what kind of country we want to live in. we are jurors on whether we want profiling or want people to be judged on what they do, not what they look like. we are jurors in whether we want people, civilians walking around carrying guns, believing they have the right to decide where to carry that gun and what situations they can use the confidence a gun gives you to operate as if they were trained and sworn in officers of the law. we can decide on all kinds of matters of social justice and economic fairness, all kinds of ways to make this a better country, a fairer country, a more reasonable country where the laws favor less violence, not mar. that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "politicsnation" with al sharpton starts right now. thanks, chris, and thanks to you for tuning. in tonight's lead, the verdict and after the verdict. more than a year ago, i and others called for a full investigation into the killing of trayvon martin. the jury has spoken in the case

in the state of florida versus george zimmerman. it was deeply disappointing, the verdict that came forth. but the process is one we must respect and move on. but the question is move on how. first, the justice department's investigation. the department has now announced it's reopening its federal review of the case, an investigation we called for last year. this is not new. as to determine whether trayvon martin's civil rights were violated. this review has support from key members of congress. after the jury's verdict, senator barbara boxer wrote, quote, i don't think this should be the last word. i fully agree with the decision of the justice department to review the facts of this case. and today three congressmen here in new york also announced their support of that review. last year i also called on the justice department to look into whether stand your ground gun

laws violates civil rights all across this country. a broad review of these new laws are in order, and we must keep pressing for them. today the new york daily news featured a hooded sweatshirt on its cover with the names of black men killed in decades past, men like medgar evers, emmett till, and now trayvon martin. this continue injustice is why people have been marching all across america, from new york to chicago to denver. i've heard from so many of you who are hurt, angry, and just worried about what is next. i can say to you that i also get frustrated, very frustrated. but we can never let our anger blind us and get in the way of progress. we want equal protection under the law, and we will march and work and sweat to make the laws better and more just and applied equally.

we did not come this far to turn around and become like those we fight. the only way we make progress is to make the law work equally for everyone, not break the law and not let our frustrations outweigh and outrun our determination. we are determined as we was when we walk when we walked into sanford, florida a year ago to raise the issues that are before us and raise the bigger issues that make these cases happen in the first place. and we must be big enough to deal with all of it. as the attorney general said today, we cannot let this opportunity pass. we must start dealing with the real critical big ires that make this country unequal and how it deals with justice. joining me now is benjamin crump, lawyer for the trayvon martin family and defense

attorney john burris. he was rodney king's attorney during the civil trial of the police officers involved in his beating. he has also referred numerous cases to the justice department for federal review. thank you both for joining me. >> thank you. >> attorney crump, what is next for the trayvon martin family. first of all, how are they doing? and are they considering a civil lawsuit against george zimmerman? >> reverend sharpton, obviously they were heartbroken. like so many across the country and across the world when they verdict was handed down. and to quote sybrina, trayvon's mother directly, she cried. she prayed. she cried some more. she got up and went to church. and when she got home, she said attorney crump, we will not let this verdict define trayvon martin. we will define the legacy of trayvon martin.

and it was inspiring, reverend sharpton, to say the least. she said oui come a long way. now we have to roll up our sleeves and work even harder to make sure this doesn't happen to anybody else's child, especially now that this verdict has been handed down. >> you know, over a year ago, you and i and others had talked about the federal government looking into not only this case, but the stand your ground laws. we had a meeting with the u.s. attorney right there in sanford, florida. this is nothing new like the media is trying to play. and it was always a commitment of this family to deal with issues that were the large issues in this as well so this would not affect other children what they go through. and i remember ms. fulton saying all along, i can't bring trayvon back, but we've got to change society, whether it's gun laws, stand your ground laws and other things, that this is happening every day to children. >> yes, sir.

and i'm so glad you have my good friend and mentor john burris on, because this question has evolved. and it was and still is at the foundation of equal justice question, reverend sharpton. but it has evolved now to one of equal protection. >> right. >> because anybody who observed that trial know that the proposition of the defense was that because there have been a burglary by african-american teen, that this neighborhood watch follow volunteer with the 9 millimeter gun would somehow justify and profile and following trayvon martin based on the way he looked. so the question has been framed now for our justice department, is this the law? is this that you can profile our children an follow them, take the law into your own hands? because we need to know what to tell our children. and if it is not the law, then a federal civil rights violations should be brought against the killer of trayvon martin. so people will know that you

can't do this. the united states supreme court says police can't profile based on race. so how can a citizen with a 9 millimeter gun profile our children? >> now, attorney burris, when you look at precedence of federal civil rights cases, and you and i both have been involved in these, rodney king beating, we saw an acquit until a state court. four police officers were acquitted on state charges. then they were tried on civil rights charges. and they were convicted. two police officers were convicted of federal civil rights charges after they were acquitted. and there are other precedents that we have seen. so this is something that is not only possible, but has had a precedent in the past while people acting like this is something that is unthinkable. it has in fact happened and has succeeded in that. >> absolutely. first, if i may compliment you on your comments. i think people need to know that

this is not the end. this is just the beginning, that it's a forward march for progress and we all need to participate. and certainly, ben, you have done a wonderful job and we really appreciate the work you have done. let me just say, though, the issue that people talk about is that this is double jeopardy if you were to prosecute it. it is not double jeopardy because the federal statute has different elements and different causes of actions that apply that do not apply in state court. so you can in fact have a separate federal cause of action that is separate and apart from a state case, even if there has been an acquittal. we saw that in rodney king, and there have been a lot of other cases that i've been involved in as well. it request be done. these issues around the federal prosecution is a challenging one. i do believe the big issue in this case was racial profiling, and the issue we've been talking about for a number of years in trying to get the senate to do something about. because racial profiling, when you substitute race for probable

cause or suspicious conduct, you can get yourself into trouble. and young black kids need to know this could happen for them. but from our point of view going forward, there were two issues to considerer from samnford. one, did the police department itself have a practice of not protecting african-americans. and second whether or not this was based on race. and one could make the argument that because there had been 42 other calls or thereabouts of all african-americans that he has a state of mind to prosecute and go after african-americans. that could be the first element of the offense that needs to be looked at by the justice department. >> 42 other calls. attorney crump, the stand your ground laws, whether or not they violate civil rights. state law does not supersede federal law. and one of the things that we are looking at here in terms of the justice department is the broader question of the state law itself.

ironically, there was a law against racial profiling in the state of illinois done by a man named barack obama when he was a state senator. so when we look at the state laws, and we look at how they're applied, the federal government can look at the laws, but we also need to deal with the state law in florida and other states that have set up situations that come back to haunt us. it's unimaginable that you have one set of laws in florida, another in new york, another in pennsylvania. i think we've got to discuss all of that as we deal with the outcome of this case. >> from my point. >> absolutely. >> what you have to look at is how is this law being applied. is it being applied, the stand your ground laws? is it the prosecutor for a case involving a white defendant or not versus that of black defendants. you want to see a discriminatory

application of that law. >> attorney crump? >> i agree. it is certainly not lost that even though his killer profiled him, the sanford police department seemed to have profiled trayvon as well, because they took his killer's version as the gospel when they got out there on that scene. so it is troubling to many around the country when they say why can't we get equal justice? why couldn't they have looked at it fresh and clean. and then as they considered whether to bring a prosecution, it seemed to always be the killer's perspective. and it was never a perspective of the victim. and that is really troubling. and that's why so many people are protesting. that's why so many people are disappointed with the verdict. and reverend sharpton, i want to say you have said all along, you wanted to have the trial brought. we respect the rule of law. and we want everybody to remain peaceful. however, at the onset we did ask

for the department of justice. we wanted the federal government involved and not the local government doing this case, because we understood that they had already had some issues from the onset that was troubling with dealing with the tragic death of trayvon benjamin martin. >> i might also add that you never called and the family never called on people to come in. and you called me. until the local authorities said there would be no arrest. this was not something that you wanted or anyone wanted to have to make a situation that it became. you know, people act like people are just jumping all over this situation. i think the family wanted justice. and when they felt they had to get a lot of spotlight and national attention and rally on it, they did it as a last resort. for a couple of weeks, no one knew or did anything about this. >> absolutely. and tracy and sybrina have only

wanted what any other parent would want if that were your child shot in the heart. they didn't want anything extraordinary. they just wanted simple justice. the killer of their unarmed teenaged son to be held accountable and their son's death not to be in vain. and that's why they are continuing the fight. and i am happy attorney burris said what he said. i'm happy you've always said what you said. this is going to be a long struggle. and sib ybrina and tracy, we ca bring trayvon back. it really is about your children now. >> attorney burris, quickly, does this have to be a hate crime for the justice department to proceed? >> i think it has to be a hate crime based upon race. ultimately, it's race that is at issue here. so you have to have animus towards this person because of his race. and this is the basis upon which you killed him. and so the caution here is how do you prove that?

that's just the first step. then you have to have significant evidence there is obviously an overwhelming state interest involved here, a federal interest because you can't kill somebody based upon the race. what interest is it of that? that's what the government has to really look at the facts to see more about his prior history and his calling. look at these individual cases are the 42 calls to see what facts were there and how similar are they to those of trayvon martin and the fact that that cost him to use suspect when it really was a code word for black. >> benjamin crump, john burris, thank you both for your time tonight. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> this trial shined a spotlight on the controversial shoot first, stand your ground laws in america. why the fight to change gun laws starts today as well. >> independent of the legal

determination that will be made, i believe that this tragedy provides yet another opportunity for our nation to speak honestly about the complicated and emotionally charged issues that this case has raised. [ male announcer ] when your favorite food starts a fight, fight back fast with tums. trusted heartburn relief that goes to work in seconds. nothing works faster. ♪ tum, tum tum tum tums! nothing works faster. peace of mind is important when so we provide it services you bucan rely on. with centurylink as your trusted it partner, you'll experience reliable uptime for the network and services you depend on. multi-layered security solutions keep your information safe, and secure. and responsive dedicated support meets your needs, and eases your mind. centurylink. your link to what's next. and i have a massive heart attack right in my driveway.

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have you joined the "politicsnation" conversation on facebook yet? over the weekend, thousands came to our facebook page to watch live as the zimmerman verdict was delivered. and the case has been a big topic in the "politicsnation" facebook community. many people are also talking about the case of marissa alexander, the florida woman now serving 20 years in prison for firing a gun and not hitting anyone. we've covered her story before, and we'll revisit it tonight. on both cases, we want to hear what you think. please head over the facebook and search "politicsnation" and like us to join the conversation

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state of florida versus george zimmerman verdict. we the jury find george zimmerman not guilty. so say we all. >> today many americans are trying to understand exactly why the jury reached that verdict. lots of questions about how the prosecution handled the case. helping me to help answer some questions are msnbc legal analyst lisa bloom and former prosecutor faith jenkins. thank you both for your time

tonight. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> lisa, let me start with you. where could the prosecution have done better? >> well, they could have argued a theory of the case for starters in closing argument. you know, when both sides are arguing reasonable doubt, i think an acquittal is a forgone conclusion. and they never did that they went really to the defense theory of the case, especially the last half of the trial. so the defense has zimmerman down. trayvon martin on top of him, assaulting him. and you know, it's a fairly reasonable conclusion that george zimmerman would have to defend himself in that situation, although not necessarily with deadly force. the prosecution could have argued that zimmerman was on top there are witnesses who said that. or that the two men were upright. >> their own witnesses. >> that's right. or that both men were upright and moving around and yelling at each other as another prosecution witness demonstrated. the prosecution should have put together, most importantly, out of their dozen blend blunders, the biggest was failure to put together in closing argument by drawing reasonable inferences from the evidence which is what prosecutors do a theory of

exactly what happened to counter defense version. >> i want to add to what lisa just said. if they would have put forth -- this was a fistfight. george zimmerman had no serious injuries. he had a bloody nose. he had scratches to the back of his head. trayvon martin had no gun, no weapon. this was a fistfight. and the law is you cannot introduce a gun to a fistfight. perhaps that would have been a better argument to your point, lisa. just put 80 there. this is what happened. they got into a fistfight, but george zimmerman turned it into a gunfight, which is he is not allowed to do. >> it's not a gunfight there is only one gun. >> but he introduced that to a fistfight, which is not -- which is not the right thing to do. >> now, today in an interview, the prosecutor bernie de la rionda says mr. zimmerman didn't testify. and let me ply for you what he said. >> as we all well know, he's got the right not to, and he made that decision. >> he was afraid to take the stand?

the proof is in the pudding. did he take the stand? >> now, he was afraid to take the stand. the proof is in the pudding. but wasn't it the prosecutors by putting all of his statements in, they're saying to show the contradictions, but putting his statements. in didn't that create the climate where it became less and less necessary for him to testify? >> that is correct. you know, many of us before the trial were really wondering whether zimmerman would have to take the stand in the prosecutor forced his hand by not putting in exculpatory statements, statements that made george zimmerman look good. but the prosecutor put all of those. in and then it was a very clear decision that there is no way on earth the defense would have george zimmerman testify. but the bottom line is i never thought he was going to testify. most defendants don't testify. any way they can get out of that cross-examination by a good prosecutor. to blame that one part of the trial for the loss in this case, i mean, as if that was unexpected? i mean, that's really startling. zimmerman had a fifth amendment

right not to testify. he exercised it. >> go ahead. >> sheer what they said. the prosecutor said today they knew john good was going to testify. and they believed because you have to be able to put forth evidence that will give you a self-defense charge, the defense would want a self-defense charge. how would they get that if george zimmerman doesn't take the witness stand? in most self-defense cases, the defendant has to testify. here because of john good, we knew they would get the self-defense charge because of john good so we went ahead and put out the statements. the jury wasn't convinced by his inconsistencies. he would have made a terrible witness on the witness stand. look what he said in the hannity interview. you're going up against experienced prosecutors in cross-examining. so i think the lies and the inconsisteskinconsistencies tha would have been brought out much better. >> if there is a civil suit, he would are to testify? >> most likely. >> the state attorney, angela corey, she talked about the profiling part of the case. look at this, faith.

>> trayvon martin was profiled there is no doubt he was profiled to be a criminal. and if race one one of the aspects in george zimmerman's mind, then we believe that we put out the proof necessary to show that zimmerman did profile trayvon martin. >> now, this was the press conference after the verdict. we didn't hear that stressed a lot during the case, did we? >> well that. >> didn't use the word racial profiling. but they used the word profiled. and they did emphasize that in the opening, in the closing, and through the introduction of those calls which i know they didn't mention in the closing arguments. but i think what they were arguing here is look at all of the bad decisions and all the choices, the wrong assumptions that george zimmerman made, leading up to the moment where he meets trayvon face-to-face. he wrongly ashiems ly ly assum criminal. they were hoping the jury would say look at all the wrong choices he made.

and you cannot accept the fact and believe he made the right choice when he pulled the trigger and decided to kill him. >> today we also see prosecutors view of what happened this night. look at this, with me, lisa. >> nobody just gets a gun out and shoots. even trained police officers. when they're on the ground with a suspect on top of them, they can't get their guns out that quickly. >> i think there was a struggle. at some point trayvon became aware of the gun and was backing up and george zimmerman shot him. >> this is a theory that we never heard during the case. >> it sure would have been good if the prosecutors instead of talking to the media about these theories afterwards would have offered them in the courtroom, in the aggressive, direct, straight forward way that prosecutors do in every other murder trial in this country. i mean, that's what's really astounding to me. for angela corey to say well, we argued racial profiling, was she watching the same trial they was watching? actually what happened, and i just read a "new york times"

they're going to post on their website any time now, prosecutors fought to get in the prior non-emergency calls zimmerman made where in all cases he called about a suspicious person in the neighborhood, in all cases, in 100% of the cases. it was an african-american person. they got that evidence in. and then they never used it. they never used it on cross-examination of a witness. they didn't use it in closing argument. they didn't play it back. and they said in closing arguments this is not about race. >> 100%. >> i think there was a decision made midstream. >> i don't think this would have changed the jury's mind. >> lisa bloom, faith jenkins, thank you both for your time tonight. ahead, why this verdict and this case is shining light on controversial gun laws in america. plus, taking action. protesters calling for justice and change. stay with us.

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sparked a national debate on important issues facing our country, and it's also sparking action. we're seeing rallies and marches around the country with protesters calling for justice and change. the rallies are bringing us together and they're shining a national spotlight on florida's so-called stand your ground law. it's the controversial law that allows people to use deadly force if they reasonably believe their safety is threatened. critics call it the shoot first law. it was pushed and created by the the national rifle association, and the nra has been the driving force behind the law. in 2005, the nra first got stand your ground on the books in florida. since then, it's systematically pushed the law in more than 30 states. and now the world is seeing exactly why this law needs to change. joining me now is florida

defense attorney ken padowitz. thank you for coming on the show, ken. >> thank you. >> now, ken, you know this law better than most. you have defended clients using it. tell us what effect does stand your ground law have in florida? >> some people have said the stand your ground law has nothing to do with this case. it's so far off the mark, i don't know what they've been smoking. it has everything to do with this case, and for three reasons. the first reason is because there is was no arrest made in this case because the police and the state attorney for that county believed that the stand your ground law prevented them from making an arrest. and that in and of itself was part of this case and part of this trial. and any other type of case similar to this. second reason, at the end of the trial, the jury instructions in this case specifically told the jury that they were sworn to follow that a person has the right to stand their ground as opposed to prior to 2005 when i handled many murder

prosecutions, and the law to the jury was different, which said that an individual had to use every means possible to avoid the confrontation before resorting to that force. so two main reasons why stand your ground applied in this case, and on all other case, many people would say this is a horrible law. it's not an accident, reverend, that the florida prosecution attorneys ago representing ought the state attorneys in florida have recommended a repeal of this law. >> now dave recommended a repeal of the law today. each the mayor of new york, michael bloomberg put out this statement saying one fact has long been crystal clear. shoot first laws like those in florida can inspire dangerous vigilanteism and protect those who act recklessly with guns. such laws drafted by gun lobby extremists in washington encourage deadly confrontation by enabling people to shoot first and argue justifiable homicide later.

there is clearly the beginning of this case was on stand your ground from the night at the police station when stand your ground was the reason high they let george zimmerman go. >> absolutely. and there is an old saying that us lawyers have heard many times and many people have heard, driving while black. well, in this case many people are saying it's walking while black. it's now changed. and that's a horrifying thing. you know, we can't ignore facts. the facts are that since 2005 when this law was enabled in florida, there is a 200% increase in homicides where the claim is self-defense. 200%. now, if that's the case, we need to take a real hard look at this law. what a lawyer has to tell their clients is if you were in a situation with a gun and you're in a place you're allowed to be, you better shoot that person right through the heart and kill them, not just injury them, kill them. so that no one can refute your claim you were responding your

ground and defending yourself. that's a shame if that's what our society has come to. that's how bad this law is. and that's why the prosecutors in the state of florida, all over the state represented by the florida prosecuting attorneys association want it repealed. >> ken padowitz, thank you for your time. >> thank you. >> and putting the spotlight on. putting a spotlight on, making national, and making people understand what is going on in egregious way is what marches and protests do. it is why we want to sanford in the first place. marching and protests do not solve problems. but it exposes problems, big problems. and no one will deal with things unless they're exposed. joining me now are two that engage in that is the reverend dr. w. food bank lynn richardson. he is chairman of the board of the national action network, my civil rights organization. and pastor jamal harrison bryant

from the empowerment movement thank you both for joining me. >> thank you, reverend. >> the activism that both of you involved with me in the beginning around these big issues and around this case, and now going forward has always been nonviolent. and we insist on that. but it also must deal with leading to real fundamental change. dr. richardson? >> you know, the change is critical. we've been here before. too often have we been where we are now. at a place of disappointment and frustration. what the black church has to do and the leadership must be an incubator for that frustration, and transfer it into its strategic opportunity for action. we've got to take up this responsibility. our people are frustrated. they're looking for some sense of direction, where do we go from here, how do we address this. it seems overwhelming that here we are over and over again 50 years from 1963. we're back at the same place all over again. high unemployment in the black

community. voter acts gone. black men being killed and not being accountable. this is -- this is recurring. it's frustrating, but the church must incubate our disappointment and turn into it opportunity. >> reverend bryant, as we look at this 50 years later and we're getting ready, martin luther king iii and all of us come together to march and deal with the issues of today, voting rights and equal protection under the law, the challenge is for activism today is to put that spotlight on not only these particular cases, which clearly is front and center in the minds of the nation now, because people like us went to florida, but also to deal withstand your ground laws and other laws which laws were changed in the '60s when there was discipline in strategic action. >> one of the critical place, reverend sharpton, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary is what made magic johnson a great play was not all of his shots, but his ability to pass.

marching is the first step. martin luther king jr. did an incredible job. but we cannot forget the legacy of thurgood marshall. he marched all the way to the point line and thurgood marshall had to help pass the law. what we've done in the past jeer raise your attention on stand your ground and now we have to move forward op chaining the law. that's why we're standing with you in 100 cities in front of federal courts in 100 cities to raise attention about now it is that laws have got to change, and the federal government is going to have to investigate it. the reality is florida has dropped the ball. >> state law, and states that have like the stand your ground lou, it with state laws that was confronted in the '60s. >> yes. >> and here we are again. and i think that we must not miss the bigger points as we deal with the family of trayvon martin and others pursuing

something, and the contradictions were getting ready to talk about with the alexander case. but also dr. richardson, how we handle our protests. one of the things i saw over the weekend with protests we saw or were involved in is they were mostly all peaceful, which is very important. yet we heard all of the rhetoric from many on the right. they're going to be riots almost like they were stereotyping a whole community like they couldn't handle the verdict without being reckless. >> los angeles, for instance. police were out just like they were expecting us to go to war. we've been responsible people. our people have been accountable. we've always sought the system to correct our indifference. and i think it's unfortunate when we get caught with this idea that somehow when we stand up again for our rights that we are calling for violence and chaos. we have caulked the chaos. and that must be our role as we go forward. >> it's like a collective

profiling, reverend bryant. these young people are not thugs and hoodlums that cannot operate with disciplined protests and focus where they're going. >> aristotle said a wise man knows how to be angry at the right degree, at the right person, and at the right time. young people have done an exemplary job of modeling civil rights 2.0. you all would know that in order for you to participate in student nonviolent coordinating committee. you had to go through weeks of training before they allowed you to be able to pick or be able to hold up your voice or mantle to make sure you could in fact undergird the principles of nonviolence. by and large, the thousands of young people, and we've been all over the country from los angeles to new york to miami, these young people have done it. but they have a level of maturity and discipline that says they understand anger has to be at the right degree and

towards the right target. our hats go off to this next generation of civil rights activists who say we understand we are to march forward, but even with our rage has got to be directed in the right way. >> reverend richardson, it is also not now and has never been an all-black movement. there are many whites that have is marched on this, many latinos, many asians, as in the '60s. we're talking about right and wrong, even though we're dealing with questions of race, even though we're dealing in sometimes questions of gender, homophobia, whatever it is, it's about all people standing for what is right. >> it's clearly multiple dimensions to this struggle. and it just happens to be that the african-americans under pressure in america provided the framework and the ground for many causes to take place. whether it's south africa or the berlin wall falling down, it grew out of our ability to respond to our oppression and the racism that has been

inflicted on us in this country. >> reverend richardson and pastor jamal harrison bryant, i'm happy to have both of you with us tonight, ministers and activists around the country will be in 100 cities in front of federal buildings this saturday, saying that we must deal with these state laws, and we must call on the justice department to look into the civil rights violation and this case. and they will be gathering around the country. thank you both for being here. ahead, the woman serving 20 years for firing a shot that hit a wall. yet others go free. how is this justice in america? that's next. la's known definitely for its traffic, congestion, for it's smog. but there are a lot of people that do ride the bus. and now that the busses are running on natural gas, they don't throw out as much pollution to the earth. so i feel good. i feel like i'm doing my part to help out the environment.

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in the days since george zimmerman's acquittal, attention has refocused on another florida case with a much different outcome. in 2010, marissa alexander fired a gunshot into a wall during an argument with her husband. alexander said her husband, who had a history of domestic violence, was assaulting her, and it was a warning shot. no one was hurt. but alexander was charged with

three counts of aggravated assault. a judge denied her stand your ground claim, and alexander was sent to prison for 20 years. here is what she says about the incident. >> i believe when he threatened to kill me, that's what he was going to do. that's exactly what he intended to do. and had i not discharged my weapon at that point, i would not be here. this isn't my life i'm fighting for. this is my life and it's my life, and it's not entertainment. it is my life. >> 20 years in prison for firing a warning shot. but a man who killed an unarmed 17-year-old walks free. joining me now is kevin coban, and joy reid, and msnbc contributor who covered the story of marissa alexander. thank you both for being here.

>> thanks for having me. >> kevin, your client is severing 20 years. what was your reaction when you saw the verdict over the weekend? >> it is definitely disappointing. when you have a case like marissa alexander who should be the poster child for what stand your ground, a woman who had been abused several times, been placed in the hospital, had an injunction for protection, and yet she is not getting the benefit of the doubt and allowed to use the stand your ground law as it clearly states in the legislature, but yet someone like george zimmerman can use it, it's frustrating. and it shows that we definitely have -- >> let me review that again, kevin. she had been hospitalized, assaulted, and had had a peace warrant issued, yet with all of this, and she was assaulted by this husband she sent the warning shot that threatened to kill her. with all of, that she was denied the use of stand your ground in court by the judge? >> absolutely. and we see that too often in

court. when black defendants are -- they're not given the benefit of the doubt. it's not reasonable that they defend themselves. but we see time and time again, as in the zimmerman case, the law seems to apply to them. that's why we have a serious problem here in florida, and we need to address that. >> joy, you covered this case. and this case is something that a lot of people, we mentioned it on this show and our radio show before. a lot of people are raising it this weekend as we talk about the justice department looking at the application of stand your ground even in florida, as well as why the law itself needs to be dealt with. >> absolutely. and a lot of people are probably also not aware the exact same attorney vigorously prosecuted marissa alexander after she rejected an initial plea deal. she went in and prosecute herd to the fullest extent of the law, 20 year sentence. and marissa alexander's husband had previously thrown her across the bathroom and she had landed

in the tub, had landed her in the hospital while pregnant. she has a very young child who is now growing up with the abusive children who told investigators very forthrightly he has beaten every single girlfriend he's had except one. >> five. five different women had different children from him. and he said he beat every one of them except one, and the one was not marissa alexander. he beat her too. at this time of this incident, she had been chased into a bathroom after receiving a text message from a male friend, and the husband became enraged. she said he chased her into the bathroom, attempted to force his way into the bathroom. and when she tried to flee to the garbage, he cornered her. she fired a warning shot over head in the kitchen. why she charged her so heavily is because there were two older children in the house. they weren't in the vicinity of the gunshot. but now we have a situation where a minor was the victim of a fatal shooting. there was no arrest initially. the prosecution seemed to be very limp. they didn't seem really to go for it the way they went for it with marissa alexander. but if stand your ground doesn't

apply to a woman has a known abuser she is facing, someone menacing her inside her own home. she is in her castle. castle doctrine means you don't have a duty to retreat. angela corey's explanation was she should have ran out the front door. no duty to retreat should mean no duty to retreat, but apparently it didn't apply here. >> let me go back to you, kevin. in terms of the broad use of stand your ground, it at the broad discretion of a prosecutor and a judge, right? i want people to understand as egregious as this individual case, there is a systematic problem with this law and how it is structured in florida, and 29 other states. >> the problem is that you -- if i don't apply stand your ground to apply to all defendants, and you apply it one way to one person and another way to another person, you basically -- what is stand your ground? what is self-defense? so then you have marissa

alexander's case if the prosecutor then decides to add the enhancement of 10, 20 life which they did in her case, if she goes to trial, she is basically stuck with a 20-year sentence where nobody has discretion to change that. that's happened to people every single day. they're getting this tremendously long sentences on first-time sentences when they have valid stand your ground claims. it's a problem all across the state. >> this is a huge discrepancy in terms of how this discretion is used, joy. >> absolutely. and the other problem withstand your ground, first of all, it encourages you in a sense to shoot to kill. because in cases where the person you shoot survives, because there is another witness, and in this case they used one of the young children as one of the witness, it's very difficult to win a stand your ground case. you know how you win? if the person you shoot dies. >> kevin cobbin and joy reid, thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> we'll be right back. >> we wanted to get that out there. having some fiber! with new phillips' fiber good gummies.

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man isn't supposed to take on. guts. glory. ram. man thto fight chronic.ake on. osteoarthritis pain. to fight chronic low back pain. to take action. to take the next step. today, you will know you did something for your pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is a pain reliever fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. anti-depressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not for children under 18. people taking maois, linezolid or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes.

tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. take the next step. talk to your doctor. cymbalta can help. finally tonight, the fight for justice from 50 years ago to today. this photo was taken. it was taken on july 15th, 1963, and it shows members of the birmingham, alabama fire department turning their hoses on civil rights demonstrators who were fighting for equal rights. 50 years later, we've come a long way, but we have a long way to go.

i thought about that this weekend. i thought about how 50 years later we had a verdict that many of us are disappointed. but i thought about how 50 years ago when they turned fire hoses on those marches, they didn't go home and get fire hoses to shoot water back. they fought back by being bigger, stronger, more determined, and, yes, more excellent in their character than those that were coming against them. and they never gave up fighting until they made change come. those marches was led by a man named reverend fred shuttl shuttlesworth 50 years ago. friday night i spoke in birmingham, alabama. i rode to my speaking location from the shuttlesworth airport in birmingham. he not only won that battle, but the airport is named after him.

the sheriff that turned the hose on him, bull conner, there is no airport named after him. people that change history are recorded by history. i think it was ryan who said truth crushed the earth shall rise again. if we stand up for what is right and be right as we stand, we can change big things and little things will also change. because it shifts with the big things in society. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. aftermath. let's play "hardball." >> good evening. i'm chris matthews out in san francisco. let me start tonight with this. according to the u.s. centers for disease control and prevention, a white person in this country is five times as likely to commit suicide with a gun as to be shot with one. you are more likely to deliberately kill yourself with