Ignoring the Realities of NYC Crime

Post-trial exploitation of the Trayvon Martin case remains focused on “stand your ground” laws, versions of which are found in more than 30 states. Though Florida’s statute was not part of George Zimmerman’s defense, the court’s instructions to jurors noted that Zimmerman had the “right to stand his ground” if they found he was not “engaged in an unlawful activity” and “attacked anyplace where he had a right to be.” Nevertheless, President Obama and others have condemned “stand your ground” as a menace to black communities and public safety. One reaches a different conclusion when studying the history of New York City in the late twentieth century. It wasn’t until New Yorkers withdrew from directly confronting crime that lawlessness and violence overwhelmed black neighborhoods and the rest of the city.