No one should have to bury their child, especially under unlawful circumstances.

Michael McGlockton recently lost his son, Markeis, after he was murdered on July 19 outside of a convenience store in Clearwater, Florida. Michael Drejka shot the 28-year-old father in cold blood and under the protection of the state's "stand your ground" law.

Because of this law, citizens in Florida, such as Michael Drejka and George Zimmerman, are justified in using deadly force as a means of self-defense — leaving parents like Michael McGlockton to face the devastation of watching their child's killer walk free. 

Blavity spoke with Michael (Mike) McGlockton about his conversation with Trayvon Martin's father — who experienced a similar burden —  the wrongfulness of "stand your ground" and his commitment to seeking and claiming justice for his beloved son.

Blavity: Amid rampant rumors, speculation and conversations regarding what happened on July 19, what do you want people to know about your son, Markies?

Mike McGlockton: Markies was a good man. He was a loving, devoted dad. He was a jokester. He just had a good soul; a good spirit. I raised him to be a man, and that’s exactly what he was. He was a man amongst men, and unfortunately, that cost him his life. 

Trayvon Martin's death established the conversation surrounding the consequences of the "stand your ground" law. Did you think something like this would happen again?

MM: I knew there was a possibility because, from the Trayvon case, they [Florida lawmakers] never changed the laws. Nothing was changed, so it left the door wide open for something like this to happen again.

You had the chance to speak with Trayvon’s parents recently. Could you tell us about that conversation?

MM: It was a very comforting conversation. The reason I say that is because a lot of people will come up to you and say, 'Hey, I understand what you’re going through'; 'My heart goes out to you,' etc., but not too many people can say that and really mean it. But to hear Trayvon Martin’s parents talk about the things they went through; they gave us different avenues on how we can try to cope with this and try to move forward on a day-to-day basis. It was very, very, very comforting. I thank them so much for that because I never dealt with anything like this before in my life. For a moment, I was losing control of myself, but I talked with Tracy (Trayvon’s father), and he gave me some words to try to get myself together and try to move forward. I thank him for it. 

What is your hope for the "stand your ground" law moving forward? How do you want the possible changes to look?

MM: First of all, this whole 'changing the stand your ground law' is secondary right now to me. First, I want justice; I’m looking for justice for my son. Then, the law needs to be changed. It’s not fair to people of color, and it’s just not right. It’s no way on God’s green earth that you can gun down somebody and then hide behind "I feared for my life." It’s not right on so many levels. 

What were your expectations for the rally in protest of the "stand your ground" law?

MM: Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it, but Brittany Jacobs, Markies' girlfriend, went on behalf of the family. I still got bills to pay; I still got to report to work. But for the family’s sake, we always make sure somebody will be there to attend.

How do you intend to pursue justice for your son?

MM: We want to keep the pressure on the state's attorney. If you sit down and look at that tape, my son was backing up when Michael Drejka pulled that handgun out. So, Michael Drejka had full control of the situation when he pulled that gun out, as Markeis was taking two or three steps backward. If the attorney can look at [the tape] and see that my son was taking a step back, how can you stand behind [Drejka's defense] "I was in fear of my life"?

The world can see that’s not "stand your ground." The sheriff, I guess, expected to come on the scene and say Michael Drejka's [action] was justifiable, and the whole community would be cool with it. No. That’s not right. Whatever I have to do going forward to get justice for my son, I will do it.

What's the conversation been like with your grandchildren about their father? 

MM: It took over a week for myself and Brittany to sit little Markeis Jr. down and let him know that his daddy’s in heaven now. If you look at the tape, the other two kids were in the car, but Markeis Jr. was in the store when his daddy ran back in the store [after he was shot] and collapsed. And Markies Jr. is only five years old. He was obviously crying and kept saying, "My daddy’s dead." I kept holding him and saying, "Your daddy’s going to be OK." It was a hard conversation to have with him. We took him to the wake, and he’d seen his father lying there. It was tough, but since then, as a family, we’ve collectively been trying to keep them [Markies' children] busy. It’s been hard; trust me.

In your opinion, has race factored into the incident and the decision not to charge Michael Drejka? 

MM: In my heart, honestly, I believe so. I was watching the news and saw a discussion [between some lawyers] about the history of "stand your ground" incidents. Two out of the three lawyers said ever since the law was put in place, black people have not benefitted. If black people commit a crime and use "stand your ground" to defend themselves, they’re locked up. But when you look at when these guys [white people] shoot a black person, they go home, drink beers and all this other stuff. Black folks get fingerprinted, a mug shot, etc., and Michael Drejka got nothing. If that doesn’t have anything to do with race, please tell me otherwise. It’s just not right.