'Racism is a very lucrative sport in this country,' George's brother, Robert Zimmerman Jr., told Univision anchor Jorge Ramos. 'A lot of people have a hand in [that sport], and make lots of money accusing others of racism, without even proving it.'
George Zimmerman is currently in jail, awaiting trial for the accused murder after of 17-year-old black teenager Trayvon Martin back in February. Zimmerman and his lawyers have maintained that he was acting in self-defense in response to a physical attack by Martin.
When the story broke, it became a racially-charged legal case, with members and supporters of Martin's family (including TV personalities like Rev. Al Sharpton) accusing Zimmerman of racially profiling Martin and having racial motivations for the shooting.
'From the beginning, they used the words, 'White,' 'Black' and 'gated community,' to advance a narrative based on speculation of what might have happened, that was very different from what happened that day,' Robert Zimmerman told Ramos.
Both the Zimmerman brother, and his mother Gladys Zimmerman, vehemently denied that George is a racist, with the mother explaining that her family's roots are Afro-Peruvian.
The family also openly took exception to President Obama's initial reaction to the case, in which the president said: 'If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon.' But the family chalked his reaction up to being misled by Martin's supporters:
'Seeing how this case has been worked by the attorneys for Trayvon Martin's family, I don't blame the president,' Gladys Zimmerman said. 'They fooled him, too.'
[h/t RawStory]
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