OK - now take this a step farther. Holder stated that the defender in a self defense situation (even under SYG) has a duty to retreat.
Holder stated that Zimmerman had a duty to retreat.
Therefore, without even realizing it or intending to, HOLDER DECLARED MARTIN THE AGGRESSOR, establishing Zimmerman's claim to self defense.
It doesn't matter if the issue if SYG or traditional self defense. If it is the defender who has the duty to retreat, and Zimmerman had a duty to retreat, then Martin was the aggressor. End of story.
Holder just declared Martin the aggressor.
Thank you for clearing that up, Mr. AG.
OK. With what I am about to post, I probably need to get fitted for my tinfoil hat, but Holder's statement to the NAACP has continued to bug me, like I was missing something. I hope I am wrong with what I am about to post.
Holder's statement indicates that at no time did Martin have a "duty to retreat." Under the stated Holder duty to retreat doctrine, at the beginning of the confrontation when Martin supposedly felt threatened, he would have had a duty to retreat, yet Holder never says those words. Holder's silence about that aspect of the confrontation indicates that Holder was OK with the idea of Martin using force to defend himself at that point. Holder then indicates that Zimmerman, at the point where HE felt threatened, had a "duty to retreat" before resorting to force.
What really bothers me about what Holder said - and DIDN'T say - is that he seems to be advocating for a reverse Jim Crow law. Back in the day, if a white person felt threatened by a black person, there was no duty to retreat for the white person - they were justified in using force, but if the black person felt threatened, it was their obligation to retreat. That seems to be what Holder was communicating during his speech.
Allen West posted today that,
"... US Attorney General Eric Holder, speaking in Florida, may want to study up on Stand Your Ground use in the Sunshine State, my home. Based on data maintained by Tampa Bay Times, approximately one-third of Florida Stand Your Ground claims in fatal cases have been made by black defendants, as a defense with a 55% success rate. Blacks used Stand Your Ground defenses at nearly twice the rate of their percentage of Florida's population (16.6% in 2012). As well, it seems the majority of victims in Florida Stand Your Ground cases have been white..."
So the issue isn't with SYG or even current self defense laws. It has to be something else (and yes, I know it isn't about gun control, it's about control).
As I said, I truly hope I am wrong