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In reply to the discussion: How stupid are these George Zimmerman supporters going to look when either... [View all]premium
(3,731 posts)13. There won't be any Federal charges,
there is no evidence that this was a hate crime, race related crime, the FBI investigated, interveiwed 47 of his friends, neighbors, co-workers and not one of them said he was a racist.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/12/us-usa-florida-shooting-idUSBRE86B1AD20120712
(Reuters) - FBI interviews with dozens of friends, coworkers and neighbors of George Zimmerman found no evidence that the accused murderer of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin was a racist, according to new documents released on Thursday.
The Martin family, the DA's office, the police have all said that race wasn't involved here.
Here's another article you might want to read.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/2013/07/15/civil-rights-case-zimmerman-won-simple/u4NNXk5VRdpQMPZIB5R23M/story-1.html
Civil rights case vs. Zimmerman won't be simple
The department says its reviewing evidence to determine whether criminal civil rights charges are warranted, but legal experts see major barriers to a federal prosecution including the burden of proving that Zimmerman, the former neighborhood watch leader, was motivated by racial animosity and say Justice officials would likely be saddled with some of the same challenges that complicated the unsuccessful state case.
The Justice Department would face significant challenges in bringing a federal civil rights case against Mr. Zimmerman, said Alan Vinegrad, the former U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York. There are several factual and legal hurdles that federal prosecutors would have to overcome: They'd have to show not only that the attack was unjustified, but that Mr. Zimmerman attacked Mr. Martin because of his race and because he was using a public facility, the street.
In this case, federal prosecutors pursuing a civil rights case would need to establish, among other things, that Zimmerman was motivated by racial animosity, even though race was barely mentioned at the state trial.
Lauren Resnick, a former federal prosecutor in New York who secured a conviction in the killing of an Orthodox Jew during the 1991 Crown Heights riots in Brooklyn, said the Justice Department could conceivably proceed under a theory that Zimmerman interfered with Martins right to walk down a public street based on his race. But even that is difficult since the conflict occurred in a gated community, which may not fit the legal definition of a public facility. Prosecutors would also probably need to prove that trailing Martin on the street constituted interference, she said.
Samuel Bagenstos, a former No. 2 official in the Justice Departments civil rights division, said: This is an administration that hasnt shied away from bringing hate crimes cases that are solid prosecutions based on the facts and the law, but from what I've seen this would be a very difficult case to prosecute federally because the government would have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that George Zimmerman acted because of Trayvon Martins race. If youre trying to prove racial motivation, you are usually looking for multiple statements related to why he is engaging in this act of violence. I think its a difficult case to prove.
This whole thing about Federal charges is bullshit and AG Holder knows it, he's doing nothing more than pandering.
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How stupid are these George Zimmerman supporters going to look when either... [View all]
Crowman1979
Jul 2013
OP
Perhaps he simply meant that the racial aspect was secondary to, you know, the fact that they lost
nomorenomore08
Jul 2013
#25
The more jurors from that trail open their mouths, the more likely Zimmerman will lose
bluestate10
Jul 2013
#5