CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina and the North Carolina Department of Justice filed a lawsuit Monday alleging that defendants Auto Fare Inc., Southeastern Auto Corp. and Zuhdi A. Saadeh — the owners and operators of two buy-here, pay-here used-car dealerships — violated the Equal Credit Opportunity Act by intentionally targeting African-American customers for the extension and servicing of installment sale contracts on unfair and predatory terms. The operations were also charged with violation the state’s Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
The complaint, which was filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, alleges the defendants engaged in a pattern or practice of “reverse redlining” by targeting African-American customers for installment sale contracts with inflated sales prices, down payments and interest rates without meaningfully assessing the customers’ credit. The complaint states that Saadeh, who operates Auto Fare and United Car Sales, used racial slurs to refer to African-Americans and made statements expressing his views that African-American customers have fewer credit options, making them more likely to accept the predatory terms of the contracts offered by the defendants.
The defendants’ practices resulted in higher rates of default and repossession than other subprime used-car dealers. The complaint also alleges that the defendants failed to provide customers with a reasonable notice of repossession; repossessed vehicles of customers who were not in default; failed to give customers refunds they were due; improperly seized customers’ personal property in repossessed vehicles; and used global positioning system devices to locate and repossess vehicles without informing customers that the dealership had installed these devices.
“Intentionally targeting African-Americans for contracts with predatory terms because of their race violates fair lending laws,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels for the Civil Rights Division. “By filing this lawsuit, the Justice Department is acting to ensure that subprime dealers in the auto industry provide credit in accordance with the law. The Justice Department will continue to ensure that people have equal access to credit, regardless of race.”
George Zimmerman, who has been in hiding since he was acquitted of murder in the death of Trayvon Martin, emerged to help rescue a family who was trapped in an overturned vehicle, police said today.
Zimmerman was one of two men who came to the aid of a family of four -- two parents and two children -- trapped inside a blue Ford Explorer SUV that had rolled over after traveling off the highway in Sanford, Fla. at approximately 5:45 p.m. Thursday, the Seminole County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
The crash occurred at the intersection of I-4 and route Route 46, police said. The crash site is less than a mile from where Zimmerman shot Martin.
By the time police arrived, two people - including Zimmerman - had already helped the family get out of the overturned car, the sheriff's office said. No one was reported to be injured.
Zimmerman was not a witness to the crash and left after speaking with the deputy, police said.
It's the first known sighting of Zimmerman since he left the courtroom following his acquittal last week on murder charges for the death of Martin. Zimmerman, 29, shot and killed Martin, 17, in Sanford, Fla., on Feb. 26, 2012. The jury determined that Zimmerman shot Martin in self-defense.
The acquittal prompted dozens of protests across the country this past weekend and his lawyers have said that Zimmerman has been the subject of death threats. His lawyers said Zimmerman has been wearing a bullet-proof vest when he ventures out in public.
Zimmerman's parents told ABC News' Barbara Walters they too have received death threats and have been unable to return to their home.
"We have had an enormous amount of death threats. George's legal counsel has had death threats, the police chief of Sanford, many people have had death threats," Zimmerman's father, Robert Zimmerman said."'Everyone with Georgie's DNA should be killed' -- just every kind of horrible thing you can imagine."
Meanwhile, a woman in Winter Park, Fla., has been on the receiving end of death threats meant for George Zimmerman ever since he was acquitted.
Lori Tankel told ABCNews.com that someone had incorrectly posted her cell phone number online thinking it was Zimmerman's. She said she started receiving threatening calls within an hour after the jury had reached a verdict on July 13.
"They were saying things like, 'Zimmerman? Is this George? We're going to get you, we're going to kill you,'" she said.
Her cell phone number is only one digit off from Zimmerman's, she said.
Tankel said she received at least 80 phone calls within one day of the jury's not guilty verdict. While the threats died down during the week, she said they ramped right back up again on Friday and continued through the weekend.
"Those phone calls were extremely malicious," she said. "I think at that point, they kind of knew it wasn't George Zimmerman's number, but they were still going to harass me."
Tankel said she initially reported the threatening calls to the the Seminole County Sheriff's Office, but was told to follow up with law enforcement in Orange County, Fla., where she lives, to file a report, she said.
But Tankel she said she won't be changing her number anytime soon.
"I'm a sales representative for several different horse-related companies, and I have five states in my territory," she said. "To change business cards and contact everybody, it's not that simple."
Fox Tried Seven Times to Get the Brother of Zimmerman to Criticize Obama (It Didn't Work)
Seven times, Fox News anchor Jamie Colby tried to get George Zimmerman's brother to criticize the president and his speech about Trayvon Martin. And seven times, he declined to do so.
Robert Zimmerman has earned a reputation for his outspoken interviews. After the verdict, for example, he went on CNN and suggested that Martin was looking to get a gun and grow marijuana. During the case, he was a font of unswerving on-air support.
So, when Fox spoke with him by phone shortly after the president's speech today, they likely expected something other than what they got. In question after question, Colby tried to elicit some combativeness, some critique of the speech. And in answer after answer, he didn't rise to the bait.
Zimmerman's take: It was good the president spoke, and what he said was important. He agreed with the president — he didn't even object to the government's on-going investigation of possible civil rights charges. But most of all, he agreed that kids needed mentors. He kept coming back to this, turning Colby's leading questions into ways of advocating for mentorship.
We walked through each of Colby's seven questions to Zimmerman, excerpting it and the response. No need to take our word for it; you can watch the full interaction for yourself. But we also did a quick bit of translation: What Colby asked almost always had a subtext aimed at heightening the tension between Zimmerman's family and the White House. It never worked.
1. Describe your emotional response to what the president said.
Colby: Were you surprised by the president's remarks?
Zimmerman: I think the president took his time with his remarks and it was about time they heard from him. ... I'm glad he spoke out today.
2. You really think the president should have spoken?
Colby: Why would you expect the American people to want to hear from the president, with everything else going on in the world, on this case?
Zimmerman: No matter what your opinion of the verdict is, there have to be things that bring us together. ... We have some kind of a game plan going forward for what's going to help youth, in particular, is what struck me about the president's speech. ... The president talked about encouraging African-American youth, but I would say also youth of all colors.
這一耳刮子, 甩得響亮!
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Fox Tried Seven Times to Get the Brother of Zimmerman to Criticize Obama (It Didn't Work)
3. Did the president insult your brother who — remember, viewers — had good traits?
Colby: Your brother did mentor minority teens as part of his work. The president also said one of the initiatives he'd like to see is training of law enforcement. Do you think he was talking about your brother?
Zimmerman: I'm not sure. ... I think mentoring all children of all colors is one of the ways we break the cycle ... sometimes the right encouragement and the right role models and sort of the right shoulder to lean on in very difficult times in life can prevent any kind of engagement with law enforcement or the criminal justice system whatsoever. ...
I'm not a person who has mentored children of any race or color. Perhaps I could do better in that regard.
4. Do you agree with the president's racial characterization?
Colby: One of the things the president said ... [if] Trayvon Martin would have been white and your brother not, that the outcome and the aftermath of this case white have been different. Is that part of the soul searching your brother is doing now?
Zimmerman: I don't know. ... We can speculate a lot about what would have been or could have been. ... There's youth in all different situations affected by poverty ... affected by having a lack of resources generally, even access to food that the first lady's been very positive force behind getting access to food and nutrition. ... I think it should be about promoting a colorblind America.
5. Wasn't the president being racist himself?
Colby: You're going a step further than the president did; he only talked about the African-American youth. ... [S]hould he have broadened it out to say that he would like us to soul search about all kids in America and the opportunities they may not be getting?
Zimmerman: I think the president was speaking off-the-cuff and I think he was very sincere in his remarks. ... No matter what any child's race is or creed or whatever political stripe they come from or we come from, it should be beyond politics to stand united in the sense we can organize ourselves to better address the needs of children. ... That person was George specifically, for African-Americans.
6. Does Obama only care about Trayvon's family? Isn't race playing a role?
Colby: (Interrupting) This is a very noble idea we can all reach out to the youth of America. ... I'm curious if your family has had any contact with the president or any from the White House or administration. Do you feel that the reaction to the verdict is divided among racial lines?
Zimmerman: We haven't had any contact from the president or the administration that I know of. But I think, you know, moving anything along racial lines is just a disservice to our country. ... [We should] do everything we can for children who are having difficulty. I really see eye-to-eye with the president on that.
7. Obama is still trying to go after your brother. Defend him. Tell us how you really feel. Speak clearly into the microphone.
Colby: The Department of Justice will look to see if civil rights charges can be filed, any other actions against your brother in this case. You've been fiercely defensive of your brother and outspoken as well. What's your message to the justice department about whether or not they should pursue any other action against your brother?Let's get it out there!
Zimmerman: I have defended my brother when he was a defendant. He is no longer a defendant. ... If the Justice Department is within their rights to investigate then they are within their rights to investigate. ... I'm not sure that necessarily an investigation is a bad thing. I'm a little bit concerned sometimes that our leaders are responding to pressure. ... I think the American people need to have some time to digest what really happened ... hopefully, the answer will be that we can all do more to support our youth throughout our communities.
值得慶幸的是，和世界上任何一個民族一樣，美國黑人中當然有優秀者、真正為黑人的前途負責任者。他們面對目前多個城市出現的黑人抗議示威，甚至砸毀店鋪等暴力行為，已經發出了強烈的批評聲音。 連激進的「美國全國有色人種協進會」（NAACP），它的前德州分部主席布萊德（C. L. Bryant）都痛斥夏普頓和傑西.傑克遜是「種族皮條客」（race hustlers），在馬丁被殺案上煽動種族對立，榨取個人資本。
Songwriters: BOWLING, ROGER DALE / WHEELER, BILLY ED
Ev'ryone considered him the coward of the county. He'd never stood one single time to prove the county wrong. His mama named him Tommy, the folks just called him yellow, But something always told me they were reading Tommy wrong.
He was only ten years old when his daddy died in prison. I looked after Tommy 'cause he was my brother's son. I still recall the final words my brother said to Tommy: "Son, my life is over, but yours is just begun.
Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done. Walk away from trouble if you can. Now it won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek. I hope you're old enough to understand: Son, you don't have to fight to be a man."
There's someone for ev'ryone and Tommy's love was Becky. In her arms he didn't have to prove he was a man. One day while he was workin' the Gatlin boys came callin'. They took turns at Becky.... n' there was three of them!
Tommy opened up the door and saw his Becky cryin'. The torn dress, the shattered look was more than he could stand. He reached above the fireplace and took down his daddy's picture. As his tears fell on his daddy's face, He heard these words again:
"Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done. Walk away from trouble if you can. Now it won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek. I hope you're old enough to understand: Son, you don't have to fight to be a man."
The Gatlin boys just laughed at him when he walked into the barroom. One of them got up and met him halfway 'cross the floor. When Tommy turned around they said, "Hey look! ol' yellow's leavin'." But you coulda heard a pin drop when Tommy stopped and locked The door.
Twenty years of crawlin' was bottled up inside him. He wasn't holdin' nothin' back; he let 'em have it all. When Tommy left the barroom not a Gatlin boy was standin'. He said, "This one's for Becky," as he watched the last one fall. And I heard him say,
"I promised you, Dad, not to do the things you done. I've walked away from trouble when I can. Now please don't think I'm weak, I didn't turn the other cheek, And Papa, I sure hope you understand: Sometimes you gotta fight when you're a man."
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Four of the jurors at the George Zimmerman trial distanced themselves late Tuesday from statements that another juror made in a televised interview.
The four jurors issued a brief statement on court stationary saying that the opinions expressed by Juror B37 to CNN's Anderson Cooper on Monday night are not representative of their views.
"The opinions of Juror B37, expressed on the Anderson Cooper show were her own, and not in any way representative of the jurors listed below," said the statement, signed by Jurors B51, B76, E6 and E40.
Juror B37 said the actions of Zimmerman and 17-year-old Trayvon Martin both led to the teenager's fatal shooting last year, but that Zimmerman didn't actually break the law.
The four other jurors said in their statement that Martin's death weighed on them.
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People gather during a rally organized by the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) coalition …
"Serving on this jury has been a highly emotional and physically draining experience for each of us," the statement said. "The death of a teenager weighed heavily on our hearts but in the end we did what the law required us to do."
They also made a request for privacy. The court has not released the names of the six-woman jury, which included five whites and one woman who appeared to reporters to be Hispanic.
The interview came two days after the jury acquitted Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watch volunteer, of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Martin in a gated community in Sanford, Fla. Martin was black, and Zimmerman identifies himself as Hispanic. Zimmerman was not arrested for 44 days, and the delay in charging him led to protests from those who believed race was a factor in the handling of the case.
While prosecutors accused Zimmerman of profiling Martin, Zimmerman maintained he acted in self-defense. He claimed Martin was slamming his head into the concrete sidewalk when he fired the gun.
In the CNN interview, Juror B37 said she didn't believe that Zimmerman followed Martin because of his race. She said Zimmerman made some mistakes, but that she believed Martin struck Zimmerman first and that the neighborhood watch volunteer had a right to defend himself.
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People march during a rally organized by the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) coalition t …
Juror B37 said the jurors were initially divided on Zimmerman's guilt, with three jurors believing he was guilty of either manslaughter or second-degree murder, but that the jury agreed to acquit the 29-year-old Zimmerman after more closely reviewing the law.
In a part of the interview that aired Tuesday, Juror B37 said it wouldn't have made much difference if Zimmerman had testified at trial since she believes he would have gave the same story he gave investigators in videotaped police interviews that were played at the trial.
Juror B37 said at one point it appeared they might be heading to a hung jury as another juror wanted to leave. The other jurors convinced her to stay.
Juror B37 said a block of concrete that defense attorney Mark O'Mara placed in front of jurors during closing arguments made an impression, as did photos of Zimmerman's bloodied head. She also believed Martin's actions contributed to his death.
"I think George got in a little bit too deep, which he shouldn't have been there, but Trayvon decided that he wasn't going to let him scare him and get the one-over, up on him or something," she said. "I think Trayvon got mad and attacked him. "
By not walking away from the confrontation, the juror said of Martin, "I believe he played a huge role in his death."
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Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mikeschneiderap
Attorney General Eric Holder declared on Monday that he shares the worries of those concerned about Travyon Martin’s “tragic, unnecessary shooting death” and the court case that resulted in George Zimmerman’s acquittal.
Speaking to the Delta Sigma Theta sorority’s national convention, Holder said “the Deltas are deeply, and rightly, concerned about this case.”
“The Justice Department shares your concern – I share your concern – and, as we first acknowledged last spring, we have opened an investigation into the matter,” he said, referring to a process that could lead the department to file federal civil rights charges against Zimmerman.
At the White House, press secretary Jay Carney said it would be “inappropriate” for President Barack Obama to weigh in on that process.
“Cases are brought on the merits, and the merits are evaluated by the professionals at the Department of Justice,” Carney told reporters at his daily briefing.
“Independent of the legal determination that will be made,” Holder said, the country must “speak honestly about the complicated and emotionally-charged issues that this case has raised.”
“I hope that we will approach this necessarily difficult dialogue with the same dignity that those who have lost the most, Trayvon’s parents, have demonstrated throughout the last year – and especially over the past few days,” Holder said. “They suffered a pain that no parent should have to endure – and one that I, as a father, cannot begin to conceive.”
The Justice Department “will continue to act in a manner that is consistent with the facts and the law,” the attorney general said. “We are committed to standing with the people of Sanford, with the individuals and families affected by this incident, and with our state and local partners in order to alleviate tensions, address community concerns, and promote healing.”
And Holder underlined that his department was “resolved, as you are, to combat violence involving or directed at young people, to prevent future tragedies and to deal with the underlying attitudes, mistaken beliefs and stereotypes that serve as the basis for these too common incidents.
“And we will never stop working to ensure that – in every case, in every circumstance, and in every community – justice must be done.”
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