skittles out of his pocket, is suing the Martins for over one hundred-million dollars on claims that he was the victim of a conspiracy, that’s exactly how I felt.

Zimmerman was acquitted for the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin in 2012, but he filed this lawsuit now, with the chief allegation being that Ben Crump, the Martin’s attorney, replaced witness Brittany Diamond Eugene, who he believes to have been the phone with Trayvon during the encounter and did not want to testify, with her half-sister, Rachel Jeantel, and helped to coach Jeantel to deliver a speech that would put Zimmerman in jail. Zimmerman’s lawsuit claims that Jeantel pretended to be Trayvon’s girlfriend in place of Eugene, who he believes was dating Trayvon at the time.

The suit argues that Trayvon’s parents, prosecutors, and state authorities perpetuated this tactic, and “are alleged to either have known about or should have known about the witness fraud, obstructed justice, or lied repeatedly under oath in order to cover up their knowledge of the witness fraud,” according to Zimmerman’s lawyer, Larry Klayman. Upon further research, I discovered that Klayman is the founder of the conservative group Judicial Watchdog, which has initiated lawsuits in the past, one of which falsely claimed former President Barack Obama was not a natural-born U.S. citizen, and therefore, could not be president.

There was controversy and confusion over whether Jeantel was Trayvon’s girlfriend or if she was simply a the last friend to ever speak to him. This lead to her being inappropriately interrogated on the stand. During the 2012 case, heavy focus was placed on Jeantel’s nails, weight, and skin color instead of on achieving justice for Trayvon, who was followed in his own neighborhood and then promptly shot and killed, in what Zimmerman claims was self defense.

Rachel Jeantel was not the one on trial. Her testimony held true, and quite frankly, I don’t blame her for doing everything she could to avoid the stark spotlight that is now shining in her eyes.

Zimmerman has been arrested for domestic violence, stalking, and road rage incidents. Meanwhile, Trayvon’s parents have started a foundation in his name and written a book paying homage to their son.

Trayvon Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, delivering a speech in March of 2017

Zimmerman has been arrested for domestic violence, stalking, and road rage incidents. Meanwhile, Trayvon’s parents have started a foundation in his name and written a book paying homage to their son. This lawsuit is “another failed attempt to defend the indefensible and a shameless attempt to profit off the lives and grief of others,” to borrow words from the Martin family’s attorney, Benjamin Crump. It is my hope that Zimmerman comes to his senses and backs down, as this is the respectful, mature thing to do. But, then again, if there is one thing Zimmerman has shamelessly proven, it is that he is anything but respectful and mature.