The parents of Trayvon Martin have launched a new website and political committee aimed at changing the controversial law, “stand your ground.”
The site say,” A new committee of continuous existence, or CCE, called “Change for Trayvon” and a corresponding website will collect funds to “be distributed to candidates, elected officials and efforts which support the mission of… revising Stand Your Ground laws across the nation to ensure there is judicial or prosecutorial oversight.”
The new website also includes a video with Trayvon’s parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, and PayPal links for donations.
In the video Fulton says, “Something has to change, which is why we created the change for Trayvon Martin movement, to shine the light on stand your ground laws across the nation.” Tracy Martin says, “these laws allow individuals to shoot first and ask questions later,” echoing critics who call the law “shoot first,” rather than the “stand your ground.”
According to the website, ChangeForTrayvon.com, no “member of the Martin Family or their attorneys will benefit personally from the funds raised,” and 90 percent of what’s donated “will go directly to support the mission of Change For Trayvon.”
Atty Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Trayvon’s family, told the Sentinel the CCE was formed “specifically to try to get this law revised. Any time anybody shoots anybody now, they claim ‘stand your ground,’” Crump said. “I don’t think that’s what any legislator intended for any of these laws to be used for when they passed this law.”
Trayvon’s shooting came to international attention after police did not arrest Trayvon’s shooter George Zimmerman. Zimmerman after he said he fired in self-defense when the teenager from Miami Gardens attacked him Feb. 26 in Sanford.
The “stand your ground” law grants immunity if a defendant can show the use of deadly force was in response to a reasonable fear of serious injury or death. The law is controversial for several reasons, including the immunity language and the lack of a requirement to retreat if possible before responding with force.
