Victim's Heartland
Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.

Justice Department Officials Rule There Will Be No Federal Charges Filed Against George Zimmerman For The Death Of Trayvon Martin

2 posters

Go down

Justice Department Officials Rule There Will Be No Federal Charges Filed Against George Zimmerman For The Death Of Trayvon Martin Empty Justice Department Officials Rule There Will Be No Federal Charges Filed Against George Zimmerman For The Death Of Trayvon Martin

Post by NiteSpinR Tue Feb 24, 2015 9:25 pm

Feb 24, 2015

While the public waits for a Justice Department announcement over two separate investigations spurred by the summer shooting of an unarmed teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, the department announced today it is closing its investigation into the killing of Trayvon Martin.

Justice Department officials met with Martin's family today, and were told that they will not be filing charges against George Zimmerman, who shot the 17-year-old after a confrontation in 2012. Thursday marks three years to the day since Martin was killed.

Federal prosecutors concluded there is not sufficient evidence to prove Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman in Sanford, Fla., intentionally violated Martin's civil rights.

"Although the department has determined that this matter cannot be prosecuted federally, it is important to remember that this incident resulted in the tragic loss of a teenager's life," Acting Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta of the Civil Rights Division said. "Our decision not to pursue federal charges does not condone the shooting that resulted in the death of Trayvon Martin and is based solely on the high legal standard applicable to these cases." The case sparked intense discussions over race in America because Martin was walking to his home with only Skittles and an iced tea in his hands.

Florida prosecutors tried to convict Zimmerman of state-level murder and manslaughter charges, but in July 2013 a jury acquitted him, saying prosecutors didn't have enough evidence to prove their case.

One juror -– the only minority on the all-female jury –- later told ABC News that "as the law was read to me, if you have no proof that he killed him intentionally, you can't say he's guilty."

"You can't put the man in jail even though in our hearts we felt he was guilty," she said. "But we had to grab our hearts and put it aside and look at the evidence."

In Sanford, race-related tensions had been simmering for nearly a century, but Martin's death "was the proverbial 'straw that broke the camel's back,'" bringing "those issues to the surface," the new Sanford police chief, Cecil Smith, recently told federal officials.

After Martin was killed, Holder sat down his own teenage son to explain that -- as unfair as it may be -- young black men must often interact with police in a different way than others, he told a convention in April 2014. It was "a conversation I hoped I'd never have to have," Holder added.

As media attention mounted over Martin's death, protests grew across the country calling for justice. The city of Sanford now says a police department had not been scrutinized like that by the press, religious organizations, social activists and the broader public since Los Angeles police beat Rodney King in 1991.

Zimmerman was not a police officer and the neighborhood watch program he was a part of was independent from local police.

Many accused Zimmerman of discriminating against Martin –- essentially taking action against the teenager and ultimately killing him because Martin was black. Zimmerman is Hispanic.

The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and FBI opened an investigation into the case, noting "experienced federal prosecutors" would determine "whether the evidence reveals a prosecutable violation" of federal law. In a statement, the department noted there are "limited federal criminal civil rights statutes within our jurisdiction."

Privately and publicly, Justice Department officials have been telegraphing all along that they were unlikely to file charges against Zimmerman. And in November 2013, Holder said the case against Zimmerman "in substantial part was resolved" with his acquittal months earlier.

Nevertheless, federal officials have insisted their civil-rights probe would be thorough and complete. Several months ago –- nearly two years into the Justice Department's investigation –- Holder said federal investigators were still seeking to interview certain witnesses "as a result of some recent developments."

More recently, Holder has said he hoped to announce the findings of the Zimmerman and Ferguson-related probes before he leaves office, which could happen in a matter of weeks, depending on when the U.S. Senate confirms his successor.

Holder has said then when a decision is announced in the Zimmerman case, it will be accompanied by "as much information" as possible detailing the Justice Department's findings.

In the Ferguson case, the department is currently conducting two probes into the matter.

A criminal investigation will try to determine whether then-officer Darren Wilson used unreasonable force and intentionally violated Michael Brown's civil rights when he shot the unarmed teenager in August. The second probe - though not criminal in nature –- will look more broadly into whether the Ferguson police department has routinely engaged in a "pattern or practice" of unlawful and discriminatory policing.

A state grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri, declined to indict Wilson in November 4 2014. Many expect the Justice Department will not be able to bring federal charges against Wilson, but will take action against the local police department.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
NiteSpinR
NiteSpinR
Tech Support Admin
Tech  Support  Admin

Join date : 2009-05-30

Back to top Go down

Justice Department Officials Rule There Will Be No Federal Charges Filed Against George Zimmerman For The Death Of Trayvon Martin Empty Re: Justice Department Officials Rule There Will Be No Federal Charges Filed Against George Zimmerman For The Death Of Trayvon Martin

Post by Wrapitup Wed Feb 25, 2015 3:16 pm

Shakes head and moves on.......
Wrapitup
Wrapitup
Founder
Founder

Join date : 2009-05-28

https://victimsheartland.forumotion.com/forum.htm

Back to top Go down

Justice Department Officials Rule There Will Be No Federal Charges Filed Against George Zimmerman For The Death Of Trayvon Martin Empty Trayvon Martin's Mother Says Killer Got Away With Murder

Post by NiteSpinR Wed Feb 25, 2015 4:21 pm

Feb 25, 2015

The mother of Trayvon Martin says she's disappointed that federal prosecutors decided not to charge a neighborhood watch volunteer with a hate crime for killing her son three years ago.

Speaking with The Associated Press on Wednesday before the third anniversary of her 17-year-old son's death, Sybrina Fulton says she still believes George Zimmerman got away with murder.

"He took a life, carelessly and recklessly, and he shouldn't deserve to have his entire life walking around on the street free. I just believe that he should be held accountable for what he's done," Fulton said.

Zimmerman claimed he shot the unarmed teenager in self-defense after confronting Martin while volunteering for his neighborhood watch group. A jury acquitted him of second-degree murder the next year.

The case sparked a national conversation about race, bias and crime in part because Zimmerman, who identifies himself as Hispanic, was not immediately arrested after shooting Martin, who is black.

The U.S. Justice Department announced Tuesday that it found insufficient evidence to establish that Zimmerman willfully deprived Martin of his civil rights or killed him because of his race.

"The Justice Department is the top of the line here," Fulton said. "But what they found just wasn't enough."

Zimmerman, for his part, is relieved the case is closed, according to his attorney, Don West.

"This cloud he was under has been lifted," West told the AP, adding that he finds it misleading to suggest that charges weren't filed only because the legal standard for federal hate crime is so tough to meet.

"There simply was never any compelling evidence that this was a federal hate crime. Race played no role in it whatsoever," West said.

The February 2012 confrontation began after Zimmerman spotted Martin walking through the neighborhood, returning to his father's home after buying candy and a soft drink at a convenience store.

Zimmerman called 911 to report a suspicious person, and got out of his car to confront Martin despite being warned by the dispatcher to stop. Zimmerman did not testify at his trial, but he told investigators he feared for his life as Martin straddled him and punched him during the ensuing fight.

Wearing a T-shirt bearing a black-and-white image of her son in a hoodie, Fulton said she still longs for Zimmerman to be held responsible.

"I want to see people held accountable for what they're doing. It's just upsetting to know that a person can shoot and kill someone and justify it," Fulton said.

Fulton now channels her grief into work with The Trayvon Martin Foundation, which reaches out to other families who have lost children to violence, awards scholarships and collects school supplies for poor students.

She's also watching to see how the Justice Department handles other high-profile killings of unarmed blacks. Decisions are pending on whether to charge police in New York and Ferguson, Missouri with depriving the victims of their civil rights by using excessive force in the course of duty.

"What we want is accountability, we want somebody to be arrested, we want somebody to go to jail, of course," Fulton said. "But ... we have grand juries and special grand juries; they're making a decision to not even arrest a person."


[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
NiteSpinR
NiteSpinR
Tech Support Admin
Tech  Support  Admin

Join date : 2009-05-30

Back to top Go down

Justice Department Officials Rule There Will Be No Federal Charges Filed Against George Zimmerman For The Death Of Trayvon Martin Empty Re: Justice Department Officials Rule There Will Be No Federal Charges Filed Against George Zimmerman For The Death Of Trayvon Martin

Post by Wrapitup Thu Feb 26, 2015 11:32 am

GZ is a walking timebomb. That is all. my 2 cents
Wrapitup
Wrapitup
Founder
Founder

Join date : 2009-05-28

https://victimsheartland.forumotion.com/forum.htm

Back to top Go down

Justice Department Officials Rule There Will Be No Federal Charges Filed Against George Zimmerman For The Death Of Trayvon Martin Empty Re: Justice Department Officials Rule There Will Be No Federal Charges Filed Against George Zimmerman For The Death Of Trayvon Martin

Post by Sponsored content


Sponsored content


Back to top Go down

Back to top

- Similar topics

 
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum