How Twitter Killed Zimmerman Trial Juror B37’s Book Deal
And you thought Twitter was just for live-tweeting #Sharknado.
News came out yesterday that Juror B37 in the George Zimmerman trial had signed a book deal to justify why the jury had no choice but to find Zimmerman not guilty of 2nd Degree Murder and Manslaughter for shooting and killing Trayvon Martin. The news caused predictable shockwaves of outrage, but Twitter user @MoreAndAgain used the power of the Internet to keep the book from happening.
@MoreaAndAgain, like many people, seemed outraged by the verdict in the trial, and that one of the jurors was seemingly so quick to try to turn a profit from the death of Trayvon Martin. There was nothing to be done about the verdict, but the book could still be stopped.
So @MoreandAgain started tweeting, trying to find information about the publisher:
We just gotta find out her name and the publisher. But, we can stop that book.
— Cocky McSwagsalot (@MoreAndAgain) July 16, 2013
The literary agent for juror B37 is Martin Literary Management. @miss_hellion @MF_Greatest @LoveMySkip — Cocky McSwagsalot (@MoreAndAgain) July 16, 2013
Only thing I can think to do is flood Sharlene Martin’s phone, email, and snail mail, w/ requests that she drop juror B37. That sound good? — Cocky McSwagsalot (@MoreAndAgain) July 16, 2013
@MoreAndAgain posted all the contact information she could find about the agent, and also started a Change.org petition:
FOUND HER TWITTER!!! @sharlenemartin is the literary agent for juror B37. — Cocky McSwagsalot (@MoreAndAgain) July 16, 2013
Do you want to stop juror B37’s book? Sign the petition http://t.co/tIuA4jQTIL Contact the agent http://t.co/8Clkq77gua — Cocky McSwagsalot (@MoreAndAgain) July 16, 2013
Hey, @sharlenemartin, please drop juror B37. Do not help the person who let a murderer get away profit from this tragedy. — Cocky McSwagsalot (@MoreAndAgain) July 16, 2013
This is only the beginning. I, personally, won’t ease up until you are no longer the literary agent for B37. @sharlenemartin — Cocky McSwagsalot (@MoreAndAgain) July 16, 2013
The private message that I just received from Sharlene Martin via Change[dot]org reads as follows (wait for it): — Cocky McSwagsalot (@MoreAndAgain) July 16, 2013
“I appreciate your passion for the death of Travyon Martin. Stand by for a message shortly. I grieve his death as well.” – Sharlene Martin — Cocky McSwagsalot (@MoreAndAgain) July 16, 2013
It worked. Martin later tweeted:
After careful consideration of the book project with Zimmerman #JurorB37, I have decided to rescind my offer of representation.
— sharlene martin (@sharlenemartin) July 16, 2013
Not only did this campaign convince Martin not to represent “B37”, but the juror released this statement as well, saying she won’t be writing the book at all:
A statement from #JurorB37. pic.twitter.com/3MRrqB50vb
— sharlene martin (@sharlenemartin) July 16, 2013
Don’t ever say nothing gets accomplished on Twitter. You can read all the tweets @MoreAndAgain deemed relevant to her takedown of this book on the Storify page she created for it.
(via Mediate, @MoreAndAgain, and Storify)
- The defense tried to submit a motion-capture animated recreation as evidence
- Dragon*Con finally cut ties with Edward Kramer
- Snowden can stay in Russia if he knocks it off with all this leaking secret business
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