One of the most damaging moments for the prosecution in the trial of George Zimmerman trial was the inexplicable decision to lead with Rachel Jeantel, a friend of Trayvon Martin’s. Jeantel proceeded to admit to previously lying and then gave conflicted and at points unintelligible testimony. Her statement that Martin called Zimmerman a “cracker” further helped the defense in balancing the derogatory statements of Zimmerman. After the verdict, Jeantel has made statements that seem unhinged and again raise the question on why the prosecutors would place her so prominently in their case in chief. The latest controversy is a new allegation from Jeantel that she warned Trayvon that Zimmerman might be a gay rapist. She is not the only person associated with the trial who seems to be courting the press in the case with disastrous results.
In an interview with Piers Morgan, she said “People need to understand, he didn’t want that creepy ass cracka going to his father or girlfriend’s house to go get — mind you, his little brother is there. Mind you I told you, I told Trayvon, [Zimmerman] might have been a rapist.”
In a truly bizarre interview, Morgan asks Jeantel to school him on the correct spelling and meaning of such terms as “cracka” and “nigga.”
Jeantel called the verdict “BS” and said “Well, the jury, they see their facts. My thoughts of the jury, they old, that’s old school people. We in a new school, our generation, my generation. So –”
Morgan then appears to turn into a cultural anthropologist and asked clinically:
“Let’s talk about ‘creepy ass cracka.’ People have said that that is a phrase used by black people, cracka, to describe a white person. Is that true?
JEANTEL: No! Like I said —
MORGAN: How do you spell it, first of all?
JEANTEL: Cracka.
MORGAN: There’s no ‘e-r,’ right?
JEANTEL: No, it’s an ‘a’ at the end.
MORGAN: C-r-a-c-k-a.
JEANTEL: Yeah. And that’s a person who act like they’re a police [officer], who, like a security guard who acting like — that’s what I said to them. Trayvon said creepy ass cracka.
MORGAN: It means he thought it was a police or a security guard?
JEANTEL: Yeah, he acting like the police. And then he keep telling me that the man is still watching him. So, if it was a security guard or a policeman, they would come up to Trayvon and say, ‘Do you have a problem? Do you need help?’ You know, like normal people.
Once again, it is unclear why Jeantel did not emphasize the concern over a male rape on the stand. One could almost feel the prosecutor cringing at the interview with so many questioning their judgment in relying so heavily on Jeantel.
While on the subject of people behaving badly from the case (a rather long list), there is juror B-37 who announced in an interview that she was going to write a book and had enlisted an agent. She even named her agent as Sharlene Martin. After an outcry over the effort to profit from the case (not to mention a pretty limited foundation for a book). Martin tweeted that juror B37 had regained her sanity and dropped the plans for a book (that was going to be co-written by her attorney husband). She explained that the isolation of being sequestered “shielded me from the depth of pain that exists among the general public over every aspect of this case.”
Really? It took this long to figure out that there was pain over the verdict. What tipped you off after you arranged for an interview, went to the interview, and announced your book? Was it the mass protests in various cities or continuing coverage on television. Ironically, she actually proved the accuracy of West’s disastrous joke in his opening statement: “Knock, knock. Who’s there? George Zimmerman. George Zimmerman who? Congratulations, you’re on the jury.” The joke was bizarre first because you should never cut jokes in a murder trial opening statement with a dead teenage boy. Second, if the jury got the joke, they would realize they were the punch line. The point is that only morons or cave-dwelling recluses would not know anything about the case. Well then walked in juror B-37.
Source: Real Clear Politics
Same old, same old. Blouise. Kind of lining up like the Paula Deen thread.
Bob,
I think you are absolutely correct…..
Prof,
Not all who come are capable of accepting more than their view…..l thank goodness they are not judges….. We have too many in office already……
Marvin,
I don’t know if you’re for real or not…. But, I think you may have something…. People don’t need pity…..l they need a helping hand and a warm reception…. But, I agree with what you have said,,,,,,
Bob, Esq.,
“I find the desire to read race into this case almost as interesting as the case itself.”
Yep. From day one in the national spotlight it has been a study in the effects of yellow journalism on group psychology.
nick, Malisha 1, July 13, 2013 at 10:27 pm
I’m glad Idealist did not live to see this.
And there it is and here we are and welcome to post-Trayvon America. None of us (you) who stay here will ever be in a different place, other than post-Trayvon America. This is where a Dog can live in a gated community and shoot anybody he calls a “punk” whom he should find there.
And Z will get jobs as security, armed with SYG, for corporations, and liberals will moan and groan about unfairness of the big corporate bullies, blah blah blah.
And you were there, post-Trayvon America just began and it will never end.
I send my fond greetings to those of you with whom I have made a warm intellectual connection on this blog. Good-bye.
jonathanturley 1, July 16, 2013 at 5:55 pm
Hi everyone.
====================
Hi Professor!
God speed!
Juris 1, July 16, 2013 at 4:37 pm
Yes, nick. And commenters here vowing to never visit again because of a difference of opinion? Sad. Some need to take a deep breath and a step (or 2 or 3… or 10) back.
Hopefully, normalcy will return soon.
=============================
We have a beautiful, artful, plaque on our wall that reads “Around Here ‘Normal’ Is A Setting On The Dryer!” (I got it for my lady on her birthday … she put it on the wall, not me.)
As a nation we do not understand what racism is, so our normal will always be a setting on the dryer.
Our nation thinks that racism is something that slips out when we can no longer suppress various words and actions.
It is a political concept, a thin veneer covering our play-pretend reality.
Prof. Turley, I don’t mean to nitpick here, but the legal expression is “case in chief,” not “case and chief.” I assume this is a typographical error–and I’ve made more than my fair share of those, as my fellow posters have readily pointed out. But as you are usually very precise in your legal analyses, and others look to you for your high level of precision, you may want to have someone familiar with legal discussions to proof your articles. Others reading your blog may emulate your application of legal terminology, and that will help them to correctly apply such terminology. Thanks.
nick,
It was in her final series of posts when she bid us all adieu.
Mobile, AL – On Saturday night, Matthew Owens told a group of kids to stop playing in the middle of street, only to have them return with a group of adults who dished out a beating that landed him in the Intensive Care Unit, according to police.
Police say that the group of 20 assailants used chairs, pipes and paint cans to waylay Owens on his own front porch.
The victim’s sister, Ashley Parker, told News 5: “It was the scariest thing I have ever witnessed.” She said the attackers used “brass buckles, paint cans and anything they could get their hands on.”
Parker added that as her brother lie on the ground bleeding, one of the assailants looked back and shouted: “Now that’s justice for Trayvon!”
Owens is still listed in critical condition at the University of South Alabama Medical Center.
http://www.examiner.com/article/mob-beats-man-on-his-own-front-porch-for-trayvon-press-ignores?cid=PROD-redesign-right-next
Mob beats man on his own front porch “for Trayvon”…press ignores (Photos)
I thought I heard the witness testify on the stand about suggesting [Zimmerman] might be a rapist. I thought she meant racist and I believe she was asked to confirm she said rapist. I think Rachel Jeantel was an excellent witness. She was no more confrontational with West than he was with her.
About the knock knock joke, while quite insensitive for a case like this, it did not make the jury a punchline. A punchline, in this situation, would be demeaning; rather, the punchline implied–to me–that the jury was coming into the trial without preconceived ideas about George Zimmerman. It was more of a compliment than a joke.
http://www.examiner.com/article/white-man-reportedly-beaten-by-black-youths-this-is-for-trayvon-martin
White man reportedly beaten by black youths: ‘This is for Trayvon Martin’
Bron, I did not follow the pretrial circus. I NEVER do. I’ve worked too many cases and have so little faith in the media that I just stick to the trial and evidence presented. Actually, I don’t even get into many trials. I didn’t watch a minute of the Casey Anthony trial. So I don’t know about the polygraphs.
My disgust for Holder goes back to his Clinton years. He just gets worse every time I see him in action. I don’t know that he’s the most dangerous man in America. But he is a man in a very powerful position and lacks the moral authority to hold that position IMO.
Elaine, Agreed.
Blouise, As I said to SWM, please read my exchanges w/ bettykath over the last couple days. I have told her she’s valuable and hoped she stays. We even had a chuckle which is too her credit since this is so emotional for her. So, we are in agreement on that topic. I know this is an emotional topic for Malisha, but I’ve not seen her lately and I don’t know specifically what “disgust” you’re referencing.
Regarding LA and Oakland. I did not call them “riots,” the record shows I called them “incidents.” I think Mr. Turley clears this issue up in his comment. He saw the same incidents as myself and millions on tv. Riot, probably not. Peaceful, definitely not.
The most intolerant people around are the progressives. Mr Turley any of these whining progressive clowns leaving your blog are not worth keeping anyways.
Acquitted Development – The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 07/15/13
From Stephen Colbert last night:
George Zimmerman Verdict
Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera explains why an all-female jury found George Zimmerman not guilty in the Trayvon Martin murder case.
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/427756/july-15-2013/george-zimmerman-verdict
I don’t think anyone can know with certainty that this case wasn’t tainted by race. Only George Zimmerman knows what went on in his head that night…only George Zimmerman knows what’s in his heart.