Ashley analyzes the effect of ALEC and the effects on the community.
ALEC stands for the American Legislative Exchange Council. It is a “non-profit” organization that consists of both major corporations and politicians all around the United States. ALEC was founded during September 1973, and since then they have been passing legislation to favor major companies regardless of the negative impacts it could have on a community.
ALEC has many different corporations as part of their team and or as donors. One of their biggest donors is the Bradley Foundation who has donated an estimate of 4 million dollars. Some companies that are currently in ALEC are Fedex, The National Rifle Association (NRA), State Farm Insurance, PhRMA, Pfizer Inc, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, eBay, United Parcel Service (UPS), UPS Airlines, Wells Fargo, etc.
One of the most important bills that ALEC has helped pass was “Stand Your Ground”. This bill allows citizens to use deadly force as long as it is justifiable in self defense. After “Stand Your Ground'' was passed, corporations like Walmart, who sell both rifles and ammunition experienced an increase in sales. The issue with ALEC is that major corporations have the ability to risk public safety to gain profit. The increase in arms, and ammunition sales after “Stand Your Ground” was passed has allowed for more weapons to hit the streets.
In the case of Treyvon Martin, “Stand Your Ground” allowed for his killer George Zimmmerman to roam free. Zimmerman was able to justify his use of excessive force by stating that he felt Martin posed a threat. Martin was a 17 year old unarmed boy, and Zimmerman was a 28 year old police officer.