When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir

by Patrisse Cullors

A man who was not called a terrorist or put on a national database despite, before he murdered Trayvon, having committed actual violence. Before the killer’s trial begins, there are several things that we know: In July 2005, he was arrested for “resisting an officer with violence.” According to Jonathan Capehart, reporting for The Washington Post, the man who was allowed to carry a gun and become a neighborhood watch volunteer “got into a scuffle with cops who were questioning a friend for alleged underage drinking.” The Post continued: “The charges were reduced and then waived after he entered an alcohol education program.” In August 2005, the killer’s fiancée sought and received a restraining order against him because of his alleged violence against her. Over an eight-year period, the killer made more than 45 unsubstantiated calls to the Sanford, Florida, police department about people he termed as “suspicious black males.” The killer’s cousin had accused him of molesting her before the case made national news—meaning before any attention-seeking could have been her motive—and reported to the police, “I know George. And I know that he does not like black people.” She pleaded for anonymity, and she continued: “He would start something. He’s a very confrontational person. It’s in his blood. Let’s just say that. I don’t want this poor kid and his family to just be overlooked.” She begged police to ask around, to find out what kind of man this was.