Seems everybody on FB has been posting/commenting about this case recently, and people wonder why African Americans are continually outraged at the double standards present in the criminal justice system.
That verdict was crap as well, but that doesn't change the fact the Zimmerman verdict was the RIGHT one.
Just for the record, I agreed from the start that GZ should be found not guilty of second degree murder.
The stand-your-ground law means that you are not required to retreat, even if you can do so safely. However, once you retreat, you cannot reengage. Thus, Alexander gave up her ability to use the stand-your-ground law when she left and then returned to confront her husband with a gun. Also important, is that Zimmerman did not rely on stand-your-ground. His defense was a straight self-defense claim. It had nothing to do with stand-your-ground.
Relevant to this case, Florida's "10-20-life" law was implemented in 1999 and credited with helping to lower the violent crime rate. Anyone who shows a gun in the commission of certain felonies gets an automatic 10 years in prison. Fire the gun, and it's an automatic 20 years. Shoot and wound someone, and it's 25 years to life.
Alexander's case underscores the unfair sentences that can result when laws strip judges of discretion. A judge should have the authority to decide an appropriate sanction after hearing all the unique circumstances of a case.
