Over the past month, the death of Trayvon Martin has attracted enormous national media attention. The tragic shooting of this Florida teenager shined a spotlight on the ugly realities of racial bias in our society - but also on a new kind of law, the so-called 'stand your ground' statute that has hampered prosecution of Martin's killer, George Zimmerman. This Florida law essentially authorizes citizens to use deadly force rather than retreat, even when the threat is only perceived - a recipe for tragedy.
Many might think this kind of law - pushed by the National Rifle Association and the right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) - would never even be considered in a state like New York. But I was appalled to discover that Sen. George Maziarz, a Republican from western New York, has sponsored a bill in the Senate with language that matches the Florida law. Joined by 22 of my Democratic colleagues, I wrote to Sen. Maziarz on March 26th, asking him to immediately withdraw the bill .
Laws aren't "tough on crime" when they let people get away with murder. The New York Daily News' Bill Hammond is right : "Licensing every New Yorker to play cop would spawn an army of George Zimmermans - and a legion of Trayvon Martins."