Stand Your Ground

Associate
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Liberal tosh, the black guy assaulting the old geezer was a known and violent drug dealer, like many of the ones in the London killings. If he has no qualms about violently resisting arrest by police officers he'd have no qualms about assaulting an old guy, as we have seen. Violence is a way of life to some.

The bloke will get off anyway, it'll get laughed out of court in Florida. Pushing a man to the ground and complaining about being shot? Good luck with that. The American saying of "don't start nothing, there won't be nothing" comes to mind. In America they have something called personal responsibility, your actions have consequences, think carefully about your choices and you'll do well, assault people and deal drugs and you'll end up dead or in prison.

And Drejka has previous history for waving a gun around at people who have committed traffic violations in his presence. And has been cited for causing a crash by brake-checking. Maybe he's not sweet innocent old man that you'd like to present?

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/14/us/florida-stand-your-ground-previous-incidents/index.html


Looks like murder plain and simple to me. Carrying a sidearm around just begging for an opportunity to use it.

The fact that the authorities can't see this is the most concerning thing about the whole situation.

Bingo.
 
Caporegime
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Update, the trial begins now:

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/19/us/stand-your-ground-florida-trial/index.html

After the shooting, Drejka was cooperative with police and had a valid Florida concealed weapons license, police said. And although he started the argument and escalated the encounter with a gun, he was not initially arrested in the killing because the Pinellas County Sheriff said the state's "stand your ground" law appeared to give him immunity.
"He felt, after being slammed to the ground, that the next thing was that he was going to be further attacked by McGlockton," Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said at the time.
A month later, though, the state attorney charged Drejka with manslaughter. He pleaded not guilty and was released from jail on $100,000 bail last September.
The trial is likely to hinge on Drejka's expected self-defense argument. In a jailhouse interview with WTSP last September, Drejka said he was "very scared" during the incident with McGlockton.
"I've never been confronted like that, never been assaulted like that, if you will, ever," Drejka said.
Jury selection in his trial started on Monday, CNN affiliates report. A defense attorney for Drejka did not respond to requests for comment on Sunday afternoon.
 
Soldato
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America is really a crazy place, Florida even more so. Last time I stayed with some relatives in America and said I wanted to go to Miami for a week they basically refused to let me go.
 
Soldato
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One thing you dont do is attack someone in an argument, especially in the US. You just end up looking like a ***** no matter what the outcome.

I saw an incident (in the UK) between 2 guys I know. One was winding the other up, but the other guy doesnt understand banter. So he went for him in responce, got his leg broken. Had to go to hospital and have metal rods put in his leg. Self defence, GG.
 
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Man of Honour
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America is really a crazy place, Florida even more so. Last time I stayed with some relatives in America and said I wanted to go to Miami for a week they basically refused to let me go.

They ‘refused’ to let you go?
Not sure how that works, unless you were a 12 y.o., visiting grandpa and grandma.
My younger German grandson visited us in Rotherhithe for a few days a few years ago, he was 18 then, and wanted to go to see a band playing in Hoxton, north London, I dropped him over there, told him to use his head, and gave him £50 to get something to eat and drink, and told him to only use a Black Cab to get back to our place.
 
Soldato
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No one comes running to break up a fight

That doesn't seem to be true

https://www.newscientist.com/articl...-psychology-result-could-be-completely-wrong/

If you were being attacked, would anyone stop to help you? A famous result in psychology known as the bystander effect says probably not, but now a review of real-life violent situations says this commonly held view may be wrong.

The bystander effect purports that in situations such as a robbery or a stabbing, bystanders are less likely to step in if there are a large number of people in the area, so the likelihood of intervention decreases.

Now, Richard Philpot at Lancaster University in the UK and his colleagues say the effect might not actually be real. They looked at surveillance footage of violent situations in the UK, South Africa and the Netherlands, and found that, in 90 per cent of cases, at least one person (but typically several) intervened and tried to help.

In addition, they found that the likelihood of intervention increased in accordance with the number of bystanders – which directly contradicts the bystander effect.

The researchers were surprised to find that the likelihood of intervention was similar across all three nations, despite South Africa having on record significantly lower perceptions of public safety, as well as higher levels of violence, on average. Philpot says it shows that people have a natural inclination to help when they see someone in need.

 
Soldato
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They ‘refused’ to let you go?
Not sure how that works, unless you were a 12 y.o., visiting grandpa and grandma.
My younger German grandson visited us in Rotherhithe for a few days a few years ago, he was 18 then, and wanted to go to see a band playing in Hoxton, north London, I dropped him over there, told him to use his head, and gave him £50 to get something to eat and drink, and told him to only use a Black Cab to get back to our place.

I was a guest in my family's house and they let me use their house as a hub for 8 weeks whilst I was out there. I was 23 at the time and while refuse is a strong word they had a lot of concerns about me going to Miami for a week by myself. I've been to Florida before several times on a family holiday but I fancied mincing around by myself for a few days. But seeing as they felt pretty concerned about my safety I figured it would be rather rude and disrespectful to still go.

They had no issue with me going to Connecticut, New York and Kansas for a week each and I spent my remaining time in Georgia which is where they lived. To be fair, I had family in the other states I was going, hence my visiting, so they may well have had the same concerns about me going to any other state with no family.
 
Soldato
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I remember being in Columbus, Ohio at night with some American friends. We were looking for some place to eat. We pulled in to one parking area and I noticed all the shops had chain locks on. Apparently this is normal in some places and you have to ring a bell to be let it by the shop. Anyway, I'm sat in the car and notice an old style American car parked in the corner. So I say "hey look at that car over there" and lift my arm to point in its direction. My arm was immediately grabbed and pulled down. I was told don't do that as it looks like you're pointing a gun.

If someone knocks me to the ground then I'm using anything within reach to defend myself.

We seem to live in a world now were an aggressor will cause a problem for someone, and when they person retaliates the aggressor thinks s/he as been wronged. Twisted morals. If you don't want to be hit, don't hit others.
 
Man of Honour
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I was a guest in my family's house and they let me use their house as a hub for 8 weeks whilst I was out there. I was 23 at the time and while refuse is a strong word they had a lot of concerns about me going to Miami for a week by myself. I've been to Florida before several times on a family holiday but I fancied mincing around by myself for a few days. But seeing as they felt pretty concerned about my safety I figured it would be rather rude and disrespectful to still go.

They had no issue with me going to Connecticut, New York and Kansas for a week each and I spent my remaining time in Georgia which is where they lived. To be fair, I had family in the other states I was going, hence my visiting, so they may well have had the same concerns about me going to any other state with no family.

Thanks for explaining it all, I wasn’t having a dig with my post, but when you said that your American family basically refused to let you go to Miami by yourself, it sounded strange to my ears.
Stranger still now that you say that you were 23 at the time.
I can imagine a family being concerned for a visiting relative’s well being, and counselling someone to be careful on Chicago’s South side, Little Haiti, or Liberty City, both in Miami, South Los Angeles around Watts, or north of 125th St in New York City, but I think that I may have ignored anyone who said, “No, I refuse to let you go there on your own.”
I’d have appreciated their advice, but in the final analysis, if I wanted to go, I’d go.
 
Soldato
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Thanks for explaining it all, I wasn’t having a dig with my post, but when you said that your American family basically refused to let you go to Miami by yourself, it sounded strange to my ears.
Stranger still now that you say that you were 23 at the time.
I can imagine a family being concerned for a visiting relative’s well being, and counselling someone to be careful on Chicago’s South side, Little Haiti, or Liberty City, both in Miami, South Los Angeles around Watts, or north of 125th St in New York City, but I think that I may have ignored anyone who said, “No, I refuse to let you go there on your own.”
I’d have appreciated their advice, but in the final analysis, if I wanted to go, I’d go.

All good, didn't take it as you having a dig. If I hadn't have been before I probably would've been more inclined to go but I've been quite a few times on family holidays so I didn't feel like I was missing out on much. Cheap flights happened to pop up which is why I even considered it, it wasn't a planned part of my trip.

So yeah it wasn't a case of "you're absolutely forbidden to go" and more of a "We'd rather you not go there by yourself as it can be dangerous". You only need to search 'Florida man' to know that those guys are different down on that little peninsula. Really, in hindsight Miama by myself for a week would have been super boring anyway!
 
Caporegime
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He alleged previous threat towards someone parking in the disabled spot probably didn't help here. The whole thing was dodgy in itself, the guy was no longer attacking him at the time he pulled the gun and quite clearly once he'd pulled the gun the guy was going to back down immediately - no need to actually shoot.

I wonder if it will get appealed though, some NRA types won't be happy and I wonder if the various concealed carry instructors etc.. will have to re-think whatever they're training people too - clearly the local police thought he was within the law, it was only after a media storm and state prosecutors took a look at it that he was charged.
 
Caporegime
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He alleged previous threat towards someone parking in the disabled spot probably didn't help here. The whole thing was dodgy in itself, the guy was no longer attacking him at the time he pulled the gun and quite clearly once he'd pulled the gun the guy was going to back down immediately - no need to actually shoot.

I wonder if it will get appealed though, some NRA types won't be happy and I wonder if the various concealed carry instructors etc.. will have to re-think whatever they're training people too - clearly the local police thought he was within the law, it was only after a media storm and state prosecutors took a look at it that he was charged.

Your final point is the salient one there I believe. How much of the decision was politicised?
 
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