With friends like these …
Casey Anthony, the young mother acquitted in 2011 in the death of her two-year-old daughter after a drawn-out and sensational trial, has come out of hiding to protest Donald Trump.
The woman sometimes referred to as “the most hated mom in America” — many people still hold her responsible for the death of her two year old daughter, Caylee — was caught on camera protesting outside Trump’s “Winter White House” this past weekend as part of the “March Mar-a-Lago” protest organized by an affiliate of the Women’s March.
It’s the first time many people have seen the reclusive 30-year old since her acquittal. The not guilty verdict was met with a national public outcry and dubbed the first ever trial to be conducted on social media.
Ever the friend to immigrants and people of color, Anthony notoriously blamed her daughter’s disappearance in 2008 on a non-existent Mexican woman named Zenaida Gonzalez, or “Zanny the Nanny”. Anthony’s attorney later admitted that Zenaida Gonzalez was a fictional creation. Following Anthony’ s acquittal, a real, flesh and blood woman named Zenaida Gonzalez sued Anthony for defamation–a lawsuit Anthony’s legal team claimed was money-grubbing. A judge threw out the suit in September, 2015.
Since her acquittal, Anthony dropped out of the public eye and was believed to have moved to Palm Beach, Florida, also the location of Mar a Lago. Eagle-eyed journalists from local news outlets like the Palm Beach Post and WPTV spotted Anthony in the crowd this weekend protesting outside Trump’s estate.
She even spoke to WPTV off-camera, although she declined to appear in a videotaped interview. Anthony said she was there to protest Trump’s policies, but didn’t specify exactly which ones she opposed.
The march itself was declared a success by organizers and police, who estimate that 3,000 peaceful protesters showed up with no arrests or violence. The protest group marched 2.4 miles from Trump Plaza in West Palm Beach to within 25 yards of Trump’s mansion.
Thank you to all that helped keep the peace. Final stats: estimated 3000 participants, 0 arrests, 1 peaceful night.
— Palm Beach Police (@PalmBeachPolice) February 5, 2017
Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.
