Jorge Zimmerman, a Rhode Island man who has a similar name to George Zimmerman--who was acquitted in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin--has been subjected to taunting, harassment, and threats.
Zimmerman, who is from Cumberland, said he wasn’t paying attention to the trial but he told WPRI-TV that when the other Zimmerman, who is from Florida, was acquitted, people threatened him via Facebook.
“I didn’t know who these people were and then I checked what they were saying,” Jorge Zimmerman told the station. “People asked if I was the George Zimmerman who killed Trayvon Martin. I got messages like payback is a, you know obscene words. Watch your back. Just watch yourself.”
George Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges--including second degree murder and manslaughter--in the killing of Martin. The verdict triggered widespread outrage and even protests.
But Jorge Zimmerman said that he’s not using Facebook anymore until tensions die down.
“I just thought it was ridiculous,” he said. “I just wanted to be left alone. I had nothing to do with it.”
He said that he didn’t get any threats when Martin was shot last year.
“It’s a sad story to begin with but to lash out at other people who had nothing to do with it? That’s ridiculous,” he continued.
There were also reports that people confused George Zimmer, the former Men’s Wearhouse spokesman and CEO, was the same person as George Zimmerman.
A local Oakland station posted a photo on Twitter showing damage done to a Men’s Wearhouse store. Apparently people believed Zimmer and Zimmerman to be one and the same.
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