I Believe Trayvon Hit (Zimmerman) First - Rachel Jeantel

Rachel Jeantel, star witness for the prosecution, said that Trayvon threw the first punch when Zimmerman and he met face-to-face.

There was much debate as to who initiated the fight that lead to Trayvon's death and whether Zimmerman shot Trayvon in self-defense but it is interesting to learn now that Jeantel believes that Martin struck the first blow.

Remember the media has continuously fed the masses the story that Zimmerman attacked Martin when in fact the opposite is true.  In the end Trayvon paid the ultimate price for his decision to go "whoop ass" on George Zimmerman.

Despite the aggressive push to paint Zimmerman as a card-carrying-KKK-racist, this case was NEVER about the color of Martin's skin.  Even the Martin family's attorneys announced that this case was NEVER about race.

In other news, Gabe Finger, a high school intern, asked Jay Carney a very relevant question considering the multiple death threats that have been made against George Zimmerman in the wake of the not guilty verdict.

Finger asked, "Because of the death threats received by George Zimmerman and his parents, is the president going to take any action for THEIR security or are they on their own."  Good question Gabe considering the fact that the DOJ has recently begun soliciting email tips in the Zimmerman civil rights probe.

Raise Your Voice! And Not Your Hands

The "twitter-verse" is rife with threats of riots looting, and racial violence if George Zimmerman is acquitted.  As a matter of fact, the New Black Panthers have promised to oversee a "rebellion" if Zimmerman is acquitted.

Around noon, dozens of Miami Police officers lined up for riot training.  Police were armed with batons and horses and ran through various formations preparing for the worst.  The fact that this "training" happened at a time when the jury will soon be deliberating the fate of George Zimmerman is purely coincidental we are told.

In Broward County the sheriff’s has released a series of public service announcements to preempt any possible violence.  In one video a group of teens are lined up in front of the camera.  Two teenagers shout out lines such “Raise your voice!  And not your hands.  We need to stand together as one, no cuss, no guns.  Let’s give violence a rest because we can easily end up arrested.”

Sheriff Scott Israel then comes in behind the teenagers and wraps up the video with the line, “I’m Sheriff Scott Israel and law enforcement does have your back.”

Sheriff Israel is quick to reassure citizens that they have no concrete reason to believe that a specific violent incident will happen if Zimmerman walks free.  He does argue that it's better safe than sorry and encourages everyone to keep any protest peaceful.

Objection Your honor. My Witness Is Detrimental To My Case

Can you un-ring a bell?  Most would say no and that's why it was pretty powerful that court ended with a statement from Detective Chris Serino saying that he found Zimmerman's account of the events leading up to the death of Trayvon Martin credible.

Today, before the jury was lead back into the courtroom, prosecuting attorney Bernie de la Rionda asked the judge to strike Detective's Serino statement arguing that the statement was improper.  De la Rionda's position is that one witness isn't allowed to give an opinion on the credibility of another witness.

Defense attorney Mark O'Mara argued it was proper because Serino was vetting Zimmerman's veracity in his probe.

After hearing arguments, Judge Debra Nelson told jurors to disregard the statement made by Detective Serino.  While technically this can be seen as a plus for the state the jurors have already heard this testimony from Detective Seriono as to his professional opinion as to Zimmerman's veracity.

Dr. Valerie Rao was called by the prosecution to provide her assessment of Zimmerman's injuries based on PHOTOS.  Dr. Rao said that Zimmerman's injuries were insignificant and could have been the result of a single blow.

On cross, Dr. Rao acknowledged she was appointed by state attorney Angela Corey, who is overseeing the prosecution of Zimmerman.  She also conceded that while Zimmerman's injuries were consistent with one punch it was possible that he may have been hit repeatedly.

It's interesting to note here that Dr. Rao has been the subject of recurring complaints from coworkers dating back to 2009.  The complaints include:  touching cadavers with her bare hands, washing her feet in the autopsy sink, and performing autopsies on inmates to create a revenue stream.

Prosecutors asked a judge to allow them to introduce school records indicating that Zimmerman took a class that addressed Florida's self-defense law.  Prosecutors claim that this will prove that he had knowledge of the law, even though he claimed he didn't in an interview with talk show host Sean Hannity.

A Teenage Boy Is Dead And By The Way It's All About Me

I didn't learn about Alicia Stanley's interview until the day after it was televised but when I learned that she concurred with the parents of Trayvon Martin that this case was not about racial profiling I knew I had to watch.  After all this is Trayvon's step mother one would have to believe that she also cares this dead teen.  What I learned very quickly upon watching this video was that this interview was much more about Ms. Stanley than it was about giving insight to the final hours of Trayvon's life.

First of all I wrongly assumed that Ms. Stanley was the woman who was engaged to Travyon's father and owned the condo where he was staying.  As you already know that one should never assume especially when we are talking about this case.

Alicia Stanley met Tracy Martin about a year before he offically divorced from Trayvon's mother Sybrina Fulton.  Tracy and Alicia were married for 14 years before he met Brandi the woman who owned the condo were Trayvon was staying that night.

Alicia tells viewers that in fact SHE was the one who was there for Trayvon and that he stayed at HER house 85% of the time.

Alicia says that she never knew the Trayvon that the press has portrayed and the she saw him.  Her words speak to the love she held for the young man she helped raise

I always find it interesting that two people can see or hear the exact same thing but come away with diametrically different memories of the same event.  What I noted was pain Ms. Alicia expresses about the loss of Trayvon as well as the fact that she did not believe that the tragedy of this young man's death was not caused by a rabid racist named George Zimmerman

On the other hand I noticed that she received a great deal of criticism because she was very offended that she was not sitting in the front row at the funeral. Still others were upset that Alicia intimated that the relationship between Trayvon and his own mother may not have been a close and loving one.

It is interesting to note that Trayvon's school attendance and grades began to suffer once he returned to live with his mother.  His records also indicate multiple school suspensions for vandalism, vulgarity, theft, burglary, drug use, and street fights.One could easily say that the warning lights were flashing but the adults in his life were not heeding the warning.

Trayvon was at an age when kids really need control and stability.  While Trayvon may have indeed liked living with his mother because it allowed him freedom to do as he pleased deep down he felt like a rudderless ship drifting in a sea of uncertainty.

Did Trayvon, like many young people struggling with the lack of developemental skills to navigate a world he sees as a threatening place/  When he saw that Zimmerman was following him, did he  seek control  by becoming aggressive, argumentative, impulsive and agitated?  He was only feet from the condo where he was staying, why did he not go home?  Why did he not call 911 when he first saw Zimmerman and felt he was being followed rather than hang on the phone with a friend?

Remember, Zimmerman was not charged in the shooting originally because there was no grounds to disprove his account of self-defense and the assertion that Martin had attacked him.

According to Zimmerman Trayvon asked Zimmerman if he had a problem.  Zimmerman said no and reached for his cell phone, he told police.  Trayvon then said, "Well you do now" or something similar and punched Zimmerman in the nose according to the account he gave police.

Not only does some eye witness testimony affirm Zimmerman's account but so does some of the physical evidence.

I can't help but think that if one adult had said, "This is not about me, this is about Trayvon this situation may have turned out differently."







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Rachel Jeantel - Round Two

Rachel Jeantel returned to the stand today to continue her cross-examination.  It is obvious to even the most casual observer Ms. Jeantel has been instructed as to proper courtroom decorum.

West says that Jeantel had earlier said to Trayvon, "Whate are you talking about"  Later her testimony was that Zimmerman had asked Trayvon "What are you doing around here?"  Since both statements were made under oath, this could be a difficult situation for the prosecution.

One thing I find particularly odd is that according to Jeantel's testimony, Trayvon's mother Sybrina Fulton was sitting next her as she gave her interview with the state's attorney and law enforcement for the first time.  I don't believe this is standard procedure.

Later, Jeantel was asked to read a letter that was sent to Martin's mother describing what she allegedly heard on a phone call moments before he was shot.

A hush went through the packed courtroom when she admitted that she couldn't read the letter because she doesn't read cursive.

As a teacher, hearing Rachel admit that as a student on the cusp of graduation is unable to read is a tragedy.  Many people are sidestepping the fact that her speaking skills will cripple her in the job market determined to show how PC they are.  The fact is that in an already tight job market Rachel will experience a great deal of difficulty in finding and keeping a job based on the skills she brings to the workplace.  Couple this with the attitude she displayed yesterday we should be asking why the schools, her parents, and the community didn't provide with the life skills she will need as she continues in her life after this trial.

In a case the highlights charges of racial profiling and race relations I find this young lady's testimony a sad testament to the chasm that lies in the education available to inner-city students all these many years after the advent of busing and integration.

I'm on the subject of cultural divide an incident happened today showing the need for lawyers to become more social media savvy.

During a proffer Bernie de la Rionda asked a witness (Jenna Lauer) if  why she was following Robert Zimmerman, Jr (George Zimmerman's brother) on Twitter.  She claimed she didn't think she was.  At that moment de la Rionda acted like he had a Perry Mason moment and strode up to the stand computer in hand.  He pointed out that Robert Zimmerman was "FOLLOWING" and asked her suspiciously about his proof that she was following him.  In fact Robert Zimmerman was following her but she did not follow back.  Heck I have people following me that I don't follow back I hope none of them are involved in any nefarious actions or I may find myself questioned about who is following me.

de la Rionda didn't seem to be one to let a good conspiracy theory lie said, "Well if you're not following him why is he asking to follow you?"  He pointed to the area on the side of twitter that comes under the category "Who To Follow"  Right at this moment Hanes (the underwear folks) and Verison are in my que.  Sorry guys not going to follow back  It was then pointed out that she had never tweeted not once.

I found the moment of the allegation that she might be pulling something over on him funny in the sense of showing his age.  I know if I have questions about social media I ask a teen because they are all over it.  Maybe Mr. de la Rionda should hire a teen to translate social media for his firm.