Director Spike Lee issued an apology last night to a Florida couple who fled their home after he retweeted a message that erroneously listed their address as belonging to George Zimmerman.
“I Deeply Apologize To The McClain Family For Retweeting Their Address,” Lee tweeted. “It Was A Mistake. Please Leave The McClain’s In Peace. Justice In Court”
Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain who shot unarmed teen Trayvon Martin last month, lives more than 4 miles from David and Elaine McClain, aged 72 and 70, respectively. He is now reported to be in hiding.
The McClains moved to a hotel room after the retweets.
“We got out of the house. It is just too scary,” said Elaine McClain. “We’ve got to quit the hatred and the vengeance and start looking on the inside of people and quit looking on the outside of people. It is just sad the reactions that have been going on.”
She said her youngest son has the last name of Zimmerman and the middle name George.
Lee retweeted the erroneous address to his 240,000-plus followers last Friday. The original tweet, which was posted the same day by Marcus Davonne Higgins, a 33-year-old from Los Angeles (@Maccapone), was sent to several celebrities including Lee, 50 Cent, and LeBron James.
Higgins urged his social media followers to “REACH OUT & TOUCH” Zimmerman.
Lee’s tweet sparked anger among critics who said he was encouraging vigilante justice.
Related articles
- Spike Lee — Mea Culpa for Retweeting Innocent Couple’s Address in Trayvon Martin Tragedy (tmz.com)
- Spike Lee ‘Tweets’ Apology To Family After Erroneously Tweeting Address Purporting To Be Zimmerman’s (mediaite.com)
- Spike Lee apologizes for retweeting wrong address for George Zimmerman (thegrio.com)
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