Trayvon Martin: Spike Lee settles with family forced to flee home

[The Northerner]

Source: Los Angeles Times

Spike Lee has reached an agreement with the Florida couple forced to flee their home after the film director retweeted their home address and they fled to a hotel to avoid problems associated with the shooting of Trayvon Martin, it was announced on Thursday.

Elaine and David McClain, in their 70s, left their Sanford, Fla., home after their address was tweeted by a man who thought he had found the home of George Zimmerman, the 28-year-old who shot Martin, 17. Lee then retweeted the McClains’ address to his followers on Twitter.

The McClains have a son, William George Zimmerman, who is not related to the George Zimmerman who shot Martin and whose arrest is being sought by Martin’s family and civil rights supporters.

“The McClains’ claim is fully resolved,” Matt Morgan, their attorney, said in an email. “Mr. Lee personally called them to give a very heartfelt apology. Further, he agreed to compensate them for their loss and the disruption to their lives.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-trayvon-martin-lee-settlement-20120329,0,7063902.story

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It's about time.

Hopefully others, including Roseanne, will think first before advocating mob vigilantism.

[Richardo]

1. Way to step up, Spike

[roguevalley]

23. agreed. what a terrible mistake. he should have been more careful but he manned up. good for him.

[Tumbulu]

2. Glad to read this

[virgogal]

3. Even if he had the correct address he shouldn't have revealed it.

[The Northerner]

4. +1 I could not agree more. n/t

[Leftist Agitator]

7. I disagree...

George Zimmerman, who clearly murdered an innocent young man in cold blood because of the color of his skin, deserves not a single moment of peace, nor does anyone else who is enabling him. I hope that he is harassed incessantly until such time as he is incarcerated in preparation for his trial on murder charges.

And don't give me that "innocent until proven guilty" bullshit either... Normally, I'd be the first proponent of reserving judgment until due process has run its course, but this murdering asshole has had how many days of life as a free man, while Trayvon has been lying in the ground? He's guilty, and he deserves every ounce of misery that he receives, both before his crimes are proven in court and after.

[jeff47]

10. Leaping to punish is what right-wing tools do

You are better than that.

[Leftist Agitator]

14. The very idea that this "man" is not currently incarcerated, and awaiting trial...

Is an affront to the very idea of justice. I'm sorry, but he is GUILTY. Undeniably guilty.

Were he currently under lock and key while due process runs its course, I would be willing to let said process run its course. But he is not.

As long as the judicial system is going to allow George Zimmerman, who to any reasonable observer is a man who is guilty of murder, to remain free, then it is entirely fair that he experience the wrath of the public who know of his guilt.

Sorry, that's just the way I feel...

[jeff47]

16. Patience.

The time to get upset would be if everyone clears him. So far, nobody has really cleared him. The local people tried, but both the state and feds aren't going along with it.

With the local PD screwing things up, they need to be far more careful about arresting him - the clock starts when his butt hits the jail cell, and we don't want this tossed because one of the local PD throws a wrench in it when time's running out.

[Major Nikon]

22. Unfortunately the law favors him

There's an excellent chance he's going to be cleared of all state charges and I don't hold out much hope for federal charges. That's what happens when you let the gunnuts write your gun laws.

[holdencaufield]

24. They had the trial already?

Funny -- I didn't see that on the news.

Git a rope!

[99th_Monkey]

28. + 1000 - well said. nt

[PavePusher]

30. Vigilantism, it's O.K. when applied against the "right people", I guess...

[Ian David]

5. I'm just glad he didn't get them Roy Zimmerman's address by mistake.

"To the Victims of This Tragedy We Send Our Thoughts and Prayers" by Roy Zimmerman

[postulater]

12. Or Robert Allen Zimmerman's

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="

" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Ruby the Liberal]

6. Good. That was a bullshit move.

[Bluenorthwest]

8. I'm glad to see that. I like Spike and I did not like that at all....

Happy to hear he acted quickly and spoke personally to them. I want to enjoy his work with a full and open heart.

[saras]

9. Damn. I'm quick to click on shit sometimes, but that was EXPENSIVE.

[BeyondGeography]

11. Doing the right thing

[PoliticAverse]

13. You linked to an earlier story, when they were just in talks...

This is the correct link to the article you quoted:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-trayvon-martin-lee-settlement-20120329,0,7063902.story

[The Northerner]

18. Thanks! I'm sorry for the mistake.

[corkhead]

15. Spike, unlike a repig, saw the error of his ways, admitted his mistake, and took corrective action

I don't remember ever seeing a republicon doing anything like this. Good for him.

[janedum]

17. Spike is a jerk! He didn't CHECK the address HIMSELF first?

idiot!

[Ecumenist]

19. You're about 36 hours too late for your outrage. He's already apologised amd made them

whole.. It's over.

[alp227]

20. in any case it was a VERY cruel act, so much that I will delay watching 'Do the Right Thing'...

but he DID the right thing with this settlement.

[Tx4obama]

21. Interesting: They said on the news today that the woman's son's name IS George Zimmermann, and

that a while back he used to live there with them.

That's quite a coincidence.

[former9thward]

27. A coincidence only to people who do not pay attention to detail.

George is certainly a common name and Zimmerman is not an uncommon name.

[Drunken Irishman]

25. Celebs can be dumbasses sometimes - yes, even progressive ones.

[MindMover]

26. Expensive tweet .........

[slampoet]

29. Now Has ABC's Good Morning America made up for Broadcasting the Fake Photos of Trayvon?

The ones from the Neo-NAZI site STORMFRONT???

[underpants]

32. I missed that story

[slampoet]

33. Here it is.....

http://www.cjr.org/the_audit/sourcing_trayvon_martin_photos.php

[d_legendary1]

31. Spike Lee should've never tweeted this in the first place.

Now he's going to be placed as the poster child for progressives and how stupid they are. Also I don't agree with cutting him some slack just because he settled out of court. This is something rich guys always do when they are in the wrong. If it had been some punk kid on the twitter account I can guarantee that no amount of apologizing would make that go way.

[Johnson20]

34. Spike Lee is a pri*k

Oh excuse me a pri*k has a head!

[IcyPeas]

35. Pres Obama and Spike Lee... and sean hannity

the right wing are loving this because Spike Lee was a contributor to Pres Obama's presidential campaign. Therefore....

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/hannity-tells-president-obama-to-give-spike-lees-money-back-says-its-the-right-thing-to-do/