FL: NRA and Jacksonville NAACP President Join Forces to Defeat Zimmerman Prosecutor

Angel Corey, Kenny Leigh, Melissa Nelson

Image from Jacksonville.com

Angela Corey knew that she was in the hot seat when she was assigned as prosecutor of George Zimmerman in the shooting of Treyvon Martin.  Governor Rick Scott assigned the hot potato to her.  Everyone understood that it was a highly political case.

  

There was virtually no evidence to prosecute Zimmerman with. That is why the county prosecutors and police did not charge him with any offense initially.  It is probably why Angela Corey refused to use a grand jury. Instead, she indicted Zimmerman directly. A grand jury would probably have refused to indict. In the trial, the prosecution witnesses became witnesses for the defense on cross examination.

The best analysis of the Zimmerman/Martin shooting and trial has been done by Massad Ayoob.  Massad is an expert witness on the use of deadly force and self defense.  He is one of the most successful authors in the armed self defense field, which is fairly crowded.  From his analysis at backwoodshome.com, in part 13 of a 20 part series: 

The most damning moment for Ms. Corey in this case was her commentary to the press after the acquittal. A prosecutor should respect the system, and the jury’s verdict. The man she assigned to spearhead the state’s case, Bernie de la Rionda, obviously understood that. One journalist asked both of them to describe the defendant and the deceased in a single word.

De la Rionda chose the words “lucky” for defendant George Zimmerman, and “victim” for the deceased Trayvon Martin. He knew how to straddle the line. Despite Zimmerman’s ordeal, a lot of people think anyone who is facing life in prison and gets set free is “lucky.” And “victim” is the term that is generally and automatically used for someone who is killed.

But Corey described the young man who was shown by the evidence as the one who started the fatal battle as “prey,” and the man the jury had just found Not Guilty of Murder as “murderer.”

The difference is profound. It doesn’t just show her to be a bad loser, it shows her to be utterly contemptuous of the jury, and the system she is sworn to serve. Her answer was simply egregious.

There are those who believe that Ms. Corey took the case and tried to destroy Zimmerman’s life because, in the cases mentioned in the links above, she had lost voter support in the African-American community and thought that prosecuting Zimmerman would be a good political move. If one accepts that, it begs the question, “How did that work for ya, Ms. Corey?”

Massad Ayoob's analysis from three years ago has proven prescient.
From jacksonville.com:

Many disagree with that statement and view Corey as both vindictive and hostile to critics. Corey also said her office and the criminal justice system is fair to black people, a point that prompts disagreement from minorities.

“She’s lost the trust of the black community,” said Jacksonville NAACP President Isaiah Rumlin. “And I think she’s too set in her ways to change.”

Rumlin, who has donated money to Nelson’s campaign, said Corey angered many with her prosecutions and been tone deaf to criticisms and concerns. That is frustrating when you consider how many people of color go through the criminal justice system, he said.

Corey has justifiably angered Second Amendment supporters as well. From abcnews.go.com:

Nelson, meanwhile, has won support from former prosecutors as well as groups including the National Rifle Association, which has criticized Corey for prosecuting people that NRA leaders say were defending themselves.

The NRA and the NAACP both want Angela Corey out and Melissa Nelson in.  Nelson is leading in the polls at present.  The Republican primary is on August 30th, in ten days.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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