George Zimmerman, the Florida man acquitted in 2013 of murdering Black teenager Trayvon Martin, labeled Black Lives Matter as “terrorists” during court testimony this week.
During a court case in Seminole County, Zimmerman said the civil rights group, which was pretty much born out of the Martin shooting in 2012, should not be given “credence,” according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Zimmerman told the court:
“They are terrorists. I see them as terrorists.”
Zimmerman took the stand against Matthew Apperson, who is on trial after allegedly shooting at Zimmerman during an incident in May 2015, according to CBS.
Tighter shot of bullet hole in #zimmerman passenger side window as its being towed @local6news pic.twitter.com/2wv4xRlia7
— Erik Sandoval (@ErikSandoval) May 11, 2015
Apperson, according to the Sentinel, admits to shooting through a window of Zimmerman’s Honda Ridgeline, but says Zimmerman pointed a gun at him first. Ironically, Apperson’s lawyer alleges self-defense, the same argument Zimmerman used to successfully beat charges in the slaying of Martin.
But unlike Martin, Zimmerman had two weapons when Apperson shot at him. And Apperson’s attorney Michael LaFay noted that the idea that Zimmerman would not threaten force was not exactly in character.
Said LaFay:
“You didn’t shoot at Apperson because he had a pistol and not a bag of Skittles?”
Another irony? Zimmerman decided to attack BLM during the trial after maintaining for years that he advocated for exactly the same cause the group champions today.
Zimmerman, according to CNN, once spoke at a public meeting in Sanford to criticize police:
“I also have had the opportunity to take ride-alongs with the city of Sanford Police Department and what I saw was disgusting. The officer showed me his favorite hiding spots for taking naps… He took two lunch breaks and attended a going away party for one of his fellow officers.”
Members of Zimmerman’s family have repeatedly noted that he once advocated on behalf of Sherman Ware, a homeless man allegedly beaten by Sanford police. In a letter to the NAACP reported by the Daily Caller, an unnamed family member writes:
“Do you know the individual that stepped up when no one else in the black community would?”
“…Do you know who spent tireless hours putting flyers on the cars of persons parked in the churches of the black community? Do you know who waited for the church‐goers to get out of church so that he could hand them fliers in an attempt to organize the black community against this horrible miscarriage of justice? Do you know who helped organize the City Hall meeting on January 8th, 2011 at Sanford City Hall? That person was GEORGE ZIMMERMAN. Ironic isn’t it?”
It sure is.
Since his acquittal, Zimmerman has shown no remorse about the loss of Martin’s life. Zimmerman, who brought a gun to follow Martin through the streets because he suspected the 17-year-old was a thief, says Martin attacked him, and was beating his head against the sidewalk before Zimmerman shot him, point-blank.
Zimmerman had already called police to report that Martin was walking around, and was told to not follow him while police responded.
Zimmerman has since retweeted an image of Martin’s dead body while threatening critics, as reported by the Huffington Post, and sold the gun he used to kill Martin for $250,000. According to the Sentinel, Zimmerman justified the sale:
“I spent $2.5 million defending myself from the prosecution, so if I sold the gun for $250,000 that’s really not making any money.”
Featured Image Screenshot Via Newsy YouTube Video.
