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July 22, 2013

Obama Questions "Stand Your Ground" Laws 
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On Friday, President Barack Obama surprised reporters in the White House
briefing room by delivering his first public remarks on the death of
Trayvon Martin since Zimmerman's acquittal. In comments that touched not
only on the racial elements of the shooting, but on the broader issue of
racial profiling, Obama said Trayvon Martin could have been him as a
young man. Obama announced no policy changes or actions in response to
Zimmerman's acquittal. But he questioned the "Stand Your Ground" laws
that delayed Zimmerman's arrest and were included in jury instructions.

President Obama: "For those who resist that idea that we should think
about something like these "stand your ground" laws, I just ask people
to consider if Trayvon Martin was of age and armed, could he have stood
his ground on that sidewalk? And do we actually think that he would have
been justified in shooting Mr. Zimmerman, who had followed him in a car,
because he felt threatened? And if the answer to that question is at
least ambiguous, it seems to me that we might want to examine those
kinds of laws."

 

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