“Elderly couple abandons their home after address is posted on Twitter as that of George Zimmerman” read the headline of an article yesterday in the Orlando Sentinel. Spike Lee’s twitter account went into Radio Silence yesterday morning after it was revealed he mistakenly tweeted to over 247,000 twitter followers the address of an elderly Florida couple instead of George Zimmerman’s address, the man who shot Trayvon Martin. Mr. Lee’s tweet resulted in hate mail, strangers dropping by, and other disturbances that panicked the couple who then fled from their home for fear of their lives. It remains to be seen if Spike Lee will contact the couple to assist them financially with the costs associated with their having to abandon their home or at minimum publicly apologize to them for his putting their lives in danger.
The Hollywood Reporter was reporting last night that the “Elderly Couple at Address Spike Lee Tweeted Are Living in Fear” as some of Lee’s twitter followers tweeted, “Let’s turn up the heat on his bitch ass!!!” and “Get this mutha f#####!!” as the followers retweeted the elderly couple’s address after being misled by Spike Lee.
As some criticized George Zimmerman for going into hiding, Spike Lee apparently took a similar cowardly route. “A call placed to Lee's office in New York was answered by a man who said the film director was unavailable for comment.” Unbelievable!
Perhaps Spike Lee should rethink his silence and follow the title of his academy award nominated film and Do the Right Thing and stop inciting racial tensions that could result in potential violence to innocent individuals.
Mr. Lee we, and these old folks in Florida, await your apology.
This post was written by Gwilym McGrew.
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