Politics & Government

City Councilors Take Aim at "Stand Your Ground" Bill

Two Boston City Councilors who represent JP have filed a resolution opposing a bill in the legislature that would bring to Massachusetts the "Stand Your Ground" law at the center of the killing of Trayvon Martin.

City Councilors Felix Arroyo and Tito Jackson have filed a resolution urging Beacon Hill to reject a "Stand Your Ground" bill modeled on the Florida law at the center of the Trayvon Martin killing.

Both councilors have JP ties: Arroyo, an at-large councilor, lives in JP and Jackson represents part of Egleston Square.

The resolution, scheduled for debate at , says Massachusetts case law already allows people to defend themselves using deadly force if they have done everything they could to avoid the confrontation. The councilors say the Florida "Stand Your Ground" law has led to a 200 percent increase in "justifiable homicides." A PDF of the draft resolution is attached to this post.

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Martin, a 17-year-old visiting his father in a Florida gated community, was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a self-appointed community watch volunteer. The incident has sparked a national debate about "Stand Your Ground" laws and racial profiling.

The Globe reports that the main sponsor of the Massachusetts version of the bill doesn't give it much of a chance.

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“For five years, the bill has not moved out of committee,” State Sen. Stephen Brewer told the Globe in a telephone interview. “I doubt with the national conversation that it is likely to move now.”

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