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The tragic killing of unarmed 19-year-old Renisha McBride has left her family and supporters across the country seeking answers and demanding justice. More than a week after Renisha’s death the shooter has not been arrested and he may not face proper prosecution because of Michigan‘s so-called “Stand Your Ground” or “Shoot First” law.1
Shoot First laws have been under intense scrutiny since the tragic killing of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman – who “got away with murder” – because Florida’s Shoot First prevented a proper investigation and controlled the instructions given to the jury.2 These laws, when combined with the daily reality of deep-rooted racial prejudice, create a culture of fear and violence where Renisha McBride — a young Black woman perceived as a threat — can be killed without consequence.
Shortly after the news of Renisha’s death broke, local residents of Detroit and nearby areas rallied for justice — condemning racial profiling and violence against women. Demonstrators referred to Dearborn Heights as a “sundown town”, a mostly white suburb outside of Detroit that has a history of being hostile to Black folks.3
Michigan enacted “Stand Your Ground” in 2006 and its law closely resembles Florida’s.4 In this case, the law can protect Renisha’s shooter from criminal prosecution if he believes that he was in danger, even if his belief is wrong and rooted in racial bias. But this tragedy and the countless others like it are preventable, if enough of us continue to speak up and demand justice.
Thanks and Peace,
–Rashad, Matt, Arisha, Kim, William, and the rest of the ColorOfChange team November 11th, 2013
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References
1. “Michigan’s ‘stand your ground’ law mirrors Florida law more than any other state,” Michigan Radio, 7-15-13 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3078?t=9&akid=3186.1689899.7lphca
2.”7 Mind Blowing Moments From Zimmerman Juror B37′s First Interview,” ThinkProgress, 07-16-13 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/2799?t=11&akid=3186.1689899.7lphca
3. “Detroit activists demand justice for Renisha McBride,” The Grio, 11-08-13 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3079?t=13&akid=3186.1689899.7lphca
4. See reference 1.
Be a Seed for Change 
A Message from Britain on the Death of Renisha McBride
I am a middle-aged White British man who lives in Harlow, a town approximately 22 miles Northeast of the centre of London. I am a writer (so far without any commercial success).
I read about the tragic case of Renisha McBride last Friday in a British newspaper called The Guardian, and wrote the following verses in response. Anyone who feels that my composition may be useful is free to use it in any form they see fit. I ask only that my authorship is acknowledged.
The following verses are also attached to this email in the form of a Word document, to facilitate their use.
I hope that justice can be served in this case, those responsible punished, and the law changed.
Regards and Best Wishes
Paul T Kegan
==
The Dear Folk of Dearborn Heights
There’s a suburb of Detroit City
Goes by the name of Dearborn Heights
Where householders stand their ground
Where they know their Goddamn rights
Their idea of assistance
Is a bullet in your head
If you’re young and Black and female
They’ll probably shoot you dead
The highway of compassion
It bypasses Dearborn Heights
On blistering August days
And cold November nights
Renisha McBride crashed her car
At the tender age of nineteen
Early one Saturday morning
On streets unfriendly and mean
She knocked on his door and asked him for help
He picked up his gun and he fired
As from his house she turned away
And on his front porch she expired
“The local police aren’t racist!”
I imagine the outraged cries
How then do we explain
Their filthy racist lies?
Renisha she was dumped
That was what they said
On the porch of an innocent man
She was already dead
The Prosecutor vetoed arrest
In Wayne County it wasn’t a crime
To shoot in the back of her head
A woman, unarmed, in her prime
Because killing Blacks is legal
It’s written in Michigan law
They’re free to gun you down
If you knock upon their door
Black folk can expect no sympathy
In good ol’ Dearborn Heights
Where householders stand their ground
Where they know their Goddamn rights
■
Paul T Kegan 10 November 2013
In memory of Renisha McBride.
==
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