People march Monday to Florida’s Capitol in Tallahassee to protest the state’s “stand your ground” law. Marchers included (from left) Lucia McBath, mother of Jordan Davis; Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, parents of Trayvon Martin; the Rev. Al Sharpton, president of National Action Network; and Phyllis Giles, mother of Michael Giles. Credit: Associated Press

When it comes to "stand your ground" laws and the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, a number of readers had strong opinions on why the law needs to stay intact and why so many people distrust young black males.

Sybrina Fulton, Martin's mother, told me in a March 9 column that she was on a mission to change these laws to protect young people. In the cases she cited, she said those who fired their guns because they feared for their safety usually got off when they killed the person as opposed to firing a shot and missing or firing as a warning.

After my column was published, my email quickly filled up with comments from what I presume to be angry white men. Many of the emails were downright racist, and the R-word is one that I don't throw around a lot.

Why are white men so angry?

Travis L. Gasa, who is an assistant professor of Africana studies at Cornell University, wrote a piece titled "Why Are White Men Like Michael Dunn So Angry?" last month for theroot.com. Gasa cited the Dunn case, in which Dunn opened fire on a group of black teens in an SUV on Nov. 23, 2012, after he got into an argument with the youths over loud rap music coming from their vehicle. Dunn, who is white, fired nine rounds into the SUV, killing Jordan Davis, 17, because he believed he saw the barrel of a gun. No weapon was found.

Dunn was found guilty last month of three counts of attempted second-degree murder for shooting at the teens but was not convicted in the killing of Davis. That left many people scratching their heads.

Gasa said Dunn was pushed over the edge by insults from the teens and window-rattling music, and "what allegedly followed eerily mirrored the 1993 film "Falling Down," in which a white-collar-worker-turned-vigilante snaps under the pressure of white, middle-class life and strikes back against Latino gangbangers."

Gasa went on to say that for white men like Dunn, gangsta rap music and hoodies symbolize a larger culture "war in which putatively wholesome American culture is under siege by blackness."

I see where Gasa is going. If a white teen plays his music loud, it's considered a nuisance. If a black teen does it, it's considered thuggish. Almost the same way a hoodie is viewed along with baggy clothing. Fulton was quick to point out that her son was not pursued and ultimately killed because of his clothing. She believes he was racially profiled by George Zimmerman because of his skin color.

Both Dunn and Zimmerman felt they were justified in their killings. Zimmerman refused to listen to an officer's request not to follow Martin, but the wannabe cop did so anyway. Martin and Zimmerman got into an altercation, and when Zimmerman was getting his butt kicked, he fatally shot the unarmed teen.

While Dunn was in jail, he wrote letters to his family and friends, saying he didn't like being behind bars because it was full of blacks and they "all act like thugs."

All week, I received emails from people I suspect are white males who believe black teens shot during altercations deserve it:

■"You want to talk about trailing people, just come out to Wal-Mart in Mukwonago. If a black person walks through that door they will be watching him ... The rest of us didn't care if Trayvon Martin got killed anyway, because he was probably going to commit a crime sooner or later."

■"Many of my family members have concealed carry permits. I know if they were being beaten by some drugged up (racial epithet) they would shoot to kill, I would empty the clip into him."

■"The problem, not 'stand your ground.' Black men and women act like thugs and hoodlums and feral animals."

■"It is Trayvon's fault for casing the 'joint' (Zimmerman's home) and ambushing an innocent, short, fat, desk bound, Spanish guy who was worried about his home being invaded and his wife being raped and robbed by a 6 foot tall, battle hardened football player hiding in a hoodie just like all innocent store robbers and shooters do."

These are just a sample of the types of emails and letters I get daily. Some are too offensive to be published. Aside from how people feel regarding "stand your ground" laws, what needs to be discussed and remedied is the misappropriation of the law based on color or class.

Until we can meet in the space of human rights on issues such as racial profiling and stereotyping, laws like "stand your ground" will always be controversial because they allow people who fear for their safety to use deadly force against a perceived aggressor and they override any legal obligation the people have to retreat.

Ask yourself this: Would Zimmerman have pursued Martin if he didn't have a gun? And would Davis be alive if Dunn didn't have a weapon?

Fulton is right; "stand your ground" laws need to change, but the racial divide needs to be narrowed as well.

James E. Causey is a Journal Sentinel columnist and blogger. Email jcausey@journalsentinel.com. Facebook: fb.me/jamescausey.12 Twitter: twitter.com/jecausey