Never try it with a Black mother, and most especially don’t try it with one who is a veteran lawyer and respected elected official. Arkansas State Senator Stephanie Flowers caught the attention of the nation last week when she railed against the interruption of her Republican counterpart inside the chamber during a “Stand Your Ground” debate.

Advocate.com reports:

Flowers, a Democrat from Pine Bluff, spoke forcefully Wednesday at a judiciary committee hearing that considered ending Arkansas’s “duty to retreat” law and effectively putting in place a “stand your ground” law. Such legislation would allow citizens to use lethal force when responding to a perceived threat, instead of just walking away.

Flowers said such laws put the lives of African-Americans in harm’s way — and that she fears every day for her son in Arkansas, a state that already rabidly embraces gun culture.

At the hearing, Republicans tried to end debate on the bill.

“I care as much for my son as much as y’all care for y’alls,” Flowers said to the all-white Republican members. “But my son doesn’t walk the same path that yours does. So this debate deserves more time… I worry about my son. And I worry about all the other little Black boys and girls.”

Flowers criticized her peers who carry guns inside the Senate chamber.

When Flowers was told to stop speaking, she erupted. “No, I don’t! What the hell you gonna do? Shoot me?”

Watch the video of the debate below.

—

Photo: Getty