The sound of a single gun shot cut through the quiet, rainy evening and a lanky, black teen, Trayvon Martin, fell to the ground. The shooter was someone Mark and Sondra Osterman spoke with daily. He played Santa for their daughter, treated his wife with preciousness, often ate at their table, and shared their joys and sorrows. The Ostermans are George and Shellie Zimmermans best friends. They were the first people Shellie Zimmerman called on that tragic February night in Sanford, Florida. Because of serious death threats, the Ostermans took George and Shellie Zimmerman into their home, hiding them for nearly a month. With their own lives in danger, they offered protection and encouragement to their friend, because, he would have done the same. As the Ostermans and the rest of the country await news of George s trial for second degree murder, the couple wants the public to know the George Zimmerman they know; the kind, giving guy who had many black friends; the one doing his duty as a citizen, forced to retrieve his gun and use it because his life was in danger; the George Zimmerman who shed tears upon learning Trayvon had died at the scene. The shooting of Trayvon Martin has been called an American tragedy. Mark and Sondra Osterman believe it will be a greater tragedy if George is convicted for doing anything outside of defending his life on the night of February 26th, 2012. They pray daily that truth and justice prevail for their good friend, the most hated man in America.
