Trayvon Martin and the Irony of American Justice - Ta-Nehisi Coates - The Atlantic

Trayvon Martin and the Irony of American Justice - Ta-Nehisi Coates - The Atlantic: I don't think the import of this is being appreciated. Effectively, I can bait you into a fight and if I start losing I can can legally kill you, provided I "believe" myself to be subject to "great bodily harm." It is then the state's job to prove -- beyond a reasonable doubt -- that I either did not actually fear for my life, or my fear was unreasonable. In the case of George Zimmerman, even if the state proved that he baited an encounter (and I am not sure they did) they still must prove that he had no reasonable justification to fear for his life.