Turn the Page

I’ve been following the entire Trayvon Martin story, and haven’t said anything, mostly because there’s a thousand people who have said it way better, and much more eloquently than I ever could.  This morning, however, I read that Geraldo Rivera blamed Martin’s death on what he was wearing, not the fact that Zimmerman was racist and shot and killed Martin because he was black.

Which is how it should have been.

But no, Rivera said Martin was killed because he was wearing a hoodie.  Which is complete bullshit.

That picture, that’s me.  In a hoodie.  Though, to be fair, I still call it what we’ve called them in Saskatchewan since dirt was invented; bunny hugs.  Name of clothing aside, I’m wearing something similar to what Martin was wearing when he was shot and killed.  Does that automatically make me a gangster?  No, it doesn’t, and any number of people would agree.  All for one reason only.

Because I’m white.

(and please don’t take my photo and retouch it so that I’m represented as black, because you have to understand how incredible offensive that is to African Americans, if you don’t know why, look up Black Face sometime)

What Martin was wearing had absolutely zero percent for why he was shot.  The colour of his skin had absolutely everything behind the motive for why Zimmerman phoned 911, stalked him, approached his with a gun and eventually murdered him.  I don’t understand why this is being debated.  Martin was a 17 year old kid who was going back to his father’s with an ice tea and a pack of Skittles.