Mom Talk

How Trayvon’s Hoodie Can Help Us

Whether or not the Florida’s teen’s clothing contributed to his death, we can use the lesson of appearance to protect our kids.

Squinting into the distance, I search for my 10-year-old. With rolling backpack in tow, she’s walking ahead of me after school. The meandering pace of her little sibling was slowing us down, and big sister was eager to get homework started. “Mom, can I go home by myself?” The leash lengthens as a child grows, and that day I let it out some more. So with plenty of daylight left, I handed her the keys. My daughter is a different color, shape, and size than Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old in Florida who was fatally shot by a man on a neighborhood watch five weeks ago. But fear of harm done to your child can shorten the leash. And what parent in America has not rethought the distance between herself and her children since Trayvon’s tragedy? …

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City Councilors Take Aim at 'Stand Your Ground' Bill

Two Boston City Councilors who represent the South End have filed a resolution opposing a bill in the legislature that would bring to Massachusetts the "Stand Your Ground" law at the center of the killing of Trayvon Martin.

City Councilors Felix Arroyo and Tito Jackson have filed a resolution urging Beacon Hill to reject a "Stand Your Ground" bill modeled on the Florida law at the center of the Trayvon Martin killing. Jackson represents District 7, which includes the South End, while Arroyo, an at-large councilor, represents the entire city.  The resolution, scheduled for debate at Wednesday's City Council meeting, says Massachusetts case law already allows people to defend themselves using deadly force if they have done everything they could to avoid the confrontation. The councilors say the Florida "Stand Your Ground" law has led to a 200 percent increase in "justifiable homicides." A PDF of the draft resolution is attached to this post. Martin, a 17-year-…

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