Zimmerman Defense Fund To Meet First Month's Goal
When we relaunched this GZDefenseFund.com website, we declared a fundraising goal of $30,000 per month, and we envisioned we'd be defending this case for at least the next 6 months. $30,000 per month is barely enough to defend the case the way we need to, but it is also more than we realistically hoped we could raise. Nonetheless, in the 3 weeks since we renewed our call for support for George's defense, we have raised almost $28,000. The majority of these funds remain unspent, and have been held in reserve to pay for necessary experts.
This money means a number of things for the defense:
It Gives Us Hope
Your donations have let us know we are not alone in our belief that George is innocent and deserves a fair trial. We get a lot of hate mail, and there are a number of forces aligned against us in our pursuit of justice for George, and it is at times disheartening. The fact that many people are willing to donate generously to George's defense gives us inspiration. You have our gratitude, and we want you to know we could not do this without your support.
It Rallies Others to Our Aid
Because, in part, of our success raising funds over the last 3 weeks, we have been able to secure the commitment of experts who are willing to work at reduced fees, and, in some cases, who are willing to defer their fees. We have many more experts to secure before the Court's March 27th deadline, but your strong support has allowed us to make progress faster than we could have imagined.
It Keeps Us Afloat
Both Mark and Don have made personal and financial sacrifices to defend this case, and a number of interns and staffers have done so as well. We are all used to doing lots of work without many resources. We consider the donations, which cover the modest costs required to help us keep the day-to-day operation functioning, a Godsend.
It Helps George
George has worked to cut his personal expenses to a minimum, and your donations are allowing him and Shellie get by during an enormously difficult time. George, again, extends his thanks to you.
When we set our goal of raising $30,000 per month for 6 months, we were hoping the Court would grant us at least a couple extra months to prepare our defense. Unfortunately, the Court denied our request for more time, and we're currently on a firm track to begin a Self-Defense Immunity Hearing on April 22, and if we do not win immunity, a trial on June 10, 2013. This fast-track scenario is causing us to consider unconventional maneuvers such as the idea of combining the Immunity Hearing with the trial. We are, however, undaunted, and we will continue to fight to provide George with the best defense possible.
This next month is critical. To meet the Court's schedule, we must have all our experts lined up by March 27th. The Court has made it clear that there will be no adjustments to the trial schedule based upon either side's inability to meet this timeline. While we have been able to get some experts to defer payment, possibly until after trial, their decision to do so is made easier by our ability to raise funds. That means the next four weeks will be the most important fundraising month of any month yet or yet to come. Because of these realities, every dollar donated will be multiplied threefold in regard to its ability to allow us to secure the resources we need.