William: Yes, sidewalks do go between houses. In that subdivision about 75% of the houses are on courts. There is sidewalks from each court to the next. Courts are beside and behind each other. So there is a minimum of three sidewalks in each court that goes between houses to the next court. Some courts have more than three sidewalks that go to other things like playgrounds, and connect with bike paths. This subdivision is up north of Orlando, just East of Interstate 4. My wife's cousin lives in another Gated Community near by. An old friend of mine from Anchorage now lives in the area as well, and has friends that live in Twin Lakes. I've only been to Twin Lakes once to attend a Party/Thanksgiving Dinner, and I was riding my Honda Motorcycle. The Guards at the gate refused to let me enter till the Occupant came to the gate and vouched for me in person. The Guard had let Larry in after checking his ID, but Larry was driving a Mercedes Benz SUV. The Guard would not take the word of the Occupant over the phone, they had to come to the gate and physically see me. I was told by the Guard that when it came time to leave, for me to ride straight to the gate. Not to take a tour of the Community. Guess that is what I get for wearing leather and a long white beard.
Background of the shooting
The Retreat at Twin Lakes, north entrance
The Retreat at Twin Lakes is a 260-unit gated townhome community in Sanford, Florida.
[80][81] The population in the development is about 49% non-Hispanic white, 23% Hispanic, 20% black, and 5% Asian, according to Census figures.
[50] Both George Zimmerman and Tracy Martin's fiancee were renting homes in the development when the shooting occurred.
[34] Also coincident with the shooting, Martin was staying with his father's fiancee at The Retreat while Martin served a 10-day suspension from
Michael M. Krop High School in Miami.
[82] From January 1, 2011 through February 26, 2012, police were called to The Retreat at Twin Lakes 402 times.
[50] During the 18 months preceding the February 26 shooting, Zimmerman called the non-emergency police line seven times. On five of those calls, Zimmerman reported suspicious looking men in the area, but never offered the men's race without first being asked by the dispatcher.
[83][84][85] Crimes committed at The Retreat in the year prior to Martin's death included eight burglaries, nine thefts, and one shooting.
[86] Twin Lakes residents said there were dozens of reports of attempted break-ins, which had created an atmosphere of fear in their neighborhood. In one case a woman with an infant hid in an upstairs room until the police arrived and scared away the intruders, who had already entered her home and disconnected the television.
[47] In September 2011, the Twin Lakes residents held an organizational meeting to create a neighborhood watch program. Zimmerman was selected by neighbors as the program's coordinator, according to Wendy Dorival,
Neighborhood Watch organizer for the
Sanford Police Department.
[5][87] Zimmerman "once caught a thief and an arrest was made...He helped solve a lot of crimes," said Cynthia Wibker, secretary of the homeowners association.
[50] Three weeks prior to the shooting, on February 2, 2012, Zimmerman called police to report a young man peering into the windows of an empty Twin Lakes home. Zimmerman was told a police car was on the way, and he followed protocol, awaiting their arrival. By the time police arrived, the suspect had fled. On February 6, 2012, workers witnessed two young black men lingering in the yard of a Twin Lakes resident around the same time her home was burglarized. A new laptop and some gold jewelry were stolen. The next day police discovered the stolen laptop in the backpack of a young black man, which led to his arrest. Zimmerman identified this young man as the same person he had spotted peering into windows on February 2.
[47] Zimmerman had been licensed to carry a firearm since November 2009. In response to Zimmerman's multiple reports regarding a loose
pit bull in the Twin Lakes neighborhood, a Seminole County Animal Services officer advised Zimmerman to "get a gun" rather than rely on pepper spray to fend off the pit bull, which on one occasion had cornered his wife.
[47] Although neighborhood watch volunteers are not encouraged to carry weapons, Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee acknowledged that Zimmerman had a constitutional right to carry his firearm on the night of the shooting.
