Trayvon's b-day marked with possible 'stand your ground' case

[boston bean]

Trayvon Martin's would-be 19th birthday is marked Wednesday by day three of jury selection in a case that puts a spotlight back on Florida's "stand your ground" self-defense law.

Michael Dunn, 47, is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of unarmed 17-year-old Jordan Davis during a dispute over loud music in November 2012.

Dunn, who is white, said he feared for his life and was acting in self-defense when he fired into an SUV containing four black teenagers, killing Jordan Davis, in Jacksonville.

George Zimmerman fatally shot Trayvon, also an unarmed black teen, in Sanford, Fla., in 2012. Zimmerman, who was acquitted, was prosecuted by Jacksonville's State Attorney Angela Corey, who also is prosecuting the Dunn case.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/05/trayvon-martin-george-zimmerman/5222903/

Wish he was here on this earth to celebrate his 19th birthday. I feel so awful for his parents and having to put up with this crap. Seeing it everywhere almost every day, more and more of this bullshit.

[Bjorn Against]

1. It is sickening that not only is his killer free, but a lot of people claim the murder was justified

It is disgusting that even right here on DU we had people making excuses for Zimmerman, it is frightening that so many people who believe killing an unarmed teenager can be justified are allowed to own guns.

I actually ended a pretty close friendship over this case, I will not pretend that I respect the opinions of people who justify murder and I did not care how close of a friend this guy had been in the past. I let him know our friendship was over when he called Trayvon a "hood rat" and I have not spoken to him since. I don't need racist murder advocates like that in my life.

[billh58]

2. The defense of

vigilantism and bigotry is alive and well on DU, and all in the name of "civil rights."

[Bjorn Against]

3. The people who think the right to kill is a civil right sicken me

Trayvon Martin had every single last one of his civil rights stolen from him, but all the gun nuts seem to care about is the right to shoot a person and they express no concern for the rights of the person that was shot. It is absolutely shameful.