Fla. governor refuses to revisit "stand your ground" law

[Jazzy]

Protesters who set up camp in the state Capitol building earlier this week finally got to meet with Gov. Rick Scott late Thursday, and they urged him to push for the repeal of Florida's "stand your ground" law and to take steps to combat racial profiling.

In a conference room near his office suite, Scott met for nearly an hour with seven leaders of the protest, which began Tuesday. They described their frustration about last weekend's acquittal of George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin and their own experiences of being racially profiled.

Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in the shooting death of Martin, who was unarmed. His attorneys argued that he shot Martin in self-defense, but the case sparked an outcry because Martin was black and Zimmerman identifies himself as Hispanic.

Saying the 17-year-old's death happened on Scott's watch, the protesters renewed their request that the Republican governor call state legislators into special session to repeal the law that justifies the use of deadly force when a person's life is in danger.

Scott listened intently and took copious notes on a yellow legal pad. But at the end of the meeting he told them directly that he supported keeping the "stand-your-ground" law intact and he would not call a special session.

Full article

Topic question: In your opinion, do you believe stand-your-ground law should be repealed? Why/why not?

 

[DrLeftover]

The US Attorney General has already said that you have the duty to run away from a criminal

“But we must examine laws that take this further by eliminating the common sense and age-old requirement that people who feel threatened have a duty to retreat, outside their home, if they can do so safely,”

http://www.mainjustice.com/2013/07/17/holder-denounces-stand-your-ground-laws-pledges-inquiry-in-florida-killing/


What that means is that if you defend yourself in any way, the government is going to second guess every second of the action to see if you could have fled.

In other words, you have the right to be a victim now, or later.

 

[DrLeftover]

Looks like you can be a victim "now"

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-bash-mobs-southern-california-20130719,0,1569435.story