George Zimmerman's attorney said something Monday that is a truly sad statement about our society and the current state of America's media.
Appearing on CNN's Piers Morgan Live, Mark O'Mara said that if Zimmerman is acquitted of all charges, "He'll never be safe" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
PIERS MORGAN: If George Zimmerman is acquitted, completely acquitted, not found guilty of second-degree murder, no lesser charge of manslaughter, and walks free, having killed somebody we know after the event was an unarmed young teenager, there is a concern that this will create a lot of ill feeling, particularly in the black community around America. There may possibly be riots. You will have read the same warnings about this.
How concerned are you about that and about the safety of your client should he be declared an innocent man?
MARK O'MARA, ATTORNEY FOR GEORGE ZIMMERMAN: Well, first of all, my client will never be safe because there are a percentage of the population who are angry, they're upset and they may well take it out on him. So he'll never be safe.
My hope is that the system that is better than any other in the country -- I'm sorry, in the world is working, and I think that anybody who pays attention to the facts of this case listens to the evidence, will not leave that courtroom thinking that George Zimmerman is guilty of anything. And if a jury agrees, they should not and cannot be frustrated with the outcome, because the state's put on a good case, we put on a good case.
Everything that should get out to this jury has been out, and quite honestly, a lot of what doesn't necessarily need to get out to the jury has been kept from them. And if they decide on the facts of the case, we as a society, black, white, everybody need to look at this case and say, justice was in fact accomplished here because a fair trial was held.
Those who refuse to listen to that they're not going to listen to me or you, or sensibilities at all anyway, they're going to stay frustrated and stay angry.
Indeed they will.
And how much are the media - who convicted Zimmerman before he was even arrested - to blame?
Let's take a look at what the media have done to eviscerate Zimmerman right from the start:
Classic Ed Schultz Idiocy: 'So What' if Trayvon Martin Broke George Zimmerman's Nose?
MSNBC Boss Defends Sharpton Protesting in Trayvon Martin Case While Also Covering It
Roseanne Barr Becomes Second Leftist Celebrity to Threaten George Zimmerman's Parents
Twitter Has Yet to Yank @KillZimmerman Account; Where's the Media Outrage?
Did ABC News Purposely Use Unnecessary Chyron to Cover Up Zimmerman's Head Bruise?
Bozell on Hannity 'Media Mash': NBC Deliberately Skewed Travyvon Martin Story with Selective Editing
MSNBC Fixes False Report Which Made Zimmerman Look Racist, Doesn't Acknowledge Error
NBC: Skittles Now 'A Symbol of Racial Injustice'
ABC Not Sure Whether Death Threats In Trayvon Martin Aftermath 'Going Too Far'
Zimmerman Attorney: 'It's Been Open Season' - 'The Media Has Just Absolutely Destroyed Him Unfairly'
CNN's Banfield Falsely Claims Trayvon Martin Eyewitness Told Her Attacker Was Hispanic
In Haste to Cast Zimmerman as Racist, CNN Went Against Internal Recommendations
NBC Medical Editor: Trayvon Martin Case Shows 'We Don't Talk Enough About Race'
Thom Hartmann: Trayvon Killed by Koch Brothers, NRA, and Wal-Mart
Contrary to CNN's First Assumption, Prosecutors Say Zimmerman Didn't Use Racial Slur
Chris Matthews: Slavery Impacts People's View of the Trayvon Martin-George Zimmerman Case
Geraldo Rivera: MSNBC Anchors Don't Care About Evidence, Are 'Cheerleading' for Zimmerman Conviction
Bob Schieffer Ties 20th Anniversary of Rodney King Riots to Trayvon Martin
ABC Legal Analyst: George Zimmerman Has to 'Prove That Trayvon Martin Was the Initial Aggressor'
MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry: 'This Is No Country For Young Black Men'
BET ‘News’ Special Has Already Convicted Zimmerman
Chris Rock: ‘George Zimmerman Can Eat a D—k!’
No Double Jeopardy? Scarborough Says Lack of Black Jurors Makes Zimmerman Verdict Subject to Appeal
Slate Article Ties Trayvon Martin Shooting to General Lack of Empathy For Blacks
Jamie Foxx Wears Trayvon Martin Shirt to BET Awards
MSNBC Audience Cheers Judge Denying Zimmerman Motion for Acquittal
CNN Anchor Bends Over Backwards to Spin for Trayvon Martin
If Zimmerman really can't be safe if acquitted, or if some harm were to befall him afterwards, wouldn't all of these media members and outlets be to blame for their shameful coverage of this matter?
(HT Mediaite)
