"Stand Your Ground" Under Microscope
It's a law called "Stand Your Ground."
Passed in Florida in 2005, it says that a person has the right to stand his or her ground and to use deadly force, if he or she reasonably believes it's necessary to protect themselves.
Some legal experts say the law needs to be repealed
"It hits home, someone from my community was taken, and this could have easily been someone that was in my family," said Ebony Cobb, a University of Florida law student.
On February 26, Treyvon Martin, 17, was shot to death after being confronted by a Sanford neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman.
Zimmerman was questioned but he has not been arrested or charged.
"It'd be better described as the get away with murder law," said Bob Dekle, a legal skills professor at UF, who feels the state's "Stand Your Ground" statute is a thorn in the court system's side.
"It adds an unnecessary layer of litigation, and an unnecessary number of hoops to jump through in order to prosecute somebody," he said.
Zimmerman called police to report a suspicious person.
He told police he only fired his weapon after Martin jumped him from behind.
Some agree with UF law student, Knute Nathe, when he says this is an isolated, unfortunate incident.
"We might never know what happened, but i don't think we should draw any sweeping conclusions regarding race or the validity of the Florida Stand Your Ground law," he said.
However Lisa Thelwell, another law student, disagrees.
"I can't believe that it's 2012 and we can have someone admit to killing an unarmed child, and is allowed to roam the streets, because they're claiming self defense," she said.
The Department of Justice is now investigating the incident.
There will be a rally on behalf of Trayvon Martin in Gainesville.
It is scheduled for 6pm on Saturday, March 31st at Faith United Methodist church in northeast Gainesville.
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