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By Pasang Lama

In 2005 Florida passed its explicit Stand Your Ground law,which gives an individual the right to use deadly force instead of retreating when facing a situation where they feel threatened. As many as 22 states following Florida have passed the law with the help of the American Legislative Council (ALEC).

Since the law was enacted gun deaths in Florida as well as other states with the law have increased. And its not only gun deaths that has increased but also the overall homicide rate compared to states that dont have stand your ground laws.

The law itself has had many controversies over the years. Many critics predicted that the law could lead to racially motivated crimes and promote deadly escalations of arguments, both of which have happened. So therefore it goes to show that the Stand Your Ground laws have increased racial tension, because of the racial bias surrounding the law. African American Civil Rights organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) who are against the law fight to bring justice to those who have been a victim to the racial bias Stand Your Ground laws provide such as Trayvon Martin and Marissa Alexander.

Case Study: Trayvon Martin/ Marissa Alexander

On the night of February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida, an unarmed African american teenager, Trayvon Martin who was returning from a nearby convenience store, was shot to death after an altercation with a neighborhood watchman, George Zimmerman, who had previous criminal records before the shooting. Zimmerman who was initially told by a 911 operator not to pursue Trayvon insisted on doing so leading to the altercation, and eventually Trayvon dead. The case made national headlines and many African Americans believed that it was a racially motivated crime. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights(USCCR) launched an investigation, into Stand Your Ground laws, regarding the controversy around the killing of Trayvon Martin.

The case was under even more scrutiny when Zimmerman was found not guilty due to Floridas Stand Your Ground law as he claimed to have used. The verdicts decision sparked national outrage as people took to the streets and started protesting.

A survey done by The Pew Research Center, on the decision of the verdict, found that 39% were satisfied with the verdict versus 42% who were dissatisfied. Whats more interesting is that 86% of African Americans were dissatisfied versus 5% satisfied whereas 49% of whites were satisfied and only 30% of whom were dissatisfied at the verdicts decision. It wasnt just how satisfied and dissatisfied someone was about the verdict but much more deeper as it shows that 60% of whites believed that the issue of race was getting more attention than it deserved compared to 13% of Africans Americans who also believed that. 78% of Africans Americans believed that the verdicts decision raises important issues about race that need to be discussed compared to 28% of whites who also believe this.

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Stand Your Ground laws Increase Racial Tension. | Arts ...