it's one of many new developments. late word that authorities in a nearby county arrested a man who they say e-mailed a death threat to sanford police chief bill lee. chief lee, you'll recall, stepped aside temporarily yesterday. to date man who fire him but hasn't, city manager nort an bonapart spoke about the force that chief lee runs. any trust that may have existed in the police department is gone and that for african-americans in sanford, florida, it was always shaky to begin w. >> let's be very clear. chief lee has been the chief of the sanford police department for ten months. the issues brought to my attention regarding the black community and the sanford police department go back many, many, many years. >> we've been looking into the reasons why that is including the brutal beating of an african-american homeless man in which police initially let the assailant, the son of a sanford police lieutenant, go free. that beating led to the early departure of the last police chief but it's not the only stain on the department. we'll detail that incident and others shortly. you're also going to hear from sanford's mayor, jeff triplette who casts a no confidence vote on the current police chief. president obama who hasn't spoken publicly until now broke his silence today. >> but my main message is to the parents of trayvon martin. if i had a son, he'd look like trayvon. and, you know, i think they are right to expect that all of us as americans are going to take this with the seriousness that it deserves and that we're going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened. >> mitt romney called it a tragedy. rick son toantorum say his acti look different to him than the stand your ground law and he was clearly overreaching in his neighborhood watch duties. zimmerman had no authorization, his words, to shoot trayvon martin. meantime, the protests go on across the country. that miami high school, students walked out, marched to the football field and spelled out trayvon martin's initials for all to see. we got a lot to cover on this case tonight. we begin with the breaking news and the attorney for george zimmerman. i spoke to him moments ago. >> how is your client doing? >> i think he's doing all right. he is under a considerable bit of stress as a result of all the things that transpired in the last few weeks. >> where is george zimmerman now? >> i don't know. my conversations have been on the telephone. i don't know his exact location. i believe he is in the area. >> you believe he's still in the united states? >> oh, yes. >> there had been some indication that maybe he was in peru or a report he's in peru. that's not true? >> no, that's not true. >> what has he told you about the night he shot trayvon mart snin. >> i believe he made -- he should have made a statement to the police at that time. i have not discussed the evening of what occurred at that time. i think that will come out through the investigation process. >> you haven't discussed the details of that night with him? >> no. >> why? >> even if i had, that would be attorney-client privilege and i wouldn't be able to disclose that tonight. but at this point there is an investigation going on. and i advised had toim cooperate with that investigation. and as far as what did or didn't happen that night, i think there have been interviews with different witnesses and so on to suffice the answer to that question for you. >> 911 tapes have been released. do you know -- has your client heard the 911 tapes? >> other than what's being played on television? >> or has he heard what is being played on television? >> i don't know. i don't believe he heard what is being heard on television nor have i. >> okay. you have not heard them. there are some people who believe that your client may have uttered a racial slur. some heard the 911 tapes. they believe they may have heard that muttered under his breath. has he made any indication to you about whether or not he did utter a racial slur? >> i don't believe he did utter a racial slur. i asked if he uses racial slurs. he denied that. and as well as -- he's been involved in a mentorship program. he actually mentored two african-american -- he was a mentor to african-american boy age of 14 and his wife was a mentor to the 13-year-old girl from, you know, via their parents. and in this -- i talked with the mother of the two children. she indicated -- i asked her, you know, did he make comments to you that indicated he was a racist? and she said, no. and she is african-american. and for the things he's done, you know, as far as taking the children to the mall, you know, he took them to the mall, took them to the science center. did the kind of outings to help, you know, to help the children have time out to be a friend to them. i don't believe that's the indication of a person that is a racist to do that. >> has he given you any indication why he found trayvon martin suspicious? >> no. >> because on the 911 tapes, he says these a-holes, they always get away. he also seemed to indicate he believed that perhaps trayvon martin was high or on drugs. >> i don't know. what is your question on that? >> again, he seemed to indicate on those 911 tapes that he found trayvon martin suspicious based on something he saw. i'm wondering if he gave you any indication or if you have any sense of why he may have found trayvon martin suspicious. >> again, i haven't listened to that 911 tape. i haven't discussed that with him either. >> you said your client had injuries. there had been reports that he had a bloody nose and there was blood on the back of his head, grass stains on his back. what can you say what injuries if any he had? >> i believe that -- his nose was broken. he sustained injury to his nose. and on the back of his head, he sustained a cut that was serious enough that probably should have had stitches. there was a delay him getting to the emergency room so they -- by the time they got there, got to the doctor, there was an option not to stitch it up because it already started healing is my understanding. >> so reports indicated that the police didn't give him a drug test or didn't test for alcohol in your client. to your knowledge, was your client drinking or using drugs the night he shot trayvon martin? >> to my knowledge, he was not. i don't know whether -- what the results of any police report were. i haven't seen them. i don't know that they've been released. >> did he indicate to you at all about how his nose got broken or his nose got hurt or the back of his head got cut? >> well, it was an injury done by trayvon martin. >> do you know if it was during a tussle? does he describe at all how that injury occurred? >> i have not discussed with him the incident of that night other than the injury he sustained were from trayvon martin. i assume he hit him in the face and caused him to fall back and hit his head. i don't know how all the -- how it all came down. that is not something i discussed. i would not. that would be at this point attorney-client privilege and i wouldn't disclose. >> is there anything else you want people to know? >> just to -- let's look at the facts of what happened and i'm not -- i really think there are other issues and it's not an issue of racist. >> the ultimate issue is that there was some kind of scuffle took place and there was a gun discharged and now there is a young man dead. so the issue is whether it was -- whether it will be -- the ultimate issue is was it self-defense in his case? and that's what all the evidence will hopefully lead us -- lead a jury to discover or, you know, is going to a grand jury was what can be proved beyond a reasonable doubt occurred that evening. >> and your client is standing by saying this was absolutely self-defense? >> yes. >> i appreciate your time tonight. thank you very much. >> all right. thank you. bye-bye. >> i also asked the attorney if his client george zimmerman has a message for the martin family and he says no, not at this time. i want to get quick reaction to the interview from our own lawyers, jeffrey toobin joins us now by phone. jeffrey, he obviously wasn't saying a lot. he says he's represented george zimmerman for two to three weeks now. does it surprise you that he hasn't asked his client at all about what happened? he also says he hasn't been present for any interviews or discussions his client has had with police in all that time. >> well, that is certainly very surprising, particularly that he doesn't -- hasn't spoken to his client about what happened. although, he seemed to waffle somewhat in part by saying he had not spoken to him and then he said well if i spoke to him, it would be covered by attorney-client privilege. so he is not putting forward a story of what happened. he's not under obligation. we're not law enforcement. but if you want to talk to the public, you would think he would have some description of what actually happened that night other than to say it was for self-defense. >> he also said that he thinks it would boil down to a self-defense argument, not necessarily stand your ground he said in a previous interview. he said stand your ground is for people defending themselves in a home. did that surprise you? >> well, i think, you know, he's probably being wise not to commit himself too specifically to a defense at this point. after all, his client is in charge. the grand jury is just meeting and as we have all been discussing for the past week, he may never be charged. sow doesn't have to commit to a defense. but this is a case, obviously, of great interest to the public. and the question that everybody is asking is how could a 17-year-old boy be shot dead on the street and what were the circumstances that led to it? we don't know a lot more than we did, unfortunately, you know, before he started talking publicly. >> does it surprise that you the attorney said he himself has not listened to the 911 tapes? i think most people in america heard the 911 tapes. >> that's true. i think in fairness, he is trying to keep his options open, not committing to one defense or another. but if you want to talk publicly about the case, you should at least know as much as a generally informed media consume woehr know. we heard the tape many times, it's surprising that he hasn't. >> is there anything legally that a lawyer would advice his client not to send a message to the family of trayvon mart snin is there any legal reason why an attorney would tell his client, look, don't say you're sorry or don't say, you know, i'm sorry for your loss or anything like that? >> i think -- frankly, i am sympathetic to his silence on that issue. nothing he's going to say is going to make the parents of this poor kid feel any better. and if the time comes at the legal proceeding is over, he may try to reach out. but at this point, i actually am somewhat sympathetic to say nothing. the risk of saying something wrong exceeds the benefit of any sort of expression of sympathy. >> jeff toobin, appreciate you calling in. joining me now is the martin family attorney, natalie jackson. miss jackson, you heard george zimmerman's attorney speaking. do you have any comments on anything he had to say? >> no. i really don't. george zimmerman, he's entitled by our legal system to have a lawyer. and, you know, that's perfectly fine with us. there has not been an arrest in this case. so we want an arrest. and we want an arrest -- there should have been an arrest that night. >> do trayvon martin's family, do his parents have any message for george zimmerman? >> no. they don't really have a message for george zimmerman. they have a message that they want an arrest. they believe that george zimmerman did something wrong and illegal when he killed their son, their innocent son, trayvon. >> can you tell us anything about the meeting that occurred between the justice department and trayvon martin's parents yesterday? >> they are going to look at this into a hate crime. the standard is very, very high. they have to look at his actions and intent. >> if, in fact, did he utter a racial slur on that 911 tape, we've had played that tape multiple times and let viewers make up their own mind about whether or not they think they heard a racial slur, if he did utter a racial slur, would that be -- our legal analyst says that will be a big part of permitting the federal government to bring some sort of hate crime charges. is that your opinion as well? do you believe there was a racial slur on that tape? >> yes. that's my opinion that if there was. we listened to the tape. we still, you know, we don't know. that's up to the jury to decide whether or not there was a racial slur. there are people that think they hear it. there are people that think they don't. so, you know, really ultimately up to a jury. and that's why there must be an arrest in this case so this case can get to a jury. >> the grand jury is not scheduled to convene until april 10th. they don't want any delay in the time line. >> i know trayvon's parents want to see the sanford police chief permanently removed, not just temporarily stepping aside. beyond that, are they confident right now the investigation by state and federal authorities will be done appropriately? >> they are cautiously optimistic. they've been told a lot of things before. this is a case where, you know, we're optimistic by your words but really your actions speak louder than words. they want to see an arrest in this case. the police chief has no say in this case anymorement it. it's up to the state now. >> natalie jackson, i appreciate you joining us. thank you. >> thank you. >> as always, much more on the story at cnn.com. we're continuing to cover it on this program right now. let us know what you think. we're on facebook, obviously. follow me on twitter. i'll be tweeting tonight. let me know what you thought about the interview the various attorneys. there is more to the story tonight including the brutal beating and other incidents that broke faith between the sanford police department and many of the african-american community they're supposed to be protecting in sanford, florida. we'll tell you about that. also sanford's mayor who was elected to improve his city's image, i interview him ahead. [ male announcer ] it's simple physics... a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. and celebrex is not a narcotic. when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor need to balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen, and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, including celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. do not take celebrex if you've had an asthma attack, hives, or other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion. at the top of the program, you heard sanford city manager talk about the loss of trust in a sanford police department and for many the lack of it to begin with. tom foreman has the evidence on that. >> you're looking at a youtube video that caused a sensation in sanford, florida in, late 2010, long before the trayvon martin shooting. it shows a young white man punching a black man in the back of the head outside a bar, sending him to the hospital. and, yet, police made no move to arrest the assailant for weeks until well after the video had sparked a public cry for action. why? many in the city's minority communities believe it was because that young man, justin collison was the son of a police officer. elater paid medical bills for the wounded man and ended up with a year's probation. but that did little to ease tension, especially in the african-american community. the naacp is right now collecting allegations of such incidents, beatings, intimidation and worse. few appear to be corroborated at this point but they clearly resonate with at least part of the community. >> we've heard stories with regards to this department of case after case where black men have been killed or attacked and people have walked free even though those black men were not armed. >> many young people have been shot and killed. some by policemen and when they investigate, then they don't ever get back with the parents. and it's nothing. it's not due process. it's just in justice to the city. >> reporter: in 2005, an african-american teen was shot and killed as he drove away from two security guards with ties to the sanford police department. they fired in self-defense. they were arrested after several months. the shooter charged with manslaughter. they were eventually clear of the charges. the city has made changes to the police department specifically for that purpose and some local folks admit they have seen some progress. indeed, the current police chief came on the job less than a year ago with a mandate to improve relations with the minority community in the wake of the collison attack. still, events suggest there is a long way to go. tom foreman, cnn, washington. now sanford's mayor jeff triplet triplette, here's what they wrote about him to the day a year ago. sanford's new mayor, jeff triplette, wants to change the perception of the city and instead of the city being thought of as a crime ridden or run by good old boys, people want to see sanford as a historical city promise. damage control comes first. i spoke to mayor triplet earlier to night. >> first of all, what do you say tonight to the parents of trayvon martin who still are asking why their son's killer haents be hasn't been arrested? >> the only -- what i can say right now is that i truly feel in my heart that i've taken every step possible from the point in time that i became aware of it to get answers, you know, to go to the department of justice, to ask the fdle to get involved, the things that happened since that point in time with the special prosecutor and the investigation process that we're going through. i can't change the things of the past. i can't -- i can't take away what has transpired. but all i can say is that i'm going down the path and doing everything within my power to find out what truly happened. >> you entered a vote of no confidence and your police chief on wednesday night, bill lee, he stepped aside. but only temporarily making a point of saying he stood by the investigation that his department conducted. the parents of trayvon say that he should be permanently removed. what is your response to that? >> i completely understand that sentiment. i have not truly hasn't had the opportunity to sit down with mr. bonapark today. we have gone in different directions. >> that is the city manager. >> i plan on talking with him -- that's the city manager, yes, sir, sorry. >> to find out exactly what their thoughts are, what the thought proc