It’s a dark and rainy night even though is only 7:30 PM. You are walking on that miserable night on your way to where you have been staying for a few days but this is not your “home” and you are not familiar with the neighbors. As you are walking you noticed a car with a person watching your every move, but think nothing of it until you notice that the car is following you. Your heart beats faster and your pace picks up a bit. You walk by the car and make eye contact with the driver; you want to send him a message that you know what he is doing. You hope this will deter him from following you.
You decide to walk into an area where the car can’t follow you, with any luck whoever is following you will desist now that you are not that accessible. To your surprise and dismay, the person comes out of the car and starts walking in your direction.
Damn rain! What does this guy wants to come after you even under this miserable rain? Does he want to abduct you? You run and hide behind some bushes hoping that the guy will walk away and the whole thing has just been a mere coincidence. But the man doesn’t walk away, rather he takes out a flashlight and now you are positive he is after you and will search for you and what’s worse, he will find you! Before you are surprised, you decide to surprise him instead and confront him.
The man seems confident and cocky when you ask him what is it that he wants. Not once this man asked where were you going or tell you he is the captain of the neighborhood watch nor does he tell you that the police is on their way. For you, this man wants to harm you and you have no idea what his intentions are. Words are exchanged and you punch the man right on the nose. The man falls and hit himself on the concrete. Before he gets up, you jump on him and try to subdue him and you even managed to throw a few more punches.
All the while, you are crying at the top of your lungs for help. You hope that someone will come to your aid, but no one does. The man pulls out a gun and the unmistakable sound of a gunshot is heard in the dark and your cries for help are forever silenced. You fall face down on the ground, and your last gasp for air is filled with grass, water and the dirt that is under you.
The shooter doesn’t feel any compassion for you or remorse for his actions, for having taken your life. Rather, he desperately is trying to find a weapon on you, unsuccessfully. He is trying to find something on you to justify in front of the police why he had to shoot you but all he finds is an unopened can of Arizona tea and a bag of skittles.
According to many people, you deserved to die for throwing that first punch. Long gone are the days where two men would have a fistfight and where the only thing coming out of that fight would be a few bruises and a broken ego.
Everything that will be heard after your death will be the story given by your murderer, since no one in that neighborhood had the guts to come out in your defense, not on that night not afterwards and the other witness, you, is dead.
Stand your ground can be translated into I’ll put you in the ground and walk free, especially if you happen to be a black man in Florida.
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