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   In April 2012, two days before George Zimmerman was arrested for the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, he huddled with a fellow neighborhood watch volunteer, Frank Taaffe. According to Taaffe, who disclosed the meeting on Fox News, Zimmerman asked him to share “several talking points” with the media. Taaffe obliged. Indeed, as Zimmerman’s legal drama unfolded over the next year and a half, Taaffe emerged as his most visible and outspoken defender. He gave hundreds of interviews to media outlets, ranging from the New York Times to Fox News to CNN, and made near-daily appearances on cable news shows during Zimmerman’s trial. 
   
   Taaffe used this platform to cast Martin as a drug-addled hoodlum and Zimmerman as a community-minded do-gooder (“the best neighbor you would want to have”) who had every reason to suspect the black teen was up to mischief. He also railed against Zimmerman’s critics, whom he accused of staging a witch hunt. “It’s really sad that he has already been convicted in the public media and has already been sentenced to the gas chamber,” he lamented in an interview with NBC’s Miami affiliate last year. 
   
   Taaffe was hardly the ideal person to be weighing in on a case suffused with racial angst—or commenting on criminal-justice matters, period. A Mother Jones investigation has found that the 56-year-old New York native has a lengthy criminal record that includes charges of domestic violence and burglary, and a history of airing virulently racist views. Just last Sunday, he appeared on The White Voice, a weekly podcast hosted by a man named Joe Adams, who has deep, long-standing ties to white-power groups and has authored a manual called Save The White People Handbook. (Sample quote: “A mutt makes a great pet and a mulatto makes a great slave.”) 
   
   During a previous White Voice appearance, on July 27, Taaffe argued that whites and blacks have no business mingling. (“They don’t want to be with us and we don’t want to be with them.”) Taaffe also opined that if Zimmerman had racially profiled Martin, he was justified in doing so because “young black males” had burglarized homes in their neighborhood. “What if I—a middle-aged white man—wore a hoodie and went through Trayvon Martin’s neighborhood?” he asked defiantly. Adams replied that “no sane white person” would dare walk down their “local Marcus Garvey Boulevard.” 
   
   “I’d only be there for one or two things,” Taaffe shot back. “And I’m sure the vice squad would want to be interested in that.” 
   
   “This trial is waking up white America, man,” Taaffe told The White Voice. 
   
   Later, Taaffe accused African Americans of committing “self-genocide” by failing to address the “ills and diseases that are festering” in the black community—especially the absence of black fathers, which “leaves young black males growing up without direction.” And he bemoaned the fact that some white women choose to date black men, saying that they invariably end up becoming single mothers. “Guess who winds up paying the tab on that? You and me and the rest of America,” Taaffe grumbled. “It’s called entitlement, man. It’s called food stamps. It’s called welfare.” 
   
   By the end of the show, Taaffe was so worked up that he was calling for a revolution. “This trial is waking up white America, man,” he said. “I’m fed up with the bullshit and the glad-handing to this one group of people who now control what we do and say. Come on, man, wake up America!” 
   
   Taaffe’s private Twitter feed (@pinsones) also reeks of racial animus. In one tweet, he bashed Michael Skolnik, who directs hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons’ political operations, saying “how much nigga cock do u suck an one day or maybe u like it pounded up ur hebe ass.” In another he wrote, “the only time a black life is validated is when a white person kills them.” 
   
   Asked about his history of racially charged remarks, Taaffe made no apologies. “There is a thing called First Amendment speech,” he said. “I have freedom to opine on current social issues, and I’m not going to be restricted.” He reeled off statistics about black crime and out-of-wedlock births. “I’m not going on some Tom Metzger-David Duke tangent,” he added. “I’m merely echoing the suppressed voices in this country that have been beleaguered by affirmative action and crimes committed by that particular group of people.” 
   
   These kinds of extreme racial views infused Taaffe’s media commentary. He told the New York Times that his gated community had been burglarized by “Trayvon-like dudes with their pants down” and taunted his black fellow talk show guests with race-tinged jibes. On a recent episode of HLN’s Dr. Drew on Call, the topic turned to racial profiling. Taaffe shouted down a fellow panelist and launched into a bizarre diatribe: “You know, Whitey, us…we’ve had a little bit of slavery, too,” he said. “Back in 1964 or 1965, then-President Johnson signed an executive order; it was called affirmative action. And you want to talk about slavery?” Taaffe’s fellow guests seemed stunned that he’d been given a national platform to broadcast these ideas. “It’s like every word that comes out of his mouth is a turd falling in my drink,” said African American radio personality Brian Copeland. “I don’t understand why he’s allowed to go on like he does.” 
   
   CNN and its sister network, HLN, have repeatedly invited Taaffe to weigh in on legal and technical aspects of the Zimmerman case, from the implications of witness testimony to the meaning of forensic evidence, such as the grass stains found on Martin’s pants. Taaffe sparred on-air with attorneys about the finer points of criminal law and tangled with forensic experts—including Lawrence Kobilinsky, the chair of the science department at John Jay College of Criminal Justice—over whether the small quantity of THC in Martin’s blood could have made him violent. (Taaffe insisted that it could; Kobilinsky called this argument a “red herring.”) 
   
   When Valerie Rao, Jacksonville, Florida’s chief medical examiner, testified during the trial that Zimmerman’s injuries were minor enough to be treated with Band-Aids—an assertion that cast doubt on Zimmerman’s claims that Martin had bashed his head repeatedly on the sidewalk—Taaffe appeared on the Nancy Grace show and argued that Rao was dead wrong. “George was experiencing trauma!” Taaffe insisted. “He was having many concussions with each blow to his head. And he was entering into a state of unconsciousness where he was seeing his life flash before him.” 
   
   After the prosecution released surveillance video from 7-Eleven showing Martin behaving normally as he shopped for Skittles and Arizona Ice Tea just before his death, Taaffe went on HLN’s Jane Velez-Mitchell show and muddied the water. Something could have happened in the intervening minutes to change Martin’s mood, he argued. “Also, they found a cigarette lighter and $40 on him,” Taaffe said, ominously. “He wasn’t employed. You know, who gave him the $40?” 
   
   Taaffe isn’t the first member of Zimmerman’s circle to be caught making racially charged statements. In March, Zimmerman’s brother, Robert Zimmerman Jr. (another outspoken defender), tweeted a photo of a black Georgia teenager who allegedly murdered a one-year-old boy with a gunshot to the face, alongside a picture of Trayvon Martin. Both teens were flipping off the camera. The caption read, “A picture speaks a thousand words. Any questions?” 
   
   Taaffe has been arrested or faced criminal charges nearly a dozen times and logged at least two convictions. 
   
   In Taaffe’s case, though, the comments about blacks’ supposed criminality are thick with irony. According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Orange County Clerk of Courts, Taaffe has been arrested or faced criminal charges nearly a dozen times and logged at least two convictions. Last year, Taaffe was taken into custody for driving under the influence. He pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of reckless driving related to alcohol use and received six months’ probation. He’s also been charged with battery and two cases of “repeat violence.” (Taaffe told Mother Jones that these were “frivolous” charges filed by “disgruntled” former coworkers.) 
   
   Many of the other entries on Taaffe’s rap sheet stem from domestic-violence complaints filed by his second wife and their son. In 2000, he was arrested for burglary—the very crime he alleges “young black males” were committing in his community—after allegedly swiping some papers from his ex-wife’s home. Taaffe pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of trespassing, and was sentenced to nine months in prison*. According to police reports, he was later charged with stalking and with child abuse after his son, William, jumped out of a moving car, allegedly to escape his father’s angry, profanity-laced tirade. Taaffe maintains these charges stemmed from false complaints filed by his then-wife, who persuaded William to corroborate the accusations so she could get more assets in their divorce. “She used my son as leverage against me for her own personal and monetary gain,” he told Mother Jones. 
   
   Taaffe—who has railed against absentee black fathers—was a marginal figure in the lives in his own children. Vincent, his eldest son from his first marriage, who died in a car crash last year, didn’t speak to him. (Taaffe says this was because Vincent was outraged over his involvement in the Zimmerman case: “I was ostracized by members of my own family for supporting George.”) William, who struggled with addiction and emotional problems after his parents’ brutal divorce, cycled in and out of rehab before dying of a drug overdose in 2008. According to a source close to the family who provided photocopies, he left behind an angst-filled notebook, with these words scrawled across the final pages: “Fuck you, Dad, I never thought a father could be so bad…I’m your son, the one you ditched.” 
   
   Now that the Zimmerman trial is over, Taaffe has no plans to abandon his crusade. He recently launched a website, where he intends to blog about issues including affirmative action and criminal justice. And he has teamed up with The White Voice to peddle “Taaffe’s Got Your Back!” T-shirts, which feature a photo of Taaffe snarling and brandishing his fist. (“All of the profits go to Frank,” The White Voice‘s website notes.) Taaffe told Mother Jones that he’s also “looking into” the case of Michael Dunn, the Jacksonville man who is accused of fatally shooting an unarmed black 17-year-old at a gas station after arguing with the teen over loud music. “My work is not done yet. I have a myriad of cases that people are calling me to help them on,” Taaffe said. “If we all took the time to stand up for people who we believe in our heart of hearts were innocent, this country would be a much greater place.” 
   
   Additional reporting by Lawrence D. Elliott. 
   
   Clarification: Taaffe says he was sentenced to home confinement rather than prison. The Orange County Clerk of Courts office disputes this assertion, saying he was sentenced to 9 months in an Orange County, Florida jail. ||||| One of George Zimmerman's most outspoken supporters in the days surrounding his murder trial has changed course, testifying Wednesday in front of a grand jury that Zimmerman could have called him and made racially charged comments. 
   
   In 2012, shortly after Zimmerman claimed he shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in self-defense in his Sanford gated community, friend Frank Taaffe said, "I'm going to go on camera and say George is not a racist." 
   
   On Wednesday, Taffe, said he's had a change of heart, saying he testified against Zimmerman in front of the grand jury that will decide whether Zimmerman will face federal charges for violating Martin's civil rights. 
   
   File Video: Neighbor says George Zimmerman 'is not a racist' 
   
   Raw Video: Zimmerman supporter changes course, testifies 
   
   Evidence Photos: Bloodied George Zimmerman, gun used in shooting 
   
   Taaffe said his flip came after he got a call from an unknown number two years ago by a man claiming to be Zimmerman. He said the man made a racist comment about Martin, which he first thought was a prank call at the time, but now he's not so sure. 
   
   Taaffe said he had already publicly defended Zimmerman on national television when the call came. He said he faced death threats, but claimed Wednesday that his personal losses have led him to identify more with the Martins. 
   
   Taaffe now views the mystery call differently, he said. 
   
   Taaffe said he told the FBI about the call in June, saying he now believes Zimmerman did racially target Trayvon, but he waffled about whether he believes Zimmerman was really the mystery caller. 
   
   "People knew my phone number so it could've been anybody," said Taaffe. "I brought it up and they wanted me to go on the record with what this alleged George said with this phone call from unknown destination." 
   
   Taaffe said he hopes to make amends with the Martin family through his testimony but also admitted to Channel 9 he has a lot more to gain from his change of heart about Zimmerman. ||||| Tom DeLay: I have a ‘right’ to not serve gay sinners because they ‘undermine’ my religious liberty 
   
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   Frank Taafe (WFTV) 
   
   One of George Zimmerman’s most outspoken supporters has apparently changed his story. 
   
   Frank Taaffe testified Wednesday before a grand jury that Zimmerman may have called him and made racially charged comments in a phone call shortly after he shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in February 2012. 
   
   He told the grand jury that he received a call from an unknown number two years ago from a man who made racist comments about Martin. 
   
   At the time, he thought it was a prank call and disregarded the comments, but now he suspects the call may have come from his neighbor and friend, Zimmerman. 
   
   A federal grand jury is hearing evidence in the case to decide whether Zimmerman – who was acquitted of murder charges in the case – will face federal charges for violating the unarmed teen’s civil rights. 
   
   Taaffe defended Zimmerman on national TV shortly after the fatal shooting, saying his friend was not a racist. 
   
   He said he has received death threats for his defense of Zimmerman. 
   
   Taaffe did not testify during Zimmerman’s previous trial. 
   
   But he decided to tell the FBI about the call earlier this year after both of his sons died recently, which allowed him to identify more strongly with Martin’s family. 
   
   Taaffe told investigators that he now believes Zimmerman targeted the teen due to his race. 
   
   “In my heart of hearts, I do believe that,” Taaffe said. 
   
   He said Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, should never have followed the teen he suspected of criminal wrongdoing. 
   
   “If there’s a young man that’s not doing anything but talking on the phone, in the rain, sauntering about, let it go,” Taaffe said. “You know, that’s why we have law enforcement — let them handle it.” 
   
   However, he cannot say for certain whether his friend made the remarks in the call. 
   
   “People knew my phone number so it could have been anybody,” Taaffe said. “I brought it up and they wanted me to go on the record with what this alleged George said with this phone call from unknown destination.” 
   
   Taaffe told reporters Wednesday that he hoped his grand jury testimony would “make amends” with the Martin family. 
   
   He said his support for Zimmerman had caused his daughter, a U.S. Marine, to be ostracized – which had damaged their relationship. 
   
   “I miss her and I love her,” Taaffe said. “She’s my only child I’ve got left.” 
   
   Watch this video report posted online by WFTV-TV: ||||| A man who once called George Zimmerman a friend, speaking out in support of him before and during his lengthy trial, now says he’s had a change of heart. 
   
   George Zimmerman’s former neighbor and fellow neighborhood watch volunteer says he wants to clear his conscience. 
   
   Frank Taaffe says he now believes Zimmerman should have been found guilty in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. 
   
   He was once one of George Zimmerman’s most outspoken advocates, but now former neighborhood watch volunteer, Frank Taaffe says his opinion about Zimmerman’s not guilty verdict has changed. 
   
   "What I know of George and his tendencies and also my opinion is that he racially profiled Trayvon Martin that night because if that had been a white kid on a cell phone, walking through our neighborhood, he wouldn’t have stayed on him the way he did and that’s a fact and I believe that in my heart," said Taaffe. 
   
   
   
   This is very different from what Taaffe told News 13 numerous times after the shooting, including during an interview back in May 2012 when he said, "That George Zimmerman in a position in a volunteer role wanted to ensure the safety of the community he lived in and he became the victim." 
   
   But today, Taaffe claims he just wants to clear his conscience, "I can only ask for the country to forgive me and today I believe that he racially profiled him based on the color of his skin. Reporter: Some people may wonder what does Frank Taaffe have to gain by doing this? Are you working on a book? No book. A TV show? No. I’m just working on me right now and getting right with God.” 
   
   Taaffe says his brother’s death last month and the death of his two sons over the past two years has changed him. 
   
   Taaffe says he has a message for Trayvon Martin’s parents, "I’m sorry that you lost your son, I know what that’s like and I wish things had been different." 
   
   Both George Zimmerman and his brother Robert declined to comment. 
   
   George Zimmerman was found not guilty of second degree murder last July. The Department of Justice has an open investigation into the death of Trayvon Martin, to see if any of his civil rights were violated. 
   
  
target: – "I'm going to go on camera and say George is not a racist" are words that Frank Taaffe now regrets saying about former pal George Zimmerman. Just two years ago, when the media frenzy was at a fever pitch following the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, Taaffe made an aggressive showing in front of the cameras, defending his neighbor and saying "[Zimmerman] became the victim," as reported by News 13. Now, as a grand jury hears a case this week to decide whether Zimmerman will face federal charges for violating Trayvon's civil rights, Taaffe—who testified before the grand jury yesterday—is saying that Zimmerman was probably in the wrong and just might be a racist after all, based on a mysterious phone call he received shortly after Martin's death, Raw Story reports. Taaffe didn't recognize the number, and the caller, who said his name was "George," made a racially charged comment about Martin, Taaffe says. At first Taaffe thought it was a prank—"People knew my phone number, so it could've been anybody," he tells WFTV. He's not sure if it was Zimmerman, but he finally told investigators about it in June to make "amends to the Martin family" after his own two children and a brother died recently, and to mend things with his surviving child, who was "ostracized" for his Zimmerman advocacy. (Taaffe's somewhat-confusing explanation of all this is shown in the video here.) He now thinks Zimmerman racially profiled Trayvon, saying, "In my heart of hearts, I do believe that." Even more bizarre: his own reported racist rantings and criminal rap sheet, according to a 2013 Mother Jones article.