Zimmerman Family Calls Out Holder On New Black Panther's Bounty

The Justice Department under Attorney General Eric Holder has been working feverishly to make a federal civil rights case out of George Zimmerman's alleged self-defense killing of a 17-year-old African-American boy, Trayvon Martin, after the shooting became a flashpoint for racial unrest in the country. The family of George Zimmerman wants to know why Holder is not taking any action in response to the bounty the New Black Panther Party has placed on Zimmerman's life. The Daily Caller has obtained a letter the family wrote to Holder inquiring about his silence on the controversial group's threats against Zimmerman.

“I am writing you to ask you why, when the law of the land is crystal clear, is your office not arresting the New Black Panthers for hate crimes?” the family member wrote to Holder.

“The Zimmerman family is in hiding because of the threats that have been made against us, yet the DOJ has maintained an eerie silence on this matter. These threats are very public. If you haven’t been paying attention just do a Google search and you will find plenty. Since when can a group of people in the United States put a bounty on someone’s head, circulate Wanted posters publicly, and still be walking the streets?”

The New Black Panthers have issued ultimatums to the Sanford authorities, saying they want Zimmerman arrested “dead or alive.” They have placed a bounty on Zimmerman’s head, and have called for the building of an army of vigilantes to track him down and effect a citizen’s arrest.

Most recently, the New Black Panther Party has called for violence.

In a conference call recorded over the weekend, the militant group said it planned to “suit up and boot up” and prepare for the next stages of the “race war.”

So far, however, no members of the New Black Panther Party have faced legal consequences.

After citing the U.S. Department of Justice’s published definition of a “hate crime,” the Zimmerman family member wrote that there is “no other explanation” for Holder’s failure to authorize arrests of New Black Panther Party members, other than the fact that Holder himself is black.

“I would surmise that, based on your own definition of a hate crime, you have chosen not to arrest these individuals based solely on your race,” the family member wrote to Holder, insisting too that the was “NO racial component” to the “tragedy” that occurred on the late February night when Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin.

In a controversial move after taking over the Justice Department, Holder dismissed charges against several members of the New Black Panther Party who intimidated white voters in Philadelphia during the 2008 presidential election by brandishing batons and making intimidating comments to the voters outside polling places. The Justice Department had earlier won a default judgment when the charged New Black Panthers failed to appear in court. A former Justice Department attorney resigned his job in protest, calling Holder's move "racially motivated."