OpEdNews - Article: Will Florida's Sunshine Law be Victim in George Zimmerman Prosecution?

14.4.12

OpEdNews - Article: Will Florida's Sunshine Law be Victim in George Zimmerman Prosecution?: Armed with the full information the City's Commission voted that they had "no confidence" in the Chief who subsequently stepped down. Yet Sanford officials initially violated Florida's Sunshine Laws by denying access to these vital tapes. It was only upon the intercession of Mayor Jeff Triplett that the law was allowed to have its effect and the truth was laid open for all to see or hear for themselves. In the wake of these revelations the "Justice for Trayvon" movement exploded across the nation. Its growing persistence ultimately forced perhaps the greatest 180 degree turn in legal history -- Zimmerman went from a position of guaranteed freedom from any responsibility in the teenager's death to facing 25 years to life charged with "profiling" Martin and subsequently committing second degree murder.

The original actions violating the public records component of the Sunshine Law was significant enough for Lawrence O'Donnell to declare on his MSNBC program "The Last Word" that their having been withheld from the public suggested a "cover-up" on the part of the Sanford Police Department.