Is The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights - 2060 Words

In Tampa, Florida, Ralph Wald walked in on his former neighbor Walter Conley, in bed with his wife. After he fatally shot Conley, who was less than half his age, Wald claimed he did not recognize him and assumed he was a stranger raping his wife. He was acquitted after two days of testimony and according to the Tampa Bay Times, Wald’s defense team invoked the Stand Your Ground law noting that Wald had ‘no duty to retreat’ when facing danger within his own home. Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: â€Å"No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such†¦show more content†¦The core of these laws is that individuals should be able to use deadly force when they believe their lives might be in danger, instead of trying to avoid conflict at all cost. By allowing such log ic for the use of lethal force, Stand Your Ground laws are severely flawed, for they increase violence, targets people with color and allow criminals to get away with murder. The notorious case of George Zimmerman, a Florida man who shot and killed Trayvon Martin ignited a national debate surrounding The Stand Your Ground law. On February 26, 2012, Martin was returning from a nearby convenience store when he was shot and killed. Zimmerman claimed he was being physically attacked by the unarmed teenager, causing him to fire in self-defense. Various people have been led to believe the misconception that this law had nothing to do with Zimmerman’s acquittal for the killing of Trayvon Martin. Police Chief Bill Lee stated that the decision not to arrest Zimmerman had nothing to do with Florida s controversial Stand Your Ground law because from an investigative standpoint, it was purely a matter of self-defense. The New York Times also believed â€Å"Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law†¦ has not been