State Senate Democratic Leader Chris Smith is calling on lawmakers to re-examine the criminal statutes after George Zimmerman's acquittal in the death of Trayvon Martin.
"People are not understanding how you can have a dead unarmed teenager and no one is guilty of anything", Smith said.
After Martin's death last year, Smith, a black attorney from Fort Lauderdale, tried to get appointed to Governor Rick Scott's task force on the 'stand your ground' law, to no avail. No opponents of the law sat on the panel, which recommended few changes. The 2013 Legislature refused to hear any bills that would have changed it.
Even the governor's task force filed legislation that wasn't heard", Smith said. "There was a fear of even discussing it. But I think the more and more pressure that's put on Florida to at least have the discussion, I think will happen this year."
Zimmerman pled self-defense, not 'stand your ground.' But 'stand your ground' had changed the legal threshold for his self-defense plea by eliminating the "duty to retreat" before using lethal force against a deadly threat.
Smith says the verdict isn't about the judicial system but the legislative system.
"So I'm trying to get people to channel the anger and channel the angst into working through the legislative system so this doesn't happen again", explained Smith.
He says he hopes reaction to the verdict will make a difference when he tries again to change 'stand your ground' next year.