George Zimmerman’s crude Myspace page from 2005 uncovered
While it includes photos of an ethically diverse group of friends, the murder defendant’s 2005 web presence includes disparaging remarks about Mexicans.
Just as George Zimmerman’s attorney pushes the envelope of accepted legal practices by launching a social media operation for his client, another site has popped up that belonged to the controversial former neighborhood watch volunteer who now faces a murder charge.
This one is a 7-year old Myspace page called “only to be king again” that makes disparaging comments about Mexicans. The Web page, which his attorney confirmed Tuesday is legitimate, makes reference to 2005 criminal cases and a brush in court with a woman who Zimmerman called his “ex-hoe.”
There are several photos of Zimmerman on the page, and in one of them he appears to be wearing the same orange polo shirt that he donned in his 2005 police mug shot. Zimmerman used the name “Joe G.” on the site, and posted a biography that mentions he grew up in Manassas, Va., had recently opened an insurance business and missed all his friends.
Last month, a Zimmerman Myspace page under the username “datniggytb” was taken down.
The Joe G page includes a missive written in street slang.
“I dont miss driving around scared to hit mexicans walkin on the side of the street, soft ass wanna be thugs messin with peoples cars when they aint around (what are you provin, that you can dent a car when no ones watchin) dont make you a man in my book,” the 2005 Myspace page said. “Workin 96 hours to get a decent pay check, gettin knifes pulled on you by every mexican you run into!”
Another line suggested his friends went to jail and did not rat him out. “They do a year and dont ever open thier [sic] mouth to get my ass pinched.”
The pictures posted on the page including several with an ethnically diverse group of friends. The blog section boasts about having two felonies knocked down to misdemeanors and describes a court battle with an ex-girlfriend. Zimmerman faced two felonies in 2005 for obstructing justice and battery on a law enforcement officer, but the cases were reduced to misdemeanor simple battery, and he was left with no criminal conviction on his record.
Zimmerman’s attorney, Mark O’Mara, confirmed the page was his client’s, and that it was abandoned in 2005.
The site was the latest discovery in an ongoing social media battle in the Zimmerman case. The Feb. 26 shooting of Miami Gardens teen Trayvon Martin received its first groundswell of attention on social media platforms, which were later used to portray the victim in a negative light. Now the defense is embracing Twitter, Facebook and a blog to provide forums for discussion — and to raise money.
Trayvon Martin’s family took to the Web to raise funds and to gather petitions to demand criminal charges against Zimmerman. His killer’s lawyer uses the medium to raise funds, post articles and announcements, and dispel rumors.
“We are not surprised to discover that our decision is controversial,” O’Mara posted on his site, gzlegalcase.com. “Some have called it unethical, and some have called it brilliant; however, we believe much of the controversy is about the medium, not the message.”
Last week, O’Mara said he ordered his client to wipe his Internet presence clean. Zimmerman took down his website, a Twitter account and any other social media accounts. Any remaining, O’Mara said, were
But once the defense attorney realized how much money Zimmerman had raised on the Web, he quickly set up a more-polished website with a link to a professionally administered legal defense fund. O’Mara said he had agreed to take the case for free, but reconsidered once he learned he could be paid using web donations.
O’Mara hired Shawn Vincent of Orlando’s Digital Marketing Revolution to manage a Facebook page as well. Within hours of the page going up, hundreds of people had posted comments both for and against the defendant, and a few people with fake user names shared harsh opinions of Trayvon Martin’s family. One commenter on O’Mara’s Facebook page said Trayvon’s mother was “mooching” off white people’s money.
Within 24 hours, the site was changed so that users must submit comments for review before they are posted. Insults were deleted. About 1,800 people have “liked” the page so far.
Jayne Navarre, a South Florida consultant who devises social media strategies for lawyers, said O’Mara’s use of social media will “almost certainly” taint a jury pool and compromise Zimmerman’s shot at a fair trial. She said O’Mara also may be violating American Bar Association rules that prohibit a lawyer from helping third parties make prohibited extrajudicial comments.
While use of social media has risen exponentially in the legal field, “what we have not seen is a criminal-defense attorney host social media channels on behalf of their client,” Navarre said. “I would not be surprised to learn that members of the Bar are shocked and even disgusted.”
Under American Bar Association rules, a lawyer can speak publicly on a case as long as it does not prejudice a potential jury. The association is revamping its rules to address social media, she said.
Lawyers usually use social media to advertise, educate, network or recruit employees, she said. Some lawyers and judges have been sanctioned for inappropriate use of social media.
Until now, Navarre said, the most unusual case of a law firm using social media was in 2010, when the Massachusetts-based class action firm Sokolove Law Inc. launched the first known niche social networking site devoted to engaging potential and current class members in online discussions about the birth control pill YAZ.
But the site was considered advertising and was deemed in compliance with ABA rules, she said.
“The tactic certainly was cutting edge, and I don’t think the Bar saw any writing on the wall,” Navarre said. “I find in my social media consulting practice that many lawyers are still dragging their feet for various reasons . . . Others find it unprofessional, period.”
View Larger Map
Sources: Associated Press, CBS News, Gawker, Miami Herald, Youtube, Google Maps
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment