A group of New York state legislators, mostly black and Hispanic, donned hooded sweatshirts while in the legislative chambers to signal support for the family of Trayvon Martin, the teenager shot in Florida by George Zimmerman. As the Times Union reported:
Several of those who spoke to reporters said the killing reflected a law enforcement culture in New York and elsewhere that stigmatized young male minority members. “These incidents don’t always lead to death, but they happen every day in urban communities throughout our state,” said [Assembly member Karim] Camara.
Several legislators echoed President Obama stating that they had sons who looked like Martin, and even stated that they wore hoodies. So what was this publicity stunt really about?
It was about the new nationwide effort by Democrats to capitalize on the Martin shooting to target “stand your ground” laws – laws which allow people to use force if they fear imminent death or great bodily harm. It wasn’t enough for liberals to pretend that conservatives were responsible for the “general climate” that led to the shooting; now they’re using the shooting to make a political point.
There’s only one problem: nobody argues that the law would allow Zimmerman to do what he has been accused of doing by Martin’s supporters. If Zimmerman truly went outside, tracked down Martin, and then started an altercation in order to shoot him, he’d be in violation of the “stand your ground” law. The problem isn’t the law. The problem is the enforcement of it, if Zimmerman truly did something wrong.
But that has never stopped Democrats and liberals before. They will use any opportunity to push their agenda – even at the expense of a case in progress.
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