Posted by Tina
PJ Media reported today that a special unit in the Department of Justice was dispatched to Florida to offer organizational aid and support for protests against George Zimmerman. The purpose of this special unit, The Community Relations Service, is to provide “impartial mediation practices and conflict resolution”. According to the information received by Judicial Watch through a Freedom of Information request, there was nothing “impartial” about the units activities in Sanford Florida:
March 25 – 27, 2012, CRS spent $674.14 upon being “deployed to Sanford, FL to work marches, demonstrations, and rallies related to the shooting and death of an African-American teen by a neighborhood watch captain.”
March 25 – 28, 2012, CRS spent $1,142.84 “in Sanford, FL to work marches, demonstrations, and rallies related to the shooting and death of an African-American teen by a neighborhood watch captain.”
March 30 – April 1, 2012, CRS spent $892.55 in Sanford, FL “to provide support for protest deployment in Florida.”
March 30 – April 1, 2012, CRS spent an additional $751.60 in Sanford, FL “to provide technical assistance to the City of Sanford, event organizers, and law enforcement agencies for the march and rally on March 31.”
April 3 – 12, 2012, CRS spent $1,307.40 in Sanford, FL “to provide technical assistance, conciliation, and onsite mediation during demonstrations planned in Sanford.”
April 11-12, 2012, CRS spent $552.35 in Sanford, FL “to provide technical assistance for the preparation of possible marches and rallies related to the fatal shooting of a 17 year old African American male.” – expenses for employees to travel, eat, sleep?
In strongly urge you to read the remainder of the PJ Media article which cites local news articles that offer additional damning information.
This document and related activities noted in news stories demonstrate a clear pattern of organizational intervention to force the trial of George Zimmerman. Given what we know about this case the trial should never have taken place and the protests should never have been organized. Mr. Zimmerman and his family have been the victims of grave injustice. The trust of the American people in their judicial system has been gravely damaged. This intervention by Eric Holders office is outrageous and should be investigated thoroughly!
This is outrageous! Eric Holder should be fired and the DOJ investigated for trying Zimmerman by mob rule instead of through our legal system.
Sick, sick, sick, they should all be sued and driven from public office. This is an abuse of power!
Judicial Watch also reporting same thing.
The so called “Peace Keepers” are doing more harm than good.
If this is true it means our own government is promoting its own citizens to riot by creating an environment of hatred.
This administration has set the race issue back 40 years. The question is why. What could be gained and who would benefit from having a nation at war with itself.
God help us. This man, if innocent, does not deserve to go to jail, and this nation doesn’t deserve race riots if he doesn’t.
Updates available from the Blaze indicate the CRP was within its stated mission.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/07/10/rumor-check-did-a-little-known-division-of-the-doj-really-organize-trayvon-martin-protests-and-foment-unrest/
The judge has said she would consider allowing the jury to consider lesser charges. Zimmerman plead not guilty to second degree murder. I don’t know how our justice system works but it seems to me that changing the rules at the end of the trial isn’t just but rather an appeasement move.
The prosecution didn’t have a second degree case. It should have chosen to prosecute on lesser charges in the first place.
The NAACP is meeting today to pray for the jury. The spokesperson didn’t express general concern for justice but rather a perceived bias based on race:
No one is going to shoot him? He acts like Martin was uninvolved.
This person blinds himself to the actual circumstances of the case and to the sad realities of black culture…realities that contributed greatly to this tragic death. He should consider his own racism and bias.
At least there was a call for calm that may mean community organized riot will not happen:
Since I am usually the lone voice supporting Zimmerman being sent to jail I was happy to read this op-ed about Martin’s right to “Stand his ground.”
http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/11/opinion/francis-zimmerman-trial/index.html
But this DOJ garbage is beyond belief. First of all, you would think with a fully funded “Community Relations Service” the DOJ wouldn’t look so corrupt all the time. And again, we are a broke country that can’t afford food stamps or to lower student loan interest rates, but we always, ALWAYS have money for dumb programs NO ONE wants.
Peggy, every once in a while the Blaze gets it right–usually when they are attempting to correct misinformation from other conservative sources. In this case there is no evidence that the CRS acted outside its stated mission that it has held for decades. The documents provided by Judicial Watch do not explain what kind of assistance was offered and does not prove that the organization crossed the line from mediation to advocacy.
Unfortunately most of the commenters at that link refuse to believe the evidence because it doesn’t support their anti-DOJ narrative. They’d rather believe the conspiracy theory.
Tina: “The prosecution didn’t have a second degree case. It should have chosen to prosecute on lesser charges in the first place.”
I completely agree.
Remember that Holder set aside the court ruling on the Philly Black Panther case. – and was responsible for Fast & Furious and is still hiding behind executive privilege for that. And knew nothing about a subpoena for James Rosen’s records even though his own signature was on the warrant request . . . .
Hello, Clowngress????? De-fund the Department of Jerks until the clown AG has permanently departed.
J. Soden, Holder, based on his past record, has been the miscarrier of justice. Based on his past I have real concerns that the CRS also promoted his agenda in the New Black Panther voter intimidation case, but until I see that proof I’ll hold my judgment.
Here is a great message from Dr. Ken Hutcherson to Al Sharpton everyone should see.
http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/not-again/
J Soden Holder has been a disaster. A paper highlighting the five reasons he should be impeached is interesting reading and contains the following regarding our voter rolls (sorry, slightly off topic, but relevant in terms of Holder and the JD.
This administration is rife with corruption!
J. Soden: “Remember that Holder set aside the court ruling on the Philly Black Panther case.”
That’s not even remotely true.
http://jacksonville.com/news/national/2010-07-29/story/fact-check-reports-voter-intimidation-appear-exaggerated#ixzz2YrI6Gh3z
“and was responsible for Fast & Furious”
That also seems to be incorrect.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2012/09/19/fast-furious-inspector-general-eric-holder-justice-department/70000707/1#.UeBQkEFQHpt
Hey Chris, Did you read the articles?
“An internal report by the Justice Department found no evidence….”
Sorry, but I don’t put any credence in an investigation of oneself. And neither do any of the commenters at the end of the article.
How about you or I do our own audit and submit our findings to the IRS. Don’t think for a minute they’d accept it.
J. Soden: “Remember that Holder set aside the court ruling on the Philly Black Panther case.”
Chris: “That’s not even remotely true.”
Not so. This was a voter intimidation case. Eye witnesses testified that voters left without voting after being intimidated by the NBP members stationed outside the polling place. One of the witnesses, Bartle Bull, a liberal civil rights lawyer from the sixties, worked the polls in the South on behalf of blacks who were denied the vote. He knows the law very well. He testified, under oath to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, that voters were turned away.
J.Christian Adams of PJ Media was in the Justice Department during this incident. and recalls the following:
Atlas Shrugs posted information showing ties between the Obama campaign and the New Black Panthers including a photo of Obama marching alongside NBP members while campaigning as well as NBP endorsement on his campaign webpage:
The Western Journalism Center reported on the case:
The Washington Post claims bias led to gutting of the case and eventual dismissal:
The Washington Times posted an article by J. Christian Adams, another attorney in the JD at the time:
During this period some people on the right thought too much was being made of this case. I wonder if in retrospect they might now have a different opinion.
When our justice system fails to properly uphold basic laws they give the wrong impression about the seriousness of the law and invite further wrongdoing. Voting rights for all Americans must be protected and we must never become complacent when this right has been abridged or denied.
And Chris, after several paragraphs denouncing sources your article’s author admitted the following: There are still many who agree that the government was too lenient in dropping the case against all but one defendant, and that the injunction should have been extended nationwide for all New Black Panther Party members and for a longer time than 2012. You can agree or disagree with that yourself.
There’s a clear pattern here…the left always discredits the messenger, especially when it’s case is weak.
In case anyone wonders if blacks are being given permission to behave badly due to the soft treatment they receive in the press (And the JD?) for egregious crimes take a look at this story from The Daily Caller
If I had not seen it for myself on CNN and ABC, I would not have believed it. They had the most irresponsible black spokespeople on a number of afternoon talk shows who were actually advocating violence in the event of a not guilty verdict for Zimmerman! This is outrageous and it should not be tolerated. I think those people have committed a serious crime.
Under federal law… Inciting a riot applies to a person who organizes, encourages , or participates in a riot. Any television station that has such people on and gives them air time is guilty of several federal laws, including conspiracy and inciting to riot.
Inciting to riot applies to anyone who urges or instigates others to riot. According to 18 USCS § 2102 “to incite a riot”, or “to organize, promote, encourage, participate in, or carry on a riot”, includes, but is not limited to, urging or instigating other persons to riot, but shall not be deemed to mean the mere oral or written (1) advocacy of ideas or (2) expression of belief, not involving advocacy of any act or acts of violence or assertion of the rightness of, or the right to commit, any such act or acts.”
Great article by Thomas Sowell.
Polling Shows That Sources Of Racism Are Now Reversed:
I am so old that I can remember when most of the people promoting race hate were white.
Apparently other Americans also recognize that the sources of racism are different today from what they were in the past. According to a recent Rasmussen poll, 31% of blacks think that most blacks are racists, while 24% of blacks think that most whites are racist.
The difference between these percentages is not great, but it is remarkable nevertheless. After all, generations of blacks fought the white racism from which they suffered for so long. If many blacks themselves now think that most other blacks are racist, that is startling.
Read More At Investor’s Business Daily: http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials-on-the-right/070813-662856-racism-has-taken-on-a-startling-new-hue.htm#ixzz2Yu7inpcK
“I am so old that I can remember when most of the people promoting race hate were white”
Hey Peggy…me too. If it were not so serious I would have to laugh at how this has turned around.
Politics have no relation to morals.
The modern Liberal is engaged in one of man’s oldest exercises concerning political rhetoric; that is, the search for a superior moral justification of contemptible debate.
Tina, none of what you posted confirms J. Soden’s claim that “Holder set aside the court ruling on the Philly Black Panther case.”” Holder did not “set aside” any court ruling. You just disagreed with the ruling.
BS Chris…you are just playing with words now. The case was on track and when Eric Holder became the AG the case was dropped, set aside. Whatever you want to call it, it was not taken to completion on orders of those newly in charge:
The intent was made clear from the get go…we don’t prosecute black criminals under the Obama administration. I would add now, we do prosecute cases against “white Hispanics” if we think it can benefit us in the coming elections. Your party leadership has shown that their control stinks to high heaven…you just disagree with that verdict.
Thanks Peggy & Tina, for your eloquence in shooting down Chris’s hogwash!
I meant to get back to this sooner…sorry for the delay.
Chris wrote of the Judicial Watch FOI and the activities of the CRS in the Zimmerman case:
Not true.
Heritage remarks on abuse of power by the CRS in organizing protests…the law is very clear what their role should be:
If they didn’t “cross the line,” Chris tell us, what did they do on behalf of Zimmerman?
Clearly they picked a side and then fed it support in both tax dollars spent and authoritative power.
This administration is horrid!
And Chris…there is no excuse or explanation for your continuing excuses for them.
Tina, that Heritage article provides no new information, and makes unwarranted assumptions based on ambiguous phrases.
“The Community Relations Service provided “support for protest deployment” and “technical assistance” to event organizers for a march and rally on March 31.”
OK. What does that mean? Is it possible that part of their “support” was ensuring that the protests were peaceful, briefing protesters on acceptable and unacceptable tactics? You know, doing their actual job?
“According to the Orlando Sentinel, Community Relations Service staff even helped organize a meeting between the city of Sanford and the local NAACP that resulted in the temporary resignation of police chief Bill Lee.”
Again, that’s their job: to organize meetings between different parties and provide mediation. von Spakovsky seems to be implying that the CRS is responsible for the police chief losing his job, but there’s zero evidence of that.
“One of the local pastors whose church was the focal point of protests aptly summarized the bias of Community Relations Service when she was quoted as saying that it was “there for us.” Apparently, it wasn’t “there” for Zimmerman.”
You’ve got to be kidding me with this. That three-word quote does not show “bias.” “There for us” could mean anything. It could mean they were there to make sure things didn’t get out of hand. It does not prove that the CRS was biased. von Spakovsky is (as usual) stretching the evidence and spinning it in a very transparent manner. You’re easily fooled.
“If in fact the Community Relations Service was helping train and organize protesters against Zimmerman,”
Oh, so now it’s “if?” von Spakovsky talked as if he thought he had iron-clad proof of “abuse of power” up to this point.
“not only was the DOJ potentially interfering in a local law enforcement investigation and prosecution, but the service was violating its own mandate. As its website explains, the Community Relations Service is the “peacemaker” for community conflicts. Created by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it is supposed to assist in “preventing and resolving racial and ethnic tensions, incidents, and civil disorders, and in restoring racial stability and harmony.” It is not supposed to be raising racial tensions by helping to organize protests.”
Again, von Spakovsky has shown literally zero evidence that the organization worked to raise racial tensions.
“Clearly they picked a side”
No, that is not objectively clear at all. It is clear in your mind because you want it to be true. Your reading comprehension, as usual, is totally impeded by your political biases.
Chris: “Is it possible that part of their “support” was ensuring that the protests were peaceful, briefing protesters on acceptable and unacceptable tactics? You know, doing their actual job?”
Their job is to to act as NEUTRAL “mediators” when racial tensions arise:
Which parties required mediation? What racial conflict was there? What is the justification for enabling and aiding protesters? Finger wagging?
This group, under the federal Justice Department, was acting as legal and logistics advisers in a community organized event.
I don’t recall counter protesters or angry mobs of white Hispanics taking to the streets, do you?
“Again, that’s their job: to organize meetings between different parties and provide mediation.”
Do you understand the word mediation? What conflict required mediation? The NAACP wanted a head on a plate and the city complied by getting Bill Lee’s resignation. That isn’t mediation; that is intimidation! That is the power of the federal government hammered down on the city at the behest of the NAACP.
If the federal government thought it had a civil rights case they should have brought it. Instead they covertly organized for the trial of a man that had been released due to lack of evidence to prove other than self defense!
“It could mean they were there to make sure things didn’t get out of hand.”
Out of hand with whom? Once again I don’t recall counter protests or conflict. Nobody was threatening protesters or denying them the right to protest. (There may have been people hoping for that but it didn’t happen as far as I know).
USDOJ:
Mediator!
“von Spakovsky has shown literally zero evidence that the organization worked to raise racial tensions.”
He did not assert that the organization “worked to raise racial tensions”.
The organization is accused of working outside of its purview as mediator in a trumped up racially tense situation. The organization is perceived as working in a federal capacity to intimidate or apply pressure in a local legal matter. The organization is accused of taking a side and then providing aid to that side. As far as I know there is no evidence of mediation nor is there evidence that they engaged in any activities to aid GZ, his attorney, his family, friends, and supporters. If you have that evidence I would be happy to consider it.
Tina: “Do you understand the word mediation? What conflict required mediation? The NAACP wanted a head on a plate and the city complied by getting Bill Lee’s resignation. That isn’t mediation; that is intimidation! That is the power of the federal government hammered down on the city at the behest of the NAACP.”
What are you talking about? The federal government did not fire Bill Lee. You have no evidence that the CRS intentionally worked to get this result or that they didn’t mediate the situation as best they could. Mediation doesn’t necessarily mean everyone goes home happy. The fact that one party did not benefit in this case is not proof that no mediation occurred. It certainly isn’t proof that the CRS “intimated” anyone.
“Instead they covertly organized for the trial”
Again, no evidence for this.
“He did not assert that the organization “worked to raise racial tensions”.”
Yes, he did. Get help with your reading comprehension.
von Spakovsy wrote: “It is not supposed to be raising racial tensions by helping to organize protests.”
Obviously, he is accusing the CRS of “raising racial tensions by helping to organize protests.”
“The organization is accused…The organization is perceived…The organization is accused…”
Yes, and as usual with the far right, these accusations and perspections are not based on facts, but on how you would like the world to be.
“As far as I know there is no evidence of mediation nor is there evidence that they engaged in any activities to aid GZ, his attorney, his family, friends, and supporters. If you have that evidence I would be happy to consider it.”
Tina, cooling tensions and making sure peaceful protests don’t turn violent is their job, and does aid Zimmerman, his family and his supporters. I am not sure what other kind of aid you are asking for. Like you said, there were no counter-protests, so it makes sense that the CRS focused on promoting peace among the protests that, y’know, actually existed. You’re being unreasonable.