George Zimmerman's brother says George 'identifies with' Anne Frank, could be suffering from PTSD


A new profile of George Zimmerman's family in GQ showcases their paranoia, desire for a reality show, and the surprising historical figure that George admires.
Zimmerman's older brother, Robert, is prominently featured in the article, written by Amanda Robb. He discusses how the family used fake names, tore up their garbage, and moved from house to house while his brother was on trial for second-degree murder and manslaughter, after shooting and killing Trayvon Martin in 2012. They watched Argo to learn more about the CIA, and came up with a threat-ID system: Code Blue meant law enforcement was at the door, Code Brown was to draw your weapons, and Code Black signified coming out guns blazing.
Robert wanted to turn George into a reality TV star, and watched Keeping Up with the Kardashians for inspiration. He also thought about having George serve as the spokesman for a home security company called Z Security Products. "They're all targeted to women," he said. "One is to secure sliding doors. One is to put in the front door. The light is to carry and is designed by George. It has a little alarm — you know, 'Help me, help me!'" Perhaps the most personal revelation about Robert, who is gay, is that he spent a night out with a "female cable-news talking head" and the Navy Seal who allegedly shot Osama bin Laden; later he "began hooking up" with the pundit, "until his bracelet got caught in her hair."
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Robert believes his brother is suffering from PTSD, and George gets angry easily when they talk. Money is an issue — George owes $2.6 million in attorney fees, although he did make $100,000 for a painting of an American flag. His next portrait could be of Anne Frank, since, Robert says, George "identifies with her." Read the entire fascinating article at GQ.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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