Gun Owners Can't Afford NOT to Support George Zimmerman

A highly decorated police officer who was shot five times last year delivered a harsh message Tuesday to a Wayne Circuit judge who handed down an “insulting” and “lenient” sentence to the convicted 25-year-old felonious thug who attempted to murder the officer during the commission of an armed robbery.

Detroit Police Officer Arthur Matthews, 40, was shot the morning of May 6, 2011, while off-duty at a Marathon gas station on Michigan Avenue and 11th Street.

Officer Matthews was at the gas station refueling his car when Proctor approached him and demanded, “Give me all your (expletive),” Matthews said.  “I see he’s got a gun in his hand,” said Matthews, recounting the shooting prior to the sentencing. “As he’s walking toward me, he racks the gun. My first instinct was to shoot him, but he’s got his gun out already and I can’t.

“He puts his gun to my temple and tells me he wants my money. I’m thinking I’m going to try to throw the money between his legs and make him turn around; then I’ll shoot him. But he gets nervous and says, ‘Don’t move. If you grab my gun I’ll shoot you in the face.’”

Matthews said he identified himself as a police officer. “I said, ‘What are you doing? I’m the police.’ But he started shooting. I knew I was hit but I felt no pain.”

Although Matthews said Proctor had the gun aimed at his temple, he was able to wrest it lower, so when Proctor pulled the trigger, he shot the officer five times in the legs and side. His left femur was shattered. A sixth bullet struck Matthews’ service pistol in its holster.

“I don’t know if his gun jammed or if he ran out of bullets, but he stopped shooting. I told him ‘You just shot the police.’ Then I punched him in his face. He starts yelling, and trying to regain control of the gun. Then he tried to run away. I don’t know if he was going to shoot me again, so I pulled out my gun and shot him three times.”

While that gunfight raged, Matthews said he believes friends of Proctor opened fire on the officer. “I was hiding behind a street pole,” Matthews said.

Matthews said he received death threats, and that police put a detail outside his east-side home for several weeks.

“I just can’t figure how someone who tries to kill a police officer can be walking the streets in a few years,” he said. “This is our criminal justice system.”

I can’t figure out how somebody who tries to rob and kill ANY citizen will EVER be walking the streets again.  This senario is repeated everyday in America.  We haven’t heard from Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and the liberal fascist main stream media, demanding justice in this case. Both Proctor and Matthews are African Americans.  There’s no money to be made on black on black crime by Jackson and Sharpton so they took a pass on taking a stand for justice.

The shooter, Christopher Proctor, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault with intent to commit murder, which each carry up to a life sentence. But Wayne Circuit Judge Ulysses Boykin on Tuesday sentenced Proctor to only 14-25 years in prison.

Matthews, who still uses a cane as a result of his injuries from the shooting incident, stood up in the courtroom and called the judge’s sentence “insulting.” The patrolman, based in the department’s northeastern district, was named last week by the Detroit Police Officers Association as one of several Officers of the Year.

“There’s a sea of emotions I’ve had since this happened,” said Matthews, who has been on disability since the shooting. “The (sentence) has been whittled down to 14 years. I find that very insulting. That’s kid gloves, not attempted murder.

“This is the message you send to police officers when we try to do our jobs?” Matthews asked Boykin. “I don’t expect any remorse from the defendant, but I did expect justice from this court.”

Boykin explained that he came to his sentencing decision after receiving “numerous letters from Mr. Proctor’s family.”  Proctor’s mother said her son is “a wonderful person, a hard worker and a great father.”  “He’s innocent, but he pleaded guilty because he knew nobody would take his word over a police officer,” she said.

Proctor had previously been acquitted on another homicide and shooting of two other bystanders and  while on probation of felony narcotics charges.

Under Michigan law: “Any person who shall assault another with intent to commit the crime of murder, shall be guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for life or any number of years.”

Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Thomas Trzcinski said his office didn’t cut a deal with Proctor. “There was no plea deal; (Proctor) just pleaded guilty to what we charged him with,” Trzcinski said.

Proctor had a gun. But it’s ludicrious to think a person needs a weapon to kill you. 

What would you do if a strong seventeen year old African American attacks you and starts hitting you in the face with his fists and you aren’t black?  Are you going to fight back?  Will you use deadly force as a last resort to protect your life no matter the race of the attacker?

What would you do if the assailant’s blows knocked you to the ground and you couldn’t get up?  What would you do if after the attacker got on top of you and started banging the back of your head it into the pavement as hard as he could, you where unable to physically stop him?  What would you do if you called for help and nobody came to your aid?  What would you do if you were not strong enough to physically stop the attack and the next blow could kill you or knock you unconscious?  Are you going to die or legally defend yourself using deadly force as a last resort if you are armed?

I know what I’m going to do.  And there is a good chance an over zealous, politically motivated prosecutor will charge me with murder without presenting the case to a Grand Jury (which is unconstitutional but happens in most states). If Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton and the media promote mob justice by playing the race card, anyone of us could be in the same situation as George Zimmerman.  If anyone of us uses deadly force to legally defend ourselves from death or serious bodily injury we will need help to finance our legal defense and post constitutionally excessive million dollar bonds. Innocent until proved guilty does not apply when the media mob tries your case in the court of Al Sharpton on MSNBC.

How can gun owners afford NOT to contribute to the George Zimmerman legal defense fund?   Please help.  If everyone who reads this post sends in just $5, it will be a significant contribution and make a difference. This is an opportunity for every gun owner in America to fight injustice while defending the second amendment civil rights of all Americans.

George Zimmerman Legal Defense Fund Continues to Accept Donations

George Zimmerman, who shot Trayvon Martin in self defense after being subjected to a brutal, unprovoked attack can be released from jail on $1 million bond while he awaits trial on a second-degree murder charge. 

Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester granted bond to George Zimmerman for a second time. Lester had revoked Zimmerman’s $150,000 bond last month after prosecutors told the judge Zimmerman and his wife misled the court about how much money they had during an April bond hearing.

Prosecutors said a website Zimmerman created for his legal defense had raised $135,000 at the time of his first bond hearing. Zimmerman and his wife did not mention the money then.  Shellie Zimmerman said the couple had limited resources because she was a student and he wasn’t working.

Neither Zimmerman nor his wife thought the legal defense money was relevant because they did not believe it could be used to post bond.  Shellie Zimmerman has since been charged with perjury. She is out of jail on $1,000 bond and her arraignment is set for July 31

Zimmerman’s attorney Mark O’Mara sparred with prosecutors over those finances last week and questioned why his client is in jail at all, arguing that Martin’s actions led to his death.

The defense attorney called Zimmerman’s father to testify, and played a chilling 911 call from the Feb. 26 night when Martin was killed. The call includes a disputed cry for help and the fatal gunshot. Robert Zimmerman said he was sure that was his son’s cry.

Martin’s parents and racists like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson claim that the teenager was targeted because he was black and that Zimmerman started the confrontation that led to the shooting. Zimmerman’s father is white and his mother is Hispanic.

The 44 days between the shooting and Zimmerman’s arrest inspired by racist calls for mob justice, supported by the liberal fascist main stream media, led to the departure of the Sanford police chief and the arrest of Zimmerman, without presenting evidence to a grand jury. 

In spite of the evidence gathered by criminal investigators and the passing of a police administered polygraph by Zimmerman, a special prosecutor, infamous for her over zealous prosecutions, was appointed to persecute Zimmerman and appease the Obamanation.  This happened after the President of the United States interjected himself into the case, saying that if he had a son, he’d look like Trayvon Martin.  Let’s hope he wouldn’t be a drug using, felonious attacker like Trayvon Martin was prior to his death.

Since the George Zimmerman Defense Fund was launched on May 3rd, it has also been the object of some complaints and concerns.  The last thing the liberal fascsits want is for Zimmerman to get a fair trial.  They are doing everything they can to keep him in jail, so that he can’t participated in his criminal defense.

The fund exists because there is a demand for it. The defense team considered assisting in the establishment of a fund after learning that Mr. Zimmerman had begun a defense fund on his own before our involvement. A decision was made to terminate that fund as it was not established within appropriate regulations. Further, we believe it is not appropriate in this case for Mr. Zimmerman to continue this activity individually. As Mr. Zimmerman’s advocates, we felt a responsibility to establish an independent fund in a proper way.

Fundraising has been a tried and true method for raising both awareness and funds for a myriad of causes. Mr. Zimmerman’s defense of these charges has hit a chord in many people to such an extent that they feel compelled to assist, and to speak their voice in response to the publicity surrounding this case. Our approach has been to make the fund available to those who which to contribute. While it is true that some of the funds will be used to pay legal fees, there is no prohibition to such a system which allows people to show their support by financial contribution.

As donations have come in, many donors have shared their reasons for contributing. Here are the top reasons, with quotes from supporters, whose names have been kept confidential.

1. They feel that Mr. Zimmerman has been unfairly treated by the media, and that he has in fact been the target of a coordinated public relations smear campaign.

“I am so appalled by how the media has worked the nation, if not the world, into such a frenzy of hate, that it has evoked sympathy in me for the Zimmermans.”

“The media made a monster out of a man without releasing real details as to why.”

2. They feel that Mr. Zimmerman deserves a fair trial and deserves access to strong representation, and they suspect his opportunity for both has been compromised by his portrayal in the media.

“I think they only charged him to appease everyone who had already considered him guilty because of all the inaccurate information reported by the media.”

“They have made him seem guilty before knowing all the facts. He should be innocent until proven guilty, not guilty until proven innocent.”

3. They are inclined to believe Mr. Zimmerman’s claims of self-defense; they identify with Mr. Zimmerman, and feel they would behave the same way in a similar situation.

“I have paid close attention to this case and believe in my heart George did what he had to do to protect himself as would I.”

“Good Luck George… what is done to one of us is done to all of us.”

4. They support the 2nd Amendment and they feel that Mr. Zimmerman’s case is being turned into a referendum on gun laws.

“I believe Zimmerman was right in protecting himself and I don’t want bad case law for future gun right cases.”

“I support GZ because I believe in innocent until proven guilty. I support the right to a fair trial. I support the 2nd Amendment. I support the SYG law. I believe something must be done about irresponsible journalism.”

If you own a firearm or have a permit/license to carry a concealed weapon, you should be very concerned about his case.  This case is the first step in reversing the last 30+ years of progress towards restoring our Second Amendment civil rights, which were lost after the Civil War.

Donate to the George Zimmerman Legal Defense Fund by clicking here

I have verified with Mark O’Mara’s (Zimmerman’s attorney) law firm, that the George Zimmerman Legal Defense Fund is an independently administered trust account. All monies will be used for George Zimmerman’s ongoing living expenses, legal costs, and fees associated with his defense.

On behalf of George, I want to thank you for your interest in donating to the George Zimmerman Legal Defense Fund. All donations are being handled by a third party trustee to be used for George and his legal expenses.

You can find information on the fund and directions for making donations through PayPal or by check on www.gzdefensefund.com .  

For updates on the legal case, please visit  www.gzdefensefund.com .  Please understand, however, that we will not be discussing the facts of the case or any evidence, as that would be inappropriate.

Again, thank you for your support of George and your commitment to his defense.

Sincerely,

Mark M. O’Mara
Attorney at Law

O’Mara Law Group
1416 E. Concord Street
Orlando, FL 32803

Telephone: (407) 898-5151
Fax: (407) 898-2468

Update on Friday, July 6, 2012 at 4:30PM by Bonzer Wolf

George Zimmerman was released from jail Friday to await his second-degree murder trial for fatally shooting Trayvon Martin in self defense.

Zimmerman left the Seminole County Jail a day after Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester granted a $1 million bail with strict conditions.  He is required to stay in Seminole County. Zimmerman was allowed to leave Florida after his first release in April. He must be electronically monitored, can’t open a bank account, obtain a passport or set foot on the grounds of the local airport. He has a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew.

Judge Lester represents everything that is wrong with this country.  Wake up America!

Why is George Zimmerman in Jail ?

Why is George Zimmerman sitting in jail with no bond? Is he not innocent until proven guilty?

The short answer is that the United States of America has become a nation of self hating, uninformed white people who allow racists like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and the liberal fascist Democrat Party control America. Shame on every one of you. 

Since I graduated from high school, 40 years ago, this nation has gone from 1 in 50 residents on food stamps to having 1 in 7 on food stamps under the Obamanation.  This is just one of the hundreds of entitlement programs that is responsible for the deficit and the demise of this Republic.  Since 1968 the goal of the Democrat Party has been to make as many people as possible dependent on the government to create a permanent Welfare State.  Shame on everyone who has aided and abetted this subversion of America and the supreme law of the land, the United States Constitution, including the inalienable Bill of Rights. 

Statements, interviews and two videos of George Zimmerman’s accounts of the night he shot and killed Miami Gardens teen Trayvon Martin were released by Zimmerman’s attorney Thursday.

Zimmerman’s lawyer, Mark O’Mara, released the new evidence on his website.

The evidence included one written statement to the Sanford Police Department made on February 26, the night of the shooting, and several audio and video recorded interviews with investigators.

In the handwritten statement, Zimmerman begins by recounting a break-in at a neighbor’s home in 2011 which led him and his neighbors to start a neighborhood watch program, before he describes spotting Martin in the gated community where the shooting happened.

“Tonight, I was on my way to the grocery store when I saw a male approximately 5’11” to 6’2” casually walking in the rain looking into homes,” Zimmerman wrote. I pulled my vehicle over and called SPD non-emergency phone number. I told the dispatcher what I had witnessed, the dispatcher took note of my location. The suspect fled to a darkened area of the sidewalk, as the dispatcher was asking me for an exact location the suspect emerged from the darkness & circled my vehicle. I could not hear if he said anything.”

Zimmerman wrote that Martin disappeared between some houses, and he got out of his car to look for a street sign to tell the dispatcher his location.

“The dispatcher told me not to follow the suspect & that an officer was in route,” Zimmerman wrote. “As I headed back to my vehicle the suspect emerged from the darkness and said ‘You got a problem’ I said ‘No’ the suspect said ‘you do now.’”

Zimmerman said he tried to find his cell phone to dial 911 when Martin punched him in the face.

“I fell backwards onto my back. The suspect got on top of me. I yelled ‘help’ several times. The suspect told me ‘shut the —ck up’ as I tried to sit up right, the suspect grabbed my head and slammed it into the concrete sidewalk several times,” Zimmerman wrote. “I continued to yell ‘help.’ Each time I attempted to sit up, the suspect slammed my head into the sidewalk. My head felt like it was going to explode.”

Zimmerman wrote that he tried to slide out from under Martin, but that Martin covered his mouth and nose and stopped his breathing.

“At this point I felt the suspect reach for my now exposed firearm and say ‘Your [sic] gonna die tonight mother—cker,’” Zimmerman wrote. “I unholstered my firearm in fear for my life as he had assured he was going to kill me and fired one shot into his torso. The suspect sat back allowing me to sit up and said ‘you got me.’”

Zimmerman said he got on top of Martin and held his hands away from his body as a man appeared to ask if he was OK and say he was calling 911.

“I said ‘I don’t need you to call 911 I already called them I need you to help me restrain this guy,’” Zimmerman wrote.

At that point, an officer arrived and took Zimmerman into custody, he wrote.

Zimmerman, 28, has been charged with second-degree murder in the shooting of the 17-year-old. He has pleaded not guilty and claims the shooting was self-defense.

Martins family has said the cries for help, also heard on a 911 call from a nearby resident, came from the teen. There is zero evidence to support that conjecture. I understand that Martins family will do or say anything for their son.  That’s to be expected.  But when the government throws out the rule of law because of media conjecture and a lynch mob mentality orchestrated by racists, it is unacceptable and frankly illegal.

In one of the videos, Zimmerman gives police a play-by-play reenactment of what happened. Two band aids were visible on the back of his head as he led police through the gated community in Sanford where the shooting took place.

Zimmerman said he didn’t think he had shot Martin during the scuffle.

“I didn’t think I hit him because he sat up and said ‘you got me, you got it, you got me’ something like that. So I thought he was just saying I know you have a gun now, I’m giving up,” he said.

In an interview from the same night recorded at Sanford Police, Zimmerman tells an investigator, D. Singleton, that he had never seen Martin before.

“There’s been a few times where I’ve seen a suspicious person in the neighborhood and we called the police, the non-emergency line and these guys always get away,” Zimmerman says.

“What made them suspicious?” Singleton asks.

“This gentleman in particular? I had never seen him in the neighborhood, I know all the residents. It was raining out and he was leisurely walking taking his time looking at all the houses. when I drove by he stopped and looked at me,” Zimmerman says.

Zimmerman also tells Singleton he doesn’t remember much after the shooting and that his vision was blurry.

“I didn’t know what he was hitting me, it felt like he was hitting me with bricks, so I remember, once I shot him, I holstered my firearm and I got on top of him and I held his hands because he was still talking and I said ‘stay down, don’t move’” he said.

Singleton asks if Martin said anything else after the shooting.

“After you shot him, he said ‘you got me?’” she asks.

“Yeah,” Zimmerman responds.

“And then when you got on top of him, did he say anything else?”

“He said ‘ow, ow,’” Zimmerman said.

Singleton also asks Zimmerman about his injuries and he says he can’t feel his head.

“And who told you, you said when I came in here they said someone told you you broke your nose? Who told you that?” she asks.

“The EMT,” Zimmerman replies.

“Did you need to go to the hospital?”

“I don’t know, they said I didn’t, but I don’t know,” he replies.

During an interview and truth verification test on Feb. 27 that was recorded on video, Zimmerman said that he feared for his life when he fatally shot Martin and said he had forgotten he was carrying a gun until Martin reached for his holster.

“To be honest with you, the whole time I forgot that I had the gun. When he said I was going to die and I felt him brushing, it automatically clicked he was going for my gun,” Zimmerman said.

In another interview with police from Feb. 29, investigators pressed Zimmerman multiple times, asking him what had triggered the unarmed teen to attack.

“You ever hear of Murphy’s Law? Okay that’s what happened. This person was not doing anything bad,” investigator Chris Serino said. “He was 17 years old, an athlete, probably somewhere going to be in aeronautics, a kid with a future, a kid with folks that care. In his possession we found a can of ice tea, a bag skittles and about $40 in cash, not the goon.”

Serino also questions why Zimmerman called police to report Martin.

“It was raining, [Martin] was looking into the houses, looking behind, looking at me, he wasn’t walking quickly to get out of the rain, he didn’t look like he was trying to head home, he didn’t look like hard core athlete that wanted to train in the rain or anything, he looked out of place,” Zimmerman said.

When asked if Zimmerman would have felt the same way had Martin been white, Zimmerman said yes.

Investigators also grilled Zimmerman on why he hadn’t identified himself as a neighborhood watch volunteer. “Did it ever occur to you to go ahead and actually ask this person what he was doing out there?” Serino asked.

Zimmerman said no, and reiterated he was scared. “I didn’t want to confront him and it wasn’t my job,” he said.

“I pray to God that someone videotaped it or the neighborhood had put up a video camera that I didn’t know about it or something,” Zimmerman said.

Also on Wednesday, Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee Jr., who did nothing wrong,  was permanently relieved of duty by City Manager Norton Bonaparte. Lee has temporarily stepped down as chief on March 22 after he and his department were strongly criticized for the handling of the Martin shooting.  I don’t know who the next Chief will be, but I bet he will be African American. 

Zimmerman remains behind bars at the Seminole County Jail following a hearing earlier this month in which Judge Kenneth Lester revoked his bond, which had been set at $150,000, claiming Zimmerman misled Lester and prosecutors about his finances and passport.

In this country those who are arrested, indicted or charged in any way with a crime are innocent until proven guilty.  The ONLY purpose of bond is to insure that you will show up for court proceedings.  Virtually every U.S. citizen that I arrested in over 32 years of law enforcement was released on his personal recognizane if the prosecuation could not prove that he was a flight risk.

The Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads:

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

By any measure a $150,000 is a significant and I would argue excessive bound in this case.  Financial status plays a significant role in obtaining legal representation if you are unable to afford an attorney and want the state to appoint one to represent you.

Zimmerman hired his own attorney and surrendered his passport to the court.  He has long established ties to the community.  Zimmerman is about as close to a ZERO flight risk as there is in any case.  Yet the court not only set a high bond, which has now been revoked, the mob has succeeded in charging his wife with perjury.  Perjury is the most difficult case to prove and there is about a 1% chance she will be convicted. 

This is about African American mob rule and sticking it to someone based on the color of his skin. Zimmerman had NOTHING to do with segregation over fifty years ago or slavery more than a 150 years ago. Racism exists in America.  It was the racism of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton that guilted self hating whites and white hating blacks to elect a President because of the color of his skin rather than his qualifications and experience or even his policy.

If you voted for McCain because he is white, you’re a racist. If you voted for Obama because he is black, you’re a racist.  Zimmerman was arrested, is being held without bond and is being PERSECUTED not prosecuted because he is white and Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Barack Hussein Obama succeeded in forming a modern day lynch mob to go after Zimmerman.

Angela Corey, the state attorney who charged Zimmerman with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Martin is an evil, unethical prosecutor.  When Alan Dershowitz blasted the prosecutor in the George Zimmerman-Trayvon Martin case, that C, spelled with a capital K went straight to his boss at Harvard Law School to complain  Corey is not interested in justice, she is like a defense attorney who does not care about the truth, facts or justice.  Corey only cares about winning.  It’s all about that C and her record.

Corey threatened to sue Harvard law school and Professor Alan Dershowitz for libel and slander during a “40-minute rant,” after Dershowitz questioned her ethics and professionalism. Keep in mind that Dershowitz is a liberal Democrat, not a conservative. 

I contributed to the Zimmerman defense fund TWICE in the short time that the site was up.  If Zimmerman or his attorney set up another legal defense fund, I’ll contribute to it also.  LIVE FREE OR DIE.

Wake up America.  It’s not too late but it will be soon if you don’t start standing up for the Constitution and saying no to the racism of Jesse Jackson and his ilk.

VIEW ZIMMERMAN RE-ENACTMENT

Self Defense Laws at Risk Due to Main Stream Media Bias

The Trayvon Martin shooting wasn’t the first time that anti-gun New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Main Stream Media (MSM) picked the bones of a national tragedy for political advantage.

Now every anti-gun zealot in America is trying to use the Trayvon Martin incident to repeal pro-gun laws, such as Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law.

The New York Times, the MSM gold standard for anti-gun causes — put it this way:

“As the [George Zimmerman] case proceeds, the Stand Your Ground law should be on trial as well.  It has invited gun owners to flirt with vigilantism…”

In other words, anti-gun zealots would take us back the “bad ol’ days” in 2003 — when a 78 year-old man was taken through the wringer by the legal system because he shot a man breaking into his trailer.

Or a 71 year-old-man was almost destroyed by the legal system because he used a gun to defend his 63 year-old friend against thugs who were trying to rob him.

In fact, in the four years for which we have statistics since the Stand Your Ground law was passed in Florida, homicides have dropped by 16.1%.

This is faster than the national average.

This means that many — perhaps hundreds — of Floridians are alive today because criminals have had to pause before robbing or killing them.

And, in most cases, they have had to pause not because a victim pulled a gun, but because the killer didn’t know whether or not the victim had a gun.

But make no mistake about it: Florida will be the test case to see whether anti-gunners can use the threats of riots and lynching’s to force repeal of America’s pro-gun laws.

Zimmerman Charges ‘Unethical’ - ‘About Politics’

During Tuesday morning’s Glen Beck radio broadcast, renown legal professor Alan Dershowitz  discussed the legal intricacies of second degree murder charges, particularly as they relate to George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin case. The veteran law expert and Harvard law professor asserted unequivocally that the evidence in the case does not support the charge of second degree murder and that it is “unethical” behavior, “not incompetence,” on the part of the prosecution to have pursed such a charge.

Dershowitz explained that in order to substantiate second degree murder, pure malice and “extreme disregard” for human life must be evident and that nothing present in the affidavit submitted met those elements. He added that the prosecution would have had to show Zimmerman made a conscious decision “to kill the young man because he hated him.. or didn’t value his life.”

The legal professor also explained that, given the pictures of Zimmerman’s bloodied head and the facts of the case known thus far, a second degree murder charge is nearly impossible to prosecute. With this in mind, Dershowitz concluded that the prosecution must have purposely withheld evidence for political purposes in order to pursue a second degree murder charge.

“The blood is a smoking gun,” he stated emphatically.

According to Dershowitz, in Florida, a second degree murder charge is the same as first degree murder except for the fact that it does not carry the death penalty. This is not the kind of case where second degree murder “is charged by ethical and rational prosecutors based on the evidence.“ He added that withholding evidence is unlawful and reminded that ”this is not a poker game.”

In exploring the reasons why the prosecution might have withheld evidence, Dershowitz said that the prosecutor was politically elected and likely seeks to avoid riots and other forms of backlash through “over-charging.” He said that while a charge of manslaughter would have been a reasonable point of debate among people, a second degree murder charge shows the prosecutor’s motives were not about justice “but about politics.”  Dershowitz explained to Beck that if he were a judge, under Stand Your Ground laws, he would undoubtedly throw out the charge of second degree murder but said even if Stand Your Ground were not applicable, Zimmerman could still be legally tried under the lens of self-defense.

In analyzing where he sees the case leading, Dershowitz said he could perhaps envision a plea bargain, but definitely not a second degree murder conviction. He pointed out, however, that to ensure a fair trial, the case will have to be moved to a different county so that jurors will not feel threatened by agitators and can comfortably and fairly weigh their verdict without risking harm to themselves or their families.

Dershowtiz was also quick to note that people’s political leanings should not factor into this case as it is not about politics, but instead “about justice.” He noted that, per the core principles of America’s justice system, it is better to “err on the side of acquitting the possibly guilty” rather than err on the side of “convicting the possibly innocent.”

Is there a police officer in the United States who would not use deadly force, if somebody had attacked him/her, had broken their nose, got on top of them and slammed their head into the cement? 

The right of self defense and the right to keep and bear firearms to defend your life applies to all of us, not just law enforcement officers.  The Second Amendment is our most important right in the Bill of Rights. Without firearms, freedom of speech, religion and assembly becoming meaningless. If you don’t have a gun, you don’t have the means to defend yourself.  If you trust the police to defend you, then where were they when Zimmerman was getting his head slammed against the pavement?