Gone Missing: Have You Seen This Man?
For the three days a group of student activists known as the Dream Defenders have been camped out in the Florida Capitol waiting to speak with Gov. Rick Scott, asking that he call a special session to address the Stand Your Ground law that made it possible for George Zimmerman to kill teenager Trayvon Martin and walk away. The protesters just spent a second night sleeping on the Capitol floor and are prepared to spend many more there until Scott meets with them.
So where is Scott? That's an easy one. He's ducking the protesters by spending his days anywhere but at his office in Tallahassee. The protesters say they aren't going anywhere, and plan to spend the weekend right where they are in hopes of meeting with him Monday.
Scott defends his shoot first and ask questions later law, and merely put out a statement telling the Dream Defenders he would do nothing to change the law. He won't even take calls from the NAACP.
It's typical Rick Scott. He ignores the people of Florida and their demands that he do his job to protect them, not corporations, the NRA, and ALEC.
“It’s not in his plan,” [Phillip] Agnew said. “But it wasn’t in Trayvon Martin’s plan to be murdered on his way home. Sometimes, we have to be flexible.”
While Scott may be ignoring the issue, it's getting plenty of nationwide media attention and it's shining a spotlight on Scott's inaction.
Critics have called for a Florida boycott urging people not to travel to the state or purchase Florida products, and there's a nationwide demand to repeal the ALEC Stand Your Ground law not just in Florida, but in all the other states that have it on the books.
Scott's retreat from the Capitol and the Dream Defenders was the main subject on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow show last night where she interviewed Florida Sen. Chris Smith (D-Fort Lauderdale).
The law and subsequent verdict in the Zimmerman murder trial was also the subject of segments on The Daily Show this week.
If Scott's plan is to continue ignoring the SYG issue, he's going to have to spend a lot of time away from his office, because this issue isn't going away anytime soon. His usual tactic of casting voters wishes aside isn't going to work anymore.
