Trayvon Martin Redux: Florida Man Claims Stand Your Ground in Teen Killing

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On February 26, 2012, George Zimmerman, a self appointed neighborhood watchman, and Trayvon Martin, a black teenager, were destined to meet under less than positive circumstances.  This meeting would cost the teen his life, and land Zimmerman in jail, much to the consternation of a divided nation.  Yesterday a man shot and killed a teenager and is now contemplating applying the controversial stand your ground law in his defense.

The man accused of killing an unarmed teen after an argument over loud music in a parking lot may invoke Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, his lawyer says. But “there are no comparisons to the Trayvon Martin situation,” where the same defense was used, she adds, according to CNN. Michael Dunn is “not a vigilante,” and he feels “devastated and horrified” by the death of Jordan Davis, 17, she says. She claims Dunn, 45—who had earlier attended his son’s wedding and had stopped for a bottle of wine before going back to his hotel with his girlfriend—was defending himself because he heard “epithets that were extraordinarily threatening to him” from the car and saw a shotgun; police say no gun was found in the car, but Dunn’s lawyer says “they may not have looked hard enough,” WJXTreports.

Dunn “knows a shotgun when he sees one because he got his first gun as a gift from his grandparents when he was in third grade,” she adds, describing the encounter thusly: ” He sees … a shotgun coming up over the rim of the SUV, which is up higher than his Jetta, and all he sees are heavily tinted front windows that are up and the back windows that are down, and the car has at least four black men in it.” As for why Dunn and his girlfriend returned home even after hearing about the teen’s death the next morning, he was “concerned with leaving the area because he didn’t know if these gang members, what they were, who. He’s in a strange town. He doesn’t know if they’re on their cellphones saying, ‘Hey, come back and get this guy in the Jetta,'” she says. Davis’ father says he was not a gang member.

Florida’s stand your ground law has come under much scrutiny since the death of Trayvon Martin, but despite convening various committees to make recommendations the law is intact.  What are we to think about this?  Should the law be modified, or removed from the books completely?

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Professor Mike

Professor Mike is a left-leaning, dog loving, political junkie. He has written dozens of articles for Substack, Medium, Simily, and Tribel. Professor Mike has been published at Smerconish.com, among others. He is a strong proponent of the environment, and a passionate protector of animals. In addition he is a fierce anti-Trumper. Take a moment and share his work.
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Mike R.
11 years ago

You fail to remember that fear can be experienced by turning on a light switch after stepping from the shower, or putting that fork in the toaster to retrieve that pesky piece of bread that just won’t pop up. We can’t assume the man who pulled the trigger of the gun wasn’t afraid. In Florida that’s all you need to justify using deadly force.

Glenn Geist
Reply to  Mike R.
9 years ago

Well it’s time to revisit that erroneous statement. Fear does not give you justification, the SYG legislation protects the guy in the car, not the guy standing outside and finally the guy was found guilty and sentenced to life without parole.

Let’s be careful of confusing biased predictions with truth.

Jess
11 years ago

Keeryst. When is this shit going to stop. How can this guy possibly claim stand your ground in a sane universe. Another young teenager, taken by an idiot who will never see prom his kids or his potential. I wish I had enough land I could fence up and donate to morons like this, so they could live there and not be bothered by anyone but themselves. Matter of time and they would be wiped out.

Jess
Reply to  Professor Mike
11 years ago

AYUP, some days it just is not worth getting up in the morning to be part of this world. It’s why I keep saying I prefer the company of my four legged friends to the human species. We are just a destructive force for no good reason, other than we can be.

Bill Formby
11 years ago

I am confused here. Where in the account above was the young man (Black or White) committing a crime? This is a “I saw a gun but where is the gun” issue. The police didn’t find a shotgun? Yeah, I believe that as much as I believe in fairy godmothers. He was “devastated” but he left town and went home. This case smells of a guy who is one those people who carries a gun because he is afraid of his own shadow and he saw it, then shot it.

Zoinks72
11 years ago

People have the right to defend themselfes from people who are going to hurt them, and Zimmermen did that and this guy as well did that. Its in the constiuttion.

Reply to  Zoinks72
11 years ago

It’s in the constitution that both Zimmerman and Dunn were defending themselves? I am amazed! I’ll have to read my copy again because I don’t remember either of their names appearing nor anything about “stand your ground.”

Reply to  Professor Mike
11 years ago

What about “Stand your ground?” Or anything about defending oneself?

Jess
Reply to  Professor Mike
11 years ago

Unaware is a kindness you are extending to him because you are a nice guy Mike.

Jess
Reply to  Professor Mike
11 years ago

Well, I’m not James but since you are a tribal elder I will let you get away with this error 🙂

AnonymousNot
11 years ago

Why do some folk automatically assume prejudice? The blacks need to come to terms with the fact that more crimes are committed by people of color, despite being a minority. Simply because a black man is shot during the commission of a crime doesn’t mean he was shot because of being black. He was shot because he was committing a crime, or trying to do so. I’m not saying that happened here, just making a rather broad statement at the constant barrage of “he’s dead because he’s black” observations.

Reply to  AnonymousNot
11 years ago

It’s also an interesting statistic that most crimes committed by blacks are committed against other blacks.

The same goes for Hispanics and Caucasians, too. I’m not sure about Asians, but the same might hold to be true. It might make an interesting sociological study. It this simply because of proximity or are there some other factors?

Reply to  James Smith
11 years ago

Posted on You know, Jeff, I read Matt’s piece two months ago and I *still* have to ressit the urge to sign every email I send to him with that little bon mot.And thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Your piece was great as well!(Thanks for noticin’ me!)

11 years ago

I’ll be okay widdit the day a black kid using it is acquitted for killing a white man…

Anonymous
Reply to  Professor Mike
11 years ago

Look unless this teen had a shotgun pointed at dunes head then well it’s murder and yes this case is just like Tray’s how because yet again someone is claiming self defense where there’s no indecation that’s a fact Tray’s case the evidence shows that Tray may not have ever touched George … No Zimmerman DNA anywhere on Tray’s hands or sleeves … in my world no DNA is just as damning and abundance of with George’s claim as to the events of that night.. but who cares right just another waste of life anyway right.. wrong.. if you believe this way you better read that Bible again …

Dale Fisk
Reply to  Anonymous
11 years ago

If you believe the Bible you would be killing, raping, and torturing left and right, not to mention wiping out all of the animals on the earth. The Bible is the reason why so many people are twisted. Secondly, I agree that the Stand Your Ground law is a travesty and needs to be repealed. I don’t agree with your assessment of the Zimmerman case.

11 years ago

Bread and media circuses. Here comes another one.

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