One year ago today George Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin in Florida. This story has generated all kinds of interest in and scrutiny about the legality of holding and using guns.
I’m firmly against the Stand Your Ground laws due to a simple fact: the evidence shows that this doesn’t make anyone safer. I think saying that since the POTUS family has armed protection so should we all is a bogus argument: his enemies, domestic and international are quite very substantially greater than us common folk.
As a songwriter I was drawn to write about Trayvon’s case, and did so in the lead track to my album “Missing Anchor” — you can download or stream it here:
I recorded that song late last summer at Handwritten Recording in Chicago under the supervision of engineer Rick Riggs. David Keller played cello, Andrew Sole played drums, and Christopher Elam played electric guitar and bass. Shelley Miller did backing vocals. I sang lead and played acoustic guitar and piano. It was an honor to play with such talented and accomplished musicians in Chicago, and they were all into the message behind the music.
Woody Guthrie was quoted as saying that he wasn’t a poet: he was a journalist. For this song, for this topic, I hope I was a good journalist.
