George Zimmerman Threatens Jay-Z Over Production of Documentary

Jay-Z’s docuseries, Rest In Power: The Trayvon Martin Story, will air in 2018. The series will document the life of Trayvon Martin, who was fatally shot by George Zimmerman in 2012. Martin’s death became symbolic of racial injustice in America; Zimmerman’s subsequent acquittal became a symbol of that, too. The series will use a number of books and sources for its material, Martin’s parents’ book, Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin, included.

Zimmerman called recent approach by the series’ team to interview him “harassment,” and threatened to “beat up” producer Jay-Z if the attempts continued. Zimmerman has had multiple grievances about the series, additionally claiming that his ex-wife received compensation for her involvement but his family has not. He described the approach as an intrusion, and aired some of his thoughts in an interview with Blast magazine.

Zimmerman told the magazine, “I know how to handle people who fuck with me, I have since February 2012.” He seems especially aggrieved that his parents have been involved, as he mentioned that anyone who “f***s with” them “will be fed to an alligator.” Snoop Dogg took to Twitter to defend Jay-Z and Martin. The series will shed light on a contentious and unjust moment in American history. Zimmerman is an unfortunate part of that history, but nonetheless necessary to its story.

Photography Credit: Sharon Alagna

Conrad Brittenham: My name is Conrad. I am one year out of college and pursuing a career in writing and journalism. I studied literature at Bard College, in the Hudson Valley. My thesis focuses on the literal and figurative uses of disease in Herman Melville’s most famous works, including Moby-Dick, Benito Cereno, and Billy Budd. My literary research on the topic of disease carried over to more historical findings about how humans tend to deal with and think about the problem of virus and infectivity. I’ve worked at a newspaper and an ad agency, as well as for the past year at an after school program, called The Brooklyn Robot Foundry. All of these positions have influenced the way I approach my work, my writing, and the way I interact with others in a professional setting. I’ve lived in London and New York, and have always had a unique perspective on international cultural matters. I am an avid drawer and a guitarist, but I would like to eventually work for a major news publication as an investigative journalist.
Related Post
Leave a Comment