Page 11 - Florida Sentinel 8-17-18

Feature
Stand Your Ground Arrest Draws Favorable Responses
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Monday, Attorney Bernie McCabe, Pinellas- Pasco State Attorney, issued an arrest warrant for Michael Drejka. Drejka shot and killed an unarmed man on July 19th at a Clearwa- ter convenience store.
He became enraged after Ms. Britany Jacobs, girl- friend of Markeis Mc- Glockton, pulled into a handicapped parking slot at the convenience store.
McGlockton came out of the store and pushed Drejka to the ground. The investiga- tors said McGlockton was between 10 and 15 feet away from Drejka when the fatal bullet was fired.
Drejka claimed he was in fear of his life. However, after reviewing the case, Attorney McCabe issued a warrant for his arrest. He was charged with manslaughter and is being held under a $100,000 bond at the Pinellas County jail.
ATTORNEY KAREN SKYERS
DERRICK JOHNSON
ATTORNEY BENJAMIN CRUMP
LEON RUSSELL
REV. AL SHARPTON
REP. SHEVRIN JONES
gross abuse of the state’s ‘stand your ground’ laws. ...
“The charges offer a ray of hope – but our work is not done. NAN will continue its work as the leading advocate for change in our nation’s broken criminal justice sys- tem.”
Rep. Shevrin Jones,
State Rep. District 101, and Democratic Whip 2016-2018, “This signals that the facts surrounding this case provide clear evidence that Florida’s ‘Stand Your Ground’ law needs to be re-examined. If prosecutors can see this case for what it truly is, murder, then the legislature owes it to the people of Florida to take a deeper look.”
NAACP Chairman, Florida resident Leon W. Russell said, “We commend the State’s Attorney for in- dicting this man in the brutal murder of a husband and fa- ther, who sought only to pro- tect his family. This law is a shameful tool for vigilantes and cowards.”
NAACP President and
CEO Derrick Johnson said, “The NAACP is mobiliz- ing its supporters and part- ners to push for sane gun control laws and a repeal of the Stand Your Ground statue in Florida and around the na- tion. This uncivilized law is simply a license to kill; it must be eliminated for the safety of all our communi- ties.”
Attorney Karen Sky- ers, candidate for Florida House District 61, said, “I ap- plaud the decision by the State Attorney's Office to charge Michael Drejka in the shooting death of Markeis McGlockton.
"As an attorney and an ad- vocate, failure to prosecute would have been yet another rubber stamp on the use of "Stand Your Ground" as a li- cense to kill, a situation that tragically occurs far too often in Florida.
“I continue to pledge that the very first bill I will file as the Representative for House District 61 is a repeal of this dangerous law.”
Individuals ranging from Civil Rights activists to polit- ical candidates shared state- ments about the arrest.
Attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Ms. Bri- tany Jacobs, girlfriend of Markeis McGlockton and witness to the shooting said, “This self-appointed wannabe cop attempted to hide behind stand your ground to defend his indefen-
sible actions, but the truth has finally cut through the noise."
Rev. Al Sharpton, Civil Rights activist and President of National Action Network said, “NAN commends the Florida State Attorney’s Of- fice for its decision to file manslaughter charges against Michael Drejka, who shot and killed Markeis Mc- Glockton last month in a
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