Miami-Dade commissioners urge Florida Legislature to take up 'Stand Your Ground' following Travyon Martin's death

Miami-Dade commissioners approved a resolution Tuesday urging the Florida Legislature to convene hearings on the controversial Stand Your Ground law invoked in the Feb. 26 death of Miami Gardens 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

The measure was put forth by Commissioner Barbara Jordan, who represents Miami Gardens, and co-sponsored by Commissioners Audrey Edmonson and Dennis Moss. It calls for legislative hearings and supports Gov. Rick Scott's task force convened following Trayvon's death after being shot by Sanford neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman. Zimmerman has not been charged.

Jordan and Commissioner Dennis Moss once again had packages of Skittles and a can of Arizona iced tea -- the items Trayvon had bought at a 7-Eleven before heading home -- by their microphones.

The resolution stipulates that, on Stand Your Ground, "the language of the statute is overly broad and inconsistently applied thereby creating difficulties for law enforcement officers and state attorneys to investigate and prosecute incidents when the law is raised as a defense."

There was no discussion about the measure from the dais, and no commissioners objected to its approval. There was also no mention of gun-related crime, including that violent crime and firearm crimes have declined in Florida between 2005 and 2010 -- and that murders and reports of justifiable homicides have increased, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Comments

[Repubtallygirl]

Never let a crisis go to waste.

[T. Walls]

Who do these commissioners think they are? The Martin case aside... so what about the two teens who just pulled a guy out of a car near Sanford and beat him almost to death with a hammer? Don't have the right to defend yourself against thugs like that?

Just because Zimmerman made a decision that led to a tragic mistake does not abrogate the right to self-defense for everyone else - that is unconditional, and non-negotiable.

[Leonardo nelson]

Mr. Zimmerman acted on impulse rather than safety, he should Of call the police instead of using deadly force.