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  1. #1
    Senior Member HAPPY2BME's Avatar
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    Report: Justice Dept Backed Trayvon Martin Rallies

    NewsMax
    Wednesday, 10 Jul 2013 05:31 PM

    By Tom Topousis

    A secretive branch of the U.S. Department of Justice was deployed to Sanford, Fla., in the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin shooting to help organize rallies, including one headlined by the Rev. Al Sharpton, calling for the arrest and prosecution of George Zimmerman.

    Records obtained by the watchdog group Judicial Watch, under the Freedom of Information Act, showed that members of the Justice Department's Community Relations Service were sent to Sanford in March and April of 2012 to help manage protests, The Daily Caller reported Wednesday.

    The 347 pages of documents obtained from the federal government showed that $5,320 in expenses was claimed by the Community Relations Service for workers assigned to protests and marches in and around Sanford after Zimmerman was accused of shooting Martin.


    At a March 31 rally, CRS workers provided technical assistance to the city of Sanford and rally organizers for the event billed as "The March for Trayvon Martin," where civil-rights activist and MSNBC host Sharpton called for Zimmerman's prosecution, according to The Daily Caller.

    "These documents detail the extraordinary intervention by the Justice Department in the pressure campaign leading to the prosecution of George Zimmerman," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton in a statement posted on the watchdog group's website. "My guess is that most Americans would rightly object to taxpayers paying government employees to help organize racially charged demonstrations."

    The release of the Justice Department documents came as the defense rested their case in the second-degree murder trial without calling Zimmerman to testify.

    According to federal documents obtained by Judicial Watch, the feds spent $674.14 from March 25-27 in Sanford "to work marches, demonstrations and rallies related to the shooting death of an African-American teen by a neighborhood watch captain." Another $1,142.14 was claimed for similar work from March 25-28.

    From March 30 to April 1, the CRS staff rang up $892.55 in expenses "to provide support for protest deployment in Florida." Also during that time, the agency claimed another $751.60 in expenses to "provide technical assistance to the city of Sanford, event organizers, and law enforcement agencies for the march and rally on March 31."

    CRS filed for $1,307.40 in expenses from April 3-12 "to provide technical assistance, conciliation and onsite mediation during demonstrations planned in Sanford." And from April 11-12, CRS spent $552.35 while in Sanford "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."

    The CRS was created under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, The Daily Caller reported. The agency describes its role as the Department of Justice's "peacemaker for community conflicts and tensions arising from differences of race, color, and national origin."
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  2. #2
    Senior Member HAPPY2BME's Avatar
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    Docs: Justice Department facilitated anti-Zimmerman protests

    A division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) was deployed to Sanford, Florida in 2012 to provide assistance for anti-George Zimmerman protests, including a rally headlined by activist Al Sharpton, according to newly released documents.

    The Community Relations Service (CRS), a unit of DOJ, reported expenses related to its deployment in Sanford to help manage protests between March and April 2012, according to documents obtained by the watchdog group Judicial Watch.

    CRS spent $674.14 between March 25-27 related to having been “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.” CRS spent another $1,142.84 for the same purpose between March 25-28.

    CRS spent $892.55 “to provide support for protest deployment in Florida” between March 30-April 1, and $751.60 “to provide technical assistance to the City of Sanford, event organizers, and law enforcement agencies for the march and rally on March 31.”

    Sharpton, who promoted the Tawana Brawley hoax in the 1980s and in 1995 led a protest against the “white interloper” owner of a Harlem clothing store that ended in a deadly shooting rampage at the store, was a featured speaker at the March 31 rally, called “The March for Trayvon Martin,” where he advocated for Zimmerman’s prosecution.

    CRS expenditures related to the anti-Zimmerman protests continued through mid-April. Between April 11 and April 12, CRS spent $552.35 “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.”

    Local government officials noticed the Department of Justice’s efforts in building “bridges of understanding” in Sanford.

    “Congratulations to our partners, Thomas Battles, Regional Director, and Mildred De Robles, Miami-Dade Coordinator and their co-workers at the U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service for their outstanding and ongoing efforts to reduce tensions and build bridges of understanding and respect in Sanford, Florida,” wrote Amy Carswell, Miami-Dade County Community Relations Board Program Officer, in an April 16 email.

    “Thank you Partner. You did lots of stuff behind the scene to make Miami a success. We will continue to work together,” DOJ official Thomas Battles wrote in reply to Carswell.

    “That’s why we make the big bucks,” Carswell replied.

    CRS was established by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. According to the CRS web page, “The Community Relations Service is the Department’s ‘peacemaker’ for community conflicts and tensions arising from differences of race, color, and national origin. Created by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, CRS is the only Federal agency dedicated to assist State and local units of government, private and public organizations, and community groups with preventing and resolving racial and ethnic tensions, incidents, and civil disorders, and in restoring racial stability and harmony.”

    A Department of Justice spokesperson said that she did not know off the top of her head what CRS’ role was in the anti-Zimmerman protests but is currently trying to figure out that answer. The Daily Caller will update this story upon receiving a statement from DOJ.

    UPDATE:
    DOJ spokesperson Dena Iverson emailed a statement to The Daily Caller, saying, ”The Community Relations Service was in Florida as part of their mandated mission,” along with a link to the CRS’s website.

    http://landing.newsinc.com/shared/vi...p&VID=24938275

    http://dailycaller.com/2013/07/10/do...rman-protests/


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