From this morning’s Orlando Sentinel::
The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday afternoon appealed to civil rights groups and community leaders, nationally and in Sanford, for help investigating whether a federal criminal case might be brought against George Zimmerman for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, one advocate said.
The DOJ has also set up a public email address to take in tips on its civil rights investigation.
Barbara Arnwine, president and executive director the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law – who earlier in the day joined calls for federal civil rights charges against Zimmerman, said that later in the afternoon, she joined a U.S. Department of Justice conference call to discuss the prospects.
“They were calling on us to actively refer anyone who had any information,” that might build a case against Zimmerman for either a civil rights violation or a hate crime, Arnwine said. “They said they would very aggressively investigate this case.”
Arnwine said the call was convened at about 3:30 p.m. by Tom Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice, and included representatives from the FBI, and several federal prosecutors, she said. DOJ officials also said they would open a public email address so people could send in tips on the case.
That email address, which is now in operation, is Sanford.florida@usdoj.gov.
Easy solution: Bombard them with spurious e-mails, with e-mails which point out Zimmerman voted for Obama, etc.
Ace of Spades had a thread going about this – with some very funny suggestions: Someone noticed a bunch of torn-off mattress tags in Zimmerman’s trash, or that he got his gun through Fast and Furious, or to forward all your annoying spam emails to it. I think by the end of the week this whole scheme will be collapse under the load of mockery, scorn and derision – just like “Attack Watch” did.
The ironical part is that George Zimmerman had actually worked very hard in his community to get justice for a homeless black man who was beaten up by the son of a local policeman, so I don’t think they’ll find much derogatory information on him. Doesn’t stop them from making up something, I suppose.
I saw someone somewhere speculating that this would be used to collect dirt on the jurors, with an eye toward charging them with having committed perjury during their testimony in the jury selection phase of the trial, and thereby overturning the verdict.
I suspect that the email address was set up to make the various civil rights groups believe that the DOJ is doing something. It will attract too much spam to be useful. It’s a disgusting precedent nonetheless.
I wonder if the Westboro bunch does a monthly newsletter that I can sign the DOJ up for?
Personally I want to see the #freejahar crowd take on the #justicefortrayvon crowd in a epic throwdown….I wouldn’t underestimate teenage girls they can be quite scrappy if need be.
OTOH it is rather chilling to think that the entire might of a govt os gunning for you (no pun intended) based solely on a jury’s verdict that they didn’t like.
Uncomfortably similar to a Bill of Attainder.
When I read about this this morning, I said to my self, for less than a nickle, I could let them know what I think.
Here is the text of the e-mail I sent them, feel free to plagiarize:
Dear Sirs:
George Zimmerman has been found not guilty of second degree murder for the death of Trayvon Martin. No evidence of race based malice was proffered at the trial, and it would have been a material fact in the case because malice, spite, and ill-will are elements of the offense for which Mr. Zimmerman was tried. It should therefor be assumed that no such evidence exists. There is, therefore, no basis for Federal Jurisdiction over this matter.
Further, I understand that the technical rules of double jeopardy would allow for Federal prosecution if there were evidence of a violation of Federal law. However, where, as here, the same operative facts would be adduced in a Federal Trial, as were in evidence in the State trial, it is a violation of the spirit of the constitutional protection against double jeopardy for the Federal Government to proceed.
It is therefore incumbent on the Department of Justice to close this matter and to remind all citizens that respect for the law, and the outcome of duly conducted legal proceedings is a fundamental basis of our existence as a nation.
For almost a hundred years the American people have erected the institutions of tyranny and surrendered their freedom to make themselves over into a new Socialst people. Relics who object to the new order are bitter clingers to their gods, liberties, and guns. They are not long for this Earth. Someday the full weight of the state will fall upon us all.
Only the full and complete abolition of the Imperial Presidency and its alphabet soup of agencies will save us. No “Romney” can do that.
Mailing list list
http://lists.nextmark.com/
In the interest of providing the department of injustice and their civil wrongs division some valuable tips which almost certainly never occured to them, I sent them the following:
“US Department of Justice Investigators,
You have publicly solicited “tips” on civil rights violations regarding the incident where Trayvon Martin died of a gun shot. I have several tips for you in your investigation of this situation.
The prosecutors should be investigated and sanctioned for violating the civil rights of George Zimmerman in his trial for second degree murder based on deliberately withholding evidence of the weakness of their case and stating as facts suppositions about Zimmerman’s actions for which there was no credible evidence to the judge in their charging affidavit, withholding evidence from the defense during the discovery process, and fostering and facilitating collusion of witnesses by conducting individual witness statements in groups where other interested parties and likely witnesses were present, including playing a 911 tape and asking for voice identification opinions in such group settings, and by deliberately lying to the jury in summation by alleging that Mr. Zimmerman had admitted that he had “killed” Trayvon Martin when the testimony clearly stated that he had admitted only that he had “shot” someone. This was a specific and deliberate attempt to show that Zimmerman’s subsequent statement that at that time he did not know that Martin was dead was a lie. The prosecution’s case was based on proving that Zimmerman had made substantive lies so that his initial and subsequent statements were fabricated. None of the evident showed that conclusion so they attempted to fabricate such a substantive lie in their summation.
The trial judge should be investigated and sanctioned for violating George Zimmerman’s civil rights by excluding from evidence facts about Trayvon Martin’s previous acts of violence, possession of stolen property and drug use. These were key factors in establishing Martin’s state of mind at the time of the incident as he was under the influence of drugs, was loitering in an area with a series of unsolved burglaries and had a history of fighting. The defense case was based on showing that there was reasonable doubt that Zimmerman initiated the violence and that it was reasonable for Zimmerman to believe that Martin was acting suspiciously.
NBC news should be investigated and charged with violating George Zimmerman’s civil rights by intentionally editing the recording of the 911 call to make it appear that he was a racist.
I am anxiously awaiting public disclosure of your findings on these specific issues as I am confident that the civil rights of all Americans are central to your primary legal responsibility for active enforcement of equal justice before the law and due process.”
Yes, I am prepared for my IRS audit.
Mike
So youse guys think they’re actually going to read your snarky comments? I’m just sending them the Book of Revelations. One verse at a time. The idea is to flood their inbox and make it useless; doesn’t matter what you flood it with.
Or maybe I’m just not that good at snark. Whatever.
Belated question: is it more of a nuisance for them to get 30 short emails than 1 really long email?
Eh – I don’t think it matters, as long as the whole thing goes down under the weight of people pointing and laughing – like they did with “Aaaaaatack Waaaaatch!”
The NSA has a list of your right-wing email addresses. Your attempts at sabotage will not pass the spam filter.