Does Anyone Still Think George Zimmerman Was a Mild-Mannered Softie?

The man acquitted of murdering Trayvon Martin is back in the headlines over new domestic abuse allegations.


George Zimmerman, acquitted in the high-profile killing of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, listens in court Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013, in Sanford, Fla., during his hearing on charges including aggravated assault stemming from a fight with his girlfriend. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool)

George Zimmerman, acquitted in the high-profile killing of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, listens in court Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013, in Sanford, Fla., during his hearing on charges including aggravated assault stemming from a fight with his girlfriend. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool)

This summer, as George Zimmerman stood on trial for the murder of Trayvon Martin, one witness after another testified to the genteel nature of “Georgie,” a man who was described as “physically soft” by Adam Pollock, the gym trainer who once instructed Zimmerman in boxing and grappling classes.

Witness after witness poured into the courtroom, testifying that Zimmerman was meek mannered, the type that would never hurt a fly. It was an easy picture to paint, since the allegations that he’d sexually abused his cousin for years were never admitted into court. Neither was the part about Zimmerman’s ex-fiancée filing a motion for a restraining order against him in 2005 because of domestic violence. According to the Miami Herald:

“[Zimmerman’s ex-fiancee Veronica] Zauzo claimed Zimmerman was trolling her neighborhood to check on her. At her apartment, they spoke for about an hour when she asked him to leave. He asked for some photos and paperwork and she refused. A pushing match ensued and her dog jumped up and bit him on the cheek, Zauzo claimed. Zimmerman, in a petition filed the next day, painted her as the aggressor[.]”

Sound familiar?

Allegations from the incident also include a claim from Zauzo that Zimmerman slapped her in the mouth.

In 2005 Zimmerman was also charged with “resisting an officer with violence.”

Still, as we know, the supposedly docile and well-intentioned Zimmerman was set free on July 13th. The gun that he used to kill 17-year-old Martin was returned to him. Instead of fading into obscurity, he has remained in the headlines, first with a much-too-conveniently timed hero story that he saved a family from a car wreck, just days after his acquittal on murder charges.

Months later, the real Zimmerman appeared once more, unprotected by the savvy of Mark O’Mara’s legal defense and well-timed press conferences.

By September, Zimmerman’s estranged wife, Shellie, had made her own 911 call following a domestic dispute involving her, Zimmerman, and her father, who he’d punched in the face. She did not press charges. Shellie has since filed for divorce.

Oh, and the juror? Infamous B29, the sole person of color on the jury, is now back in the headlines with pitiful remorse about acquitting Zimmerman with her “not guilty” vote? Well, now she’s saying Zimmerman “got away with murder.”

Zimmerman is back in the headlines, too, this time with brand-new allegations of domestic abuse. Zimmerman is currently out on a $9,000 bond, and with a fresh set of charges that include felony aggravated assault. Once again, the man who allegedy pointed a shotgun at his girlfriend (who, according to some reports, is pregnant), has been described as “passive” by police who came to the house.

Zimmeman’s $9,000 bail is up from the original $4,900 requested by the defense, after prosecutors cited that Zimmerman had tried to choke his girlfriend just one week prior to the altercation that lead to his arrest.

“To be honest with you, the more we think about what I could have done, we’re wasting more time,” B29 said on the Rev. Al Sharpton’s Politics Nation. “I want to know what we should do now.”

What should be done now is justice. For Trayvon Martin. For the women who have allegedly been battered by Zimmeman’s hands. For those who might be victimized by him in the future. It means recognizing Zimmerman’s aggression, and correcting the passivity within Flordia’s justice system that has allowed it to go unpunished.

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