The article that I read
is called “Who will survive in America” from MSMBC.com. The article discusses
the latest Michael Dunn verdict and the stand your grown law in Florida. The article
opens up discussing the conviction of the 47 year old Michael Dunn case of
shooting teenager Jordan Davis. Dunn’s charges on first degree murder were in a
deadlock and judge declared it a miss trial. The article writes about the frustration
people have with the verdict because they feel that another black teen was
killed by a white man by using the stand your ground law. The article goes into describing the case by
saying that Dunn was armed and he has shown aggression and hateful feeling
toward African Americans to his neighbor and it was documents that while in
jail he wrote hateful statements as well to his neighbor.
The author of the article
becomes interested in whether the Stand Your Ground Law is a law that is neutral
to all races. The author makes a point by pointing out how last summer there
was a similar case with George Zimmerman, another armed man who got into a tussle
with a African American teen and in the end the teen ended up dead and
Zimmerman found not guilty to the charge of second degree. The author makes another
point that both men had time and the right to retreat away from the situations
but decided to “stand their grown”. It seems that the stand your grown laws are
supposed to protect everyone, but only seem to protect certain people and the
author of the article says that the law is dangerous to everyone but it seems to
be used toward black males.
I feel that this is a
valid argument which talks about race in our country. From what I see, it seems
Stand Your Grown Law lets people get away with murder, which is insane. there
are law that are foolish, one women in Flordia shot a gun at the wall to stop
her boyfriend from beating her and she got 20 years in jail!! It was a big case
right after Zimmerman. Another problem I have with the law is that so far, every
person on trial for murder that uses this law gets because majority of the time
the jury doesn’t understand the law so the end up either saying the person is
not guilty or a lesser charge. This law seems like it has a revolving door that
moves in one direction which is saddling. The author said the law needs to add
things such as retreating policy that way less aggression can be enforced. This
law clearly has it flaws, but no is trying to fix them because I feel it’s not
white teens, or females, the elderly or children getting killed. Yes, I believe
if females from any race or ethnicity where the ones dying at the hands of this
law it would have been repealed or another democratic. The author makes a point in the article if our
country has progressed since lynching days. I feel we have most defiantly! I understand
that our country has race problems but so much has changed and gotten better. To
compare this to lynching is different, yes young black males are being killed
for pointless reasons but eggless these men are on trial and people speak up
against them. I feel our racism way to institutionalized which is what I feel
the author is coming from.
This was an important case, and you are raising some serious questions. I find it hard to comprehend how this person could have been convicted of "attempted murder" for firing and missing, but then found innocent of charges relating to the young man who was actually shot and killed. I believe this case, on the heels of the Trayvon Martin debacle, renders "Stand Your Ground" as a severely flawed law in need of reform. I don't have a problem with a law that protects a homeowner from killing to protect family or property - but this law seems very badly written, and now subject to racism and fear.
ReplyDeleteYou do a good job discussing how juries might not understand the nature of certain laws - or even what "reasonable doubt" means, etc. Consider the nature of power and its relationship to information and knowledge. It is the less-informed person who is more easily deceived; which is the basis for arguing in favor of a strong public education system, right?
You sound optimistic about the national attitude. What else might advocacy groups do to help continue this positive trend? Keep working!