Stand Your Ground has become a ubiquitous phrase in Jacksonville since the trials of Michael Dunn and Marissa Alexander. On Thursday it was the focus during a town hall meeting at the studios of WJCT that included supporters and opponents of the controversial law.
The 2005 Stand Your Ground law removed the duty to retreat in Florida for those who believe their lives are in danger, allowed the use of deadly force and provided immunity from criminal prosecution or civil lawsuits.
Ron Davis and Lucia McBath, the parents of a slain Jacksonville teenager, spoke against Stand Your Ground at the start of the program Thursday.
We know this law is not a good law, McBath said. It does not protect citizens as it was designed to.
Dunn, the man charged with killing 17-year-old Jordan Davis, never claimed Stand Your Ground. But Ron Davis said it may have led Dunn to think he could shoot his son. Also, Stand Your Ground permeated the case because it was in the jury instructions.
Co-host of the town hall meeting Melissa Ross of WJCT pointed out that polls show the majority of Floridians support Stand Your Ground. But Davis said most people dont understand the law.
The law says you have a right to stand your ground if you have a reasonable fear for your life. But whats reasonable to one person isnt reasonable to another, he said.
And the law encourages confrontations by removing the duty to retreat, Davis said.
McBath also said shes trying to put a human face on Stand Your Ground by traveling around the country and speaking about her son.
A lot of people are very removed from the law, she said. They need to see the faces of people who are affected by it.
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Parents of Jordan Davis bash Stand Your Ground law during Jacksonville town hall