Stand Your Ground: A white privilege hunting license
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In Florida, we see what the “stand your ground” law has become – a hunting license for the folks you don’t like. George Zimmerman deliberately pursued Trayvon Martin because he assumed the hoodie-clad teenager was a criminal. George Zimmerman deliberately pursued Trayvon Martin after being told to stay away by the police. George Zimmerman deliberately pursued Trayvon Martin, a teenager who was holding a bag of Skittles and a can of Arizona watermelon drink, while talking on the phone. George Zimmerman instigated the fight that led to Martin’s death. This was not “standing ones ground”, this was downright pursuit. Yet somehow the jury found that Zimmerman was justified in shooting Martin because he feared great bodily harm or death. The punchline is that as long as one gets scared, “stand your ground” means it is a legal free pass to go hunt people down and kill them. “Stand your ground” now means that instead of avoiding conflict, a white male person can go hunting. Continue Reading
