The state of Florida has become ground zero in the nationwide fight to repeal “Stand Your Ground” laws, and dozens of protesters have put their lives on hold as they maintain a sit-in protest outside Governor Rick Scott’s office.
The “Dream Defenders” showed no signs of backing down Monday, the demonstration’s seventh day. The group’s political director, Ciara Taylor, joined PoliticsNation Monday to talk about why she and her colleagues are refusing to budge from Tallahassee.
“We’re just feeding off of each other’s positive energy and the support that we’ve had from the community in Tallahassee as well as around the country,” she told Rev. Sharpton.
The protesters have said they will maintain their sit-in outside Scott’s office until he calls a special legislative session on the “Stand Your Ground” law.
Nationally, reviewing “Stand Your Ground” laws has some bipartisan support, with President Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder, and most recently Sen. John McCain supporting the idea. But when Scott met with protesters last week, he said he was sticking by the advice given by the 2012 “Stand Your Ground” task force that determined it should be kept in place.
“The task force was just a complete sham,” Taylor said.
“We knew from the moment that we heard the names of the people that were going to be on the task force that the task force was inherently biased,” she said. “Because a lot of the people who were on it, helped create or at least were open supporters of Stand Your Ground.” Gov. Scott reiterated his support for the law Monday, saying he would not call a special session, but he did say he would have his Department of Juvenile Justice secretary speak with protesters. Taylor praised Democratic State Sen. Chris Smith for his call for the state legislature to, at the very minimum, discuss the issue. “If they continue to ignore the crisis that is on our hands in Florida, it can only get worse,” she said.
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