Latest Caylee Anthony News; Protesters Continue To Terrorize Neighborhood

Author: Kaye
Published: September 19, 2008 at 10:38 am

DISCLAIMER: I don’t have a problem with legal, organized, peaceful protests. (Any of the people at the Anthony house applied for a permit?) I do have a major problem with jerks, hooligans, people looking to start a fight, trespassers, and people who take the law into their own hands. Yes, this includes the behavior of the Anthony family, who (I believe) have acted just as bad. I think the way they have handled this is nothing less than appalling. Just so we are clear. I am not on the Anthony’s “side”. I am as upset with them as anyone, that is why I keep writing these stories. I want to see justice for Caylee, but I want it within the law. When ordinary citizens start taking the law into their own hands they run the risk of compromising the investigation and due process. Welcome back my friends/To the show that never ends... This is the second time this week I've used that lyric to describe a circus-like atmosphere surrounding a case. I'm going to attempt an update of what has gone on since my last post on the subject. Well, the circus surrounding the Caylee Anthony case just keeps rolling along. Earlier in the week I discussed certain protesters who have succeeded only in making total and utter fools of themselves. It seems that it never stops, as another group of yobs paid the Anthonys a visit, throwing rocks and generally acting like mouthbreathing monosyllabic knuckle-dragging troglodytes:

Several 911 calls for help from Casey Anthony were released hours after aggressive protesters allegedly tossed rocks and pennies at her home and attacked her parents. "There are protesters still outside of our home," Casey Anthony initially told a 911 operator during a 1:30 a.m. call. It was the second call Thursday morning from the Anthony home concerning the protesters. "We already called about an hour and a half ago and it took officers 30 minutes to get here," Anthony said. "The protesters are now banging on our garage door and they've still been throwing things at our windows and our garage and now the media is here. My father is going outside and there is going to be a fight. So, please can you send people down here? There is now a physical altercation. You need to send vehicles immediately." "It is getting physical?" the 911 operator said. "Yes, it's getting physical right now," Anthony said. "You see them physically fighting?" the 911 operator said. "Yes, I see them physically fighting," Anthony said.

Interesting, how Casey wishes to use the police when it is to her advantage, yet won't tell the police anything remotely resembling the truth when it comes to Caylee. Plus, once again, it seems that youth are involved:

Some demonstrators are tourists or college students, but many are stay-at-home mothers from east Orange. Many leave their children at home. Others bring them and their spouses along. Almost all of them say they're fans of the Nancy Grace show on cable TV, where guests butt heads over the latest crime news. The show has focused on Caylee's disappearance since the news broke. Witnesses to Thursday's 1:30 a.m. melee gave differing accounts. Hecklers are accused of walking onto the Anthonys' property and banging on their garage door — taunting the family and rustling neighbors from their sleep. But Harris, who said she was there, said a youth who was not part of the demonstrations pounded on the door.

And once again, some people have made it a family affair, because the family that white trashes together...well, I don't want to continue with that:

Thursday morning, screaming protesters outside the Anthony home taunted the family at 1:30 in the morning and provoked a retired grandfather while Casey stayed inside and called 911. Eyewitness News tracked down some of the people to find out why they were taunting the Anthonys. Brian Bounds and his daughter Brooke were among the group that yelled at the Anthonys, threw rocks and coins at the house and beat on the garage door. But they defended their actions once George Anthony came outside. "He come out at us in the wrong way," said Brooke Bounds. "He come out with a bat, charging at us."

Well, no joke, you stupid idiot, you were throwing things at his house! If somebody was throwing stuff at my house in the middle of the night, I might come out with a bat too! Are people really this dense? What did they expect him to do, come out with a nice sponge cake and welcome them to the neighborhood? These sorts of people are, in my mind, no better than Casey, because neither cares for the well-being (emotionally or physically) of their child, but only for themselves.

Earlier in the week, the homeowners around the Anthony home lost a bid to have the protesters moved to an empty lot up the street; since Casey was re-arrested and once again bonded out of jail this week, the protesters have returned in force to the home where Casey is living with her parents. It has gotten so bad that the Guardian Angels have been called in to keep the peace, because there just are not enough police to do the job:

"Enough is enough," Guardian Angels Orlando Chaplain "Colorado" said. "When I saw the news of that girl grabbing Mr. Anthony's shirt and trying to pull him out and rocks being thrown against his house (and) people are punching his garage door — we all have rights. We are American citizens." Local 6 showed video of protesters trying to drag George Anthony (Caylee's grandfather) into the street during a confrontation. The incident is one of many reported at the home since Casey Anthony (Caylee's mother) was released from jail for the third time. Colorado said concerned citizens called for the Guardian Angels to stop the attacks in the neighborhood. "Everybody here, they work for a living," Colorado said. "They need to be able to come and go to sleep at night, and in a safe environment." Sheriff's deputies have been continually called to the Anthony home in Orange County but they are paid to patrol the entire county, the Local 6 report said. The Guardian Angels are volunteers. They said they will make citizen arrests if protests are not peaceful. "We will try to defuse a situation with no violence, but if we have to bring in the police, then we will bring in the police," Colorado said.

And you know what? He is ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. The neighbors had NOTHING to do with Casey, Cindy, George, Lee, Caylee, or any of the mess that is surrounding their lives right now. When people go home, they expect to be left alone and live in peace, not bothered by a bunch of hooligans wanting to take the law into their own hands. There are, I am sure, children in the neighborhood who have to do their homework and get up for school the next day, who would like to play in their yards and ride their bikes outside. There are undoubtedly working people who need a good night's sleep so they can get up and go to work in the morning. What did they do to deserve all this crap? But do the protesters think of that? Or are they too worried about inserting themselves into a story that is not about them to start with? Is it okay to terrorize the neighborhood because you want to make some sort of point and getcher pitchure on the news?

There are protesters who say they are trying to break down the family and/or Casey so that the truth will come out and the family will stop "protecting" Casey. So now, I guess, it is up to Joe Schmoe, Average Citizen, to interpret the law. Of course, regular people on the street totally know the intricacies of the law and how to handle cases like this. Instead of letting the police make their case (and hopefully not leave loopholes so Casey can go free on a technicality), it's a fabulous idea to just give the whole shebang over to the public. Why didn't we think of this sooner? Because, and it might be a news flash to certain people, we are NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE THE LAW INTO OUR OWN HANDS. And yes, that includes Cindy and George and their baseball bat. When they do stuff like this, they just make a bad situation worse. No matter how much we disagree with the Anthony family (and I do), no matter how much we think Casey's parents are deluded (and I believe they are), no matter how guilty we think Casey is (and I believe she is), no matter how annoying the protesters are (and they truly are), no matter how frustrating the whole thing is (and it is), we HAVE to let law enforcement handle it. Peacefully and lawfully protesting is one thing...taking the law into your own hands is another. However, I will say this...if somebody was outside my home acting like some of these people are doing, someone is going to be leaving in a police car, and it ain't gonna be me. Why aren't the police doing something about this? People will continue to act this way until they are cracked down on, and I have a feeling something bad is going to happen before the police finally stand up and do something. George and Cindy need to stay in their house and not egg on these people or somebody is going to get seriously hurt. Lawful and peaceful protests are one thing, and I am all for those. However, these protests seem to be neither. There is enough blame on BOTH sides to go around. It's called SELF-CONTROL, and unfortunately not enough people (including the Anthonys) practice it. People say they want to hold Casey Anthony responsible for her actions, they want to hold Cindy and George and Lee responsible for their actions, but who is going to hold the disruptive and violent protesters responsible for THEIR actions?

Also this week, the FBI flew out to California to question Leonard Padilla, the bounty hunter who first bailed Casey out of jail...you know, back when he believed her lies:

Padilla told WESH 2 news that Casey Anthony, Caylee’s mother, gave him a very different version of what happened to Caylee, and believes investigators are talking with him to firm up their case against her. The bounty hunter said Anthony told him that baby sitter Zenaida Gonzalez took Caylee from her at Blanchard Park in East Orange County and gave her a script of what to say to detectives. But Anthony told investigators she left the child with Gonzalez at Sawgrass apartments. Padilla said he predicts major charges against Anthony are likely on the way. “She's lying. It's not a secret she lies all the time but this specifically is two separate stories, two different times about the same supposed incident. It's probably neither one is the truth,” he said. “It's gone on long enough. She doesn't want to cooperate. Her attorney doesn't want to cooperate, therefore it's time to go for the big one. You don't need a body for murder charges, they've got enough circumstantial, forensic evidence, they can convict her easily.”

I dunno there, Lenny. Last time somebody alluded to a case being a slam-dunk, MJ walked out a courtroom after being declared not guilty (a far cry from innocent, for those of you keeping score at home). It is interesting, however, that Casey changed her story once she saw that her "Zanny the nanny" yarn wasn't exactly being believed. The neighbors around the Anthony home are going to try again to get the protests moved from in front of the Anthony house to down the street:

Karen Wonsetler, who represents the Chickasaw Oaks Phase Three homeowners association, today filed a motion to reconsider the injunction denied by an Orange County circuit court judge on Tuesday. According to the court document, protesters gathering in front of the Anthony's Hopespring Drive home have been given a written notice of the injunction hearing. Additionally, a copy of the hearing notice was posted on the association's property. Judge Reginald Whitehead denied the initial request for the injunction because the homeowners association did not give written notice to the protesters as required by Florida law. The homeowners association is asking the judge to order the protesters to move to a vacant lot at the end of Hopespring Drive — hundreds of feet north of George and Cindy Anthony's home. Dozens of protesters have been gathering outside the home since Casey Anthony returned home after her initial release from jail on Sept. 5.

And reports are that the police believe Casey may have made up the names of the so-called nanny and Casey's apparently fictitious friends:

Eyewitness News has learned Casey Anthony might have made up the name of Caylee's so-called nanny, Zenaida Gonzalez, from former classmates' names and the street name for a drug. Investigators are now looking into it because of Eyewitness News' questions. Casey Anthony said she used to call Zenaida Gonzalez "Zanny," which Eyewitness News found out is also the street name for the anti-anxiety drug Xanax. Eyewitness News has also learned that investigators have asked at least one of her friends questions about Casey and Xanax during a lie detector test. Eyewitness News has learned that Casey Anthony had apparently asked her ex-fiancé Jesse Grund about Xanax while they were instant-messaging during the time they were engaged. Grund was asked the questions when he was hooked up to a polygraph by the FBI. Xanax goes by the name "Zanny" on the street, which has some wondering if "Zanny the nanny" was a reference to the drug and not the nickname Casey says she used for the mysterious nanny, Zenaida Gonzalez. Eyewitness News has discovered that a girl named Zenaida was in Casey's homeroom at Colonial High School before Casey dropped out. She had a different last name, not Gonzalez, but there were seven students in her class whose last name is Gonzalez. The names Casey has made up as her friends who introduced her to Zenaida also show up in her Colonial High School classmates roster. She named a Raquel Ferrell, who investigators say does not exist, but there was a Raquel Rosa in her class. Casey also named Jennifer Rosa as a friend whom investigators can't find. She had a classmate named James Ferrell and the name Jennifer shows up close by. Investigators are now checking into it to find out whether it's more than just a series of coincidences.

Questions have been raised before about whether or not "Zanny the nanny" actually referred to Casey's possibly drugging Caylee with Xanax to make her sleepy and easier to handle while Casey went out partying (it it also a character in a children's book). To my mind, it's a bit of a stretch...after all, NyQuil or Benadryl works for that, and they are a lot easier to obtain. However, at this point anything is a possibility, and until Caylee's body is found (providing tests can be done on the remains) we just don't know.

You know, this might get me stoned in the comments, but at this point I almost feel sorry for Cindy and George (almost, not quite). Yes, I believe they are completely bamboozled by their lying wench of a daughter (allegedly), and I do believe that Cindy has shown some passive/aggressive tendencies towards Casey which would drive anyone nuts (just look at Cindy's scrubbed MySpace entry for that one), and I also believe that Cindy and George know things which they just can't admit to themselves. They aren't the perfect parents. But then, which of us are? Parenting doesn't come with a manual. Most of us don't set out to purposefully screw up our kids, but sometimes it happens. And yes, I do agree that their practices of going outside in the middle of the night to fix their signs and weed their yard, and their tendency to yell back at protesters who push their buttons, doesn't exactly make them sympathetic figures. Why complain about the treatment you're getting from idiots on the street when you're the one out there encouraging it? I also believe that the family dynamic here, even before Caylee went missing, left a lot to be desired. It has been theorized that Casey killed Caylee as revenge against her mother. Dysfunctional much? However...they don't know where their granddaughter is, and all signs point to her death, whether George and Cindy want to accept it or not. I'm sure they're in pain and in a state of confusion, just like any loving parent/grandparent would be if their child/grandchild was missing. Of course, that is precisely why so many are so angry at Casey, because she isn't showing even a modicum of the emotion for Caylee that her parents are. I understand that. But how would you act in this same situation? Hopefully none of us will ever have to find out, but I'm not sure there is a handbook for this sort of thing. I do think we all agree that, in spite of their obvious flaws, at least they are showing emotion concerning Caylee, whereas her mother just seems to be focused on herself. I am, however, still furious at Cindy's comments directed towards Tim Miller of EquuSearch...her attempt at smearing him just because he isn't searching as Cindy would like has backfired hugely. Nobody in this family has any right to criticize anyone trying to find Caylee, especially since Casey holds the key yet refuses to give up information.

I've said it before and I will say it again. If the protesters really care about Caylee, they'll stop protesting and throwing things and picking fights, because that just shows me that they would rather insert themselves into the story to get their jollies and their fifteen minutes than actually do any grunt work. They'll stop the useless, pointless protests and get their butts out there and look for Caylee. It seems that people have forgotten about this precious little angel in their feverish attempts to hassle the family; and the family themselves have managed to push Caylee out of the media spotlight in favor of their nightly tussles and sign-posting activities. There is plenty of blame to go around here. Please donate to EquuSearch, and go out there and find Caylee. After all, isn't she what this is all about?