Thursday, August 1, 2013
Will Artists Boycott Florida Over Zimmerman Verdict?
I suppose the real question is: will they boycott Florida over the existence of the “Stand Your Ground” law. As for now, the answer is complicated. Conflicted reports have surfaced, but one thing is for sure, celebrities are reacting to the verdict in varying degrees of disgust. As a Florida resident who has been here for over thirty years, I can tell you: the law has been controversial since before Trayvon. There are dozens of instances where people have killed individuals they were engaged in “altercations” with and have either wound up leaving the scene without arrest, or have had charges dropped. Sadly, the law apparently disproportionately affects minorities. There is no duty to retreat, and if we take the Zimmerman case as setting any precedent, you can evidently pursue someone, engage in a fight with them, lose, and then shoot them. All you have to do is claim you were in fear of your life. Even with very limited eye-witness involvement, simply stating you were in fear of your life is sort of a golden ticket. Needless to say, some people are outraged. Others find it a welcome open door to protect themselves from thugs and would-be criminals — [...]
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment