---
maybe that's true ... we'll see
but it's still a great law
On Mar 22, 11:15 am, THE ANNOINTED ONE <markmka...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Opinion From the author and main sponsor of the Florida Law
>
> Trayvon Martin's alleged attacker not covered under law I wrote
> By Rep. Dennis Baxley
> Published March 21, 2012
> | FoxNews.com
>
> AP/Martin Family Photos/File
> In this undated file family photo, Trayvon Martin poses for a family
> photo. College students around Florida rallied Monday, March 19, 2012,
> to demand the arrest of a white neighborhood watch captain who shot
> unarmed teen Martin last month, though authorities may be hamstrung by
> a state law that allows people to defend themselves with deadly force.
> The tragic story of Trayvon Martin's death in Sanford, Florida has
> ignited a great deal of passion and concern regarding the
> circumstances of his death and the defense applied by the attacker,
> George Zimmerman. The fact that Trayvon Martin unnecessarily lost his
> life is troubling and an investigation into the surrounding
> circumstances is certainly warranted.
> First of all I'd like to extend my condolences to the Martin family.
> I have been in the funeral services profession for over 40 years; I've
> walked with families through many tragic circumstances and I know how
> difficult it is.
> RELATED STORIES
> Neighborhood watch leader may have uttered racial slur before shooting
> Florida teen killed by neighborhood watch captain talked to girlfriend
> before shooting, lawyer says
> Family: Florida man didn't kill black teen in self-defense
>
> I would like to emphasize that the approach that is currently
> developing in this situation, to convene a grand jury, is the proper
> one in which to discern the facts of this case. I certainly agree with
> everyone that justice must be served.
> During the debate concerning this incident, some have brought into
> question the "Stand Your Ground" law, more commonly referred to as the
> "castle doctrine," which has been used by the attacker to pardon his
> actions.
> As the prime sponsor of this legislation in the Florida House, I'd
> like to clarify that this law does not seem to be applicable to the
> tragedy that happened in Sanford. There is nothing in the castle
> doctrine as found in Florida statutes that authenticates or provides
> for the opportunity to pursue and confront individuals, it simply
> protects those who would be potential victims by allowing for force to
> be used in self-defense.
> When the "stand your ground" or "castle doctrine" legislation passed
> in 2005, the catalytic event that brought the issue to the attention
> of the Florida Legislature was the looting of property in the
> aftermath of hurricanes.
> Specifically, there was a situation in the panhandle of Florida where
> a citizen moved an RV onto his property, to protect the remains of his
> home from being looted. One evening, a perpetrator broke into the RV
> and attacked the property owner. The property owner, acting in self-
> defense in his home, shot and killed the perpetrator.
> It was months before the property owner knew if he would be charged
> with a crime because of the lack of concrete definition in the
> statutes regarding self-defense and a perceived duty to retreat by the
> potential victim.
> Until 2005, the castle doctrine had never been canonized into Florida
> law, but had been used with differing definition and application to
> the concept of self-defense. The focus of the law was to provide clear
> definition to acts of self-defense.
> The facets of the castle doctrine deal with using force to meet force
> as an act of self-defense when in your home, in your car, on your
> property, or anywhere you are legally able to be. The law also
> protects property owners and their homeowner's insurance from being
> wrongfully sued by perpetrators who claim to be harmed while
> committing a crime.
> The castle doctrine as passed, clarified that individuals are lawfully
> able to defend themselves when attacked and there is no duty to
> retreat when an individual is attacked on their property. Since the
> passage of this law in Florida, 26 other states have implemented
> similar statues.
> Additionally, the American Legislative Exchange Council used the
> Florida version of the castle doctrine as model legislation for other
> states.
> Quite simply the castle doctrine is a good law which now protects
> individuals in a majority of states. However, the castle doctrine does
> not provide protection to individuals who seek to pursue and confront
> others, as is allegedly the case in the Trayvon Martin tragedy in
> Sanford.
> The information that has been publicly reported concerning Trayvon
> Martin's death indicates that the castle doctrine may not be
> applicable to justify the actions of the attacker, Mr. Zimmerman.
> Media stories sharing the transcripts of the 911 tapes from the
> evening of the incident clearly show that Mr. Zimmerman was instructed
> by authorities to remain in his vehicle and to cease pursuit of Mr.
> Martin. George Zimmerman seems to have ignored the direction of the
> authorities and continued his pursuit of Mr. Martin.
> Mr. Zimmerman's unnecessary pursuit and confrontation of Trayvon
> Martin elevated the prospect of a violent episode and does not seem to
> be an act of self-defense as defined by the castle doctrine. There is
> no protection in the "Stand Your Ground" law for anyone who pursues
> and confronts people.
> I have great sympathy for the family of Trayvon Martin and am grateful
> that things are finally moving in the right direction to further
> explore what actually happened on that night in Sanford, Florida.
> Awaiting the convening of the grand jury, I trust that justice will be
> served and healing will begin for all of those affected.
> Republican Dennis Baxley represents the 24th district in Florida's
> House of Representatives. He was the prime sponsor of the "Stand Your
> Ground" law in 2005. He is the principal owner and vice president of
> Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services.
>
> Read more:http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/03/21/trayvon-martins-alleged-att...
>
> On Mar 22, 8:46 am, plainolamerican <plainolameri...@gmail.com> wrote:> you forgot one ... he's a spic with black family members and has a
> > jewish name.
>
> > the racist left wishes he was white
>
> > On Mar 22, 9:30 am, Tommy News <tommysn...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > 20 Things You Need to Know About the Tragic Killing of Trayvon Martin
> > > The Department of Justice, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney announced
> > > they were launching "a thorough and independent review" of the
> > > shooting -- will there be justice?
> > > March 20, 2012 | LIKE THIS ARTICLE ?
> > > Join our mailing list:
> > > Sign up to stay up to date on the latest headlines via email.
> > > On February 26, 2012, a 17-year-old African-American named
> > > Trayvon Martin was shot and killed in Sanford, Florida. The shooter
> > > was George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old man. Zimmerman admits killing
> > > Martin, but claims he was acting in self-defense. Florida's "Stand
> > > Your Ground" law, passed in 2005, allows people to use deadly force if
> > > they believe they're in imminent danger. Three weeks after Martin's
> > > death, no arrests have been made and Zimmerman remains free.
>
> > > FBI tells ABC News they are monitoring the Trayvon Martin
> > > investigation and have been in touch with local authorities. Late
> > > Monday, March 20, after a letter from the NAACP, the United States
> > > Department of Justice, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney announced they
> > > were launching "a thorough and independent review" of the shooting
> > > death of Trayvon Martin. The Florida state attorney has sent the
> > > Trayvon Martin case to a grand jury. The Seminole County grand jury
> > > will be called to session on Tuesday, April 10.
>
> > > Here's everything you need to know about the case:
>
> > > 1. Zimmerman called the police to report Martin's "suspicious"
> > > behavior, which he described as "just walking around looking about."
> > > Zimmerman was in his car when he saw Martin walking on the street. He
> > > called the police and said: "There's a real suspicious guy. This guy
> > > looks like he's up to no good, on drugs or something. It's raining and
> > > he's just walking around looking about… These a**holes always get
> > > away" [Orlando Sentinel]
>
> > > 2. Zimmerman pursued Martin against the explicit instructions of the
> > > police dispatcher:
>
> > > Dispatcher: "Are you following him?"
> > > Zimmerman: "Yeah"
> > > Dispatcher: "OK, we don't need you to do that."
>
> > > [Orlando Sentinel]
>
> > > 3. Prior to the release of the 911 tapes, Zimmerman's father released
> > > a statement claiming "[a]t no time did George follow or confront Mr.
> > > Martin." [Sun Sentinel]
>
> > > 4. Zimmerman was carrying a a Kel Tel 9 millimeter handgun. Martin was
> > > carrying a bag of Skittles and a can of iced tea. [ABC News]
>
> > > 5. Martin weighed 140 pounds. Zimmerman weighs 250 pounds. [Orlando
> > > Sentinel; WDBO]
>
> > > 6. Martin's English teacher described him as "as an A and B student
> > > who majored in cheerfulness." [Orlando Sentinel]
>
> > > 7. Martin had no criminal record. [New York Times]
>
> > > 8. Zimmerman "was charged in July 2005 with resisting arrest with
> > > violence and battery on an officer. The charges appear to have been
> > > dropped." [Huffington Post]
>
> > > 9. Zimmerman called the police 46 times since Jan. 1, 2011. [Miami Herald]
>
> > > 10. According to neighbors, Zimmerman was "fixated on crime and
> > > focused on young, black males." [Miami Herald]
>
> > > 11. Zimmerman "had been the subject of complaints by neighbors in his
> > > gated community for aggressive tactics" [Huffington Post]
>
> > > 12. A police officer "corrected" a key witness. "The officer told the
> > > witness, a long-time teacher, it was Zimmerman who cried for help,
> > > said the witness. ABC News has spoken to the teacher and she confirmed
> > > that the officer corrected her when she said she heard the teenager
> > > shout for help." [ABC News]
>
> > > 13. Three witnesses say they heard a boy cry for help before a shot
> > > was fired. "Three witnesses contacted by The Miami Herald say they saw
> > > or heard the moments before and after the Miami Gardens teenager's
> > > killing. All three said they heard the last howl for help from a
> > > despondent boy." [Miami Herald]
>
> > > 14. The officer in charge of the crime scene also received criticism
> > > in 2010 when he initially failed to arrest a lieutenant's son who was
> > > videotaped attacking a homeless black man. [New York Times]
>
> > > 15. The police did not test Zimmerman for drugs or alcohol. A law
> > > enforcement expert told ABC that Zimmerman sounds intoxicated on the
> > > 911 tapes. Drug and alcohol testing is "standard procedure in most
> > > homicide investigations." [ABC News]
>
> > > 16. In a cell phone call moments before his death, Martin told a
> > > teenage girl that he was "hounded by a strange man on a cellphone who
> > > ran after him, cornered him and confronted him." "'He said this man
> > > was watching him, so he put his hoodie on. He said he lost the man,'
> > > Martin's friend said. 'I asked Trayvon to run, and he said he was
> > > going to walk fast. I told him to run but he said he was not going to
> > > run.' Eventually he would run, said the girl, thinking that he'd
> > > managed to escape. But suddenly the strange man was back, cornering
> > > Martin. 'Trayvon said, 'What, are you following me for,' and the man
> > > said, 'What are you doing here.'" [ABC News]
>
> > > 17. Zimmerman told the police "he had stepped out of his truck to
> > > check the name of the street he was on when Trayvon attacked him from
> > > behind as he walked back to his truck." "He said he feared for his
> > > life and fired the semiautomatic handgun he was licensed to carry
> > > because he feared for his life." [Miami Herald]
>
> > > 18. Zimmerman was not a member of a registered Neighborhood Watch
> > > group. Zimmerman also violated basic Neighborhood Watch guidelines by
> > > carrying a weapon. [ABC News]
>
> > > 19. Sanford police chief Bill Lee planned to wrap up the case last
> > > Monday without bringing any charges, because, he said, "there is no
> > > evidence to dispute the shooter's claim of self-defense," which is a
> > > sufficient claim under the "Stand Your Ground" law. [Miami Herald]
>
> > > 20. In the first five years "Stand Your Ground" was in effect,
> > > justifiable homicides tripled, and the law was a factor in at least 93
> > > cases involving 65 deaths. An investigation of cases from the law's
> > > passage in 2005 to 2010 found that charges were dropped or dismissed
> > > for 57 people, and 7 others were acquitted. [Tampa Bay Times]
>
> > > A petition created by Trayvon's parents to investigate his killing has
> > > been signed by over 500,000 people.
>
> > > More:http://www.alternet.org/story/154624/20_things_you_need_to_know_about...
>
> > > --
> > > Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
> > > Have a great day,
> > > Tommy
>
> > > --
> > > Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
> > > Have a great day,
> > > Tommy
--
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