State senator announces his own Trayvon Martin task force

Orlando Sentinel ^ | April 3, 2012 | Kathleen Haughney

[maggief]

TALLAHASSEE -- With the furor surrounding the Trayvon Martin case and the stand-your-ground law showing no sign of a let-up, Sen. Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, announced Tuesday that he has formed his own task force to study the impact of the law.

"Florida is in crisis mode," Smith told reporters.

(snip)

Smith said his task force will include the state attorneys from Broward and Miami-Dade, plus the public defenders from those two counties and Palm Beach County. Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Frank Adderley, former Democratic state Sen. Dan Gelber, and incoming House Minority Leader Perry Thurston, D-Fort Lauderdale, will also be on the panel.

[Safetgiver]

If you ignorant turds could learn how to vote, you wouldn’t be in crisis.

[OldNavyVet]

Democrats ... Stacking the Deck ... STD disease ...

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Both houses of the Florida legislature are controlled by the Republicans, so they should advise this individual that he is free to organize his little group, but may not use public resources, facilities, or money to do so.

[ZX12R]

From my understanding of the "stand your ground" law, it only absolves you of the requirement to retreat from an attacker, when considering the use of justifiable lethal force. So, I really don't understand the connection trying to be made between the Martin/Zimmerman case and this law. If Zimmerman was knocked to the ground, he no longer had the ability to retreat, and may not have had an opportunity to retreat during the whole episode.

It also seems that by all this suggestion that it was the "stand your ground" law that allows Zimmerman to be innocent of possible manslaughter or murder charges, is a de facto admission that Trayvon was indeed the attacker.

[newzjunkey]

Of those named, I guess Dan Gelber is the token other than black to add diversity to this witch hunt?

I don't see any Republicans but Dems were never concerned about bi-partisanship in these political circuses.

[Red_Devil 232]

According to Rev Al they should be holding SKILLETS!

[Jaded]

Floridiots like Smith give normal people in Florida a bad name.